Posada Back in Miami

Barely a ghost of the warrior of lore who once plotted against Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a rumpled and jail-worn Luis Posada Carriles shuffled off a private jet at Miami International Airport Thursday and for the first time savored life outside the shadows of his militant past.

Well, almost. Under 24-hour house arrest and soon to be fitted with an ankle bracelet for monitoring, Posada must remain at his wife's West Kendall apartment until his trial in May.

It's a place where he has never lived -- a cookie-cutter development on a man-made lake far removed from exotic locales across the Americas he used as bases to plot against Cuba's communist government: Panama; Guatemala; Honduras; Venezuela; Aruba. The former CIA operative, 79, is now living with a wife separated from him for more than 30 years in a city that hasn't been home since the Nixon years.

Comments

[curt]

What can you expect from a country that has a holiday honoring the biggest mass murderer in history, Christopher Colombus?

[Mambi Watch]

New York Times
Monday - July 13, 1998
A BOMBER'S TALE: Part II
By ANN LOUISE BARDACH and LARRY ROHTER

[excerpt]

At an age when most of his contemporaries have retired and are doting on their grandchildren, Luis Posada Carriles has returned with renewed vigor and determination in recent years to the struggle that has consumed him all of his adult life. Time is running out, he made it clear, both for him and his lifelong adversaries.

With Mr. Mas [Canosa] dead, Mr. Posada said, he is particularly concerned that the anti-Castro movement is now rudderless and drifting. One of the reasons he agreed to come forward now to discuss his activities, he explained, was in hopes of reinvigorating the cause.

"Right now is a bad time," he said. "Too many years. Everybody is very old."

...

Mr. Posada suspects that he may be questioned by the American authorities about the hotel bombings, and he is bitter about the way he and the Cuban exile cause have been treated over the years. After a long courtship, he feels, he and his compatriots were seduced and then abandoned.

But most distressing of all is the nagging thought that his nemesis, Fidel Castro, might outlive him, as he has already outlived Mr. Mas. "Maybe I pass away before Castro," he said with a shrug. "Nobody knows."

Informed that Mr. Castro's mother lived well into her 90's and that another relative recently celebrated her 105th birthday, Mr. Posada groaned. "Oh my God," he said. But then, shaking his head and wagging his finger, he quoted a popular proverb, as if to reassure himself. It is derived from the Cuban tradition of slaughtering a hog for a holiday meal: "A cada lechon se le llega su Nochebuena," or "Every pig gets its Christmas Eve."

From Ann Louise Bardach's Posada Files:
http://www.bardachreports.com/posada_files.htm

Luis Posada Carriles: The Declassified Record:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB153/

[victor]

yes,every pig will have his nochebuena..He is right...The pig of pigs walks among us..Justice should bow her head in shame.

[victor]

This is the only way to answer that Ziva,an animal of a woman,who just said of how happy she was that Posada got a break finally..ZIVA you wacko $%^(_)($%%)()) Im going to say that even though Im not a woman,you my@##^^&$ dear are a disgrace to womanhood...Your pig has been set free..Wallow with your pig my dear..Praise thePIG OF PIGS Ziva,and the porking you share with Your PIGS ONLY blog...KEEP YOUNG GIRLS OUT OF BABALU BLOG

[cubanpatriot]

Leave it to the cub reporter to stir the pot any time there's a divisive issue in the Cuban Community.

Victor, do you mourn the victims of the 13 de Marzo and the BTTR shootdown as well? Or don't they count because your buddy fidel did those deeds?

Hey victor, kiss my ass. I hope you have a salmonella outbreak in that stupid fucking restaurant of yours.

[curt]

If there are any Castro operatives in Miami, hopefully they will be put to good use and waste the m----------r!

[Manny]

Mambi and other misguided bloggers,

He was released accroding to the laws of this country. If you want to be upset about somthing, why dont you get upset at how independent cuban journalists are being jailed in cuba without jury trials and defense lawyers for being nothing more than a "pre-crminal Social Danger"? It is safe to say that if venezuela and cuba think we should act in a certain way, this government should do the complete opposite. Or, do you really believe that what is happening in Venezuela and cuba are indicative of a free and democratic government?

[Mambi Watch]

Manny,

There's no complaints from me about the release of Luis Posada Carriles under the laws of this country. He was released under bail and has to appear in El Paso by May 11. I'm not upset about that at all.

Most of my indignation about Carriles goes back to 1976 and how the US government had warnings about a possible plane attack, with Orlando Bosch and Carriles as primary suspects, and did nothing. Check out the declassified documents at the National Security Archive.

I support the outrage that people must feel about the 1976 bombing, the BTTR shootdown and the Tugboat Massacre, and their respective pursuits for justice. That's why we have judicial systems.

