Archive for February, 2007

11 years, still no justice

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 24, 2007Posted in: Anti-Communism, Friends of Cuban Freedom

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the tragic shootdown of two simple Cessna 337s carrying four men, by sophisticated Cuban MiG-29 jet fighters. For those of you not familiar with aviation, here’s a comparison: imagine going up against someone armed with a fully automatic AK-47 and all you have are spitballs and a straw.

Four men were murdered by Castro’s regime that sad day in 1996. Their names and ages at the time of their murder are listed below. They’ll always be remembered by those who long for Cuba to be free, even if there is nary a mention in today’s local papers.

  • Armando Alejandre, Jr., 45 (U.S. citizen)
  • Carlos Costa, 29 (U.S. citizen)
  • Pablo Morales, 29
  • Mario de la Pena, 24 (U.S. citizen)

You can read their bios here. Read more about Brothers to the Rescue (Hermanos al Rescate) here–please note the site is a mix of English and Spanish.

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Time running out to take my first poll

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 23, 2007Posted in: Poll

At the end of this month, I’ll be closing out the site’s first poll and posting a new one. So vote already if you haven’t!

The poll asks the following question: How are you going to celebrate when Castro dies?

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Cuba kicks reporters out for telling truth

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 23, 2007Posted in: Freedom of the Press, Media

As if we needed more proof that freedom of speech and the press are anathema to communist dictatorships like the one in Cuba, we get this from the Associated Press:

Cuban press authorities have told the Havana correspondents for the Chicago Tribune, the BBC and a major Mexican newspaper that they can no longer report from the island.

The Chicago Tribune said correspondent Gary Marx, based in the country since 2002, was told Wednesday that his stories were too negative. His press credentials were not renewed during an annual process, and he and his family were given 90 days to leave Cuba, the newspaper said.

The Mexican newspaper El Universal said Cesar Gonzalez Calero, its Havana reporter since 2003, was told this week his credentials would not be renewed. Authorities told him his reporting was “not the most convenient for the Cuban government,” the reporter said, adding he would be allowed to remain in Cuba as the husband of a Spanish journalist.

The British Broadcasting Corp. was “talking to the authorities in Havana about the status of its Cuba correspondent after his accreditation was withdrawn,” spokeswoman Karen Rosine said Friday in a statement from London. Without naming correspondent Stephen Gibbs, Rosine said he “remains in Cuba, pending the outcome of these discussions.”

It was refreshing to see journalistic organizations condemn the move by Castro:

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also expressed concern over the measures.

“We are dismayed by the Cuban government’s decision to effectively ban two well-respected journalists from doing their jobs by not renewing their press credentials,” said Carlos Lauria, the group’s Americas program coordinator.

“The decision comes in clear reprisal for their independent reporting. We urge the Cuban government to review its decision and allow the journalists to continue reporting from Cuba.”

The Inter-American Press Association said it also condemned the measures, calling them “another manifestation of the arbitrary handling of freedom of expression and press in that country.”

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Another Castro apologist chimes in on Cuban embargo

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 23, 2007Posted in: Cuban Embargo, Useful Idiots

The Huffington Post–or as James Taranto of Opinion Journal calls it, the Puffington Host–published yesterday an, ahem, “interesting” piece calling for lifting the embargo against Castro’s Cuba. I’m puzzled by the title of the piece: U.S. Policy “Disserves” the Cuban People.

I say I’m puzzled because they put scare quotes around the word “disserves.” Now, does that mean, the author truly believes current U.S. policy–i.e., leaving the embargo in place–does NOT disserve the Cuban people? Well, if you read the piece, you’ll see the author–Sarah Stephens of the Center for Democracy in the Americas–believes U.S. policy does disserve the Cuban people. To which I say, you’ve got it wrong, Ms. Stephens. It is FIDEL CASTRO RUZ and his gang of criminals who are disserving, and have been disserving for 48 years, the Cuban people.

Why don’t these anti-embargo people ever address that? Here is an interesting, and telling, admission by Ms. Stephens: “…Cuba will not negotiate changes in its system….”

Therein lies the problem, Ms. Stephens. Until the cabal of gangsters, thugs and criminals known as the Cuban Communist Party relinquish power and allow true democracy (you know, that little thing that’s the middle name of the organization you head) to flourish in Cuba, we shouldn’t be handing them our money.

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This oughtta go over well on Calle Ocho

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 23, 2007Posted in: Cuban Embargo

The Herald today writes a fawning piece on a new cafeteria on southwest Eight Street in Miami. Only, as the article itself states, this joint is the “anti-Versailles:”

With its own timbiriche window serving crispy croquetas and cortaditos with evaporated milk, Tinta (Y Café, the full name of the place) reflects the anti-Versailles of exile thought. An art book featuring Ernesto ”Che” Guevara on the cover sits on a book shelf — placed there by (owner Neli) Santasmarina to provoke conversation — and the Cuban hip-hop sound of Orishas thump from speakers. Couches and threads of conversations critical of U.S. policy toward Cuba greet people as they enter.

Sounds as if it’d be a great place–for San Francisco. Wonder how long it’ll stay in business at its current location?

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Don’t mess with a Cuban mother

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 23, 2007Posted in: Anti-Communism, Freedom of the Press

Once again, a Miami-Dade County Public School features a pro-commie book in its library. This time, a Cuban-American mother fights back:

A Miami-Dade mother says a book she checked out from her son’s school library contains false information about Cuba and she won’t give it back.

Dalila Rodriguez checked out the book this month.

Rodriguez said, “If you take it out and don’t return it, no kid can read it. It’s not censoring; it’s protecting our children from lies.”

While I’m no fan of censorship, I’d like to make two points here:

- Children are very impressionable and it is indeed an obligation to be careful with what they are taught; as they grow older and begin to develop good judgemement, only then should they be exposed to more

- It’s funny how those who scream “censorship” the loudest when a book that makes Castro’s Cuba look good is removed from a library’s shelf, are silent when a timeless classic like Huckleberry Finn is the book that gets removed.

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AP lets one slip through

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 22, 2007Posted in: Anti-Communism, Bush, Cuba's Economy, Cuban Embargo, Media

The Associated Press let this one slip through the cracks:

CUBA: US commerce secretary sees no softening of policy toward communist-run island

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Wednesday it would be a “great disservice” for the Cuban people if the United States eased economic and political ties with the island in the post-Fidel Castro era.

“Cuba is at a critical point in its history,” Gutierrez said. “The country is poised for change. The policy of the Bush administration has been to help the Cuban people achieve their freedom through democratic change.”

Gutierrez serves as co-chairman of an official commission which made recommendations for Cuba policy after Castro passes from the scene. He spoke to the Council of the Americas, a pro-business group.

Gutierrez’s speech was devoted mostly to the plight of the Cuban people under the system Castro created 48 years ago (emphasis mine).

Of course, they may have let this one slip through the cracks, but the rest of the mainstream media is downplaying this one. You can read the rest here.

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New look for header

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 22, 2007Posted in: Administrative Notes

Hope you like the new look for our header.  The colors match those of the Cuban flag, as does the color scheme for the entire blog.

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Cuba dishonors useful idiot

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 20, 2007Posted in: Useful Idiots

Just like Castro to bite the hand that feeds him and spits on those who help him out. After noting yesterday how Cuba was honoring–suprise, surprise–a New York Times reporter, we come to learn today, thanks to columnist Georgie Anne Geyer, that Castro once turned on said reporter, Herbert Matthews:

But the curious part — the unexpected part, perhaps — was how disliked Matthews would soon become in Cuba, in particular by Fidel Castro himself. When Castro came to the states after taking power in January of 1959, he encountered Matthews in a big journalism meeting in New York and vulgarly made fun of him. While Matthews’ formerly excellent reputation as a journalist began to flounder in the wake of his infatuation with Fidel, and others thought that he had carte blanche on the island, the fact was that Castro and his people came close to despising the man.

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Cuba honors useful idiot

By
Castro Death Watch
 – February 18, 2007Posted in: Useful Idiots

The Castro government recently honored a useful idiot, the late but not so great New York Times reporter Herbert Matthews. Reuters published a gushing piece that reads like a Granma dispatch (it was actually released by the Cuban government’s press agency, Prensa Latina). Especially telling is a passage that reveals how useful an idiot Castro thought Matthews was:

The interview (of Castro by Matthews) may also have helped Castro by exaggerating the size of his rebel force. Castro later bragged he only had 18 men at the time, but made them pass in front of the American reporter several times.

I have a few questions about this article:

-Why does Reuters refer to Batista as a “dictator,” but not Castro?
-Why is Reuters writing pieces based on a Prensa Latina report?
-And last but not least, why is it even news that a useful idiot is being honored by a brutal, repressive dictatorship?

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