Note From the Underground

To Readers of Miami's Cuban Connection: I have spent the last several weeks working diligently from an undisclosed location on a story that has to do with Cuba. I am not convalescing. I am not in prison. I am not dead. All I can say is that some stories require more time reporting than others. And this is a story that deserves complete dedication and attention. Stay tuned,

Oscar

Comments

[Pee Wee Herman]

My very first post of this thread was erased?

remember

Oscar , are you in cuba, were you invited by the cuban governmet?

Gato encerrado aqui......

[a thought...]

Pee Wee, Oscar already stated that he would be removing posts that have nothing to do with discussions about Cuba since the blog was hijacked last month by individuals who wanted to talk about gay sex and pedophilia. So, if you posted anything about that, it will be removed.

This is not the place for those discussions.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

I want to know how that faggot PeeWee thinks he will be able to stroll down the streets of Havana hand and hand with his faggot lover without getting his teeth knocked out of his head...

PeeWee, we dont want C-A's faggots in Havana. Believe me when i tell you that American faggots like you will not find a home in a post Castro Cuba...

No C-A's
No Faggots
No Hip-hop gangsters
No Racist cuban-anglos wanna-be's
No Acting like you own Cuba
No Disrepct to Cubans who stayed

CUBA FOR CUBANS ONLY................................................................................................................................

[Pee Wee H]

Pee Wee, Oscar already stated that he would be removing posts that have nothing to do with discussions about Cuba since the blog was hijacked last month by individuals who wanted to talk about gay sex and pedophilia. So, if you posted anything about that, it will be removed.

I HAVE NEVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT GAYS . IT WAS THE CUBANANTIFAGGOTS WHO STARTED ATTACKING ME. THE REAL PEE WEE IS NOT GAY AND NEVER DISCUSS THE ISSUE UNLESS PROVOKED.
IF MY FIRST POST OF THIS THREAD WAS REMOVED IS BECAUSE OSCAR HAS ANOTHER ISSUE. CAN YOU FIGURE IT OUT? YOU SEEM TO BE A LITTLE SMART

[usambcuba]

Professor - and professor of what remains to be seen with the way you address people.

"What American goods are you talking about...America currently operates under a trade deficit, which means we import more than what we export."

-Cuba is one of the U.S. best customers of food and agricultural products - in the top ten in rice and chicken, in the top 25 in
wheat and soy to name a few. Watch what will happen in the pharmaceutical, fashion, cosmetics, entertainment, sports, tourism and education, sectors.

-We have all kinds of goods and services that because of the proximity and uniqueness, give us an advantage over our competitors.

We are consumers for the most part Ambassador, so I ask you again as everyone opposing view on here has asked, what more, in terms of goods and services, can we give the Cuban people that no other country in the world who is doing business with Cuba cannot give them. Please tell me what we make here that is not made anywhere else either through proxy or directly???

-Everything we sell directly to Cuba and everything we buy directly from Cuba (when the embargo is lifted) will be cheaper than the status quo.

So we then go back to the duplicity of your position and come to the only conclusion that you must be either a salesman, Castro operative or just hard-up for some Cuban love.

-I am none of the above. The only thing I am trying to sell is sanity in an insane situation with hard headed intransigent individuals like you, I have spoken of my opposition to Castro, and I have admitted openly that I love Cuban Americans and the Cuban people.

Since you don't have a crystal ball, if you're theory is put into place and it failes, can I then call you a retard??

-Oh sure. And I will make sure you get a lollipop for being right and a gold star on your posting.

-There is a difference in being driven and empowered by vision as opposed to being driven by fear. You are kicking the Cuban people on the island while they are down, with the embargo, and not hurting Castro. And you still won't change your position. Pobre gente.

You are blinded by hatred and arrogance Professor, a very poor ally in the fight for democracy and any meaningful change in Cuba.

And you did not answer the question - what are you afraid of is going to happen when we lift the embargo?

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

PeeWee,

I never attacked your homosexuality. All i said is that C-A's faggots like you will be bashed upon sight in a free Cuba. You seem to forget that the Cuban islanders are intolerant when it comes to faggots like you. You have no right to be concerned about freedom for Cuba. As you will not be free to practice your homosexuality, either in public or private...

[Professor]

Cuban Anti-Faggot, why do you repeat yourself over and over about this Pee-Wee Herman guy and then reference to Cuba and Havana all over your posts.

I don't know how Oscar's filters work but if it's only looking for post that don't include certain words or terms than I suspect Anti-Faggot is bypassing these filters by peppering his ridicolous attacks or posts with the key words.

Dude, que te pasa??

[PEE WEe H]

As you can see Longjognfellow is at his best

I will not lower myself to your level anymore

this is my very last post to you

Just answer me this question

What C-A's mean?

[Professor]

And you did not answer the question - what are you afraid of is going to happen when we lift the embargo?

Ambassador, does your brain create a clean slate every 10 minutes and repeats the same thoughts over and over. I've told you in prior posts what I'm afraid is going to happen when the embargo is lifted. Castro will get richer, nothing will change and if certain people do wake up and demand change, as you insist will occur, they will be met with ferocious resistance from the Castro regime as was done in the early days of the revolution. It's the only logical conclusion as long as Castro is in power.

Cuba is one of the U.S. best customers of food and agricultural products - in the top ten in rice and chicken, in the top 25 in
wheat and soy to name a few. Watch what will happen in the pharmaceutical, fashion, cosmetics, entertainment, sports, tourism and education, sectors.

So no other country can provide Cuba with rice and agricultural products. Also, why can't they grow their own rice and agriculture. Americans already flock to Canada to get their US pharmaceuticals, doesn't Canada trade with Cuba. I'll give you entertainment, but not Sports, that would most likely end up being imported. Again Ambassador, what can Cuba get from us that they don't get from someone else. US is operating under a trade deficit for a reason.

Since you don't have a crystal ball, if you're theory is put into place and it failes, can I then call you a retard??

-Oh sure. And I will make sure you get a lollipop for being right and a gold star on your posting.

O.k., good, I was really gonna ask if I can chop your head off instead of calling you a retard, so I think since the certain failures of your allusions means more blood being spilled than I will opt to have your head chopped off as a form of peotic justice.

[nonee moose]

The only thing that free trade with Cuba, at this moment, will do is to
further goldplate the regime's parachute. Or is there anyone out there
that can refute the accuracy of cubanlaw itself? The laws that require
any salaries paid to cuban nationals be paid in hard currency to the
government which will then "convert" that salary to pesos before the
employee's hands ever touch it? That the cuban government uses dual
exchange rates in this process which results in 90% of the salary remaining
with the regime? And what does make it into the hands of the employee is
essentially worthless, either because the goods are incongruently
priced relative to the residual wages, or the goods are not on the shelves
at all? Where's all the American food already loopholed into Cuba?
Where's the beef?

So, U-sam, I'll try to answer the question for you, and you can tell me
where I am wrong.

The embargo is lifted tomorrow. Trade with Cuba resumes in full force.
Goods of all shapes and sizes pour into the Island. But where? To the
yawning shelves? No. They are held in storage by the regime. Why, you
ask? Well for reasons of national security. They don't want people hurt
by a sudden run on the stores, so they'll keep it safe and make it
available in a safe orderly manner, according to their authority and
judgement as to the best interest of the Cuban people, which by principles of
sovereignty the regime is solely empowered to determine.

Likewise the American foreign investment will flood the streets when
the embargo is unilaterally lifted. In this case, will anyone step up and refute that such American foreign investment will be subject to current Cuban law? Which requires partnership with the Cuban government, in addition to other requirements such as purchase of materials and supplies from other government owned businesses? Who refutes the aforementioned policy regarding employment of Cuban nationals by foreign corporations? The dual exchange policy? So, let's apply the principles of capitalism that folks don't ever argue about. Like the principle that allows an employer to fire someone who's not doing the job required to the expectations of this foreign "employer". Will this be honored? Or management decisions which may require a reduction in staff? Even if it means that, according to the regime's "ley de empleo" any reduction in workforce represents a reduction in the flow of "salary" into the government coffers? Will this principle of management be respected? But more to the point of "contact" with the Cuban people, U-sam, even if the American investor is paying a living wage, does the regime have to pass it along? I think there's the rub. Whether Dollars ever flow or not, without reforms by the regime, newly disincented because you dissolved the embargo unilaterally, those dollars never helped the people. So in the end who was hurting the people after all?

Without getting too far down in the weeds, allow me to again answer the question, subject to your reality check.

As a matter of science, assume that since the investment is coming over to Cuba after a unilateral dissollution of the embargo, changes in Cuban law are neither compelled or expected. These American companies who take the risk in agreeing to the regime's legal framework and terms of the deal may well operate under those circumstances happily ever after. And I mean that. At the very least, a tidy little tax shelter is created which will be subsidized by the American people, when these ventures lose money and impact the corporate taxes which then won't get paid, but have to be found somewhere or else the government will continue to run a deficit. Or, the deficit is merely incrementally larger, which makes foreign investment in America decrementally cheaper, which increases foreign ownership in our country, and so on and so on and so on. Slice it anyway you want, we pay.

The lifting of the embargo also has the consequence of improved "creditworthiness" for the regime, which means it can now borrow and indeed sell shares of itself on the capital markets. Clearly someone is bound to take the bait and buy Cuban bonds, or loan the regime money for much needed public works projects. So far so good, right? When was the last time Cuba made good on a debt? I mean in a way that didn't involve prostituting its doctors, or shipping "military advisors" to third-world countries? I don't know the answer to that. Maybe someone can look it up, or knows the answer already.

Look, U-sam, I am getting tired of laying this out for you. I'm going to ask you nicely, politely, and respectfully, to respond in specifics that contain no compassion, no leaps of faith--- nothing but the facts or countervailing theories to refute what I have laid out. No proverbs, no Khalil Gilbran, no song lyrics, no "you've never been to Cuba", no platitudes. If you cannot comply with this request, I will understand. You don't have to respond right away, take your time. When you're ready...

[Professor]

nothing but the facts or countervailing theories to refute what I have laid out. No proverbs, no Khalil Gilbran, no song lyrics, no "you've never been to Cuba", no platitudes. If you cannot comply with this request...

Nonee, you're damn hillarious, please make sure you let me know when you have published something.

[a thought....]

Cuba is broke; they owe money to cien mil virgenes. If we start trade with Cuba, payment due in full and up front. In God We Trust....all others pay cash. That should be our requirement for dealing with Cuba. They are the classic "mala paga."

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

Professor,

I just dont want to see faggots like PeeWee Herman infesting a free Cuba with all their American faggot diseases. PeeWee may flaunt his faggot ways in America. But he better hide his faggot ways in a free Cuba. Believe me when i tell you. Any faggot Cuban exile like PeeWee will be dealt with accordingly in a free and socially conservative Cuba... By the way, why are you defending faggots like PeeWee for?

[a different thought]

I cannot legally travel to Cuba Ambassodor, so my opinions don't count. I guess I should not count yours either.

[a different thought]

You idiot gay bashers should realize that despite what Fidel says, there are people wiht AIDS in Cuba. Moreover, as Africa has shown us AIDS is not a homosexual disease. Your stupidity is just sooooo annoying.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

a different thought,

I thought that you were secretly PeeWee. Gay faggot liberal supporters, and faggot HIV carriers like PeeWee will be not be welcomed in a free Cuba.

[usambcuba]

ADT - I am sorry that is the case. Your opinions do matter, just that your perspective is not complete. And it is your choice to give credence to my arguments or not. If they strike a chord in your thinking, expand your perspective, all the better.

Professor - you are obviously a violent individual I see. Violence will not solve the problem of U.S. Cuba relations or much anything else. What are you afraid of Professor that is going to happen when the embargo is lifted? Democracy is not built on fear...

Nonee - you present a question in many parts and I will try to answer them directly.

-Lets be clear at the outset that we agree that the Cuban government must reform itself and change. Now how does lifting the embargo play into that -

The embargo is lifted tomorrow. Trade with Cuba resumes in full force.
Goods of all shapes and sizes pour into the Island. But where? To the
yawning shelves? No. They are held in storage by the regime.

- How do you know this is going to happen? What assumptions are you making here? Most of the assumptions made about what is going to happen in Cuba now have been way off the mark. It is better that you focus on the reality of the impact of our hand in this situation, the embargo.

Why, you ask? Well for reasons of national security.

They don't want people hurt
by a sudden run on the stores, so they'll keep it safe and make it
available in a safe orderly manner, according to their authority and
judgement as to the best interest of the Cuban people, which by principles of
sovereignty the regime is solely empowered to determine.

-I sincerely believe the Cuban people, even the government, (and I am making an assumption in this scenario that Fidel has permanently transferred power or has died)
would question the holding back of goods and services for the reasons you state.

Likewise the American foreign investment will flood the streets when
the embargo is unilaterally lifted.

-Hold on, before there could be any serious investment in earnest there is major housecleaning to do - there would have to be an accounting and plan devised to repay and compensate all who lost properties and assets from the expropriation. Capital must be created to pay all who lost. Even the embargo has contributed to deny that. The combination of the embargo and communist economy has been a devastating combination. The embargo keeps giving a shield to system that has failed and survives by the help of Venezuela and China.

In this case, will anyone step up and refute that such American foreign investment will be subject to current Cuban law?

-Further, current Cuban law is a disincentive to investment and would have to be changed. But with the embargo lifted, there could at least be discussions in earnest.

Which requires partnership with the Cuban government, in addition to other requirements such as purchase of materials and supplies from other government owned businesses?

-we in the U.S. would have to make a choice as to whether we would want to invest in such a manner. There are those who would invest and those who would rather wait out change. But this scenario is not different than how we deal with other communist countries like China and Vietnam. And you see here is the incongruence, we deal with these other countries who have ideologies and economies diametrically opposite to us.

Who refutes the aforementioned policy regarding employment of Cuban nationals by foreign corporations? The dual exchange policy?

-These are absolutely legitimate subjects to discuss and negotiate. It is tragic of the dual currency system there. But these conditions were set in an environment under an Embargo and Castro together.

So, let's apply the principles of capitalism that folks don't ever argue about. Like the principle that allows an employer to fire someone who's not doing the job required to the expectations of this foreign "employer". Will this be honored? Or management decisions which may require a reduction in staff? Even if it means that, according to the regime's "ley de empleo" any reduction in workforce represents a reduction in the flow of "salary" into the government coffers? Will this principle of management be respected?

- I believe it would be, because the market forces and capitalism cannot be ignored or disregarded. They are like the air and part of nature.

But more to the point of "contact" with the Cuban people, U-sam, even if the American investor is paying a living wage, does the regime have to pass it along?

-There is a dual answer to this - one is the employer/investor can set and negotiate the conditions for their employment and two, the Cuban people and government would have to revisit whether to continue doing things they know that do not work like their current payment structure.

I think there's the rub. Whether Dollars ever flow or not, without reforms by the regime, newly disincented because you dissolved the embargo unilaterally, those dollars never helped the people.

-No actually the embargo helped hurt the people and give Castro the soapbox of nationalism and sovereignty to defend against it with his repression.

-The embargo is not result neutral. It hurts everyone but Castro.

So in the end who was hurting the people after all?

- Two components, we are with the embargo and the repression of Castro are hurting the people. We can stop our complicity in this.

Without getting too far down in the weeds, allow me to again answer the question, subject to your reality check.

As a matter of science, assume that since the investment is coming over to Cuba after a unilateral dissollution of the embargo, changes in Cuban law are neither compelled or expected.

-I think with tensions lowered, conversations and discussions can become more civil and productive. Cubans will actually be motivated to incentivize investment there.

These American companies who take the risk in agreeing to the regime's legal framework and terms of the deal may well operate under those circumstances happily ever after. And I mean that. At the very least, a tidy little tax shelter is created which will be subsidized by the American people, when these ventures lose money and impact the corporate taxes which then won't get paid, but have to be found somewhere or else the government will continue to run a deficit. Or, the deficit is merely incrementally larger, which makes foreign investment in America decrementally cheaper, which increases foreign ownership in our country, and so on and so on and so on. Slice it anyway you want, we pay.

-We are paying for it already by the loss and denial of a natural marketplace that should exist in the billions in the Caribbean, but is hobbled and dwarfed by the embargo and a communist economy. I think we can challenge the inherent inefficiencies in their economy.

The lifting of the embargo also has the consequence of improved "creditworthiness" for the regime, which means it can now borrow and indeed sell shares of itself on the capital markets.

-Not necessarily. Cuba will have to look at its debt situation and begin to negotiate its resolution in a new world, post embargo and post Castro.

Clearly someone is bound to take the bait and buy Cuban bonds, or loan the regime money for much needed public works projects. So far so good, right? When was the last time Cuba made good on a debt?

-I think those will be interesting and complex negotiations. Market forces will determine whether or not to invest in Cuban bonds or loans.

I mean in a way that didn't involve prostituting its doctors, or shipping "military advisors" to third-world countries? I don't know the answer to that. Maybe someone can look it up, or knows the answer already.

- Barter is an acceptable form of payment but not the best nor most efficient. It cannot be the main source. Cubans will have to recognize they need to raise cash to stay afloat.

-Ultimately Cuba will have to evaluate and reflect its course for the future beyond Fidel and the embargo. I think the Cuban government knows it cannot survive without Chavez and China, so it will have to consider reforms if it intends to survive and endure. It will no longer be able wear the clothes it is wearing now in this embargo period, once it ends.

-And in the end Nonee, I do not know where this gets you. You believe the embargo keeps Castro in check and are willing to accept the additional pain that you know firsthand it causes to the Cuban people and the tensions it creates from the family to government levels. You know it does not get the people to revolt against the regime and it is a failure.

-I believe the embargo helps keep Castro in power and fuels his repression. I do not accept the additional pain it is causing to both the Cuban and American people. Our complicity in this is one thing we actually do have power over. It has failed in its principle objective now to get Castro out of power. It serves purely political ends and lacks policy integrity. It is time to try a different course. Ending the embargo is not a panacea to the U.S. Cuba problem, but it can serve as a catalyst for productive change. That is what we need most in U.S. Cuba policy, productive changes.

[Professor]

Not necessarily. Cuba will have to look at its debt situation and begin to negotiate its resolution in a new world, post embargo and post Castro.

Ambassador, you respond to Nonee's points with a scenario that involves a Cuba without Catro, here let me post another one of your elightened points:

I sincerely believe the Cuban people, even the government, (and I am making an assumption in this scenario that Fidel has permanently transferred power or has died)
would question the holding back of goods and services for the reasons you state.

Then you conclude by re-stating that the Embargo helps keep Castro in power. DOn't you see your idiocy and why your opinions are discounted. You imply that a unilateral lifting of the embargo would work without Castro in power, but then you say that the embargo helps keep Castro in power and should be lifted right away.

Which is it Ambassador, or are you coming around to the reality, that lifting the embargo last year, last month or hell even a couple of weeks ago while there was no hint of Castro's demise would never had worked and revisiting the possibility of lifting the embargo could only be considered in a Post-Castro Cuba. This is not a position I've seen you take before Ambassador. You're full of inconsitencies and therefore you must be full of shit.

I'm glad my agressive mannerism has got you rattled b/c it's definitely affecting your ability to think clearly.

[Professor]

"By the way, why are you defending faggots like PeeWee for?"

CUban Anit-faggot, I never defended PeeWee on my post. If you weren't so reading comprehension impaired you'd see that I was merely trying to uncover your motives, basically trying to figure you out and what the hell is motivating you.

You're spewing a lot of hatred and filth and you need a couple of loads of love dropped into that potty mouth!!!

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

Professor,

My motivation is very simple. As a free Cuba finally becomes a reality. I dont want to see that nation filled with HIV faggots like PeeWee. To be sure i am not alone. Nearly every Cuban on the island also hate faggots like PeeWee. And as such, will not stand idly by as C-A's queers like PeeWee turn Havana in liberal faggot vacation spot...

Finally, i am glad that you are a proud conservative Cuban who does not accept liberal faggot sinners like PeeWee. Too many damn liberal do-gooders in this blog.

[a different thought]

The Cuban Anti-faggot made me do this, I apologise to all other readers for this long post:

Summary of issue of HIV-AIDS in Cuba
APHA Cuba Tour, August 1997
Tim Holtz, MD, MPH

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

One of the most interesting aspects of the Cuba Study Seminar was the discussion about HIV/AIDS in Cuba with the Ministry of Health, including a delayed but much anticipated trip to a rural sanitarium for HIV+ patients. Since the beginning of the epidemic in the Western Hemisphere, Cuba's approach to the HIV problem has been integrated into its comprehensive, nationalized health care system. Their policies towards HIV have been consistent with its policies towards other diseases and epidemics. In short, Cuba treated the introduction of HIV into the country as a public health emergency, instituting traditional public health control measures to contain the spread of the disease. They have been rewarded with one of the lowest prevalence rates of HIV infection in the world.

Dr. Rigoberto Torres, HIV specialist in the Ministry of Health, provided our group with the latest statistics from his country. As of mid-1997, there are 1,678 known cases of HIV infection (infection rate approx. 0.02%), with 609 persons carrying the diagnosis of AIDS. Only nine cases of infection have resulted from transmission through blood products, and there are only five cases of HIV infection known in children. The estimated ratio of homosexual to heterosexual transmission is 1:1, though independent outside sources estimate that heterosexual transmission is slightly more common (55%). In 1986, Cuba introduced a national screening program using domestically produced kits. So far, over 19.5 million ELISA tests for HIV infection have been performed, and many Cubans now regard getting an HIV test at their family physicians office a part of routine health screening.

The US embargo on Cuba has made caring for HIV+ patients in Cuba extremely difficult. It has jeopardized HIV diagnosis and follow up, HIV treatment, community HIV prevention, and protection of the blood supply. A majority of HIV lab tests and pharmaceuticals are produced by American companies, who are now forbidden to sell to Cuba. After the 1992 US ban on subsidiary trade, parts and equipment, reagents, and medications are now nearly impossible to obtain. For example, the Pharmacia-Upjohn merger eliminated supplies of reagents for bloodwork to follow patients' T cell counts. Viral load testing is unheard of in Cuba due to the trade blockade. Most importantly, vital HIV medications are virtually nonexistent. AZT is available for only a few select cases at inflated prices, and other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors such as ddI and ddC are unavailable. News of the new protease inhibitor combination therapies is just reaching the island, minus the actual medications. Other necessary drugs to treat AIDS patients, such as fluconazole and ganciclovir, are unavailable. Condoms are also extremely difficult to come by on the island.

The most controversial aspect of the Cuban national HIV/AIDS program is the use of sanitariums for people with HIV. Since the beginning of the policy in 1986, the potential "HIV epidemic" was treated like any other contagious, infectious disease, employing traditional public health measures. It was a health problem/public health problem with human rights dimensions, rather than a social problem/human rights problem with health repercussions. Quarantine was the initial reaction to a public health threat whose scope was unknown, which soon led to semi-isolation for patients known to be infected. The goal was to reduce the risk of transmission through case finding, isolation, medical treatment, education, and contact tracing. In 1989, with the arrival of Jorge Perez as the director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, curtailment of civil rights was relaxed to allow patients to leave sanitoriums for extended periods without guides. Finally, in 1993, the ambulatory care treatment program was started, which allows patients to chose between living within a sanitarium, or living at home.

In Cuba, access to medical care is the right available to all persons with HIV. Though it is a cruel dilemma, they are able to chose between enjoyment of personal liberty and privacy by living at home, or taking advantage of their social rights to housing, food, income, recreation, a supportive environment and medical care by living in a sanitarium. A poor person in the US has no such choice. Sanitarium residents are provided with high caloric diets (not possible on the outside due to the economic situation), free medications (what is available), a partial salary, and care from a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists. Currently approximately 70% of persons with HIV have elected to remain in the sanitariums as their primary residence. Sacrifice to the community is an integral part of post-revolutionary Cuba. Therefore, the sacrifice of personal freedom is perceived to be part of preserving public health and safety.

We were able to visit a sanitarium in Matanzas, several hours away from Havana, to avoid the often visited Santiago de las Vegas sanatorium. Though the front entrance was gated, there were no barbed wire fences to keep the patients in as has been previously reported. We were greeted by Dr. Ismael Torres, the director of the facility, who gave us a tour of the housing bungalows, consultation rooms, procedure room, kitchen and dining hall with AC, TV/video room, library, and recreation room. The compound was clean, bright, and well organized. The cabins were small, but neat. We were told that a major goal of the sanitarium is education for the residents, which was reflected in the well-stocked library. We were told that of 42 people in Matanzas province infected with HIV, 28 have elected to live in the sanitarium. Five persons carry an AIDS diagnosis, and 6 of the 42 are women. The residents with whom we spoke all appreciated the high quality care they received, the adequate living standards, and the plentiful supply of food (most Cubans live with ration cards). We were disappointed to find out that antiretroviral medications were not available to the patients in Matanzas province, yet heartened by the news that only 16 patients had died in 5 years.

As in any epidemic, we were told, the Cuban national AIDS policy is evolving. Public education is now a priority, as the majority of Cubans feel that since the HIV problem was adequately curtailed, they are not at risk. The opposite is true, in fact, for infection rates are slowly rising in the country. HIV infection among the homosexual population constitutes the fastest increase, as well as spread through prostitution. The expanding tourist industry has created new channels of spread of the virus that the Ministry of Health has had to deal with. In some ways, the previous successful control of HIV spread is now the greatest liability to keeping the public safe from infection. Community based education, case finding, and treatment is now being stressed, and the sanitoria are slowly being turned into a national network of ambulatory care centers. To combat the disease effectively, Cuban physicians and public health workers will require the free flow of scientific information and effective medical therapies that they are currently denied.

[usambcuba]

Professor -

"Then you conclude by re-stating that the Embargo helps keep Castro in power. DOn't you see your idiocy and why your opinions are discounted. You imply that a unilateral lifting of the embargo would work without Castro in power, but then you say that the embargo helps keep Castro in power and should be lifted right away."

-Lifting the embargo now ceases to give Castro a soapbox upon which to use repression in defense against economic war and attack upon sovereignty from the U.S.

-Lifting the embargo now would force Castro to reassess his politics. But the dynamics have already changed. His illness and age will make him less relevant. I do not believe others in Cuba want to continue this madness. Castro made his battle with us, the defining point of his life. This is an ego driven fight.

-Lifting the embargo can begin incrementally, at least lift all travel restrictions, allow trade in many goods and services, and begin negotiations on expropriation compensation and a whole host of issues that require an easing of tensions in order to make constructive progress. If there is a denial of goods and services in a post embargo Cuba - life for Cubans doe not improve, Castro and his successors can no longer point to the U.S. "bloqueo" for their problems. The Cuban people will be able to see clearly where the fault lines for their problems are.

-You are hardly one to discuss consistencies Professor. The embargo, as a matter of policy, is a failure. And it is hurting everyone else but the intended target. And yet you still defend it.

Who is the one who is full of it?

[a thought...]

Bottom line, none of us knows what is going to happen.

By the way, I love the article about Idiot Raul's first comments: In his first public comments since Fidel announced his illness July 31, Raúl Castro, the nation's defense minister, said he increased military presence in Cuba, calling out reservists, militia and Special Troops in the face of a pending threat from the United States.

A pending threat from the U.S....those two would love it if the U.S. invaded. They would run to China and Venezuela screaming for help. Give me a break.

[another view]

MIAMI HERALD
Posted on Fri, Aug. 18, 2006
IN MY OPINION

Once Castro's gone, what then for exiles?

BY LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@MiamiHerald. com

For some of us, Dec. 26 was the emptiest day of the year.

After weeks of anticipation, the calendar moving with glacial speed,
the big day -- Christmas -- had finally arrived in a blaze of tinsel
and plastic and wrapping paper. It was, for a child, the closest
thing to paradise.

The day after dawned like an afterthought, as if the sun itself had a
hangover. Dec. 26 always felt like the fairground after the fair, the
ballroom after the ball. There was always a sense of confetti waiting
for the push broom.

That's because anticipation had been shoved aside and reality had
reasserted itself like a toothache. You awoke from your happy daze to
an insistent question: Now what?

Something very similar will probably happen soon to the Cuban exile
community. News broke at the end of July that Fidel Castro, needing
surgery for a stomach disorder, had ceded power -- supposedly
temporarily -- to his brother Raúl. News of the dictator's ill health
prompted street parties in Miami.

Nearly three weeks later, Castro is said to be recovering. But in a
statement to the nation this week, the dictator did little to quell
the sense that his demise is near. He told his people to be
optimistic, but warned them to brace for ''adverse'' news. The recent
headlines have fueled speculation that a day the exile community has
awaited for decades, the day of Castro's death, may finally be at
hand.

DECADES OF TORMENT

That day will be Christmas for many of those who lost relatives or
years to his prisons, lost property to his government, lost their
country to his grasp. They fled, many of them, to South Florida and
built a community defined in large part by that loss, defined by the
wait for redemption, the wait for a monster to die.

It is that definition that occasions these words. Maybe Castro dies
next week, maybe he dies next year, maybe he dies before these words
see print, but the one sure thing is that he dies. And when he dies,
the exile community throws a party that makes Mardi Gras look like a
church picnic.