But, you advocate something else. You believe that we should act contrary to perceived enemies, and that this should be our form of justice somehow. Such a belief is obviously flawed.

We should ask that ALL countries, ours as much as Cuba's, to obey their laws and even international laws where they are appropriate. It's called the principle of universality, where ALL people deserve justice, even perceived enemies, but especially ourselves.

You should try it someday.

[victor]

The porkers are out in force...Lets see,cuban patriot? Why that name..You fought in Cuba or are you a member of the calle ocho brigade? Now you wish a salmonella outbreak upon people you dont even know..You wish death by poisoning to others...Typical porker. Step up to the Swine Bar patriot and check on your local health dept. actions at your local porking grounds. Such use of vile words can only come from pigs...If you talk like a pig...you know the rest.

[Mambi Watch]

Victor,

I feel you can make excellent points without having to engage in ad hominems or other similar behavior. Your comments are becoming circular.

But, I enjoyed "Calle Ocho Brigade".

[victor]

MAMBI..I understand..And agree..Its just my way of getting across..Limited vocabulary and spelling keep me out of many blogs..You sure do have intelligent people out there,and it just angers me that,no matter whether they like the "beard" or want to be a barber,the intelligence that I see does not come out of their mouth..YES.there I said it.Im a high school dropout,with a revolutionary heart and a capitalistic mind.I am a bz owner of several projects,including a restaurant..A quite favorable one..A working street kid born in Havana,raised in Manhattan,and still loving every minute that my entire life feels Cuban.Sooo,let the what ever you meant by my remarks fly...lol..Chevere Mambi..Let the pigeons fly!!!

[Manny]

Mambi,

I am not advocating acting contrary to perceived enemies. At this point, the GOVERNMENT of cuba is an actual enemy, not a perceived one. All of your responses seem to advocate a unilateral plan by the US and require no change or admission of guilt on behalf of the government of cuba. Carriles was not convicted more than once by a military tribunal in venezuela. What else do you want? He has never been convicted in absentia either. What ever happened to the concept of double jeopardy? You still have not addressed my concerns about the situation with independent journalists in cuba. SHould we not focus on that one because it is not convenient to your arguments?

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Oscar:

Yes, Oscar, Posada Carriles is back in Miami after a 30-year absence spent serving the cause of his country's freedom; and, yes, he has re-united with a wife who, after 30 years, understands the spiritual greatness of her husband, which Martí's wife never did. So he lives now in a "cookie-cutter" development, not in a 30-room mansion like many who stayed here and worked in their own interest rather than their country's. And, yes, he will have to return to court in Texas to answer the ridiculous charges against him (none of which have anything to do with terrorism) in the government's trial by innuendo. And, yes, this 80 year-old who has been kept in "preventive detention" for 2 years and shackled in waist and leg irons is none the better for the wear, but he still lives despite the best efforts of the Castro agent who shot him in the face or the U.S. government's Bay-of-Pigs-like conduct towards one who fought for this country in 100 covert wars and Vietnam.

I should not recommend, Oscar, that you pin all your futures hopes for a Pulitzer on Posada's conviction, however much you may personally desire it. The same goes for the other Castroites on this thread. Posada has been known to disappoint through the years others who have set their sights on his destruction.

[Mambi Watch]

All of your responses seem to advocate a unilateral plan by the US and require no change or admission of guilt on behalf of the government of cuba. Carriles was not convicted more than once by a military tribunal in venezuela. What else do you want?

Manny,

As an American. I can only ask and demand of actions by the US government, not Cuba's. As a tax-payer, it's my right to do so if I disagree with policy. The issue of asking anything from Cuba is broken. One must maneuver through the fraught history between the two nations. At this point, the US CANNOT ask anything of Cuba without addressing history.

So I say make a compromise, negotiate, call for mediation. Any method to finally address the historical concerns.

But to ask for an "admission of guilt" from Cuba is absurd. What kind of moral stature do you attribute to the US that you believe this action will be effective?

If you wanna ask anything from any nation, then you negotiate an exchange which is acceptable to both sides. But, what the US is asking from Cuba is pure self-depreciation. And any nation would dismiss such an offer.

About Carriles, I have written fully about his judicial status on my blog. He has not been acquitted of his crimes at all. His acquittal in front of a military tribunal was for the charge of treason, nothing to do with his involvement of the 1976 bombing.

He has yet to be tried for his alleged crimes, there is no case for "double jeopardy." Read the summaries of his actual status.

My first concern for negotiation between US and Cuba is for the political prisoners. I am totally opposed to the 2003 crackdown and the imprisonment of any dissidents on the island. I am equally opposed to the imprisonment and torture of "enemy combatants" in Guantanamo. No person should be denied their rights to a fair trial or to fight for better prison conditions.

This position is an honest one where I don't discriminate between people and so-called "enemies".

