[Marxism] Fidel Castro: Reflections on the International Criminal Court

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

GRANMA INTERNATIONAL
Havana.  March 7, 2008

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/marzo/vier7/reflexion1.html 

Reflections of Fidel

The International Criminal Court

?LA Hojilla,? a program on the Venezolana de Televisión TV channel, took it
upon itself to select, for months up to March 5, information and phrases
that precisely reflect the imperialist plan to do with Chávez what was done
with Milosevic after the genocidal war of Kosovo: to try him in the
International Criminal Court.

Yesterday after 12 midnight Cuban time ?that is, today? after I heard an
official statement to the press by a group of officials in charge of the
pertinent legal paperwork in Colombia, I no longer had any doubts
whatsoever. It is not a secret. It is a battle of prior opinion. I had 
?La Hojilla?s? excellent compilation very much in mind as I wrote these
lines.

What has been said about Chávez in very recent days? He was elected by
majority vote of the population. Immediately it is added: just like Hitler.
Of course, what is not explained is what is all too well-known: that Hitler
was a genuine product of the capitalist system, which was expressed via the
Treaty of Versailles and the imposition of sanctions ?I mentioned this
before in a ?Reflection?? which exalted nationalism in the newly-born
Republic of Germany. Fascism murdered countless numbers of people. Chávez
never killed anyone; he has been elected several times, and the most
incredible insults against him are published and broadcast on a daily basis
by all the media. They will never achieve the submission of the president of
Venezuela.

When the government of the United States was sure that it could destroy
missiles in full flight from California by using special satellites, it then
spoke completely shamelessly of atomic wars, and is not concealing its
intention of ruling the world with great violence. Millions of millions are
being spent on weapons that do nothing to contribute to meeting the needs
and well-being of human beings; on the contrary, they maintain the world
economy in constant tension; they impose on other countries ?like the
adventurers of the U.S. West? the order of ?your money or your life.?

Listening for hours to economists meeting in Havana discussing globalization
and problems of development in a civilized manner, we can appreciate the
tremendous clash of ideas and the contradictions that are emerging with
growing force and complexity in our world today. In my mind, I preserve a
good number of facts that were certainly addressed in that meeting.

The solidarity with the people of Ecuador expressed at that conference is
valuable in and of itself.

The president of that nation, Rafael Correa, said today that if the
Organization of American States ?does not condemn the aggression against his
country, it should be thrown into the dustbin of history.? He added, ?We
have to make decisions tomorrow in Santo Domingo to clearly condemn the
aggression against Ecuador.? I heard these two statements not just in
Correa?s interview on television; they also appear in various news agency
reports. 

The seriousness of the problem created by the United States government
cannot be underestimated.

Yesterday, Bush gave his support to Republican candidate McCain, who is
committed to the war in Iraq and enjoys dropping bombs on the civilian
population; he is opposed to any negotiations and swears he will maintain
the economic blockade of the Cuban nation. Two days ago, the news agencies
reported new measures by Bush to further extend the blockade of Cuba onto
the Internet.

What can the peoples of Latin America who aspire to the safeguarding of
their national sovereignty expect from the empire?

Can such tyranny, which does so much damage to the planet?s population, be
sustainable or not?

Fidel Castro Ruz

March 6, 2008

6:32 p.m.

Translated by Granma International


========================================
WALTER LIPPMANN, CubaNews
Los Angeles, California
http://www.walterlippmann.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraiso bajo el bloqueo"
======================================== 




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