Cuba's military men loyal to Raul Castro

[Say_What]

Bad news for the Miami terrorist organization CANF who are calling for the Cuban military to stage a coup.

<clips>

HAVANA — Raul Castro, CEO. With the military controlling a good share of Cuba's tourism, electronics imports and foreign currency reserves, the defense minister is as much entrepreneur as soldier.

Now that he's filling in as president for his ailing brother, Fidel, Raul Castro can count on a network of similarly positioned uniformed and retired officers who are as loyal to him from behind their desks as they were on the battlefields of Angola and Ethiopia.

Those generals and colonels are known as "Raulistas," and their loyalty has helped them move into the highest echelons of the government and the economy.

Even dissident Vladimiro Roca, a former fighter pilot under Castro's command before breaking with the government, believes Castro has the military leadership's support. But more than either Castro, they are "committed to the system," Roca said of the generals. "What they are interested in is maintaining their status."

That status is significant. Five active generals sit on the Communist Party's powerful 19-member Politburo, which also includes the Castro brothers.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4102707.html


In this photo made available by the Cuban Government's National Information Agency (AIN), Cuban President Fidel Castro, left, stands next to Lt. Gen. Abelardo Colome Ibarra, Interior Minister, in this June 6, 2006 file photo in Havana, Cuba.

[NewSpectrum]

1. "What they are interested in is maintaining their status."

instead of doing what's right for the people.

[Mika]

9. Oh yeah, No health care, no education, no disaster preps for Cubans. NOT!

Actually providing leadership that represents the overwhelming majority of Cubans is their status.

Ex:


Before the 1959 revolution

75% of rural dwellings were huts made from palm trees.

More than 50% had no toilets of any kind.

85% had no inside running water.

91% had no electricity.

There was only 1 doctor per 2,000 people in rural areas.

More than one-third of the rural population had intestinal parasites.

Only 4% of Cuban peasants ate meat regularly; only 1% ate fish, less than 2% eggs, 3% bread, 11% milk; none ate green vegetables.

The average annual income among peasants was $91 (1956), less than 1/3 of the national income per person.

45% of the rural population was illiterate; 44% had never attended a school.

25% of the labor force was chronically unemployed.

1 million people were illiterate ( in a population of about 5.5 million).

27% of urban children, not to speak of 61% of rural children, were not attending school.

Racial discrimination was widespread.

The public school system had deteriorated badly.

Corruption was endemic; anyone could be bought, from a Supreme Court judge to a cop.

Police brutality and torture were common.

___



After the 1959 revolution

“It is in some sense almost an anti-model,” according to Eric Swanson, the programme manager for the Bank’s Development Data Group, which compiled the WDI, a tome of almost 400 pages covering scores of economic, social, and environmental indicators.

Indeed, Cuba is living proof in many ways that the Bank’s dictum that economic growth is a pre-condition for improving the lives of the poor is over-stated, if not, downright wrong.

-

It has reduced its infant mortality rate from 11 per 1,000 births in 1990 to seven in 1999, which places it firmly in the ranks of the western industrialised nations. It now stands at six, according to Jo Ritzen, the Bank’s Vice President for Development Policy, who visited Cuba privately several months ago to see for himself.

By comparison, the infant mortality rate for Argentina stood at 18 in 1999;

Chile’s was down to ten; and Costa Rica, at 12. For the entire Latin American and Caribbean region as a whole, the average was 30 in 1999.

Similarly, the mortality rate for children under the age of five in Cuba has fallen from 13 to eight per thousand over the decade. That figure is 50% lower than the rate in Chile, the Latin American country closest to Cuba’s achievement. For the region as a whole, the average was 38 in 1999.

“Six for every 1,000 in infant mortality - the same level as Spain - is just unbelievable,” according to Ritzen, a former education minister in the Netherlands. “You observe it, and so you see that Cuba has done exceedingly well in the human development area.”

Indeed, in Ritzen’s own field, the figures tell much the same story. Net primary enrolment for both girls and boys reached 100% in 1997, up from 92% in 1990. That was as high as most developed nations - higher even than the US rate and well above 80-90% rates achieved by the most advanced Latin American countries.