[Manny]

Mambi,

As i said before, you advocate unilateral change. This is my biggest problem with your position. Also, your attention to ALL of the issues seems to be unbalanced. I believe that you would get more support from others like me if there was more of a bilateral approach to your theories. You also dont seem to really push that idea by not standing up as aggressively as you have about posada carriles and acknowledge the injustices carried out by the cuban government. I do not believe that we have to make the first move. It is the Government of cuba that has to make the first move. And quite honestly, the only acceptable move that gvernment could make is a change in ideology and leadership. You cant just forget about the past. It has to be addressed and corrected before any movement toward the future can be made.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

THE WRONG REPORTER FOR THE POSADA STORY

Oscar Corral's textbook story of 8 September 2006 about the Herald Moonlighters — "textbook" because it has been held up by more than one expert on journalistic ethics as an example of what not to do when writing a so-called investigative report — did not appear first in The Miami Herald, but on Castroite television, where a propagandist on Mesa Redonda announced that The Miami Herald would shortly be publishing a story about Cuban-Americans reporters in the pay of the U.S. government (as if Cuban viewers could go out and buy a copy of the newspaper hot off the presses). This revelation indicates one of two things — either the original story was fed by Castro operatives to Corral, or the Cuban government has one (or many) moles at The Miami Herald who keep it apprised of upcoming stories that could be fodder for their propaganda mill. Indeed, if an Ana Belén Montes or a Juan Pablo Roque can infiltrate the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) or FBI are we to presume that The Miami Herald is impenetrable? This is a question that The Herald has never addressed because of the fear that any investigation would become a"witchhunt." It has no scrupples whatever about firing or libelling anti-Communist reporters because they are anti-Communist, but it trembles at the thought of exposing Cuban Communist agents on its staff because that might expose them to the charge of McCarthyism. Maybe the demented cartoonist who recently tried to stage a coup at The Miami Herald was not so "demented," after all. In fact, I am sure that the first sign that Communism is about to fall in Cuba will be the departure en masse of its compromised staff members to redder venues, the San Francisco Chronicle and such. But to return to Corral.

At best, Oscar Corral is a dupe to whom others feed what they want him to regurgitate, and at worst he is a dupe again who spills all he knows to the wrong people at The Herald. I do not, however, believe that Corral is himself a mole: he is simply not intelligent enough and too conspicuously placed to function beyond suspicion, which would make him virtually useless. But whatever kind of dupe he is, having already fallen prey to Castro's agents in the past, Oscar hardly seems the ideal candidate to cover the Posada Carriles story, quite apart from the personal animus that he has already demonstrated towards his subject in his reportage.

Describing him in a April 20 article ["Posada in Miami, But He Can't Leave"] as "a ghost of his former self" — as what man is not at 80? — Corral cannot comprehend, because he does not share it, the spiritual greatness of the man, which has sustained Posada through this ordeal and others like it which would surely have broken lesser men (say Corral). Yes, this old man who has been kept in "preventive detention" for 2 years and shackled in waist and leg irons is none the better for wear, but he still lives despite the best efforts of the Castro agent who shot him in the face or the U.S. government's Bay-of-Pigs-like conduct towards one who fought for this country in 100 covert wars and Vietnam.

Corral is even shameless enough to throw Posada's honorable poverty at his face, as if that were not yet another patent of his greatness. What can it possibly matter to Posada that he must reside in an apartment in "a cookie-cutter development" in Kendall? In his wanderings through the world in the service of his country, and particularly in the last 2 years, Posada has surely endured a lot worse. Such a "punishment" — that is, to live in a "cookie-cutter development" in Kendall — is the worst that can befall any man from Corral's snobbish perspective and he is stupid enough to rub that in Posada's face!

The lowest blow, because low blows are Oscar's specialty, is when he sneers at Posada's reconciliation with a wife he has not seen in 30 years. Posada is a lucky man to have a spouse (or former spouse) who, after 30 years, understands at last his spiritual greatness. Martí himself was not as fortunate. But Corral, rather than be touched by this timeless love story, chooses to scoff at it, as if love were something that Posada could not give or receive.

Did I say the "lowest blow?" Now I am not certain since Corral goes on to question apropos of absolutely nothing Posada's disfiguring facial scars, which are the result of being shot in the face by a Castro agent: "Posada, who says his facial scars are the result of an assassination attempt by Cuban agents..." Oh, he only "says" that Castro's agents did it. Well, then, we must surely doubt it since Posada said it. Who THE HELL would shoot Posada in the face if not a Castro agent? Is Corral really that stupid or does he only challenge the origins of Posada's scars because he fears that these will actually make anyone feel sympathy towards him and understand the nature of the enemy he is fighting — one man against an entire apparatus of repression? (Incidentally, Castro's cartoonists also mock Posada's mutilated face in their portrayals of him).

To create the impression that Posada is isolated and viewed indifferently at best by his fellow Cuban exiles, Corral quotes only Posada's lawyer and former comrades in his defense, including one even older than Posada. Corral could not be more misleading. Posada is a hero to every Cuban exile who still retains a shread of dignity and these are still the majority in Miami.

Quoted against him and more extensively than anyone else is Posada's Judas, Gilberto Abascal, whom the U.S. has identified as a double-agent in the service of Cuban Intelligence, but who, nonetheless, the government is using as its star witness in the prosecution of Posada on immigration charges. Nevertheless, Castro-agent Abascal volunteers that he knows (how?) that Posada is responsible for blowing up the Cubana Airlines plane in Venezuela. Corral also cites two "presidents" who also believe as Abascal believes: Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. But Corral is not content with these luminaries of truth. He also quotes Giustino di Celmo, the 87-year-old father of an Italian killed in a hotel bombing in Cuba, who now himself resides in Havana; José Pertierra, a Cuban-American (?) attorney who represents the Chávez regime; and Camilo Rojo (interesting name), the son of a Cubana de Aviación "official" killed in the explosion of the airliner. Rojo gets the all-important last words in the article: "How is it possible that the United States has not charged him with terrorism, but with lying? That's like if they arrest [Osama] bin Laden and charge him with telling lies. [Posada is] a terrorist. He has said so publicly. The United States knows this but allowed a killer free on the streets."

So the "United States knows [that Posada is a terrorist] but allowed a killer out on the street." Isn't this remarkable. The U.S. "knows" that Posada is guilty even though he has never been convicted and has in fact been acquitted by both civil and military courts in Venezuela; it "knows" that Posada is a "killer" but has no evidence to indict him as such and must instead charge him with entering the country illegally, an offense that 70% percent of native-born Mexicans residing in the U.S. could be charged with but are not. Two years in prison (and counting) for that?

The indictment may read "lying to immigration officials about how he entered the country," but, in reality, Posada is being tried for the 1976 bombing of which he has already been acquitted. And Corral, of course, knows this, approves and is doing his upmost to poison all the wells for Posada.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe Corral is far worse than I suppose.

POSTSCRIPT:

Because Corral can't write English correctly and his editors don't know enough to correct him, he refers to Posada in the first sentence of his article as a "warrior of lore." He means, of course, a "warrior of yore" (time past, especially long past). "Lore" means a lesson or something learned, especially traditional knowledge or belief. Can Corral mean that Posada is a legendary warrior? Although true, I doubt that this is what Corral meant to say or would admit. What he meant to write is obviously a "warrior of yore (of a time long past), which, of course, isn't true, because Posada, despite his age, is still in the trenches fighting the good fight. His heroism does not yet belong to the past although it will always be eternal.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

OSCAR CORRAL: THE MAN WITHOUT PRINCIPLES

Oscar Corral is the most despicable of all Cuban-American bloggers besides whom Val Prieto and Henry Gómez are monuments to disinterested patriotism and good sense. Oscar is the reluctant blogger, forced by The Miami Herald to run its house blog on Cuba, but hating every moment of it and absenting himself as much as possible from the irksome task. For years his blog literally ran itself; his only contribution being to post the occasional newspaper article while letting his blog's habitues go at it with one another in what was once the most entertaining free-for-all in Cuban-American blogdom. Thanks to his indifference and the relative freedom it afforded, it was not unusual to see threads with more than 400 comments, something which few national blogs can boast and no local ones. This, which would have meant everything to other bloggers, meant nothing to Oscar. If anything, it only increased the headache for him.

When things got out of control as inevitably things would, Oscar would let the proceedings continue unchecked as if deriving a smarmish pleasure from the havoc he was wreaking simply by making himself the least conspicuous presence on his blog. But this game could not continue forever and eventually the lunatics did take over the asylum, converting Miami's Cuban Connection into, of all things, a covert for pedophiles to champion their lifestyle, with communiqués from NAMBLA and more such nonsense. Eventually all the regulars quit in disgust, even its most famous commenter, the irreplaceable John Longfellow, who was many things but not a pervert.

Eventually Oscar had no recourse but to institute so-called "moderation," which finally succeeded in bringing all this shenanigans to a stop, even if it all but killed his blog as "moderation" (i.e. preëmptive censorship) always will. It was a kind of poetic justice that his blog finally imploded at precisely the moment when Oscar became victim and facilitator of the biggest journalistic hoax that was ever perpetrated on or by a reporter from The Miami Herald. Having written thousands of words on this subject — more certainly than Oscar wrote — I do not want to re-visit it here but have no choice.

