Cuba evacuated millions many times, and in a few days

[Mika]

I have been in Cuba during hurricane seasons and during some scares and hits.. During imminent hurricane approaches all in the affected area are evacuated to stocked and ready shelters with doctors and nurses. It is rare for any to die.

That tiny island has its shit much more together than the US regarding the safety of its citizens during hurricane season.

They put us to shame.


Been there. Seen it.

[understandinglife]

1. That is because they have a President who actually cares about life.

Peace.

[1932]

4. Cuba doesn't have two classes of citizens. It seems a lot of white people

got out and the people who didn't make it out were poor and black.

I think if we had less class polarization in America, we would have done a better job of making sure everyone was safe.

[Mika]

5. Very true.

:thumbsup:

[Booster]

2. I'm ashamed to say it, but I think the conservative think tanks are

letting this happen on purpose to get the poor black people off of welfare and Medicare. As a country, we should feel shame; I know I do.

[hippiepunk]

17. Yeah, the evil conservative think tanks

are in charge of evacuating people. Damn, I hate conspiracy theories. The give us liberals a bad name.

[Niche]

3. Beautiful photo. Yes, the "pro-lifers"

money for murder - no money for survival

[bribri16]

6. And all in the face of a US embargo no less. n/t

[Mika]

7. Great point!

They do it on a shoestring budget.

[hippiepunk]

8. Too bad the government is a totalitarian dictatorship

:grr:

[Mika]

9. You mean the Bush regime, right?

Otherwise.. :crazy:

[hippiepunk]

10. No, I mean Castro

I know people who have protested Bush and aren't in jail.

[Mika]

11. Oh, please.

More of the same drivel..

Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that
this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that

[hippiepunk]

13. Same apologist bullshit

I hate right wing and left wing dictatorships. It is a fact that Castro has jailed dissenters.

[Mika]

14. Castro did this, Castro did that

(((Yawn)))

Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that
this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that

Whatever.


At least the government of the Cuban people evacuates the citizens in the path of deadly storms, and then cares for their well-being.


As they do full time NOW,

Before the 1959 revolution

75% of rural dwellings were huts made from palm trees.

More than 50% had no toilets of any kind.

85% had no inside running water.

91% had no electricity.

There was only 1 doctor per 2,000 people in rural areas.

More than one-third of the rural population had intestinal parasites.

Only 4% of Cuban peasants ate meat regularly; only 1% ate fish, less than 2% eggs, 3% bread, 11% milk; none ate green vegetables.

The average annual income among peasants was $91 (1956), less than 1/3 of the national income per person.

45% of the rural population was illiterate; 44% had never attended a school.

25% of the labor force was chronically unemployed.

1 million people were illiterate ( in a population of about 5.5 million).

27% of urban children, not to speak of 61% of rural children, were not attending school.

Racial discrimination was widespread.

The public school system had deteriorated badly.

Corruption was endemic; anyone could be bought, from a Supreme Court judge to a cop.

Police brutality and torture were common.

___



After the 1959 revolution

“It is in some sense almost an anti-model,” according to Eric Swanson, the programme manager for the Bank’s Development Data Group, which compiled the WDI, a tome of almost 400 pages covering scores of economic, social, and environmental indicators.

Indeed, Cuba is living proof in many ways that the Bank’s dictum that economic growth is a pre-condition for improving the lives of the poor is over-stated, if not, downright wrong.

-

It has reduced its infant mortality rate from 11 per 1,000 births in 1990 to seven in 1999, which places it firmly in the ranks of the western industrialised nations. It now stands at six, according to Jo Ritzen, the Bank’s Vice President for Development Policy, who visited Cuba privately several months ago to see for himself.

By comparison, the infant mortality rate for Argentina stood at 18 in 1999;

Chile’s was down to ten; and Costa Rica, at 12. For the entire Latin American and Caribbean region as a whole, the average was 30 in 1999.

Similarly, the mortality rate for children under the age of five in Cuba has fallen from 13 to eight per thousand over the decade. That figure is 50% lower than the rate in Chile, the Latin American country closest to Cuba’s achievement. For the region as a whole, the average was 38 in 1999.