And then what? What happens on the morning after? The question is not
solely one of geopolitical pragmatism, though that's part of it.

As The Miami Herald recently reported, many in the exile community
are grappling with renewed urgency with the practical questions
Castro's death will raise. They are asking themselves what the role
of the exile community should be in the new Cuba, whether members of
the exile community will or should repatriate to the island, how the
exile community can help bring investment to the country.

Important questions. But, again, there's a bigger question: Can there
still be an exile community without exiles? When a people are defined
by opposition to something, what happens when that something ends?
Who will Cuban America be after Castro dies?

For so long, righteous hatred of this man has been the glue that held
the community together: It has been a generational hand-me-down; a
rationale for misguided attacks on free speech; a rationale for
keeping Elián González away from his father; a litmus test for
political hopefuls; a fuel for radio talk shows; a prism through
which to view sports, politics, life; a reason for being.

SEISMIC CHANGE FOR EXILES

Castro's death may or may not change Cuba -- where is the evidence
that his people will rise in revolution after he dies? -- but it will
definitely bring seismic change to the exile community.

It holds out the potential for still deeper assimilation into the
national mainstream and yet, paradoxically, also the potential for
dislocation and loss of mission.

In a real sense, much of the exile community has depended on Castro
for its sense of identity. No one can yet know what that identity
will be once Castro dies.

Therein lies its promise and its challenge. The party will be nice.
But the real story begins on the empty morning after.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

All i know is that Miami hip hop gangsters, and hiv carrying faggots like PeeWee will be bashed upon sight in a free Cuba. You wlll not be allowed to bring your corrupt and unpure values to a free Cuba. Cuba still believes in God...

Cuba for Cubans Only........................

[manny o.]

It is interesting that Oscar and John have disappeared at the same time. Coincidence?....... I think not!

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

"You wlll not be allowed to bring your corrupt and unpure values to a free Cuba. Cuba still believes in God."

Which is why Cuban citizens allowed an openly atheist leader who believed in communism to take power and kick out all organized religions until a few years go. Excuse me for a second: BWHAHAHAHA!!!

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

Atheist? You think the Cuban household are atheist? Let a faggot like PeeWee walk hand and hand in a free Havana and see how quickly his jaw gets fractured. Homosexuality is a sin. That has nothing to do with Fidel taking power. Even before Fidel took power, faggots like PeeWee would have their teeth knocked out walking around in Cuba...

Also, try to talk about homosexual rights for faggots like PeeWee in a free Cuba. And see what the Cuban island has to say about faggot rights...

[Boricua]

Anti-Faggot, why do you think Cubans on the island are that way towards gay. In Puerto Rico fags have freedom like they do here in the US. We're all Caribbean brothers and sisters so why should it be so different there.

This is what happens when Oscar takes a vacation.

[a different thought]

the Cuban Anti -Faggot you know your raging homophobia only makes me think that you are exactly like Raul Castro, a closeted homosexual who discriminates and tortures those just like him.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

Boricua,

Read the bible...

A different thought,

Liberal sympathizers like you are unwelcomed in a free Cuba. Get out, and stay out of my face...

Bunch of liberal faggot lovers in this blog...

[Professor]

Lifting the embargo now ceases to give Castro a soapbox upon which to use repression in defense against economic war and attack upon sovereignty from the U.S.

Finally Mr. Ambassador, so you imply that the Cuban people are not bright enough to turn to Castro and say, hey, what about all of those other countries that invest here and trade with us?? Why don't you address the investments from foreign countries and don't tell me that trading with us is better b/c we don't make much here Ambassador, we import just about everything.

[Walter Lippmann]

Granma
August 14, 2006

A CubaNews translation by Ana Portela. Edited by Walter Lippmann
http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs900.html

Encounters with Fidel
FREI BETTO

I met Fidel in Managua, the night of July 19, 1980, during the first anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution. Lula and I were at the home of Sergio Ramírez when he arrived to meet with Nicaraguan businesspersons. We greeted each other and he took refuge in the library. It was two in the morning when Father Miguel D’Escoto, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, asked us if we were interested in talking with the Comandante. The dialogue went on until six in the morning, observed by Chomi Miyar watching the photographers and a sleepy Manuel Piñeiro leaning over his thick beard that served as a shield of a large unlit cigar. We spoke of religion. He asked me if I would be willing to go to Cuba and serve as advisor in the reconciliation between the Government and the Catholic Church. I answered that that depended on the Cuban Bishops who, the following year, accepted the proposal.

In February of 1985 I came to Havana invited by Casa de las Americas. On the eve of my return to Brazil, Chomi invited me to lunch at his home. It was about midnight when Fidel arrived. We took up again the subject of religion. This time he spoke for a long time about his family and the Lasalle and Jesuit schools he attended.

I asked him if he was willing to repeat what he had revealed in the small interview which would serve, in fact, as the basis for the book I intended to write about the Revolution.

He accepted and we agreed to meet in May of that year.

I arrived on the agreed-upon date which coincided with the beginning of the Marti Radio broadcasts. Fidel apologized and said that a new issue prevented him from granting me time for the interview. Perhaps another time. I felt like Hemingway’s fisherman in “The Old Man and The Sea”. The “fish” had taken the bait and I couldn’t let him escape. I pressed so hard that he asked me what kind of questions I had. I showed him the first of 64 that I had written down. “We start tomorrow” he said, interrupting me. It became 23 hours broken up into four conversations, in the presence of Armando Hart, which were the basis for "Fidel and Religion" which had an edition of 1.3 million copies in Cuba. It was released in 32 countries and 23 languages. In Australia, Ocean Press has published one in the English language.

In 1986 I arrived in Havana with a box containing 100 bibles in Spanish, which were quickly run out due to so many requests from Christians and communists. One afternoon, writing in my room, Fidel arrived unexpectedly. I told him about the Bibles and he asked: “Wasn’t one left for me?” I dedicated the only one I had: “To Comandante Fidel, who is loved and believed by God”. He sat on a wicker chair and asked: “Where is the Sermon on the Mount?” I marked the versions of Mathew and Luke. He read them and asked, “Which of the two do you prefer?” My leftist side spoke for me: “Luke, because in addition to referring to good fortune, he also lists the curses against the rich.” Fidel thought for a while and answered: “I disagree with you. I prefer Mathew because it is more sensible”.

