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Much of Cuba’s woes are a direct consequence of the misguided U.S. embargo and they were not better under Batista. Imagine what would transpire in Costa Rica should the U.S. cut off trade and penalize any other party doing business with CR. I suspect the Ticos would also turn out to be tough and would weather the hard times.
Every country I have visited has problems. Few have such a large, powerful enemy so close.At least the Cubans were able to stave off an american invasion. Costa Rica’s southern neighbor was not and thousands of innocent civilians were slaughtered by US troops in Panama.
Human resiliency is wonderful and human pain and suffering are always much more transparent and intrinsically more important than rhetoric or political philosophies…..Just because Batista’s gov’t was bad, just because the US can’t stop meddling with others, just because X, Y or Z, doesn’t make what is happening in Cuba anything other than HORRIBLE and something that NO ONE should have to face for the sake of pompous ideology….which happens to be one of the reasons I do love about much of what the Founding Fathers had to say when constructing the US–Unfortunately, not only people get lost along the way, so do governments and whole nations….I don’t pretend on convincing you Sprite, you are immensely lucky to the have right to express your differing opinions from mine (ONE YOU WOULD NOT HAVE IN CUBA!)–as it should be–but I will never excuse the oppression of any people for the sake of hollow political differences–those are MERE WORDS, the pain, imprisonment and oppression of a people are done to REAL PEOPLE and obtained gained with their REAL BLOOD—not some pie in the sky ideology and not even for the “greatest” of thoughts according to some since a government should always be a representative of its people not its jailer…..Thank your lucky stars you and I can express our opinions freely….Freedom is one of those things that should never be bought or sold and the freedom of a nation should never be at the whim of someone’s “great idea” no matter how great you might consider those ideas to be…
Speech is not completely free anywhere. Public speech has some level of consequence everywhere, including the U.S. And, by the way, while in Cuba, I expressed ideas in direct opposition to some of Cuba’s policies at that time…without any noticed bad consequences. It is polite to discuss politics. It is not polite to rudely insult in Cuba nor anywhere else.
Freedom and free speech are vague concepts that everyone likes to bandy about. Both are over rated and charged with emotions not entirely tied to realities. One’s priorities should be:Eat, clothe yourself and get a roof over your head…then speak and function within the cultural parameters at hand. Political repression of some speech is sometimes just another form of cultural boundry enforcement. Whether the police enforce this repression with an arrest, or the guy you just offended enforces it with a punch in the face, speech has consequences. This is the case in Cuba and elsewhere, even in Costa Rica. We all guard what we say depending on the situation.
Edited on Nov 15, 2007 08:46
upecity, I’m sure we agree on a lot more than you think. I like bumper stickers too, and your Jefferson quote comeback was “bloody brilliant.” I read them with a smile on my face.
upecity, I’m sure we agree on a lot more than you think. I like bumper stickers too, and your Jefferson quote comeback was “bloody brilliant.” I read them with a smile on my face.
Sprite, Free speech and freedom overrated? C’mon, do you really believe that? It is because we still have free speech and freedom, we can talk like this here, and in public. Freedom give us the opportunity so we can choose to participate in the workings of government, or choose to opt out. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater, but you can certainly express your views without being fearful of being censured or arrested. At least right now.
Even though we are complaining of the conditions in the US at this moment, it is still better than Cuba, China, Russia, Venezuela, and a whole host of other countries. The right, and it is still a right not a privilege, of free speech has been one of the foundations of the Republic.
We may couch our words, be careful what we say around some people, or just feel saying a certain thing is inappropriate, but you still can say what you want in almost any circumstance. It is possibly fear of embarrassment, or concern for other’s feelings that may limit the content of your speech. These, as you pointed out, are self imposed limits on free speech.
Sprite, Sorry it took me so long to respond. I was at Columbia University all day and just walked in. Anyway, I consider you and many on this Forum to possess above average intelligence. Most people that know me, including my Ivy league professors & colleagues don’t consider me stupid either which is why I had to smile when I read your post about how freedom of speech had to always be tempered. Are you joshing me? But of course! What intelligent human being doesn’t understand that in spite of having freedom of speech in (let’s say the US for argument sake and it’s a reference point for many on the Forum including you and me) the US as granted by The Bill of Rights and Constitution (well, before the Patriot Act) no one thinks that you should be able to blurt anything you damn well please to anyone others and just in case someone is too blunt to get that, there are laws against defamation, slander and falsely yelling out “fire” or some other words that could put the public at large in danger. So now that we agree on that please consider that you were NOT an island Cuban when you lived on the island, you were a foreigner and speaking of intelligence, Fidel is one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever tried to understand and he has been masterful at the art and science of marketing his revolution by taking people in and “showing” them what he would have you see. Again, I do not deny there have been great gains on the island, but that the people of Cuba CANNOT FREELY EXPRESS themselves is an UNDERSTATEMENT. They also lack many other liberties–some of the religious oppression has diminished in the last decade because, oh heck, tourists like to celebrate Christmas you know! Convenient bit of change, but I’ll take it because it means the people on the island have gained some inkling of personal freedom, even if for other reasons. Religious behavior was considered counterrevolutionary and my poor grandmother had to pray to her Virgencita del Carmen and Santa Barbara in a closet because when her great grandchildren saw her and innocently mentioned it to a school teacher, sure enough my 4’11 grandmother was treated like an enemy of the state–she was questioned, chastised and warned to stop such “dangerous” behavior all for wanting to practice her religious faith!
But don’t take my word there’s always the good old BBC, some information on the human rights activists, librarians and journalist that have been jailed in Cuba and last but not least there is a video of Fidel Castro’s greatest protege showing us what he’s learned from the master regarding freedom of speech and how reporters should be treated. Hasta luego viejo (since you’ve lived in Cuba you know that this is a Cuban term of endearment):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/05/070502_pressfreedom.shtml
03 May, 2007 – Published 09:18 GMT
Cuba shamed on press freedom
An international group campaigning for press freedom has put Cuba among the top ten countries where it says restrictions on newspapers and journalists have worsened in the last five years.According to the report, Cuba became one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists in the past five years with 29 journalists being imprisoned in 2003 alone in a massive crackdown.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also singled out Cuba as the fifth worst overall in their list of places worldwide where press freedom has deteriorated.
Limited coverage
In addition to the imprisonments in Cuba, the report claims four foreign journalists were expelled after covering a 2005 political opposition meeting, with a further 10 being barred entry when Fidel Castro became ill in 2006.
The report reflects a mixture of relatively open countries that have turned increasingly repressive and traditionally restrictive nations where press conditions, remarkably, have worsened.
Why Cuba?
According to the CPJ, Cuba is an example of the latter and has been included high in the list because it has ratcheted up press restrictions through widespread imprisonments, expulsions, and harassment over the last 5 years.
“The behaviour of all of these countries is deeply troubling, but the rapid retreats in nations where the media have thrived demonstrate just how easily the fundamental right to press freedom can be taken away,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
Three nations in sub-Saharan Africa were also among the countries highlighted as having deteriorating conditions for free-press.
Sub-Saharan democracies suffering
Ethiopia, Gambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have won praise at times for their transition to democracy.
However the CPJ report claims that but they are actually now moving in reverse on press issues.
“Democracy’s foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
CPJ staff excluded from consideration zones such as Iraq and Somalia, which lack conventional governance and newsgathering.
The CPJ’s top ten offenders:
1. Ethiopia
2. Gambia
3. Russia
4. Democratric Republic of Congo
5. Cuba
6. Pakistan
7. Egypt
8. Azerbaijan
9. Morocco
10. Thailandhttp://www.cubaverdad.net/freedom_of_speech.htm#Journalists
1. Cuba, the world’s biggest prison for journalists
Pages on independent journalists in Cuba“Gagging Law”
Promulgated in February 1999, the “88 Law” – soon nicknamed the “gagging law” in dissident circles – weighs like the Sword of Damocles over any person who “collaborates, by any means whatsoever, with radio or television programmes, magazines or any other foreign media” or “provides information” considered likely to serve US policy. The law provides for very heavy sentences: up to 20 years’ imprisonment, confiscation of all personal belongings and fines up to 100,000 pesos (close to 4,800 dollars, while the average Cuban salary is 250 pesos or 12 dollars per month). This law, that no court has taken advantage of as yet, also provides for punishment for “the promotion, organisation or encouragement of, or the participation in meetings or demonstrations.
Gagging Law text (Spanish)
In Cuba, they don’t just censor you now – they throw you in jail.
President Fidel Castro’s police rounded up 26 independent journalists on 18 March, along with more than 50 political dissidents, all for the same reason. At the beginning of April, Cuban courts dispatched each of these journalists to prison for between 14 and 27 years after three days of sham trials. They were punished for allegedly working with the United States “against the independence and territorial integrity of the state,” which is a crime under article 91 of the Cuban criminal code and under article 88 on “protecting national independence” (known as the “gag law”).
Those targeted had regularly published articles in the foreign press, mostly American, since no independent or privately-owned newspaper or radio or TV station is allowed in Cuba, and had recently dared to start up two underground publications in Cuba itself – “De Cuba” and “Luz Cubana” – which was unprecedented in the 44 years of President Castro’s rule.
This new persecution of political opponents and independent journalists, as well as the execution on 11 April of three would-be refugees who hijacked a ferry in a bid to reach Florida, has revolted democrats around the world, even leading the European Union to reconsider its future economic cooperation with Cuba.
Reporters Without Borders invites the public to sign a petition calling for the immediate release of the 26 journalists, who have been thrown in jail to stop them speaking out freely.
The arrests mean Cuba is now the world’s biggest prison for journalists and that President Castro has become the “Maximum Leader” of predators of press freedom.
More news on the journalists amongst the 75.
On March 18 2003 Castro moved against dissidents in Cuba while the world watched the invasion in Iraq. The Cuban regime arrested 75 dissidents and used the repressive laws it has in place to condemn them to long prison sentences.
Note that the news items listed are based on a search of the Cubaverdad Blog and are therefore not complete. For more information please search the Internet.
List of 75 human rights activists imprisoned in March 2003
Name Sentence to Released Recent
Nelson Aguiar Ramírez 13 years News
Osvaldo Alfonso Valdés 18 years 30/11/2004 News
Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos 25 years News
Pedro Argüelles Morán 20 years News
Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona 26 years News
Mijail Bárzaga Lugo 15 years News
Margarito Broche Espinosa 25 years 29/11/2004 News
Marcelo Cano Rodriguéz 18 years News
Roberto de Miranda 20 years 23/06/2004 News
Carmelo Díaz Fernández 15 years 18/06/2004 News
Eduardo Díaz Fleitas 21 years News
Antonio Díaz Sánchez 20 years News
Alfredo Domínguez Batista 14 years News
Oscar Espinosa Chepe 20 years 29/11/2004 News
Alfredo Felipe Fuentes 26 years News
Efrén Fernandéz Fernandéz 12 years News
Adolfo Fernández Saínz 15 years News
José Daniel Ferrer García 25 years News
Luis Enrique Ferrer García 28 years News
Orlando Fundora Alvarez 18 years 18/06/2004 News
Próspero Gaínza Agüero 25 years News
Miguel Galván Gutiérrez 26 years News
Julio César Gálvez Rodríguez 15 years News
Edel José García Díaz 15 years 06/12/2004 News
José Luis García Paneque 24 years News
Ricardo González Alfonso 20 years News
Diosdado González Marrero 20 years News
Léster González Pentón 20 years News
Alejandro González Raga 14 years News
Jorge Luis González Tanquero 20 years News
Leonel Grave de Peralta 20 years News
Iván Hernández Carrillo 25 years News
Normando Hernández González 25 years News
Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta 20 years News
Regis Iglesias Ramírez 18 years News
José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez 16 years News
Reinaldo Labrada Pena 6 years News
Librado Linares García 20 years News
Marcelo López Banobre 15 years 29/11/2004 News
José Miguel Martínez Hernández 13 years News
Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez 20 years News
Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández 20 years News
Luis Milán Fernández 13 years News
Nelson Molinet Espino 20 years News
Angel Moya Acosta 20 years News
Jesús Mustafá Felipe 25 years News
Felix Navarro Rodríguez 25 years News
Jorge Oliveira Castillo 18 years 02/12/2004 News
Pablo Pacheco Avila 20 years News
Héctor Palacios Ruíz 25 years News
Arturo Pérez de Alejo Rodríguez 20 years News
Omar Pernet Hernández 25 years News
Horacio Pina Borrego 20 years News
Fabio Prieto Llorente 20 years News
Alfredo Pulido López 14 years News
José Gabriel Ramón Castillo 20 years News
Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique 18 years News
Blas Giraldo Reyes Rodríguez 25 years News
Raúl Rivero Castaneda 20 years 30/11/2004 News
Alexis Rodríguez Fernández 15 years News
Omar Rodríguez Saludes 27 years News
Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello 20 years 22/07/2004 News
Omar Ruiz Hernández 18 years News
Claro Sanchéz Altarriba 18 years News
Ariel Sigler Amaya 20 years News
Guido Sigler Amaya 20 years News
Ricardo Enrique Silva Gual 10 years News
Fidel Suárez Cruz 20 years News
Manuel Ubals González 20 years News
Julio Antonio Valdés Guevara 20 years 15/04/2004 News
Miguel Valdés Tamayo 15 years 09/06/2004 News
Héctor Raúl Valle Hernández 12 years News
Manuel Vázquez Portal 18 years 23/06/2004 News
Antonio Augusto Villareal Acosta 15 years News
Orlando Zapata Tamayo 18 years NewsReporters Without Borders on Cuba
This man:
INTERNATIONAL PEN WRITERS IN PRISON COMMITTEE
Article 91/Law 88
The legal instruments most often utilized by the Cuban authorities to silence journalists and writers on the island are Article 91 of the Penal Code used in conjunction with Law 88 (see explanations of both below).
The measures are wide-ranging and ominously vague, and serve as catch-all legislation designed to cover almost any form of deviance from the official government line.The following summary of Article 91 and Law 88 is taken from the Amnesty International website:
Article 91 of the Penal Code
Article 91 of the Penal Code, which was the sole charge for 26 of the 75 dissidents and was used in conjunction with Law 88 (see below) for another six, provides for sentences of ten to 20 years or death against anyone convicted of “acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state”(73). Under this article, “he who, in the interest of a foreign state, commits an act with the objective of damaging the independence or territorial integrity of the Cuban state, incurs the penalty of ten to twenty years imprisonment or death”(74).Law 88 of 1999, which modifies the Penal Code, changes the provisions regarding sentencing to provide for life imprisonment.
Law 88
In February 1999 Cuba’s National Assembly passed tough legislation (Law 88), called the Ley de Protección de la Independencia Nacional y la Economía de Cuba, Law for the Protection of the National Independence and Economy of Cuba. The law calls for seven to 15 years’ imprisonment for passing information to the United States that could be used to bolster anti-Cuban measures such as the US economic blockade. This would rise to 20 years if the information is acquired surreptitiously. The legislation also bans the ownership, distribution or reproduction of ‘subversive materials’ from the US government, and proposes terms of imprisonment of up to five years for collaborating with radio and TV stations and publications deemed to be assisting US policy.Every single one of the writers, journalists and librarians sentenced in April 2003 were found guilty on charges relating to Article 91, Law 88 or both.
The full Spanish text of Law 88 can be viewed at: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2003/cubacrackdown/law88_spa.html
List of journalists in prison: Cubanet.org
Also see the CPJ site: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2003/cubacrackdown/introduction.html
Source:
Cuba: Systematic Repression of Dissent
December 1998 (addressing country conditions through November 1997)
by Douglas Payne
http://www.worldpolicy.org/globalrights/carib/1997-cuba.html#penalCuba’s penal code:
http://www.ruleoflawandcuba.fsu.edu/law-penal-code.cfm
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ_V4G8qRAU
This is so you can see how well Castro’s protege and great admirer Chavez has learned from the master about how you treat the press. The video is in Spanish, in the blue banner is where the attack took place and which agency the reporter worked for–
Has anyone here also mentioned that Amnesty International has not been permitted to enter Cuba since 1988? It seems that many western intellectuals were making similar excuses for Stalin before his death in 1953 and the magnitude of his crimes against humanity was revealed.
Now Aaronbz, don’t you know that when it’s convenient for Castro everyone from a Shih Tzu to Amnesty International are covert CIA agents and can’t be allowed to enter the island because they are “dangerous”? I actually agree with Fidel (like I said, the man’s a genius), shining the light of truth on “situations” will always be dangerous to those that speak of great philosophies while silencing and oppressing their people.
So if Ron Paul really means business about returning the freedoms Americans have lost under the Patriot Act (and other nasty tidbits of legislation) without replacing that by oppressing others, then he may just be what the US needs…Still want to check into this guy some more…
UpeCity, I think you’re wonderful!! I don’t usually put bumper stickers on my car, but I saw one today that I love and will be putting that on my car ASAP–a bow that says “Support Peace”.
Thomas Jefferson admired those that could say the most profound things with just a few words. I have great difficulty with that (if you haven’t notices :)), but sometimes only a few well chosen words will do…Pura Vida! (another short message has such profound connotations)…
Sprite ??? These Cubans you “respect” so much would if not for Fidel, I quote , be “producing only baseball players and tourist post cards”…
It seems like you respect them, as long as they abide by your vision of how things should be… If not you degrade them… Boo Hiss……
Sprite, I found some of your “cultural boundry enforcement” in the news today…
19-Year Old Saudi Rape Victim Ordered to Undergo 200 Lashes
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