What else can we do? (re: the "Cuban 5") by Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

[Mika]

What else can we do?
by Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada (President of the Cuban National Assembly)
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Our main strength is the complete innocence of our comrades, and the complicity with terrorism that those who accused and convicted them, in a judicial farce, which only purpose was to justify terrorist actions against Cuba and to openly defend terrorists. Everything is perfectly registered in official documents that you can read in the file titled "United States v. Gerardo Hernandez et al." of the Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Our main weakness, and the most obvious, is that only a few in the United States know of what I just talked about. And it is not by accident. The government of that country has covered up the case of the five through heavy censorship. It does so because if the U.S. people were to know the truth they would discover that those who govern them are accomplices of terrorism, and if they had access to that truth a really broad and powerful solidarity movement would emerge that would obligate them to free our comrades.

So, what to do? How do we pierce the wall of silence surrounding this case?

There isn’t enough time to refer to the countless violations and numerous concealments that have accompanied this endless judicial process, which includes the longest trial in the history of the United States. I will focus on some key aspects.

More ... http://www.freethefive.org/updates/CubanMedia/CMAlarcon60513.htm

[naaman fletcher]

1. complete innocence?

Our main strength is the complete innocence of our comrades,

Look, I think they should be let go, but to claim "complete innocence" doesn't help their case. How can anyone even bother reading anything after that sentence?

Their where operatives of the Cuban government working in the United States. They did not just infiltrate the Cubans in Miami, they also obtained employment at Key West NAS and attempted to do so at Southern Command.

complete innocence is absurd.

Why not a real argument of "what they did was minor, and in an attempt to protect Cuba from what we perceived as hostile behavior, and what we did has ended in a sentence we believe is way out of proportion to the crime".

I would get behind that statement in a second.

[Mika]

2. 1 of them obtained employment at Key West NAS - mowing the grass.

One of them worked for a lawn maintenance small firm that got the contract to mow the NAS grounds, NOT employed by NAS, but employed by a lawn mowing small contractor.


The US gov't case used the same lying spin that you do.

Maybe you're arguing that the NAS allows the low wage lawn mowers and weed eater handlers and leaf blower handlers access to secure US documents.

[naaman fletcher]

3. Well,

To say the US gov't uses the same lying spin that I do is inaccurate, because of course I don't have a spin outside of the evidence that was displayed at the trial, and it seems quite clear that employee was reporting on aircraft movements.

If you were going to report on aircraft movements a job mowing the grass would actually be quite good as you are outside all of the time.

That being said, even if all they did was what you allege, isn't being an intelligence agent in a foreign country a crime?

If Cuba arrested a bunch of US intelligence agents operating in Cuba would you say that their operating as US intelligence agents in Cuba in and of itself was not a crime?

[Mika]

4. I closely followed the trial in real time

The reports of aircraft takeoffs were from Opa-locka Executive Airport where Brothers to the Rescue planes were flying from on their terrorist attacks on Cuba - NOT the NAS in the keys.
They were civilians watching civilian aircraft takeoffs from a civilian airport. NOT a crime.
As far as the unregistered foreign agents charge goes, that is an accurate charge - but, I agree w/you that the extreme sentences were way over the top.

Unlike Alan Gross, they were not infiltrating on behalf of a gov't of a declared enemy state.

on edit: the Key West NAS was inoperative at that time as far as naval flights - and BttR didn't fly out of there, so the yard mower had no flights to report.

[naaman fletcher]

6. Well Mika,

the US will never fail to amaze me how low it can go, and the US criminal justice system will never fail to amaze me with the charges it can fabricate (although I am not sure that is unique here).

At the same time, I freely admit that my opinion of Cuba, while not necessarily positive, has moderated a lot over the years from what I've read here.

I'll give your view that they did not spying except on the Miami terrorist networks a fair hearing and do some more reading on it.

[Mika]

9. Think of how hard it was for them to get a fair hearing in Miami.

Everyone had a political motive to prosecute them, just as successful political careers were launched off of the Elian Gonzalez kidnapping. Even Dorris Meisner, head of the S.E. INS was cowed by the CANF and their minions during that fiasco.
During the trial of the Cuban 5 it was revealed that Brothers to the Rescue were involved in smuggling (human and other) and terror attacks, based from US territory - a direct violation of the US's Neutrality Act. None of that activity was mentioned in the MSCorporoMedia during their trial reporting. Also revealed was that Jose Basulto (head of BttR) had set-up the four others in the other 2 planes to be shot down while he was able to escape in a pre planned operation in coordination with the NAS in Pensacola.

There's much more nefarious activity on the part of the US gov't/military/RW exiles relating to this.

Glad to hear that your mind is open to info that is contrary to popular myths about Cuba.

[naaman fletcher]

10. Oh I agree with all that,

It just seemed to me that they were guilty of spying on the Navy as well. But, as I said, I will have it on my "research to-do" list.

[Bacchus4.0]

11. none of the jury was Cuban. Its not like Cubaness rubs off on people

in the Elian saga the non-Cubans were sympathetic to the boy's father, not to his Miami relatives.

The "they can't get a fire trial in Miami' is just a bunch of bullshit. Just another bit of propaganda the Cuba 5....4 supporters throw out there. I wonder how much it costs the US to house these spies instead of just dropping them back in Cuba from 30,000 feet.

[Mika]

12. Your post is a perfect example of your ignorance of Miami politics.

Useless.

[Bacchus4.0]

13. they're guilty, get over it. Even the Cuban government admitted they

were agents. the Cuban 5...4 and the government should have considered the consequences of sending them there in the first place. They'll get out when their prison sentences are over.

[Mika]

15. Comprehension stunted, I see.

[Socialistlemur]

14. I guess it all depends on which side you are on

I'm sure I'd get fried if I were to get a job selling Marxist literature by an airport runway in Havana, passed the plane movement information to the Vatican...and the G2 found me. The Cuban government isn't exactly known for their good behavior when it comes to civil rights.

[Mika]

16. You've been to Cuba to see this - when?

Hard to take your comment with more than a grain of salt, considering the lack of anything factual about the place or the people that emanates from your ignorant posts.

[Socialistlemur]

17. There's plenty of information available about Cuba

Cuba is well known as a repressive dictatorship. The mere fact that a so called communist party is the only one allowed to exist and organize, and that it has created a system where it seamlessly controls everything, is clear evidence. Therefore there's no need to visit the place. It's the same with North Korea, Belarus, Iran, and other autocracies, theocracies or what not. Do we really need to visit to understand their nature?

I'd like to see a change for the better in countries where people are abused and lack human rights in general. Take for example Honduras, or Guatemala. But there's a very interesting phenomenon I can observe: I never read a blog, a column or a newspaper article singing praises to those regimes. On the other hand I read very interesting notes, mainly in English, praising Cuba. This tells me either it's Cubans working for the regime or individuals who are so blinded by a nearly religious belief in the ism being peddled by the regime they can't really have a decent debate.

And why do I say the ism being peddled? Because I have noticed the Cuban dictatorship is following the Chinese road. They have their local flavor, but it's close enough. They privatize real estate and make sure the party bigwigs get to own the big houses, they create corporations and ditto, the managers are party members well connected and ready to be rich. And on and on and on. It's what Hu Jintao called market socialism...I call it capitalist and fascism.

[Mika]

18. You know nothing about Cuba, based on your repugnant summaries...

.. you simply regurgitate anti Cuba BS.

"Therefore there's no need to visit the place."

Adamant ignorance.

[Socialistlemur]

19. It's up to you to debate

It would be up to you to prove my logic is wrong. It's very simple, if they have a communist party and nothing else, and the so called communists practice capitalism, play golf and treat themselves to the large houses....then I see them as just another fascist mafia. If you are in Cuba talk to your friends and start a revolution, because from here it sure looks to me like you guys are being exploited.

[Mika]

20. Logic? Based on what? Ignorance?

Do yourself a favor ... do some research before you embarrass yourself more.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1456155&mesg_id=1458178

[Judi Lynn]

22. That was great. n/t

[Mika]

21. Also this, just to demonstrate your abject ignorance on this topic.

You contribute NOTHING here but anti Cuba RW BS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22583193

18 May 2013

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Five decades after Fidel Castro ordered Cuba's golf courses to be closed down because he considered them "elitist", the island's communist government has approved the construction of a luxury golf resort, complete with an 18-hole course.

[Socialistlemur]

23. Uhu, this is exactly what I mean

They are going to be using high quality land to build golf courses. Around these golf courses they will place fancy homes for foreigners to buy. They already built a bunch of hotels which take up what used to be public spaces, also for foreigners. And for many years Cubans weren't allowed to use them. What these "communists" do is put on a cloak and behind it they are building a fascist society, with princelings who inherit power and fortune. I think you are going to be extremely disappointed in your old age as you see Cuba become exactly like it used to be, exploited workers, rich foreigners in fancy homes, zero democracy and an entrenched group of oligarchs running everything. What Cuba needs is a revolution, so the "communist party" traitors can be reminded by the power of a gun that Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity aren't just slogan words.

[Mika]

24. That's not what you said. I was responding to your comment...

"... the so called communists practice capitalism, play golf ..."

I was pointing out to you that there are no golf courses in Cuba, post revolution, so they weren't playing golf.
Your squirming is tiresome and uninformed.

[Socialistlemur]

25. Of course there are golf courses in cuba

VARADERO, Cuba, April 29 (R-Sport) - Fidel Castro’s son Antonio triumphed at the fifth annual Montecristo Cup golf tournament held in his native country at the weekend.The Cuban revolution leader's son showed the best result on the 3.5-kilometer golf course on the coastline of Varadero, 140 kilometers east of Havana.

http://en.rian.ru/sports/20130429/180907236.html

Antonio didn't get to be a top golfer playing baseball with broomsticks.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Have admired Alarcon's personality and intelligence for a long time.

He would be an outstanding asset to any government, but I don't imagine him as anyone who would work for empire, do you?

He seems completely devoted to his homeland in every way.

[Bacchus4.0]

7. How about join the modern world?

Cuba should try doing that. I am sure Cuba will do just fine once the government gets it foot off the people's necks.

[Mika]

8. Ridiculous assessment.

Just in my field alone, surgical reconstruction, Cuba is far more advanced in the full socialization of access to all forms of medical care. EVERYONE has access to full high quality health care at no extra expense.
In the US (the "modern world&quot there are over 50 million without access to health care, and hundreds of thousands die every year from lack of affordable access alone.
I could go on about Cuba's full spectrum of social infrastructures, but, I suspect it is lost on you. Until you have to care for the HIGHLY stressed and unhealthy who cannot afford treatment, until it happens to you or your family, I suspect that the value of what the Cuban people have done is lost on you. America is impoverished in the social arenas.
The Cuban people don't have a gov't foot on their necks, but, they can get their necks -and their whole body- properly treated for their maladies without the stresses put upon them that Americans have to deal with.