One day, shortly before the implosion, there appeared a note from Oscar on Miami's Cuban Connection announcing that he was going "underground" to cover an important story on Cuba. Most of his readers assumed that he was on a clandestine mission to Cuba, the kind that Herald reporters occasionally undertake because they are not normally granted access to the island. In fact, Oscar's "secret mission" became a kind of joke on his blog — "Waiting for Corral-Godot." After a month or so, Oscar finally resurfaced to break his long-awaited story, which led to the arbitrary discharge of three of his colleagues at The Herald and smeared at least 60 other Cuban-American journalists by the time it had run its course.

Their supposed offense? They had moonlighted for Radio Martí while in the employ of The Herald. It was not reported in the story, however, that The Herald not only knew about it, but had actually reported that fact years before without the least hint of disapproval. Moreover, there was no internal Herald policy prohibiting it, though the editors attempted to improvise one after the fact, which was eventually exposed for the sham it was. None of the Cuban journalists, or, indeed, any reporter at The Herald had signed an exclusive contract at the time of their employment. All, therefore, including the Cubans, were free to proceed as they saw best. Nonetheless the Cubans had obtained the permission of the late El Nuevo Herald editor before appearing on Radio Martí. None of this was reported in The Herald's original story and would only slowly come out under the prodding of others. Foremost in exposing the machinations at The Herald was Henry Gómez's Herald Watch, perhaps the highest public service ever done by a Miami blog.

Oscar's story, which was widely reported by the MSM, as one would expect any story to be that discredits Cuban exiles, began to unravel when it was discovered that thousands of (non-Cuban) journalists had engaged in the same practice over the last 56 years, that is, since the very inception of public broadcasting, including the patron saint of American journalists, Edward R. Murrow, who even headed the government's foreign broadcasting agency in the Kennedy administration.

As a result of these revelations and others no less embarrassing, there developed a schism between The Miami Herald and its sister publication El Nuevo Herald, which, unintentionally and for the first time in decades, transformed Miami into a two-newspaper town, both housed under the same roof and receiving the same pay check.

In the end, the fired reporters were rehired by the McClatchy corporation with half-hearted apologies, and The Herald's publisher Jesús Díaz and its managing editor Tom Fiedler departed the paper (more or less voluntarily). Oscar, however, was unscathed by the scandal, though he was subjected to a great deal of criticism from other quarters, which he received with the same dispassion as had characterized his demeanor at Miami's Cuban Connection.

Only a few people know besides Oscar and his editors that he was the witless agent of a conspiracy hatched up in Havana to discredit Cuban-American journalists and the entire Cuban-American community. His reflexive disdain for anything and everything that his parents' countrymen have done or might do to promote Cuba's freedom made him an easy mark for every slanderer who wished to use him to malign us. He even cultivated such acquaintances in the hope that they would provide him with the materia prima that he needed to advance his career beyond the Miami "ghetto." Oscar Corral has big dreams, ready ears and a none too facile pen and might even have obtained his desire if he had even one ounce of discernment and could tell when he's being used and when he's using others.

The Miami Herald, which can always rely on him to do its dirty work without too many prompts as he is the consummate "company man," has assigned Oscar, of all people, to the Posada Carriles story, as if anyone could possibly believe that he could bring anything to it but a lack of objectivity and malicious intent. In his reportage on Posada's release on bond, Oscar seemed almost giddy with excitement at the 80-year-old's mistreatment at the hands of federal authorities and the ordeals which he has thus far faced and the many more which are still ahead of him for being something that Oscar never was and never will be -- a man of principles. To an opportunist like Oscar Corral principles are something to scoff at; and sacrifice, well, sacrifice is not even in the picture. Never has there been such a disconnect between the subject of a story and the reporter covering it.

[victor]

to all wise and educated posters..Imagine if we put all those words to action...Action is the only thing missing from all the intellectual rants..Intellectuals and the rich are always the first to run during any kind of coup,revolution etc..they run to the U.S.A. and continue with their words that usually the large part of the population doesnt even understand...When I read some of the posts I often wonder if this is a "war"of who can use better words,or can express themselves better...In the end I,being the "very lite" intellectual wonder what the hell are they talking about..Is this a self serving thing? Hey I admire intelligence and get angry at those that have it and dont use it,but I think if you just call a rose by its name,you will have more people understanding the fight..Actions say more than words and so far for the past 48 years all we get is a Scrabble Game. Dont get me wrong folks,I applaud it..but for gods sake lets stay on the beach and not go in so deep...Let everyone swim.....and...KEEP YOUNG GIRLS OUT OF BABABABALU BLOG!!! The wannabe shock bloggers!

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Victor:

The rich certainly didn't run during the Cuban Revolution; in fact, they were its most ardent supporters; there would have been no Castro without the rich, who facilitated his rise to power in every conceivable way. The only group that was as committed to the Revolution as the rich were the intellectuals. So feel free to heap as many words of reproach at them as you feel.

