[Marxism] From H. Bruce Franklin

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Jane Franklin" 
<mailto:janefranklin@xxxxxxxxxxx><janefranklin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailto:janefranklin@xxxxxxxxxxx>janefranklin@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: PLEASE READ:  "The Cuban side of the jailed writers story"
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:45:37 -0500


    This letter (below) called "The Cuban Side of the jailed writers story"
is a clear statement about the 2003 arrests of supposed "independent"
Cubans.  However, I don't call it the "Cuban side"; I call it the correct
side because that is what it is.  During the trials of those arrested, Cuban
authorities went to great lengths to explain and prove their financial
connections to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.
     Here in the United States if one accepts money from any foreign
country, one has the legal obligation to register as an agent of that
country.  In addition, consider that Washington is not faced with a
superpower, only 90 miles distant, waging a constant covert and overt State
of Siege to overthrow the government.
     And keep in mind that Section 109 of the 1996 Helms-Burton law
authorizes the President "to furnish assistance and provide other support
for individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support
democracy-building efforts for Cuba." This makes it clear that "independent"
means independent of the Cuban government and quite dependent upon the U.S.
government.
     We have been conditioned to hear the word "independent" as if it means
somebody above the fray.  We need always to ask, "Independent of what?"
"Independent of whom?"  Sources in this country generally continue to hail
these people as "independents," not mentioning that they all accepted
financial aid from a foreign power.  Moreover, the payments were for the
purpose of overthrowing the government.
     After the 2003 arrests, the bribery of course did not cease.  The
Commissions for Assistance to a Free Cuba of 2004 and 2006 specify specific
amounts of millions of dollars each year for payments to Cubans, Cuban
émigrés, and foreigners in third countries for the purpose of overthrowing
the Cuban government.
     Meanwhile, we as citizens of this country are not allowed to spend
money in Cuba.  This is used as the reason for the travel ban.  The only
spending money allowed is the millions of dollars we pay every year in taxes
to people who use it for undermining a sovereign government with which we
are supposedly at peace.
Jane Franklin
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jbfranklins>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jbfranklins


guardian.co.uk

Letters
Cuban side of the jailed writers story

    * The Guardian,
    * Wednesday March 19 2008

This article appeared in the Guardian on Wednesday March 19 2008 on p41 of
the Leaders & reply section. It was last updated at 00:05 on March 19 2008.

The distinguished writers who protest at the treatment of their Cuban
colleagues (Letters, March 18) have every right to voice opposition to a
government that limits freedom of expression. However, the cause of the
writers for whom they are campaigning is not as clearcut as they suggest.
Those imprisoned in 2003 were convicted of being paid agents of the US, and
the evidence against them was convincing.

The Cuban government made a huge effort to show exactly what these people
were up to, and yet its side of the story is ignored. The writers were
convicted under laws brought in after the Helms-Burton law in the US was
passed in 1996. This gives millions of dollars (this year $45m) to groups
that foster opposition in Cuba. This money goes to pay people to write
hostile stories that are then posted on websites sited in the US.

To combat this the Cuban government passed laws to prohibit people from
taking money and aid from the US in order to subvert the political process.
The people jailed were even going so far as to entering the US Interests
Section to use computers inside. Some were appearing regularly on radio
programmes beamed from Miami. It is hard to believe that any government
would tolerate such a level of interference in its internal affairs by a
foreign power.

To protest the plight of these prisoners while ignoring the role they were
playing in this ongoing confrontation between Washington and Havana is
disingenuous and does not serve the purpose of trying to reach a peaceful
resolution that will see all political prisoners eventually released.

Professor Patrick Pietroni
International Institute for the Study of Cuba, London Metropolitan
University





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