Cuban Press Silent

If you take a look online at the Communist Party daily newspaper in Cuba, Granma, you'll notice that it has been focusing on recalling the glory days of Fidel Castro's past, what Washington might or might not be thinking, and what other countries in the world are saying about Cuba. There is very little, if any, coverage of major events going on inside the island politically, economically or socially. Except for an interview with Raul Castro published some two weeks ago, there has been very little explanation to the Cuban people as to what the differences might be in the way Raul Castro will lead. The lack of an independent press in Cuba has again been underscored since Fidel Castro turned over power, temporarily, to his younger brother Raul.

It seems from reading the paper that the Cuban government is not ready to inform its people of any changes as they occur. Instead, the government has shown that it will spring change upon the nation at a moment's notice. Since there are no options flowing down to the people, the question is, how does the Cuban government know what, if any, changes or reforms they should undertake to improve the communist, centrally-planned economy?

Comments

[a different thought]

How does the Cuban government know what, if any, changes or reforms they should undertake to improve the communist, centrally-planned economy?...The Cuban government simply does not care, all the party members are lining their own pockets. Their policies over the years prove that they have no intention of improving the average Cuban's lot.

[a thought...]

ADT said it perfectly. The Cuban government is very much into how much more they can milk out of the country. Who cares about the average Cuban? Not even the average Cubans themselves.

New joke I received: A man goes into a restaurant and asks for the special of the day. "Today's special is Fidel con Raul", says the waiter. "What's that?", asks the customer. "Ropa vieja con mariquitas".

[nonee moose]

Ouch!

[h a s s a n]

OC

Having trouble getting coherent thoughts together lately, huh?

[leftside]

OC, your post implies that "changes and reforms" are forthcoming "at a moment's notice" and that there must be substantive policy differences in the way Raul will lead. Even assuming a permanent transition (which I don't believe), I (and most Cuba experts) would disagree with both those assumptions... in fact your own paper has reported on the widely held opinion that little substantive (capitalist) reforms are likely.

There will undoubedly be stylistic differences, changes in the ways the President interacts with the people. About this, both Raul and the Cuban press, has been forthcoming and open about.

But why would you assume that major economic or social policy changes are on the horizon? Things have not been going so well in Cuba in a while. The CIA reports Cuba's economy motoring at an 8% growth clip in 2005, people have gotten large raises, new appliances, energy blackouts are done forever, 100,000 houses are being built this year, etc. That is, the problems of the country are well known and being addressed sucessfully... unlike in the US where our "free press" shoots down non-market based solutions to our problems as evil and impossible. In the Cuban press, there are mentions of the country's problems and government work to combat them nearly every day.

Your last line is truly pathetic, and ill informed. If you think the Cubans don't know their "options" regarding the economy, you really don't know the country. Cubans understand socialism, capitalism and market based reforms - more than we do for sure. Their people know the tragedy that has happened in the old Soviet Union to the (majority of) people - drugs, crime, poverty, homelessness, etc. They know the well connected and rich got richer and everyone else is suffering. They know what is happening in China - the neglect of the rural areas at the expense of the cities. They know the condition of their region and America. They know socialism is not perfect, but they understand the alternatives goes against everything they believe in. Don't take Cubans for idiots. If those citizens of Miami were 1/2 as informed as those in Havana, your city would be lucky.

[Kevin Diaz]

"Unlike the US where our 'free press' shoots down non-market..." Yes, our press is more free than almost any other country, why does this bother you?

Cuba on the other hand is 2nd only to North Korea in its lack of press freedom. (http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=16&year=2005&country=6721)
Look, nowhere do Marx or Engels talk about restricting freedom of the press, you can put your guns down on the issue.

And unfortunetly, the American people don't understand capitalism or market-based reforms at all. Most of them don't understand basic micro or macroeconomic theory, as they don't understand physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, or most any other science, social or physical. Thankfully however, many people do, and their voices often help shape our economic policy.

It would be wise of you to take a course on economics at a local college (this opportunity, unfortunetly, has never been available to the Cuban people - if you are one of them, I am truely sorry, I imagine its nearly impossible to undo the brainwash). I would also suggest taking a course on critical thinking skills.

[a different thought]

Marx and Engles recognized that freedom of movement and speech were essentiual to a Proletariat revolution. Well said Kevin Diaz....

[Emilio Izquierdo Jr.]

scar Corral y The Miami Herald !

Seria bueno, que con la "supuesta" seriedad, efectividad y
profesionalismo que el
Sr. Oscar Corral de The Miami Herald, de Hoy, ha cubierto la noticia
de que periodistas dentro del exilio han recibido grandes sumas de
Radio y TV Marti, seria bueno que este periodista nos diera las
cifras que ha recibido el Sr. Alcibiades Hidalgo, y otros castristas
reciclados dentro de Radio y TV Marti, por los comentarios que han
hecho casi semanales desde Radio Marti vendiendonos la imagen de
Raul Castro en la nueva sucesion del terrorismo de estado en Cuba.-

Nos alegraria que The Miami Herald hiciera una investigacion
exhaustiva de todas las sumas que pagan Castro, y sus pandillas
nacionales e internacionales, dentro del digno exilio cubano para
inundar las hondas hertzianas con mentiras, confusiones y
adoctrinamiento comunista pro-castrista.-

