It's so bad in Castro's gulags that there are now Cuban bloggers blogging from prison.

[Billy Burnett]

Nice of Huffpo to host the blogs US taxes pay for.

An Imprisoned Journalist Blogs From Inside Castro's Gulag
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/an-imprisoned-journalist_b_230884.html

[EFerrari]

1. LOL! How can I get Fidel to pay for my internet connection, too?

:rofl:

[Mika]

4. Billy's a really funny case.

As with the op title, he's got a stinging and funny sense of perspective.

When I read the post I LOL'd too. I really do hope we can do a get together in Cuba sometime with Billy. Y'all would just love him as I do.

:grouphug:

[rabs]

2. Liked the comment below the article

It was right on target.

-------------------------------------

Its a great thing the US public doesn't know much about the domestic occurrences in Cuba. Else they'd know that Pablo Pacheco, like the other prisoners disingenuously calling themselves "journalists" and "prisoners of conscience", was convicted, not of "speaking his mind" but of breaking the law by TAKING FUNDS FROM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION for the purposes of undermining the government.

Its also a good thing (for you) the people of the US have not seen the footage of those embarrassing trials exposing how all of their groups were infiltrated by the government, so that evidence upon evidence was presented before them and all they could do was bow their heads in shame.

Yoani, show me one government in the world that would allow a citizen take money from a hostile foreign government to carry out illicit activity designed to undermine them?

----------------------------------

Now, I would like to see prisoners blogging from the U.S. gulag at Guantanamo Bay.

"Gulag?" Naw, that was the Soviet version. Guantanamo Bay prison could be more aptly a "Stalag."

[Judi Lynn]

3. Excellent response. Completely appropriate.

There's a law against what they have done here, as well, even though our own government insists on doing this in other countries. They don't care as there's no one powerful enough to stop them. Fantastically hypocritical, and deceitful, since they've never admitted they do this to the taxpayers who are having to foot the bill to pay these provocateurs.

Damned sad situation.

[struggle4progress]

5. As usual, Yaoni starts off looking like she might actually say something -- then talks about Yaoni

Here's an AI link on Pablo Pacheco Avila:

Pablo Pacheco was sentenced under articles of Law 88 which provides lengthy prison terms for those found guilty of supporting United States policy on Cuba aimed at 'disrupting internal order, destabilising the country and destroying the Socialist State and the independence of Cuba'. It is believed that Pablo Pacheco's arrest and sentencing were politically motivated, relating to his legitimate journalistic activities and peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and association. Amnesty International is also concerned for Pablo Pacheco's health ... http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=25#

I don't know why AI closed the action. From AI, "It is believed that Pablo Pacheco's arrest and sentencing were politically motivated" is a credible but not definitive assertion. Such cases merit careful and accurate examination, and more transparency would be a very good thing

I have found at least one rightwing site cheering Pacheco for his cooperation with Radio Martí, which is (of course) a US operation intended to provoke Cuban government paranoia and over-reaction. One can simultaneously suspect that Pacheco's imprisonment is excessive or even unwarranted, while understanding that the history of US policy towards Cuba naturally creates a climate of intolerance there towards people who cooperate with the US in attempting to destabilize Cuba

[Billy Burnett]

6. FYI, Radio Marti is an illegal US broadcast into Cuba.

On top of their money funneling ops into the "dissident" groups seeking the overthrow of the Cuban government, their powerful broadcasts into Cuba using frequencies used my media in Cuba and regulated by the Cuban government is a clear violation of international broadcast agreements signed by (among most governments of the world) the US and Cuba.

Cheering cooperation with Radio and TV Marti is cheering for the violation of international laws and agreements.


Also: Fuck AI and the horse they rode in on regarding ANYTHING to do with Cuba!

[struggle4progress]

7. The AI POV centers around international documents on human rights: in this forum, it is

probably well-understood that the US pays homage at home and lip-service abroad to the civil rights in those documents, while more or less ignoring educational and basic necessities rights both at home and abroad. Cuba obviously takes the educational and necessities issues seriously -- and (in the context of US destabilization propaganda) may regard freedom to advocate against the government as less important. But perhaps freedom to advocate against the government ought to be a basic right -- though of course even in US such a "right" may exist more on paper than in practice

I'd be happy to see Radio Marti defunded. It seems very likely to me that someone in the US who cooperated with a foreign government to push destabilization of the US would be prosecuted here. Still, it seems to me that one can admire what Cuba has accomplished, can be sympathetic with Cuban government hostility towards people who cooperate with programs like Radio Marti, and can yet wonder if a twenty-year sentence is really appropriate or proportionate to any actual threat posed

Of course, you are welcome to disapprove of my POV, but then a more thoughtful political analysis might be helpful

[Billy Burnett]

8. The AI POV on Cuba comes, almost verbatim, direct from Cubanet.

Hi struggle4progress, I would love to be able to have at my fingertips the many years of research done on AI and their connections to Cubanet, USAID, NED, IRI, the World Anti Communist League, as well as a wide swath of other RW dark players. Sadly, I'm not at my main computer (HD) now, but maybe Judi or others might have a few bookmarks to share on this. AI, HRW, RsF has none of their own people in Cuba observing. They employ the services of the extreme anti Castro "news" source Cubanet and their so called "independent journalists" who are paid to provide product of a certain slant for their benefactors. They are paid at a level that makes them extremely wealthy by Cuban income standards. Not reliable. Akin to Faux news but with a more fantastical RW anti government slant, with the 'some people say' standard of reporting. Shown on DU threads of yesteryear were AI, HRW, RsF reports that are verbatim Cubanet "reports" from paid apostles.

As to the sentences given for treason. They are severe. But Cuba's experience with US illegal interference, invasion, stated goal of changing the government system in Cuba and funding small "dissident" groups heavily - not to mention US based terrorist organizations operating openly in S. Florida who use Radio Marti as one of their operations tools, it is hard to sit on this side of the Gulf Stream and condemn these sentences. The US has declared war on the government of Cuba and is acting upon that declaration - and therefore acting not only against the sovereign government but the people of Cuba who, according to US intelligence surveys and reports, overwhelmingly support their socialist system of government. Cuba/ns have/has every right to defend themselves.


If you have a little time and if you want to read about Cuba's "gulags" click here ...
http://afrocubaweb.com/elijah.htm

and scroll down to ...

LESSONS FROM OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH:
THE CUBAN PRISON SYSTEM - REFLECTIVE OBSERVATIONS
by Prof. Soffiyah Elijah
Clinical Instructor
Criminal Justice Institute
Harvard Law School


Thanks to Mika for above report (I googled it and found it - not at my main browsing Mac).

:hi:

[Judi Lynn]

9. My desktops are screwed up for now, 'til we get time for a repairman, only have a laptop

at the moment, with almost no files at all, so I got nada to grab for reference now, as my available time is also scarce for the immediate present.

I have been deeply disappointed with A-I for many years, having expected so much more from then than what they have been doing regarding leftist-led Latin American and Caribbean countries. Damnable shame. It was a stunning discovery when I started seeing what they were actually putting out.

Now when I get mail from them, I just don't even read it. It doesn't even matter to me any more what they're up to.

By the way, they have a completely delusional gusana from Miami in their A-I there. I ran across something she wrote when learned they have based their views on what they hear from people like her, and her statement was clearly blarney: good and windy, typical gusano bilge. To think they don't do personal investigation, follow up IN Cuba but just base their positioning on crap like word-of-mouth from the reactionary exile community was devastating. Who doesn't know how much stock you can put in the word of exiles, anyway?

One has no farther to look than the fantastically bogus crap the _Bush administration used from the Iraq "exiles" to kick off his illegal war on that country. Their spew could be identified from a mile away by sensible people, but was shoved down everyone's throat as if it were written in stone and brought down from the mountain by Moses.

I've got tons on A-I, and the other computers, but can't reach it at the moment.

I'd like to remind you that Marta Beatriz Roque, the most obnoxious professional "dissident" was captured on tape in a phone call with someone discussing money coming to her from the Miami "exile" terrorist, Santiago Alvarez, whom, as you know, was the one who smuggled mass murdering bomber Luis Posada Carriles back into the country when he got out of prison in Panama where he had been pardoned by Bush family friend, Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso on her last day of office before she also moved to Miami, after he had been imprisoned for his part in the murder plot to blow up the university auditorium where Fidel Castro was scheduled to speak in Panama.

[struggle4progress]

10. My own view is that the facts, accurately determined, will lead to the analysis, not

the other way around. Upthread, I suggested that a careful discussion of the Pancheco case and similar cases would be advantageous

If you are unable to distinguish between AI and a wingnut group like WACL, then I suppose it is unsurprising that you cannot find a difference between AI and Cubanet or between AI and RsF. I suspect the inability to make such distinctions will prevent one from doing good political work on such issues. I have posted more than once here on the (to me obvious) biases of RsF

[Billy Burnett]

11. Whatever. I've been paying attention to this issue for over 35 years.

As mentioned, I am familiar with AI on Cuba issues. I'm sure that AI does valuable work in some areas of the world, just not Cuba (and Venezuela) - I suspect because of funding affiliation they have with some hard RW anti communist/anti socialist foundations.

To suggest that I am unable to distinguish between AI and a wingnut group like WACL is a bit of a stretch. Although WACL's influence is present in AI's Cuba "reporting" (via Cubanet).

struggle4progress, I have been to Cuba a many times and I have a number of friends there - mine eyes have seen the light. Cuba is not the dark and repressed nation often described as a gulag by Cubanet's creative writing dept. There is plenty of room for wide political discourse - as long as it is domestic product and not affiliated with the US government and/or terrorist organizations. I have seen this myself.


If you want to discuss the Pancheco case, please do. I'll give your ideas a read.


Cheers

[struggle4progress]

12. Dishonesty does not help the cause: if you think you have evidence, for example, that WACL funds AI,

which is apparently something you believe, then you should produce that evidence; frankly, I do not believe you have such evidence

And perhaps I should suggest you read what I actually wrote upthread, rather than hallucinating meanings between the lines: I try to craft my sentences carefully, in order that they say what I want to say