As for the "scrabble game," some are better at it than others, but none, of course, is as good as me. I think that's what you were trying to say and I thank you for it.

[victor]

Dont get me wrong manuel..you are a good writer..But the rich usually along with the minds do run..its their only way to maintain what they have and what they know..Maybe not totally with Cuba,but I do think in many a revolution they do..Ive been trying to get on your blog but Im having problems..Give me time and Ill break the code...Ive posted,but dont think I did it right..I got to masturbate my mind a bit more..Wadda u think?? I must hand it to you on your babalu conflict..You call their hand and they fold...Ive been trying to post with them and Baby Henry,but I think they got some kind of galactic computer that filters out my kind of bullshit..All the same...KEEP YOUNG GIRLS OUT OF BABALU BLOG

[curt]

Manuel, by praising that terrorist and murderer Luis Posada-Carrilles after all his actions and deeds makes you a very sick man. Get some help soon!

[octavio de armas]

All Cubans are to be blamed for Fidel Castro being in Cuba. We all left instead of staying there fight for our freedom and country. We think U.S.A. owes us something in reality they don't owe us anything. We can stand outside Versailles and talk crap all day long is only 100 plus miles away from Cuba. Those brave men at the Bay of Pig were the only that made an attempt. After that the exile has seen nothing but charlatans. Posada-Carriles besides being a soldier of fortune he is also a murderer that cannot be denied.

[ex-isled]

Thank you Octavio for putting my thoughts into words. Had I said it, I'd be labeled just another ignorant American. I'm happy to hear a Cuban speak the truth.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Curt:
If Posada were what you believe him to be, then you would be right. But he is not. Keep reading what I write and eventually you will convinced too, that is, if you are not yourself "a very sick man."

Octavio:
Posada is as much a "murderer" as you are or I am. Before the law, Posada stands not only as an innocent man but as a man whose innocence has been confirmed in several trials. Nor is he a "soldier of fortune," as you see fit to call him. Where is Posada's fortune, Octavio? He doesn't have a penny to his name and but for his ex-wife would be homeless. Posada's ideals are not very renumerative. His poverty, which Corral mocks, is the patent of his greatness, as I already noted.

ex-isted:
I am sure that you will always be pleased to hear a Cuban exile vilify a Cuban freedom fighter: and here you have at least two (Oscar and Octavio).

Manuel A. Tellechea

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Victor:

They "fold" because folding is the smartest thing for them to do.

[Esteban Colvert]

Wow! I'm glad Manuel A Telaecha has reared his ugly (and always angry) head again. Papo if you need a hug just ask (de verdura). Look, I took Curt out on his birthday in limo to the Hard Rock, joder! I didn't know he was so full of vitriol, que pasa Curt?(Manny feel free to correct me on any grammar or spelling and ignore the content). But even if I disagree with and you Manny, there's no need for the more "huevos rancheros" than thou attitude. Let it go Louie. Be honest Orly Bosch was convicted of firing a bazooka at a Polish freighter...terrorist or freedom fighter? Can't have it both ways! p.s what would the death of those dumb "polacos" done to further the liberation of Cuba?

[cubanpatriot]

Victor Valens, owner of some stupid fucking restaurant in Minnesota is a fidelista asshole that won't live under fidel.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Estebancito:

Actually, it is a very noble head which reflects my noble thoughts and noble prose style. I am also greatly loved so the last thing that I require is a hug. But even if I were lonely and alone in the world, I would still be in good company, which is more than I can say for you.

As for Orlando Bosch there is a street named for him in Miami and some day there will a boulevard in Cuba. I no longer have to champion his cause. That good fight has already been won, thank-you. All my energies are now concentrated on obtaining justice for Posada as well.

[victor]

Oye!!!!Cuban Patriot.What was that all about. Did you want to own a cafe and wasnt able to?? I tell you what..I live good.Real good out of that "f....g" cafe as you call it..So go get your shine box and do my shoes.The company we must hang with in this blog...Go get me a coffee,you patriot my ass. No way to start the day...There,Ive lit up,and all is good...patriot my rich ass..ooops.

[Mambi Watch]

Mr. Tellechea,

Your comments about Oscar Corral are annoying. First off, you use a Miami Herald article (April 20)[1] that had THREE reporters. To focus your anger on Corral alone reveals an apparent behavior of discrimination.

Second, the best example you gave was the misuse of the word "lore" instead of "yore". All your other fulminations are baseless.

You say: "Posada is a hero to every Cuban exile who still retains a shread [sic] of dignity and these are still the majority in Miami."

According to the latest FIU Cuba Poll[2], the majority of Cubans in Miami support an open dialogue with the Cuba government and its people. And over the years, more and more Cubans oppose US policy towards Cuba. The percentages now show that Cubans are split almost evenly on issues of the embargo.