"Cumplirian Oscar Corral y The Miami Herald si Oscar en su pagina de
contactos en el internet reportara con detalles como existe una gran
operacion dentro de la Junta Escolar de Miami-Dade para mentir,
confundir y adoctrinar a los hijos y nietos de los dignos, honrados,
decentes y trabajadores miembros de la comunidad cubana exiliada de
Miami"

The Miami Herald tambien le paga a muchos supuestos "articulistas
libres" para que ataquen visceralmente a la digna comunidad cubana
de Miami, ha estas operaciones contra el exilio cubano Yo las he
bautizado con un nuevo nombre :

"RACISMO LIBERAL"

Queremos que el Sr. Oscar Corral y The Miami Herald investiguen y
por respeto a esta comunidad y al periodismo "limpio" nos informen
quien paga detras de la A.C.L.U. para que se defiendan libros pro-
castristas dentro de las escuelas publicas de Miami a donde acuden
nuestros hijos, queremos que The Miami Herald y Oscar Corral nos
digan quien premia con tanto dinero a un Superintendente de las
Escuelas Publicas (Rudy Crew) para que ofenda a la comunidad cubana
y maniobre sus actitudes hasta llevar nuestras ofensas a un juez
federal "ALAN GOLD".-

Quisieramos saber quien compro los libros comunistas para el sistema
de las escuelas publicas de Miami, con nuestro dinero ?

Seria bueno que The Miami Herald y Oscar Corral investiguen quienes
pagan tantos anuncios para que se confundan a los electores y sean
premiados los politicos que no representan bien a la comunidad
cubana y permitan las mentiras, las confusiones, la mala informacion
y hasta el adoctrinamiento pro-castrista en las escuelas publicas
que pagamos con el dinero de nuestros impuestos.-

Seria bueno que The Miami Herald y Oscar Corral investiguen,
analicen, profundicen y expongan en "blanco y negro" todos los
dineros de Washington y La Habana que mantienen desinformado al Sur
de La Florida y a los norteamericanos en general sobre
el "terrorismo de estado castro-comunista" que existe en nuestra
Patria en parte con el dinero de "intereses especiales" que
promueven :

"EL RACISMO LIBERAL CONTRA LA COMUNIDAD CUBANA EXILIADA"

Jueguen limpio !

No mas contubernios, negocios, ni complicidades con el Tirano de
Cuba, Su Hermano, y sus pandillas nacionales e internacionales !

"PARA CUBA YA ES HORA"

Emilio Izquierdo Jr.
UMAP NEWS Miami Florida

[Dude]

Enrique - please post in English. What are you saying? Not all of us can read Spanish. Thanks -

[Enrique]

Dude it is time to get a translator

[Enrique]

Oscar I am still waiting to be added to your blog roll list..

it is time yet?

[Enrique]

Oscar I had two comments written here previously ...did you erased them?

please let me know

[Dude]

Enrique, I meant my message for Emilio too. Sorry, but this is the United States and English is the language of the country. Now I know Spanish is the language of Miami, but for those of us outside of Miami, it helps to make your points in English, so all of us can understand. I would like to know what Emilio is talking about, Dude

[Boricua]

Schwarzenegger Apologizes for Calling Cubans, Puerto Ricans 'Very Hot'
Friday, September 08, 2006

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger apologized Friday for saying during a closed-door meeting that Cubans and Puerto Ricans are naturally feisty and temperamental because of their combination of "black blood" and "Latino blood."

He said the tape-recorded comments "made me cringe" when he read them in Friday's Los Angeles Times.

"Anyone out there that feels offended by those comments, I just want to say I'm sorry, I apologize," Schwarzenegger said. He added that if he heard his children make similar comments, "I would be upset."

The statements were captured on a six-minute tape made during a March 3 speechwriting session between Schwarzenegger and his advisers. On it, Schwarzenegger and chief of staff Susan Kennedy speak affectionately of state Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia and speculate about her nationality.

"I mean Cuban, Puerto-Rican, they are all very hot," the governor says on the recording. "They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it."

Garcia, who is Puerto Rican, appeared with Schwarzenegger on Friday and said she was not offended by the governor's comments. Garcia earlier told the Times that she often

Schwarzenegger also said he called leaders from ethnic groups, who he said were not upset.

"All of them understood it was an off-the-record conversation," said Schwarzenegger, a Republican running for re-election in November. "It was not meant to be in any negative way."

A spokesman for Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez declined to comment directly on the remark but said the governor "has always been very respectful toward Latinos."

"These are hardly Nixon's Watergate tapes," Nunez spokesman Richard Stapler said.

However, Schwarzenegger's Democratic challenger, Phil Angelides, said the governor should "conduct himself with dignity."

"Once again, Gov. Schwarzenegger has used language that is deeply offensive to all Californians and embarrassed our state," Angelides said in a statement.

Schwarzenegger aides routinely tape his speechwriting sessions so the writers can keep a record of his thoughts and speaking patterns.

The newspaper did not say how the tape was obtained. The participants suggest during the meeting that they know they are being recorded.

[Enrique]

www.abajofidel.blogspot.com

[Walter Lippmann]

When Arnold was first elected California Governor, Fidel Castro made the following rather open-ended and diplomatic remark when asked what Cuba's Commander-in-Chief thought of the actor politician:

"To judge from the photographs, he has a lot of muscle, but they have not tested him to see how much muscle he has in the brain... He may well have more force in the arms than in the brain."

Walter Lippmann