“Even in education performance, Cuba’s is very much in tune with the developed world, and much higher than schools in, say, Argentina, Brazil, or Chile.”

It is no wonder, in some ways. Public spending on education in Cuba amounts to about 6.7% of gross national income, twice the proportion in other Latin American and Caribbean countries and even Singapore.

There were 12 primary school pupils for every Cuban teacher in 1997, a ratio that ranked with Sweden, rather than any other developing country. The Latin American and East Asian average was twice as high at 25 to one.

The average youth (age 15-24) illiteracy rate in Latin America and the Caribbean stands at 7%. In Cuba, the rate is zero. In Latin America, where the average is 7%, only Uruguay approaches that achievement, with one percent youth illiteracy.

“Cuba managed to reduce illiteracy from 40% to zero within ten years,” said Ritzen. “If Cuba shows that it is possible, it shifts the burden of proof to those who say it’s not possible.”

Similarly, Cuba devoted 9.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) during the 1990s to health care, roughly equivalent to Canada’s rate. Its ratio of 5.3 doctors per 1,000 people was the highest in the world.

The question that these statistics pose, of course, is whether the Cuban experience can be replicated. The answer given here is probably not.

“What does it, is the incredible dedication,” according to Wayne Smith, who was head of the US Interests Section in Havana in the late 1970s and early 1980s and has travelled to the island many times since.

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/emergencies/asian_floods_2004/background/cubalessons

Oxfam America recently studied the experience of Cuba in its development of disaster prevention and mitigation programs. Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba frequently stands in the way of serious hurricanes. While its neighbors are battered, losing lives and property, Cuba is unusually good at withstanding these calamities, and suffers much fewer dead.
Oxfam’s report, entitled Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction in Cuba cites a number of attributes of Cuba’s risk reduction program that can be applied by other countries. Three in particular are transferable to Asia and other regions:

* Disaster Preparedness: Cuba was especially good at mobilizing entire communities to develop their own disaster preparations. This involves mapping out vulnerable areas of the community, creating emergency plans, and actually simulating emergencies so people can practice evacuations and other measures designed to save lives. When disaster strikes, people know what to do.

* Commitment of Resources: Cuba’s strong central government prioritizes resources for its civil defense department. This helps the country to build up a common understanding of the importance of saving lives, and the citizens trust that their contributions to the government are well used for this purpose. Their collaboration on developing emergency plans helped build confidence in the government, so people trust in the plan they helped develop.

* Communications: The communications system for emergencies in Cuba builds on local resources. Using local radio stations and other media to issue warnings on potential hazards also reinforces the disaster preparations. Since the local population is already involved in mapping risks and creating emergency plans, they are more inclined to act on emergency bulletins. Good communications, packaged simply, and built on existing, commonly used resources, is another way to build trust in disaster preparations.

Cuba is a unique example. There is a strong central government committed to protecting all its citizens, even the poorest and most isolated who are typically the most at risk. The most common natural disaster in Cuba is a hurricane, a threat visible for days and even weeks in advance. Yet building a culture of disaster preparedness, and involving local communities in mitigating risks, are strategies that can be applied in many other places, regardless of how rich or poor a country might be.

__________



All this - only for the Castros. :sarcasm:

[Judi Lynn]

2. Thanks for the article. It has a lot of information which doesn't

pop up in conventional corporate media moments.

Was very glad to learn a little more about that Major General who was caught operating a illegal drug business. For some reason the Miami gusanos have made him into a hero. Probably worship him for his criminality.

[Say_What]

3. There's a press release by Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo on the CubaNews

board. After serving 22 years in prison in Cuba, he actually was exiled (not a wannabe like the MiamiGusanos) and after living in Spain for a short time received a hero's welcome in Miami. It is interesting to note that when the Cuban government released him from prison they never took away his Cuban citizenship. After few years after arriving in Miami, he renounced violence and formed Cambio Cubano, which automically made him a pariah in the eyes of the Gusano hardliners. In 1995 he went to the island and met with Fidel to try to establish dialog. His transformation from founder/leader of Alpha 66 to a man of peace determined to establish dialog with Cuba has been remarkable. He's been back on the island now for three years. Here's a couple of clips from his press release:

<clips>
August 4, 2006, Havana

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo: On the succession and the future

In the face of the official announcement concerning the seriousness
of Fidel Castro's health, I wish for his improvement and
recuperation. As is well known, Fidel and I are diametrically
separated by his concept of history and my vision of democracy, and
consequently, we find ourselves at opposite ends of the political
spectrum.

