(Bill) Richardson rebuffed in effort to free Alan Gross

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

The Cuban government has rebuffed a mission by former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to free a U.S. government contractor jailed in Havana, even ruling out a visit with the man, Richardson said Sunday.

Richardson vowed to remain in Cuba until he was allowed to see jailed American Alan P. Gross.

“We were supposed to leave yesterday. We’ve extended our stay in the hotel. My position is, I’m not planning to leave until I get a chance to visit Alan Gross,” Richardson said in a telephone interview from Havana.

Cuba’s action appeared to be an extraordinary snub of the prominent, Spanish-speaking Democrat and former U.N. ambassador who has had cordial relations with the island’s government. There was no word from the Cuban government on why Richardson couldn’t see Gross, who has routinely received visits from U.S. diplomats and members of Congress.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/richardson-comes-up-empty-handed-in-effort-to-free-alan-gross/2011/09/11/gIQAurZeKK_story.html

[Mosby]

1. Good for Bill

Yasher Koach.

[socialshockwave]

2. Wait for Fidel's talking heads to come in and say

how Mr. Gross is an imperialist spy who's doing imperialist things and being imperialist and we should support Castro and Chavez and Kim Jong Il.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. You forgot "Obama is an imperialist"

Or "Obama is no better than Bush as far as homicidal despots go", that's another fave chestnut now.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Spend some time trying to find out about the subject you're trying to discuss FIRST. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

3. He should have gotten authorization to discuss exchanging the Cuban 5 for this man. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

7. Looks like Richardson may be there for about 15 years then

less time for good behaviour by Gross.

Hope he enjoys the stay. Lucky bastard - I can only manage 3 weeks at a time.

Background to the Gross case here :

Someone, perhaps the protagonist himself, made a mistake — perhaps an “oversight,” as Washington bureaucrats label their errors. Alan Gross, on a mission for his company (DAI) working for US AID (United States Agency for International Development) solicited a tourist visa to travel to Cuba for the purpose of “promoting democracy,” a euphemism for undermining governments that challenge Washington dictates.

Imagine the 60-year old American posing as a tourist while distributing laptops, cell phones and forbidden satellite phones to Cubans! Gross should have known he would draw the attention of Cuban state security. Or did he think he could innocuously drop-off expensive appliance at private homes, like a Santa Claus who prolonged his gift-giving night? Gross claimed he intended only to help the Cuban Jewish community upgrade its communication technology. Do most religious Jews believe God will talk to them only via satellite phone?

The atheistic Cuban government, of course, would have denied him permission to accomplish this task; so big deal, he lied and wrote “tourist” on his visa application. Not really a lie. He did hope to visit the Tropicana and spend a day at the beach in between satellite phone deliveries.

Gross knew Cuba does not allow satellite phones. A sign at the airport announces this. Satellite phones prevent tapping and could be used for sending coded messages on several frequencies. Their signals will usually bypass local telecoms systems. Oh, these phones can also call in coordinates for air strikes. On the web, Motorola advertises its satellite phones at bargain prices: between $1795 and $5273 – not counting service.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/08/01/the-alan-gross-case/

[Judi Lynn]

8. Wouldn't it be great if everyone took time to learn about the subject first? Great article!

One thing missing mentioned by Saul Landau in this article you've posted which has more than a little relevance:

Alan Gross had previously set up satellite communications systems to circumvent state-controlled channels in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Truly, truly nasty business, dipsydoodle. Jesus.

But who has time for the facts? Too much a hassle! Can slow you down!

Thanks, so much for having faith in DU'ers to imagine some of us would appreciate learning about this clown, and what he's doing there.

Landau also makes a point worth pondering when he highlights the fact things look good for Gross' having picked up his equipment from the U.S. Interests Section, since the government X-rays luggage coming into the country with the passengers.

We've heard of all kinds of things being distributed from the embassies, brought in through diplomatic channels, like the torture equipment the US embassy gave to US CIA torturer, Dan Mitrione, in his reign of terror torturing innocent citizens, including beggars from the streets of Montevideo, Uruguay as a service to the right-wing dictatorship there.

Really appreciate your timely information. :hi: