Re: (OPE-L) dreams and nightmares

["Fred B. Moseley" <fmoseley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I also mostly agree with Hans.  I clearly do not want capital punishment
is my ideal socialist society, free from US aggression.  However, in the
current circumstances of unrelenting and escalating US aggression against
Cuba, I think such punishment may be at times necessary, as an act of
self-defense, essentially in a time of war.  In defending these actions,
Fidel told a story last week about a traitor in the Sierra Maestra
mountains during the revolutionary struggle in 1957, who tipped off the
Batista army of the rebels' location.  They shot him, because he was
endangering their lives and the whole revolution.  Fidel said that is what
it is like today - the hijackers are endangering the lives of Cubans.

I may not be completely persuaded by this argument, but I can certainly
understand why the Cubans - under the threat of invasion by the US for
over 40 years - would be persuaded.


However, I think that this harsh punishment was a mistake politically.
It weakens the support for Cuba around the world, and within the US.
The US congress has actually been moving closer to ending the boycott on
Cuba, although such legislation would still face a Bush veto.  Even some
Miami Cubans seem to be changing their mind.  But now it will be much more
difficult to gather support to end the boycott.  Since I think ending the
boycott would be a great economic benefit for Cuba, I would make that a
top priority, and try not to upset the momentum toward ending the boycott,
to say nothing of avoiding a pretext for US invasion, if I could help
it.

I am sure that the Cubans were aware of this possible negative political
effect, and they must have felt that they nonetheless had no choice.  This
is a tactical, political decision, but it seems like a mistake to me.

Comradely,
Fred