“Six for every 1,000 in infant mortality - the same level as Spain - is just unbelievable,” according to Ritzen, a former education minister in the Netherlands. “You observe it, and so you see that Cuba has done exceedingly well in the human development area.”

Indeed, in Ritzen’s own field, the figures tell much the same story. Net primary enrolment for both girls and boys reached 100% in 1997, up from 92% in 1990. That was as high as most developed nations - higher even than the US rate and well above 80-90% rates achieved by the most advanced Latin American countries.

“Even in education performance, Cuba’s is very much in tune with the developed world, and much higher than schools in, say, Argentina, Brazil, or Chile.”

It is no wonder, in some ways. Public spending on education in Cuba amounts to about 6.7% of gross national income, twice the proportion in other Latin American and Caribbean countries and even Singapore.

There were 12 primary school pupils for every Cuban teacher in 1997, a ratio that ranked with Sweden, rather than any other developing country. The Latin American and East Asian average was twice as high at 25 to one.

The average youth (age 15-24) illiteracy rate in Latin America and the Caribbean stands at 7%. In Cuba, the rate is zero. In Latin America, where the average is 7%, only Uruguay approaches that achievement, with one percent youth illiteracy.

“Cuba managed to reduce illiteracy from 40% to zero within ten years,” said Ritzen. “If Cuba shows that it is possible, it shifts the burden of proof to those who say it’s not possible.”

Similarly, Cuba devoted 9.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) during the 1990s to health care, roughly equivalent to Canada’s rate. Its ratio of 5.3 doctors per 1,000 people was the highest in the world.

The question that these statistics pose, of course, is whether the Cuban experience can be replicated. The answer given here is probably not.

“What does it, is the incredible dedication,” according to Wayne Smith, who was head of the US Interests Section in Havana in the late 1970s and early 1980s and has travelled to the island many times since.

[hippiepunk]

15. So we should forget about the fact that it's a dictatorship

Because healthcare naturally evolved? And it can't be the paradise you make it out to be if people risk their lives to get the fuck outta there. :grr:

[K-W]

18. healthcare naturally evolved? that is hillarious. EOM

[hippiepunk]

19. How so?

Any place is bound to get better after 40 years of innovations in treatment. Or did Castro invent the drugs and care? :wtf:

[Mika]

20. Just where do I say that? (Plus other info.)

Please point out where I've posted that Cuba must "be the paradise you make it out to be"? Fact.. I didn't.

--

FYI, people pour into S Fla from all over the Caribbean and Latin Americas.

Example:

Poor migrants risking lives for dream
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/12489630.htm

--


The USA offers over 20,000 LEGAL immigration visas per year to Cubans (and Bush just announced that the number would increase despite the fact that not all 20,000 were applied for in the last few years). This number is more than any other single country in the world. Its the US interests section in Cuba that does the criminal background check on the applicants.

The US's 'wet foot/ dry foot' policy (that applies to Cubans only) permits Cuban criminals and felons who arrive on US shores by illegal means to remain in the US despite having failed to qualify for a legal US immigration application.

Cubans who leave for the US without a US visa are returned to Cuba (if caught at sea - mainly in smuggler's go-fast boats @ $5,000 per head) by a US/Cuban repatriation agreement. But IF they make it to US soil, no matter who they are or what their criminal backround might be, they get to stay in the US and enjoy perks offered ONLY TO CUBAN IMMIGRANTS (via the US's Cuban Adjustment Act and a variety of other 'Cubans only' perks). Perks like instant work visa, instant green card, instant access to sec 8 taxpayer assisted housing, instant social security, instant welfare, free health care, and more.

These perks are not offered to any other immigrant group, but yet, without the perks offered to Cubans, immigrants still pour into the US from all over the Caribbean and the Latin Americas - many taking greater risks than Cubans to get here.


Get it? There is no such thing as a Cuban illegal immigrant. Plus, they get perks that no other group is offered.

