For Normal Relations With Cuba, End US Interventionism

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Last week we saw an encouraging sign that the 50 year cold war between the US and Cuba was finally coming to an end. President Obama announced on Wednesday that the US and Cuba would restore full diplomatic relations and that embassies could be re-opened in each country by the end of the month.

For this achievement, which was resisted by vested interests in the US, Obama should be praised. However we shouldn’t be too optimistic about truly establishing normal relations until we understand how relations became so abnormal in the first place. The destruction of relations between the two countries was preceded by US intervention on behalf of a hated Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, which had turned the Cuban people against the United States and set the stage for the emergence of Fidel Castro.

In 1944, after Batista’s first term as president of Cuba, he emigrated to the United States. When his campaign to return to office in 1952 looked lost, he led a military coup, seized power, and declared himself president. The US government quickly recognized his military junta as the legitimate government of Cuba and began propping him up. Much of the Cuban economy was in the hands of well-connected US companies, and the US government exerted its influence to their financial benefit.

The Cuban dictatorship was helped along by US assistance. The secret police was trained by the United States and was used to brutally suppress any political opposition. Almost all US aid to Cuba was in the form of military equipment used brutally against the Cuban people. The US was seen as the force behind Batista’s dictatorship.

As John F. Kennedy said while campaigning for the presidency in 1960:

Fulgencio Batista murdered 20,000 Cubans in seven years … and he turned Democratic Cuba into a complete police state — destroying every individual liberty. Yet our aid to his regime, and the ineptness of our policies, enabled Batista to invoke the name of the United States in support of his reign of terror.

US intervention in Cuban affairs really got a boost when Batista was overthrown by the young revolutionary Fidel Castro. As Stephen Kinzer writes in the excellent book, “The Brothers,” Castro’s rise to power was not immediately condemned by the US. When Castro traveled to the US shortly after taking power, he met with Vice President Richard Nixon, who found that Castro “has those indefinable qualities which make him a leader of men.” But Nixon worried that the US might not be able “to orient him in the right direction.” Nixon was concerned that Castro sounded too much like Indonesian president Sukarno, who urged countries to join a non-aligned movement to resist both superpower camps at the time. The US could not tolerate the non-aligned movement and pushed a zero-sum game in global politics.

When Washington realized it could not control Castro, it embargoed the island and began launching plots to overthrow and even kill him. US policy likely was responsible for Castro turning to the Soviet Union in the first place.

This US intervention in Cuba’s internal affairs continues to this day. Even under Obama several US plots to overthrow the regime have been exposed. So while opening an embassy in Havana is a positive step, this embassy must be used to help promote truly normal relations with Cuba. That means an end to the embargo, an end to the travel ban, and an end to US interference in Cuba’s internal affairs. A more free and prosperous Cuba will not emerge as long as US interventionism continues to turn Cubans against the United States.

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Southern Sage
Southern Sage

Ron is wrong on this one. The Castro regime is a brutal dictatorship which (unlike so many of the bogeymen our government has come up with) has actually engaged in a constant series of murderous attacks against the U.S., our citizens and our friends in Latin America and elsewhere. We had and have every right to “intervene” under these circumstances. Our failure to strangle the Castro regime at birth was caused by hand-wringing, dithering pantywaists with Harvard degrees telling us Latin America would be upset if we straightened out Cuba. B.S. The U.S. had every right to ensure its security in this hemisphere by smashing Castro and hanging his supporters. There is a difference between mouthing high flown morality and national interests.

Erasmus Le Dolt
Erasmus Le Dolt

There is a fantastic new book out on Cuba…both hilarious and with a deadly serious message that Cuba must be left alone to determine its own future. Couldn’t recommend it more:

TARGET CUBA
bY JOHN A. CUNNINGHAM
Available on Amazon

Stucky

Normally – as in, 365 days a year – I dedicate zero brain cells wondering about Cuba. Really. But, since my pal Ron Paul brought it up, here are my ‘off-the-top-of-my-head’ musings.

