Re: [Marxism] L.A. Times Posada editorial: "Send Him to Caracas"

["Eli Stephens" <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Walter that it is a very good thing that the L.A. Times (and
presumably others to follow) have seen the need to editorialize in favor not
just of not granting asylum to Posada Carriles, but also of sending him to
Venezuela. However, in my usual picky way (I wouldn't want to disappoint
Walter :-) ), I have to take note of this sentence:

"Why these four violent men were pardoned is a mystery."

A mystery? I think not. Perhaps not "known with absolute certainty", but
hardly a mystery. Anyone who was paying attention at the time knows there
was tremendous pressure from the U.S. not to try the four at all, and then
only to try them on the minor charge of ""endangering public safety", and
finally to pardon them before the outgoing President left office. Here's
what the Washington Post said at the time (link here:
<http://lefti.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_lefti_archive.html#109358184736726742>):

"Bush administration officials denied any role yesterday in the politically
fortuitous pardon of four Cuban exiles by the outgoing Panamanian
government. Three of the exiles -- who were convicted in connection with a
plot to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro at a summit of Latin
American leaders in 2000 -- were immediately flown to Miami.

"In Panama, speculation was rampant that the Bush administration, indirectly
or not, had pressured Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso to pardon the
exiles in her waning days in office. Panama's next president, Martin
Torrijos, a social democrat who will take office on Sept. 1, said he
disagrees with the pardons. Cuba severed diplomatic relations with Panama in
response."

Eli Stephens
 Left I on the News
 http://lefti.blogspot.com



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