You continue to claim that Posada Carriles has been "acquitted". He has NOT been acquitted for his crimes connected to the bombing in 1976. The only acquittal he received was at a military tribunal for charges of TREASON. The evidence for the bombing was never presented formally.

In fact, earlier this year, on this blog, you wrote that Carriles "was thrice tried on these charges by both civil and military courts and found innocent every time."[3]

That is an utter lie.

Never have I run into any evidence or literature that indicated such a claim. I asked you then to present your evidence of such a claim, and you refused to do so. Thus, one is inclined to believe that you are a intentional deceiver, or completely refuse to accept reality.

I demand that you present the facts, or risk any credibility you have left to refusing this challenge again.

[1]http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/80476.html
[2]http://www.fiu.edu/~ipor/cuba8/pollresults.html
[3]http://blogs.herald.com/cuban_connection/2007/01/posada_and_alli.html

[victor]

Manuel..oye youre turning this post into your domain...Eres el mejor..Like I said before we dont sit on the same side of the fence,but we dont try to push each other of it..We sit there and we talk.light one up for peace,and then go home to fight another day..Das good!!! And also of course,you are Vals nightmare...anyway,I feel I can fire one over the bow and you will return fire,friendly fire though..SOOO !! here it is..Manuel,court or no court,freedom or not,good lawyers..lots of money(you know he aint broke)polls,judges and the law of the land..dont matter to me...Posada,like Custer,had it comming..I dont know fellow fighter but the dude is one bad boy.And would not surprise me if he is wisked away by "the company" to that famous "safe house" where he wont be able to testify alllll of his dealings with the U.S. GOV..and being the way some of us are,we dont want him to be judged by St. Peter.Hey,thats my story and Im sticking wit it..WORD! Just a reminder..you can call me anything you want..but dont call my place a f#$^#^g restaurant...Ese patriot is a piece of art...

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Mambo Watcher:

So my comments are annoying to you? Glad to hear it. If what I wrote pleased you, I should be very upset. There are altogether five or six writers, researchers and translators who contributed to Corral's article, which is even discredited in an editorial in The Miami Herald today. The fact that you appear to be sympathetic to Corral alone confirms his bias; you are good for that if nothing else. You are, I think, the last person who should ever speak of "utter lies" or "intentional deceivers" unless you care to reveal your identity. As for your "demand" that I present the facts, I am tempted to say that the facts would be wasted on you. But you may have as many facts as you can assimilate in any of my writings.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Victor:

I am not trying to push you off any fence. That's Val, not me. Please don't confuse us as I shall not take well to such an offense.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Victor:

"Ese patriot" has a name. Don't you know it?

[Mambi Watch]

Mr. Tellechea,

Your focus on Corral is indeed irritating, especially when you post TWO very long posts that are riddled with ad hominems. As a prolific writer, it would serve you better to actually support your writing with facts.

I have written about some of Corral's writing on my blog and have shown how some of his work lacks honest research, but I don't engage in calling him names. I stick to the facts.

The editorial in today's Herald doesn't discredit Corral nor any of the allegations that are pointed towards Carriles.

If you want to discredit those allegations then you must address each declassified document at the National Security Archives, and other evidence that is being presented by the government of Venezuela. Neither of which was addressed by the Herald.

I have no problem revealing my "identity." If you're dying to know I can email you my biography, a copy of my Florida Driver's License, and my address if you'd like to come and visit. But, I don't see how all that info is relevant to the discussion at hand.

You said that Carriles "was thrice tried on these charges by both civil and military courts and found innocent every time."[*]

That evidence would indeed DISCREDIT me, Oscar Corral, the Cuban Government, and the 19 Latin American nations that want Carriles extradited.

So why not present it? Those that believe you do excellent writing and are credible are entitled to know.

Or, do you want to clarify you position?

[*]http://blogs.herald.com/cuban_connection/2007/01/posada_and_alli.html

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Mambo Watcher:

Your name and position at FIU would be quite enough.

My e-mail is my name at tellechea.com

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

[curt]

If Posada-Carrilles is freed that will be a worse miscarrage of justice than O.J being aquitted almost 12 years ago. Manuel, it will snow in Florida in July before you can convince me that Posada-Carrilles is a hero.

[Paul Benavides]

Mr. Tellechea,

Position at FIU? I wish. I'm not that old either. But, I do study at FIU.

It's pretty clear that you were lying when you said that Carriles "was thrice tried on these charges by both civil and military courts and found innocent every time."[*]

Notice that nobody here is defending your claim. The onus is on you to present the facts that support your comments. Its the facts alone that will give you credibility, not by challenging my "identity."

Also, notice that I don't challenge your identity, nor your personal record (whatever it may be). I challenge your arguments, which happen to be baseless.

False arguments only get you so far. Revealing your facts and being honest will give you credibility. Not by picking on one reporter with ad hominems.

Carriles has not been acquitted according to two different sources that I have cited in my blog posts. And here they are to be discredited:

http://www.coha.org/2005/08/11/unfinished-business-why-luis-posada-carriles-an-admitted-cuban-exile-terrorist-should-face-justice-in-venezuela/

http://www.embavenez-us.org/news.php?nid=1366

I'm sure you'll find a way to dismiss the facts somehow, but the burden is on you to provide contradictory evidence to be viewed. Keep it up Mr. Tellechea, I do admire your tenacity.

[*]http://blogs.herald.com/cuban_connection/2007/01/posada_and_alli.html

[Mambi Watch]

Check my name and you will see some of my comments to the FIU's Beacon newspaper.

[victor]

The plot thickens...Good writting fellow posters...Manuel I think you might have read me wrong...I know you dont push of the fence..Maybe its how I wrote it..But do tell. Patriot? Who is Patriot? Could it be a comic "super hero"? I still think Posada is a bad,bad dog..I know we live by the law,as we should...but he is a very bad dog..And bad dogs have to be put to sleep. Who is Patriot??? Ill give you a dollar.

[victor]

manuel who is Patriot??? Cmon Manuel,make my day..Buck still stands.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Paul:

I also admire your tenacity and wish that you were using it to advance a cause worthy of your talents. FIU manages to educate one literate student and it turns out to be you. Now, is that fair?

I suppose that at your age it is natural to rebel against societal constraints. But if you must rebel, rebel as others in your generation do — with sex, alcohol, pot and insipid music. Don't compromise your future by writing stuff that you will surely one day regret and sooner than you might think.

There is enough here and on your blog to sink any public career that you might some day desire to pursue and for which all this appears to be some kind of misguided apprenticeship. But if you continue in the same way, you may be left with no other option than to join a liberal think tank, and those tanks are populated by lethal little fish that will eat you up.

Some choices in life are simple. The choice between tyranny and freedom is a no-brainer. If those who are less intelligent than you can make the right choice, why not you? The worst sin that any man ever commits against himself is to think that the old verities do not apply to him. But they do.

Some final advice: Do stop all this "Mambo Watcher" nonsense. Use your real name on your blog. Unless a man authorizes his opinions with his name they are worthless. Besides, whether you use your real name or not, you will be found out. In fact, you have already revealed your identity here and don't expect it to remain a secret, not with the habitués of this blog. So since you have nothing to lose you might as well embrace honesty as the best policy.

Are you any relation to Colonel Benavides? If you are I admire that man even more for the pain you must have caused him. And if you are and did, shame on you!

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Victor:

Time to raise your bid, Mr. Rich Restaurateur.

I'll give you a hint: it's always the one you most suspect.

[Mambi Watch]

Manuel,

I'm not as young as you may assume. Also, my professional desires are not towards politics, nor solely towards the issue about US/Cuba relations.

Your advice is worthless. You are a liar and have no interest in revealing and supporting the facts. You of all people are not one to dispense with advice on intelligence.

My name is irrelevant to the issues being discussed, thus it is not a priority to provide my name whenever one asks. I have provided it here as a gesture of my sincerity and as an example to you.

Hence, I still ask that you be honest and reveal where you found that Luis Posada Carriles was "was thrice tried on these charges by both civil and military courts and found innocent every time."[*]

If you cannot provide that information, then I find is suffice to conclude that you are dishonest, deceiving, and your advice as without any value whatsoever.

[*]http://blogs.herald.com/cuban_connection/2007/01/posada_and_alli.html

[victor]

Naw! Say it aint so Maw,say it aint so..It cant be..I dont think going over a buck is worth it...And if Im right,I think this so called wannabee "patriot" needs the buck more.But getting back to "POSADA" in Miami. Proof or not..Guys a bad dog..Sorry but my vote goes to "two clicks to the left" and a clear line of fire. You folks discuss this amongst yourself.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Mambo Watcher:

If I provided you with the information you desire and are obviously too incompetent to find for yourself or too blind to recognize it, will you then admit that Posada is an innocent man and that this persecution of him should end? Of course not. Then why should I go out of my way to prove anything to you? Personally, I derive the greatest satisfaction from having you call me a "liar." If you actually praised me as an harbinger of "truth," I should be much concerned and offended.

Since you did not answer the question, I will assume that you are indeed related to Colonel Benavides. Poor man!

[Mambi Watch]

Mr. Tellechea,

Your rationalization is absurd and desperate. Your comments reveal a selfish and egotistical personality. You have lost all credibility, if any.

The Benavides surname is common throughout Latin America, thus your conclusions are self-serving and ridiculous.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Mambo Watcher:

My credibility is not in question. Neither is your gullibility.