Three Congresspeople and the Miami Carnaval

[Say_What]

<clips>

It's good to have a carnival on Miami's Calle Ocho. And to see Cuban-Americans have a good time to the rhythm of salsa and all our musical manifestations. It's good to have a carnival with pork sandwiches, home-style food and without masks. Simple folks show their faces; they love, drink, eat and drink without hiding anything. The masks are for another carnival that appears to move to the rhythm of another tune.

I refer to the world of politics, which apparently is experiencing a change in rhythm and where some of the most talked-about personages are taking steps that are different from those they took some years ago. Imagine dancing a conga while the audio tape is being rewound. Strident but real.

In 2005, three Cuban-American members of Congress -- Lincoln and Mario Díaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- mediated publicly and actively to gain the release of terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and three accomplices who were in prison in Panama, charged with plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro. The Congresspeople's efforts -- which were very generous -- were fruitful and President Mireya Moscoso one morning granted a hurried amnesty to the prisoners, because her mandate as chief executive was running out.

"But now that the Cuban is in detention in the U.S., they have not made a similar request from President George W. Bush," reported the Mexican daily Por Esto, citing The Miami Herald's issue of July 3, 2005.

From that time on -- and despite the fact that others, like Santiago Álvarez and Osvaldo Mitat, also landed in prison -- the three Congresspeople have maintained public silence on the issue. They even failed to show up for a demonstration in support of Posada, Álvarez and Mitat on Feb. 24, staged by 40 "hard-line" organizations. One of the organizers of the demonstration "downplayed the absence of political Cuban-American figures" (El Nuevo Herald, Feb. 25, 2007.) Obviously, he was referring to the manifest negligence of the three Congresspeople, whose presence had been expected.

A Cuban who writes to me from Florida (and whose letter motivated this article) reminded me that 20 years ago Ileana Ros ran her political campaign on a platform of amnesty for Orlando Bosch, who had been accused by Cuba as one of the authors of the bombing of the Cubana de Aviación airliner that took the lives of 73 people in 1976.

"And now, silence," the writer said, adding that "the Díaz-Balart brothers also are silent. What a load of ."

http://www.progresoweekly.com/index.php?progreso=Ramy&otherweek=1173934800

[Judi Lynn]

1. Well, well. Some actual light thrown on the Miami originated rumor of dual-use weapons

which the _Bush administration used to try to convince the public that Cuba is a threat to world peace:

Perhaps they realized this and days later, on another panel in the same TV channel, a retired U.S. Army colonel said that any milk-processing plant can produce bacteria that might be used in biological warfare.

Perhaps they realized this and days later, on another panel in the same TV channel, a retired U.S. Army colonel said that any milk-processing plant can produce bacteria that might be used in biological warfare.

Why the drop in the credibility of the former Cuban colonel? The same reason why the three Congresspeople distanced themselves from the Posada & Co. case.
(snip)

Also, concerning the travel ban:

We mustn't overlook the fact that power in both houses of Congress is now in the hands of the Democrats. The topic of relations with Cuba, particularly the visits of Cuban-Americans to their country of birth, is again on the agenda, with renewed intensity. So much so, that one of the trio admits privately that it is highly probable that the restrictions on Cuban-Americans will be revoked.

A significant symptom was the appearance on Miami TV weeks ago of a three-person panel -- among them Mr. Emilio Ichikawa, a harsh critic of the Havana government -- where all three panelists, with unusual ease, slighted the importance of the trips, making a viewer think that a lifting of the restrictions was almost a done deal.
(snip)

So it appears it's almost a "done deal" that Cuban Americans will be able to start going back and forth to Cuba again.

Well, by God, what about us NON-Cuban-Americans, for Christ's sake? Why should we be prohibeted while the "exiles" and their families can come and go to Cuba again? That's simply evil!

Sure hope the Democrats get it done RIGHT. I have heard Charles Rangel is all over this, both the travel ban and the embargo, although I haven't had time to investigate.

The author brings up a great idea his Florida readers should consider: the 3 cretin "exile" Congresspeople have proven they aren't doing the Cuban Americans any real good, and it's time for them to go, if only anyone will dare to challenge them.