My parents had come to Havana with me. One dawn, around two in the morning, the Comandante brought me home. He asked if “los Viejos” were awake. I said no, but I could try to wake them. He objected saying it was better for them to rest. “Comandante don’t think about their sleep tonight. Just think that they can tell their grandchildren that they were wakened at dawn by the man who led the Cuban Revolution”. He was convinced and we went to wake my parents and, sitting at the kitchen table, we had a long conversation lasting well into morning. My mother, a culinary specialist, made breakfast. The desert was Ambrosia, the nectar of the gods according to Homer in the Iliad. The following morning, the chief of the guard knocked on the door. “Madam, the Comandante wants to know if you have any of yesterday’s desert left over”. My mother asked him to wait and in a few minutes prepared the sweet made with milk, eggs and sugar.

In March of 1990, Fidel was in Brazil for the investiture of president-elect Colllor. In Sao Paulo, he participated in a meeting with more than a thousand leaders of the Ecclesiastic grass roots groups. We ended with liturgical chants and all, holding hands, prayed the Our Father. The Comandante squeezed my hand and, although his lips didn’t move, I had the impression that there were tears in his eyes.

In 1998, after the departure from Cuba of John Paul II, Fidel invited a group of theologians to lunch in the Revolution Palace. He was happy about the papal visit and expressed sincere affection for the Pope. One of the theologians criticized the presentation of a gold crown by John Paul the II to the Virgen de la Caridad whose value could have been used to purchase medicines for children or something like that. Fidel reacted strongly in defense of the Pope and taught the theologian a lesson about the importance of the patron saint of Cuba in popular religious belief. He had it coming to him. The theologian was betrayed by his own words.

That is the Fidel that I know and who I learned to admire. I consider him an older brother. During the interview he said “if some one can make me a Christian, it would be Frei Betto”. Now, how could I hope to evangelize a man who dedicated his life to love, heroically and wholly, to the people of the Homeland of Marti? “I was hungry and you gave me food,” Jesus says in the Gospel of Mathew (chapter 25, verses 31-44). If that is so, what can we say of a man who, like Fidel, liberated a people, not only from hunger but also, also from illiteracy, from mendacity, from criminality and submission to the empire?

Happy Birthday, Fidel

Havana, August 13, 2006

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

"Atheist? You think the Cuban household are atheist?"

You get an F in reading comprehention. Either your are stupid to the point of being borderline retarded or you havn't yet mastered the English language.

There is alot more to being a Christian then not engaging in homosexuality. Being a Christian means to aspire towards living your life as Christ did.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
- Matthew 7:1

"They say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?

And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.
And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee?

And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more."
- John 8:6

"Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am Jehovah."
- Leviticus 19:18

"Honor thy father and mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
- Matthew 19:19

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." - Matthew 5:43

"but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
- Matthew 5:39

You sir are no Christian.

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

And yes I know I misspelled 'comprehension’.

[usambcuba]

Sorry Professor, no cigar...

The Cuban people would be able to see their situation differently without an embargo in place making their situation worse.

And you, who support the embargo, are not getting Castro out of power, but help keep him there and kick the Cuban people at the same time.

You need to understand this and accept this - the embargo as a matter of policy is a FAILURE. Time to change course and try something else more intelligent.

Go on Professor, stay in your ivory tower, isolation does not promote democracy. Keep scratching your head why there is no change in Cuba.

Social and economic isolation and humiliation do not promote democracy.

The political whore that is this embargo policy is disgracing the good name of our country in the world and betraying the family and judeo christian values our society was built upon.

[usambcuba]

Professor -

Read Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Jose Marti, and Jesus Christ.

[a different thought]

Cuban Anti-Faggot is LouJohn everybody!!!!

Yeah, Anti-Faggot is LouJohn, liberals like me support and protect the blanket of free speech that allows idiots like you to contaminate this blog. You are mindless. n Shut up already nobody reads you.. go play with yourself or something.

Ambassador, true capitalists realize that the fire of free enterprise and the free market are forces so strong that Fidels' feeble government doesn't stand a chance. That's the argument. That's why the embargo policy if flawed. If we really are capitalist, then we should kill them with capitalism.. our goods, services, morals...I totally agree with you, even though perhaps you discount my argument because I have never had the opportunity to legally visit Cuba.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

a different thought,

First, what is a loujohn? And why do you like faggots like PeeWee so much? Do you support faggot rights? Or are you a faggot yourself?

Pancho,

Same question... Are you PeeWee? And why do you support faggot rights? Do you really think faggots like you/PeeWee will be able to return to a free Cuba? Do you think you will be able to infest that island with the faggot hiv disease?

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

the Cuban anti-faggot -

You have turned your back on your country and your God. You have absolutely no idea what it is to be a Christian. Christ preached love not hate. I will not continue to waste my time conversing with such a hateful bigot. If you have something at least mildly constructive, intelligent, or interesting to say then we'll talk. Until then you should try actually reading the bible before you start shooting your mouth off about Christianity.

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

I am not a hateful bigot. I just hate fags, and think they should be bashed on sight, God willing. Unfortunately in America, because of liberals, gays are protected.

Fortunately, a free Cuba will not be governed by the laws of America. As such any faggot queer like PeeWee who is discovered, will be dealt with in a Cuban fashion.

Cuba for Cubans Only....................

[usambcuba]

ADT - You are right on!!!

And I do not discount your views because you have not been to Cuba yet. My only point about that is if you are going to have to a full discussion about the topic, personal experience will help you make your own determination, not have it made for you.

Now if we would only drop the travel restrictions, you could go and see for yourself the situation in Cuba and draw your own conclusions and test your idea.

Castro's socialism cannot survive on its own. This is something that I believe both sides know.