--


On to your other claim,


http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/cu.html

* Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) {Communist Party of Cuba}
* Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Cuba (PDC) {Christian Democratic Party of Cuba} - Oswaldo Paya's Catholic party
* Partido Solidaridad Democrática (PSD) {Democratic Solidarity Party}
* Partido Social Revolucionario Democrático Cubano {Cuban Social Revolutionary Democratic Party}
* Coordinadora Social Demócrata de Cuba (CSDC) {Social Democratic Coordination of Cuba}
* Unión Liberal Cubana {Cuban Liberal Union}

Plenty of info on this long thread,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=6300&forum=DCForumID70


http://www.poptel.org.uk/cuba-solidarity/democracy.htm

This system in Cuba is based upon universal adult suffrage for all those aged 16 and over. Nobody is excluded from voting, except convicted criminals or those who have left the country. Voter turnouts have usually been in the region of 95% of those eligible .

There are direct elections to municipal, provincial and national assemblies, the latter represent Cuba's parliament.

Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties. No political party, including the Communist Party, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any given candidates.

The Cuban government was reorganized (approved by popular vote) into a variant parliamentary system in 1976.

You can read a short version of the Cuban system here,
http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQDemocracy.html

Or a long and detailed version here,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0968508405/qid=1053879619/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8821757-1670550?v=glance&s=books

[hippiepunk]

21. Pointing out all the "great things" the bastard did.

A president for life is a dictator. Plain and simple. I suppose the people wanted his brother as second in command and for their rights to be crushed. And it doesn't matter if they're legal immigrants. They get the hell out and seem to have a pretty strong opinion about Castro :eyes:

[Mika]

27. Drivel

hippiepunk --> "They get the hell out and seem to have a pretty strong opinion about Castro "



So what about the immigrants from all over the rest of the democratic Caribbean and Latin Americas?


Cubans come over for the same reasons that nearly all other immigrant groups do - economics. Read and consider my prior posts and links.

[hippiepunk]

22. And those are all leftist parties

sounds like a one party system to me.

[Mika]

24. Go tell that to Oswaldo Paya (head of the Cuban Christian Dem party)

:spray: :rofl:

You don't know shit about Cuba NOW.

[manic expression]

25. The Christian party is leftist to you?

please!

Second of all, no party nominates anyone. Local assemblies do, who are connected to the people. In this way, no political party really holds office, NOT EVEN THE COMMUNIST PARTY.

What about despotic?

[hippiepunk]

26. That's why Castro has been president

for 50 years? No political party holds office? right.

[Mika]

29. Wrong, and right.

First point..

Mr Castro hasn't been president for 50 years. He went to law school after the 1959 revolution.

http://www.bartleby.com/65/do/Dorticos.html

Dorticós Torrado, Osvaldo

1919–83, president of Cuba (1959–76). A prosperous lawyer, he participated in Fidel Castro’s revolutionary movement and was imprisoned (1958). He escaped and fled to Mexico, returning to Cuba after Castro’s triumph (1959). As minister of laws (1959) he helped to formulate Cuban policies. He was appointed president in 1959. Intelligent and competent, he wielded considerable influence. In 1976 the Cuban government was reorganized, and Castro assumed the title of president; Dorticós was named a member of the council of state.

The Cuban government was reorganized (approved by popular vote) into a variant parliamentary system in 1976.




Second point..

The Cuban parliament isn't aligned along party lines. The municipal, provincial and national assembly seats are held by citizen candidates, not party candidates. Anyone can run for office, anyone can vote (except convicted criminals or those who have left the country).

[manic expression]

32. Right.

Read up:
http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQDemocracy.html

You think Castro has been the dictator of Cuba? They have first-rate health care, education, housing for all, a government that HELPS its people in a crisis and doesn't leave them out in a storm to fend for themselves. Do you think Castro just gave this to the Cuban people by himself? He didn't, the Cuban people, through representation, achieved this. Castro helped, yes, but it is the Cuban people, with fair and democratic representation, that have done this.

Again, Castro, like every public office holder (which costs NOTHING to run for), was elected while not being nominated by a party. That is how it works there, and it works VERY WELL.

By the way, the Cuban Assembly has passed legislation against the wishes of Castro on more than a number of occassions.

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. .

:grr:

[Mika]

12. And I know Cubans who protest in Cuba and aren't in jail.

But, it is Bush who runs the gulags in Cuba (Gitmo).

[hippiepunk]

16. ........

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/10/cuba10306.htm

[Mika]

23. Then the US is a real hellhole

Plug the USA into the search engine of that very same site.

Cuba's violations are mild in comparison.

I am not excusing abuses by the Cuban government, but we (as in: the US) need solid ground to stand on regarding accusations against and demands placed on Cuba. The US's violations are horrendous, global, and massive in volume. Cuba's are not.


http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/Usa-summary-eng

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Head of state and government: George W. Bush

Death penalty: retentionist

International Criminal Court: signed

More than 600 foreign nationals – most arrested during the military conflict in Afghanistan – were detained without charge or trial or access to counsel or family members in the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The USA refused to recognize them as prisoners of war or allow their status to be determined by a “competent tribunal” as required under the Geneva Conventions. There were concerns about the situation of others taken into US custody outside the USA, some of whom were held in undisclosed locations. Many of the 1,200 foreign nationals detained in the USA during investigations into the 11 September 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center were also deprived of safeguards under international law, as were two US nationals held incommunicado in military custody in the USA as “enemy combatants”. Death sentences continued to be imposed and carried out under state and federal law. There were reports of police brutality, deaths in custody and ill-treatment in prisons and jails.

Many more horrors.. http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/Usa-summary-eng
http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/Usa-summary-eng


Kinda makes the arrests of 75 US paid "journalists" (half of whom have subsequently been released) who were aiding and abeting the declared enemy state of the system of government of Cuba (that is: the US, that has funded and assisted directly in terror ops against Cuba for 45+ years) seem mild.

[manic expression]

28. But of course, the dissidents!

too bad they were being FUNDED and SUPPORTED by Uncle Sam to destabilize Cuba. That is a crime in America as well. Never mind the fact that the US has invaded Cuba and placed unreasonable and crippling embargoes upon the island for half a century.

If you knew anything, you'd know that the US just set up a position to facilitate the destabilization of Cuba's government. That should give you a clue on what the US wants for the island, and supporting and paying so called "dissidents" is all part of that.

Oh, and what's this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4569981.stm

[hippiepunk]

31. wow, they didn't attack a peaceful protest that was being watched by the

world. Fucking impressive. The US has peaceful protests all the damn time.

[Mika]

34. Thread hijack. This is about hurricane evacuations!

If want to bash Cuba's system of government with your Castro this and Castro that bullshit then.. GO START YOUR OWN THREAD!

[Tinoire]

Why do you bother? Ignore the jerks- they thrive on attention

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it THINK.

[hippiepunk]

39. OK

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2053290

[stepnw1f]

42. Well Done

I was hoping you'd say that.

[manic expression]

35. More than you say they do

At any rate, political opposition in Cuba is anything but unheard of. That is just one example.

And about our peaceful protests: Kent State, Savannah, Chicago '68...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

38. You must have missed the Republican convention

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. You mean like bush aspires to be?

"This would be easier if it were a dictatorship so long as I'm the dictator. 12/18/2000. :grr:

[killbotfactory]

44. it's pretty sad when a totalitarian dictatorship

takes care of it's people better than the USA...

[Karmadillo]

30. Oxfam America praises Cuba's efforts

I've posted this a few times, but given the incredible scope of the disaster on the Gulf, it's probably worth another post.

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/emergencies/asian_floods_2004/background/cubalessons

<edit>

While its neighbors are battered, losing lives and property, Cuba is unusually good at withstanding these calamities, and suffers much fewer dead.

Oxfam’s report, entitled Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction in Cuba cites a number of attributes of Cuba’s risk reduction program that can be applied by other countries. Three in particular are transferable to Asia and other regions:

*Disaster Preparedness: Cuba was especially good at mobilizing entire communities to develop their own disaster preparations. This involves mapping out vulnerable areas of the community, creating emergency plans, and actually simulating emergencies so people can practice evacuations and other measures designed to save lives. When disaster strikes, people know what to do.

*Commitment of Resources: Cuba’s strong central government prioritizes resources for its civil defense department. This helps the country to build up a common understanding of the importance of saving lives, and the citizens trust that their contributions to the government are well used for this purpose. Their collaboration on developing emergency plans helped build confidence in the government, so people trust in the plan they helped develop.

*Communications: The communications system for emergencies in Cuba builds on local resources. Using local radio stations and other media to issue warnings on potential hazards also reinforces the disaster preparations. Since the local population is already involved in mapping risks and creating emergency plans, they are more inclined to act on emergency bulletins. Good communications, packaged simply, and built on existing, commonly used resources, is another way to build trust in disaster preparations.

Cuba is a unique example. There is a strong central government committed to protecting all its citizens, even the poorest and most isolated who are typically the most at risk. The most common natural disaster in Cuba is a hurricane, a threat visible for days and even weeks in advance. Yet building a culture of disaster preparedness, and involving local communities in mitigating risks, are strategies that can be applied in many other places, regardless of how rich or poor a country might be.

more...

[Billy Burnett]

45. Thank you, Karmadillo. That is a great OXFAM report!

I just wish there were such a report on the USA's hurricane preparedness.

Especially now. :(

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[newswolf56]

36. Here's another DU thread that's absolutely relevant to this thread:

How China successfully evacuated 780,000 people from a Category 4 typhoon:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4565510&mesg_id=4565510

[Mika]

41. That's one hell of a story.

Bushco could learn a thing or two from the commies. ;)

[newswolf56]

48. Trouble is he doesn't want to. I think what we are witnessing...

in New Orleans is deliberate genocide-by-neglect, precisely the same policy expressed in Bush's deliberate destruction of the social safety net. Think of it as class warfare: that much more money for the oligarchy, whether by abandoning the poor to die or raising fuel prices to the point the working class can no longer afford to get to work -- much less heat our homes.

In fact this is the great irony of the Bush administration: his presidency is the ultimate fulfillment of the global capitalist dream -- hence the subsequent unleashing of all the Tyrannosauric savagery at capitalism's heart -- which in turn is making Marx and the class-struggle analysis even more relevant than it was before the Russian Revolution of 1917.

[manic expression]

43. Very true

Shame doesn't begin to describe...

[TX VN VET]

46. Cubans on DU

Just wondering if there are any Cubans that post on DU

[Billy Burnett]

47. Yes.

A bunch of hysterical anti Castro Cuban-American "exiles" post here. Plus, I know a Cuban Cuban who has posted here. ;) :hi:

[TX VN VET]

50. Cubans

I'm not interested in the exiles posts, but would like to read what the Cuban who is still there has to say. Can you give me his screen name or a link to his posts?

[mixedview]

49. Of course. People "evacuate" from Cuba all the time.

The desire for freedom.. the desire to escape communism/forced sharing/gov't sanctioned theft/authoritarianism .. is a pretty strong motivator. :think:

[manic expression]

51. too bad...

Cubans escape Cuba because of ECONOMIC reasons. Just like those people fleeing Haiti (if you compare Haiti and its situation to Cuba's, I will laugh in your face), which is US-approved, or fleeing Mexico. Because Cubans are granted amnesty upon arrival to the US, it is a wonder why many more are NOT fleeing Cuba, which gives us the opposite conclusion that you have given.

Either they're looking for a better economic situation to simply make more money for themselves (look at Cuba's record on education, healthcare, housing, food and water, infrastructure: Cuba has done a terrific, an ideal job for its people, especially considering the unnecessary and punitive US embargoes for half a century), or they are reactionary.

[Mika]

52. But a vast majority don't

Even though the US offers over 20,000 annual immigration visas to Cubans (more than any other country), not all are even applied for.


CIA: Most Cubans loyal to homeland
http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQ019.html

THE CIA has long believed that while 1 million to 3 million Cubans would leave the island if they had the opportunity, the rest of the nation’s 11 million people would stay behind.

While an extraordinarily high number, there are still 8 million to 10 million Cubans happy to remain on the island.

[newswolf56]

53. By the way thanks for all this links to facts about Cuba.

Because of censorship by corporate media, it's often difficult to learn the truth about Cuba.

[Mika]

54. Don't forget..

.. that our own government DICTATES that we can't freely travel to Cuba without special OFAC/Treasury Dept. papers (which the Bush admin has made all but impossible to obtain). Kinda hard to learn about the forbidden island when you can't go there to see it.


I used to believe a lot of the Castrophobes BS about Cuba until I went there to see for myself. Cuba is NOTHING like the picture painted by US government and anti Cuba MiamiBatistano propaganda.






click the pic to find out why