1)- I suspect most of everything we “know” about Cuba is wrong. Let’s look at the sources;

——– American politicians; a) fucking LIARS about EVERYTHING, so why should I believe ANY of them about ANYTHING, including Cuba b) every opinion they have is influenced by SOMETHING; appealing to votes, swayed by lobbyists, graft, bribery, sucking Big Biz testicles, ad infinitum …. duplicity reigns supreme so, again, using their “data” as a source of info is idiotic. And that even applies at least to some degree to Ron Paul.

——– the Main Stream Media; see above, multiply by 10

——– the Cuban government; see above, multiply by 100

——– Cuban expatriates; these people can go fuck themselves. The original “exiles” haven’t been to Cuba since the late 1950’s, and their offspring are Americans born in Florida …. and they have an ax to grind, and I don’t believe you can find ten of them who are truly objective. Knee-jerk reactionaries are not a good source of data.

So, what’s left? The alternate media … found on the internet. Find blogs of people who have actually visited Cuba … and lived there for a while. It’s not that difficult. Also, use your God-given ability of logic and common sense.

As such, I visited the wiki page titled “Human rights in Cuba” ——- here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Cuba —– which will serve as my Anti-Cuban Bullshit reality check by comparing it to Amerika.

—–

“According to Amnesty International, death sentences from 1959–87 numbered 237 of which all but 21 were actually carried out.” ———— wiki

Amnesty is a libtard organization, yet look at those numbers! OTOH, there are NUMEROUS sources saying 17,000+ were executed. Someone is bullshitting!! It’s too goddamn exhausting trying to find the truf.

In ‘Murika the president can now issue an order to kill Americans SUSPECTED of being a terrorist, or aiding and abetting them. And we all KNOW that the Clintons murder their opponents.

—– –

“In 1986 a “Tribunal on Cuba” was held in Paris to present testimonies by former prisoners of Cuba’s penal system to the international media. …. The testimonies … , alleged a pattern of torture in Cuba’s prisons …. included beatings, biological experiments in diet restrictions, violent interrogations and extremely unsanitary conditions.” —– wiki

‘Murika is one of the world’s only countries which practices extensive and lengthy Solitary Confinement — defined by many countries and medical organizations as a form of torture. The food in ‘Murika’s prisons are absolutely delicious. No one is EVER violently interrogated. And our prisons are so sanitary they look like a 5-star Hilton Hotel.

‘Murika imprisons FAR MORE of its citizens as a percentage of the total population than Cuba … and often for the most innocuous bullshit.

GITMO!! Enough said.

—– –

“In 1977, a report on alleged abuse of psychiatry in Cuba … allegations that prisoners end up in the forensic ward of mental hospitals in Santiago de Cuba and Havana where they undergo ill-treatment” ——— wiki

As opposed to ‘Murika where millions of people are dosed with billions of dollars worth of psychotropic drugs BEFORE they go to prison.

As opposed to ’Murika which emptied it’s psychiatric hospitals.

As opposed to ‘Murika where the DHS, NSA, Oreo, etc etc consider libertarians. to be mentally ill. Where the IRS targets conservatives. Where any political opponent is targeted for ridicule. Where telling the truth is considered subverting the State. Where you are considered a nut if you drink raw milk, or choose not vaccinate, and on and on and on.

—– –

“A 2009 report by Human Rights Watch concluded that “Raúl Castro has kept Cuba’s repressive machinery firmly in place…since being handed power by his brother Fidel Castro.” —– wiki

Ummmm …. Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Obama, Obama, Clinton (again?) …… nah, there’s no dynasty in ‘Murika … yeah, we have two parties, both totally and completely different ….. yeah, Amurikans have CHOICES. Hardy har har

—— –

“Books, newspapers, radio channels, television channels, movies and music are censored.” —- wiki

The fact that “Murika’s MSM basically ALL spew the SAME bullshit is not censorship … just a minor coincidence. All the “hate laws” are definitely not censorship. No, I was never hauled into a copfuk station for merely writing some bullshit on a blog. No, states are not writing laws against causing someone stress for what you posted on the internet. In every way possible, ‘Murika is the freest free speech joint on the planet.

—– –

“Human Rights Watch states that “freedom of assembly is severely restricted in Cuba,”

“Muricans can protest anytime, anyplace, and without fear of police surveillance. There is no such thing as a “free speech zone” that corrals people into a tiny little spot far away and out of sight. Such rumors come from hell.
—– –

Damn, this is easy.

And then there’s lifestyle issue. For example, “Cubans only make $8 a day, gasp gasp!” Big Fucking Deal … Cubans are NOT paid in dollars. Housing rarely exceeds 10% of income.

Another common meme I read about is that Cubans only eat one meal a day. Moar bullshit! Yes, Cubans get a subsidized food on the ration for one meal a day at home. This insures everyone gets at least one meal …. BUT, that is easily doubled for 20 pesos a month or tripled for 40. One blogger who visited Cuba for six months said he run across a single Cuban who didn’t eat at least two meals a day.

In closing, I’m NOT saying Cuba is some kind of Worker’s Paradise. They clearly have issues. But, I also refuse the prevailing bullshit that Cuba is a horrible place, just this side of hell.

IMHO, they actually seem more free than Americans – not in every way – but, in quite a few. I mean, I’ll bet Jose doesn’t have to beg the fucking government to allow him to build a tool-shed in his backyard … and then the criminal government increases his taxes by $500 for improving the fucking property!

Hagar
Hagar

Right on Stucky…for some reason the thumbs up/down is disabled. Southern Sage is off base as usual. 50+ years is enough and the embargo hasn’t had much, if any, beneficial effect. America puts too much emphasis on trying to shape other countries and not enough on our own problems and issues. No foreign entanglements would be a welcome start.

Erasmus Le Dolt
Erasmus Le Dolt

In the new book, ‘TARGET CUBA’ the author strongly states Cuba should avoid a formal ‘Normalizaton’ like the plague. Check this comment out:…incredible but spot on:

But then the reality arises: Why should Cuba even bother with a killer issue like confiscation if it means dumping billions of un-payable debt on its citizens. This would initiate strong civil unrest and lead to violence. After all, the United States has trillions in debt it will never pay off, so why should Cuba? The Americans, unlike Cuba, can still print money to keep their Ponzi scheme afloat.

The U.S. ‘confiscation solution’ includes membership for Cuba in the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. They in turn would finance the payment of claims. In other words, Cuba takes on more debt to clear outstanding debt. Cuba should run for the hills – think Greece.

There are more reasons why the US has put itself into a box, and why Cuba should decline formal normalization;

The U.S. has mistakenly placed normalization dead center into the arena of expectations. The world now assumes Cuba and the United States are on the road to positive and constructive change. Americans will now ‘expect’ to travel to Cuba unfettered by restrictions. Libertarian types will question why their country has the right to interfere with their travel agendas. We are not at war with Cuba. They don’t appear to have the plague. They have no known relationship with the illegal drugs industry. They play baseball and have a long history of supplying professionals to the major leagues. They have fantastic beaches. They produce brilliant ballet dancers and excellent doctors. So why can’t we go to this beautiful country that’s so close and so cheap and we’ve heard so much about, where one can drive around the island in a ’57 Buick.

The expectations are now set. The genie is out of the bottle. Congress will be inundated with unhappy constituents, including travel agents. Helms-Burton may take a while, but the associated travel restrictions will be forced to come off regardless of formal normalization.
Cuba, with a little patience, will then have a booming foreign exchange boost without the drag of impossible debt. If we include medical tourism, as Americans dodge the guaranteed rigors of Obamacare, Cuban coffers will be brimming.

Some eight ferry companies spread around Florida are ready to go. Airlines, Cuban and American, are ready to go. Second and third generation Cuban-Americans and undoubtedly their parents and grand parents are ready to go. Tens of thousands of ordinary Americans are ready to go. Congress must pay attention. Cuba will have a major money-spinner without the attachment of onerous provisions.

It is up to Cuba, and Cuba alone, to determine its future. Only they understand the detail of its faltering economy and the complexity and rigidity of its government. Only Cuba can manage a bureaucracy that employs 80% of the country’s workforce, a workforce that must not be abandoned if chaos is to be avoided.

All this will take time, many years in fact. The last thing needed is the Giant up north setting out consultant driven ‘game plans’ that determine steps that are in the interest of American special interests rather than Cuba’s.

Cuba is well advised to keep its distance from a country that, so far this century, has a horrific track record of destabilization and devastation when dealing with countries that do not comply with its demands.

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