I believe the future Cuba will continue to maintain a system of health care and education for all and discover this is possible without sacrificing civil liberties and exist within a democracy. With the creativity of the Cuban people, I have no doubt they will fashion their own unique construction.

But as long as there is an embargo and interference from us (as opposed to influence from us), Castro will continue to have a powerful shield of defense of sovereignty and nationalism and a soapbox and license to use the power of the state to repress any challenge. This battle of "ideas" is really more a battle of "egos". Castro and the exiles are still fighting the Cuban Revolution, only the U.S. government and foreign policy are the proxy of the exile community at the expense and suffering of the rest of the Cuban people and the American people. This embargo and policy has cost both sides plenty. This is the insanity I refer to. And this in the midst of hard heads and hot heads.

I am taking some time off to be with family. I will be back on the blog later next week.

Peace out -

[Professor]

And I do not discount your views because you have not been to Cuba yet. My only point about that is if you are going to have to a full discussion about the topic, personal experience will help you make your own determination, not have it made for you.

ADT, don't go through life believing this fallacious argument. If that were the case there would be many things in life we could not opine on...I guess you Ambassador have experience everything in the world and would therefore be an authority to discuss any topic...Yea, like I said before, you're a retard.

[another view]

Cuba's Vote For President
Steven Hill
August 18, 2006

Steven Hill is author of "10 Steps to Repair American Democracy"
(PoliPointPress) and director of the Political Reform Program of the
New America Foundation.

When Fidel Castro recently underwent intestinal surgery, suddenly
there was a whirl of news stories in the U.S. media, the type of
attention usually reserved for rock stars and champion athletes. What
is this love-hate fascination with the ruler of a small island
nation? Is it the tempestuous Cold War history, Cuba's close
proximity to Florida, memories of the boy Elián González, or the
beautiful beaches and palm trees?

Certainly all of those are part of the mystique. But when it comes to
our political leaders' obsession, the answer is more fundamental.
Simply put, Fidel is hugely responsible for who gets elected
president of the United States. That may sound strange, but it's
true. And it illustrates the worst aspects of our peculiar system of
electing the president.

The presidency is the only elected office where a candidate can win a
majority of the popular vote but lose the election. Instead, a
candidate wins by capturing a majority of Electoral College votes won
state by state in winner-take-all contests.

Most states are strongholds of either the Democrat or Republican
party, creating a presidential battlefield of "safe" states and
"undecided" states. As a campaign strategist, the winning calculus is
simple: you ignore the safe states and focus on the handful of
battleground states that decide the winner.

Yet as we saw in the last two presidential elections, two
battleground states were most important—Ohio and Florida. Florida,
our fourth largest state with 27 electoral votes—one-tenth of the
number needed for victory—is the biggest of prizes in the
presidential sweepstakes. Voters in Florida are much more important
to who wins the presidential election than voters in any other state
except Ohio.

The extremely close presidential race in Florida is heavily
influenced by a particular group of voters: Cuban Americans. They are
a well-financed and vocal minority with a leadership of Cuban exiles
that for decades has loved to hate Fidel. Both Democrats and
Republicans fall all over themselves to court the Cuban vote, which
comprises only one half of 1 percent of the U.S. population. This
special interest group has much greater influence than their size
should warrant for no other reason than the crucial role that Florida
plays in our presidential election.

Recall the fiasco around the Cuban boy Elián González , the
six-year-old who survived a nightmarish ordeal at sea, only to get
caught in the nets of presidential campaign politics. Vice President
Al Gore, who was running for president, disregarded his own
administration's policy by making a pilgrimage to Florida to support
the Cuban leaders' bid to hold the boy in the U.S. The Clinton
administration had to order law enforcement to forcibly remove Elian.
It was a high stakes drama, yet if Elian had been Haitian instead of
Cuban, or if his plight had unfolded in Wyoming, a solid GOP state
with only three electoral votes, no one would have cared.

But events in Florida are dramatically amplified, especially when
Cuba is involved. Anything related to Cuba degenerates into political
pandering to the anti-Fidel vote, because small shifts in the Florida
vote can have huge impacts.

This is one of the many reasons to change how we elect the president
to a national popular vote. There are ample incentives for both
Republicans and Democrats to support such a move. If a mere 60,000
voters in Ohio had changed their minds and voted for John Kerry, he
would have won the presidency even while losing the national popular
vote to President Bush by 3 million votes. And the Electoral College
method denied Al Gore the presidency in 2000, even though he won the
most votes nationwide.

GOP Senators Orrin Hatch, John McCain and the late Strom Thurmond
have supported reforming or abolishing the Electoral College.
Democrats Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Jesse Jackson
Jr. have introduced constitutional amendments to institute direct
election of the president. The most innovative approach has been
proposed by NationalPopularVote.com , which utilizes the ability of
states to enter into compacts with each other to award each state's
electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

So whenever you see national news related to Cuba or Fidel, reflect
on how our presidential election system gives such influence to a
small minority of voters. If you are in the right state, and the
right group of voters, you can have a lot more impact than millions
of other deserving Americans who happen to live in the wrong zip code

[a different thought]

Another view, there are pockets of isolated influence all over this country. Cuban-Americans are not the only ones to skew U.S. policy. Can you say Iraq, the middle east? The "silent majority" in this country is just that, silent. Maybe they need to speak up if they want to be heard. After all, isn't it the sqeaky wheel that gets the grease?

[a different thought]

Your own words say it all .."I am not a hateful bigot. I just hate...."

[the Cuban anti-faggot]

a different thought,

Hating faggots is not bigotry. Go read your bible. Jesus specifically is against homosexuals like PeeWee. Apparently you dont follow the teachings of God...

Oh, and please dont twist my words.

[a different thought]

The hateful vile that you spill on these pages in no way reflects God.

[a different thought]

And, your words don't need twisting you are twisted enough.

[a different thought]

Main Entry: big·ot
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'bi-g&t
Etymology: Middle French, hypocrite, bigot
: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices