Papal nuncio to Cuba: Castro, a man with deep Christian values

[Joe Chi Minh]

an interesting article by Hugh O'Shaughnessy in Guardian Comment/Religion/Catholic folder.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/sep/03/cuba-catholicism-church

Watch out! Our friends will be coming out of the woodwork in rag-time. Though only dancing with rage!

[Judi Lynn]

1. Very interesting. Hugh O'Shaughnessy is a superior journalist, always.

I am prepared to here him savaged by the visitors, of course, as they out themselves by pitching fits over this article.

O'Shaughnessy does the world a service by discussing the true unfaithful officials in the Cuban Church who worshipped power and money first before the interests of the people, and identified with the Batistianos instead of the human beings.

It's amusing to learn a more civilized man, Zacchi, stayed in Cuba, and became instrumental in Church dealings with the people's government.

Recommending! I'm hoping others will find it useful, enlightening. The author is superb, have never seen him lose it, or take the off ramp. A Murdoch paper wouldn't touch him!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Recommending.

Speaking of Cuba, here's a salsa in Havana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9yugsVjfnc
(At no time do their feet leave their ankles.)

On edit, a clearer, newer picture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb_6OtzyLlI

[flamingdem]

9. The top video with Yanek has music by Manolito Simonet Y su Trabuco

another favorite, timba and son and salsa, El Diablo Colorao sung by El Indio

[flamingdem]

10. Here is La Charanga on Miami TV a week ago

http://www.youtube.com/user/peliculacubana#p/u/0/NwMYGCrsU58

Now even the generally right wing TV programs in Miami are "suspect" since they feature
Cuban groups from the island. This is Alexis Valdes show.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgGGESNowGo

Here's Manolito Simonet Y su Trabuco with Locos por mi Habana

Chorus: In Havana there's a pile of crazies, crazy for Cuba, crazy for my son.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Wow, Charangueros! Club Ache, too. I wonder if Vigilia Mambisa was still outside when they arrived.

I have a feeling Miguel Saavedra would have a hard time trying to keep up with those guys!

What a show. What a sound!

It's great they are able to travel in the States now, anyway. Good for both countries.

That Manolito act is good. Never heard of him before. Thanks for the video link. You are educating us on something we'd never know about otherwise.

[bherrera]

3. Zacchi was nuncio in 1974-1975

Cardinal Jaime Ortega has criticized the Raul Castro government for abusing dissidents this year. The Catholic Church is very careful to avoid too much involvement in politics, now that it has lost its power as the successor of the Roman Empire. It is more sensible to read Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reports about Cuba, to understand the type of abuses which go on over there.

[Billy Burnett]

4. If you want to know the US agenda, then read Cubanet reports.

HRW and AI simply ditto them. Neither have any of their own people in Cuba. Instead they re-report Cubanet's bought_and_paid_for reports fabricated by their "independent journalists" who, obviously, have a vested interest in keeping their loot rolling in. They have become extremely wealthy by Cuban standards as these "independent journalists".

Personally, I tend to believe my own lying eyes over paid propagandists. But, that's just me. :shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

6. Oh, you are so persnickity, Billy Burnett. Why can't you accept these traitors?

No one's perfect, after all!

I feel they work for ME, since my tax dollars are going to line their crappy pockets, after all!

We should invent a deck of fat cat Cuban "dissidents," what d'ya think? I have some real faves in the bunch, so many cool ones from which to pick!

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/media/images/44368000/jpg/_44368796_foto2.jpg http://www.elpais.com.nyud.net:8090/recorte/20050725elpepuint_2/SCO250/Ies/opositora_Marta_Beatriz_Roque_fue_liberada_ayer_foto_archivo.jpg http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/0eb83ps2Sq55A/610x.jpg

The elegant Marta Beatriz Roque, on the US gravy train
for YEARS, and friend of Cuban "exile" terrorists in Miami.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org.nyud.net:8090/dissidents/roque-8.jpg

This photo, provided by the U.S. Interests
Section in Havana, shows Cuban dissident
Martha Beatriz Roque casting a symbolic
vote for George W. Bush on Nov. 3, 2004

http://direland.typepad.com.nyud.net:8090/direland/images/maria_roque.jpg

Apparently someone told Marta that expression is a winner!

http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/0a55fWoexM9EX/340x.jpg

Elisardo Sanchez, again, only look who's visiting him,
from another of his death beds, in the back row! It's Guillermo Farinas!
(He did 9 hunger strikes, too much time on his hands. Does he get double pay?)

http://pscuba.org.nyud.net:8090/images/vladimirodenuncia.jpg

Vladimar Roca!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com.nyud.net:8090/_mJcxrx8Wmbw/SMIJjxGmLcI/AAAAAAAAA8g/zO5D8aVCl64/s320/Vladimiro+Roca+y+Martha+Beatriz+Roque.jpg

Guess who's visiting Vladimar Roca and Marta Beatriz Roque!
It's Guillermo Farinas, again, between more hunger fasts!

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com.nyud.net:8090/riptide/leiva_1%20%281%29.jpg

Adrian Leiva, who drowned while
attempting to sneak back into Cuba.

http://upload.wikimedia.org.nyud.net:8090/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8f/Oswaldo_Paya_and_John_Paul_II.jpg/220px-Oswaldo_Paya_and_John_Paul_II.jpg http://www.cubaencuentro.com.nyud.net:8090/var/cubaencuentro.com/storage/images/encuentro_en_la_red/opinion/articulos/disidencia_melancolia_y_esperanza/oswaldo_paya/32663-1-esl-ES/oswaldo_paya.jpg

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org.nyud.net:8090/dissidents/roque-3.jpg

Oswaldo Payá

[flamingdem]

8. Judy's Treasure Trove even includes Adrian Leiva, wow! nt

[flamingdem]

11. Poor Adrian trying to make sense of a mess.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/04/dissident_adrian_leiva_drowns.php

In an open letter in 2008 to Barack Obama and Raul Castro, Leiva asked for easing of relations between the two countries on the condition that Cubans received more basic rights.

He also opposed the "wet foot/dry foot" policy, saying it had lead to the deaths of many Cubans.

The policy of receiving Cubans illegally entering the United States with the benefit of "the Cuban Adjustment Act. . . has contributed to the deaths of thousands of people in the Straits of Florida. It remains unchanged and adapt to the new reality of migration, would continue to encourage human trafficking and the deaths of more Cubans at sea.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Very eerie, isn't it, he focused on the wet foot/dry foot treachery, isn't it?

In that respect he agreed completely with the Cuban government, which has been adamently opposed to it for years, giving the same reason.

What's more, that Cuban Adjustment Act extends benefits, and services to Cubans to attract them to the U.S. which it doesn't give to Native Americans, who were driven completely away from their own homes, native lands, and forced to live in totally alien surroundings for which they were in every way ill equipped to survive, like sending the desert Apaches all the way to the lovely world of Pensacola, Florida, hot, muggy, dank, wet, they got pneumonia, many died, or the Trail of Tears, or other long, long treks on foot by all the survivors of genocidal attacks on their populations. These people's descendants wouldn't have a ghost of a chance getting some assistance from the Federal Government similar to the ones offered across 90 miles of water to Cuban cirizens.

Benefits given to people to persuade them to leave their own country, come to the U.S., and obtain rights and privileges not available to ANY other cultural/ethnic/national group here. It's simply deceitful, and misuses everyone involved. Completely unethical.

He was so right to speak against the tricks being used to seduce Cuban citizens into leaving their homes. Most Americans don't even know the ones who come here sometimes go BACK to Cuba. So wierd our government is involved in such dangerous games with people's lives.

[bherrera]

13. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are highly respected

If the dictatorship in Cuba allowed human rights observers, then there would be no objection, would they? But they do report anyway, and they have a lot more credibility than the tainted propaganda we hear from those who apologize for the terrible Castro regime. As I said, once that venal and corrupt regime is changed, they will be investigated, and hopefully they will be taken to the Hague for their crimes.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Crimes? Really? LIke killing political enemies, as in Colombia, and Honduras?

That kind of crimes?

You are truly spinning your wheels here. You are talking to people who know far, FAR more about Cuba right now than you EVER will. It's sad. You should have the sense it takes to be embarrassed.

[Billy Burnett]

18. "Tainted propaganda"?

But US International Republican Institute and NED funded Cubanet "reports" on Cuba that HRW and AI ditto are to be believed?

Black is white.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Their sources are impeccable, aren't they? They'd better get their licks in now,

before the travel ban is dropped and crowds of U.S. citizens start coming back and informing the rest of us just how they perceive Cuba if they stay there long enough to get a true sense of it.

We're going to see backpeddling, and dodging and weaving from these US-interests-serving stooges like we've never seen before. Sooner or later they will be completely revealed from top to bottom, with nowhere to hide. Cannot wait for that day.

[EFerrari]

5. Human Rights Watch has zero credibility in Latin America

or the Caribbean while Jose Miguel Vivanco heads the section. Zero.

[Judi Lynn]

7. You've got that right. He is not respected. n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. The Church has been getting more and more progressive with the

passing years. I remember even John Paul II making a bitter, sarcastic remark about the power of the almighty dollar. Like Solzhenitzin, he soon wised up to the evils of rabid Anglo-American capitalism.

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. How about their reports on the US? I'll bet they're much more savage.

In fact aren't some US officials wanted for war crimes? Why does the US refuse to subscribe to human-rights conventions?