Despite that, enormously concerned about the situation in the
country, it falls upon me as a loyal adversary to sheathe for the
moment the saber of political struggle and rise above the wreckage,
the miscalculations, and the differences that have distanced us from
each other.

A civilized dialogue can bring solutions that are not achieved by the
mere disappearance of an adversary. I have said, and today I repeat,
that the participation of Fidel in the dialogue with the opposition
would be very positive. It has been some time since Cuba demanded
from all of us the exercise of reconciliation.

A new opportunity

On Monday night, an orderly succession headed by Raul Castro was
officially announced. I wish good luck to the team headed by Raul.
These events coincide with my third year on the island, to which
I came for the purpose of initiating an oppositionist activism that
would not be destabilizing. Like a voice that cries out in the
wilderness, I remind the successor government that I came here asking
for fundamental rights, but up to now the government has disregarded
my requests or has preferred to postpone granting them.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/53201


Commandante Menoyo, Second National Front of Escambray


Meeting with Fidel, 1995

[Judi Lynn]

4. Thanks for putting up the new article, and the great photos of

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo. Have never seen those excellent photos.

It's good to know he's still going o.k. The rumor was spread around when he decided to go to Cuba from Miami, and stay there, that he had cancer.

As it seems he's doing fine, that story must have been fashioned to make it appear the only reason anyone would go back is because he is going home to die!

It's probably really galls them that he feels perfectly safe going there, living there, and running his political opposition organization from Cuba, as it seems to contradict all their wild-eyed stories of what Cuba really is! Makes them look bad.

I'm bookmarking this page to keep access to these great photos.

[Say_What]

5. Wayne Smith Comments on Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo

From ciponline.org:

Just when you think U.S. policy and actions toward Cuba cannot possibly get any dumber, they do. The actions the Treasury Department is threatening to take against Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo are truly mind-boggling. Here he is, a man who fought against Castro, was captured arms in hand and spent 22 years in prison. Released in the late 1980s, he went to Miami and formed an opposition group called Cuban Change (Cambio Cubano), but said all along that he did not want to be an "exile leader;" rather, he wanted to return to Cuba and lead Cambio Cubano from within the island, but as a group that would work within the law and be recognized by the government. In effect, a loyal opposition. Feeling that time was passing him by, a year and a half ago, after a visit to Cuba with his wife and children, he announced that he was not returning to the United States; rather, he would remain in Cuba indefinitely. This was a rather dangerous thing to do, given that he did not have any authorization from the Cuban government, which made it clear that it was unhappy with his decision. But remain he did, and the Cuban government tolerated it. He has not opened a Cambio Cubano office, but, as he puts it, "there's still time."

No one would ever say that Eloy does not have guts. He has demonstrated again that he has plenty, and he has eked out a certain amount of "opposition" space for his efforts.

Now, on the one hand, the U.S.Government says it supports oppositionists in Cuba. But one the other, it is now threatening to impose a huge monetary fine against Eloy and to send him to prison for ten years BECAUSE HE OVERSTAYED AND DID NOT COME BACK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEW REGULATIONS. But if anything, Eloy's case simply points up again how foolish and counterproductive the new regulations are. "No, sorry, sir," they seem to be saying," you can't stay and try to expand the parameters for legitimate opposition. You must return by the limits set by the new regulations! That's what's really important."


http://www.ciponline.org/cuba/cubainthenews/newsarticles/WSScomments/Eloy.htm

Also an interview with him done by Francisco Aruca in December 2003:

<clips>
Bush on Cuba:
Visible and invisible policies
An Interview with Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo

Francisco Aruca (FA): On December 5, 2003 , the Committee created by President Bush regarding Cuba met for the first time. According to declarations of members of that Committee, co-chaired by Colin Powell and Mel Martinez – the latter the Cuban American Secretary of Housing of the Bush Administration – and attended, among others, by Roger Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Hemispheric Affairs, an agreement has been reached on what seem to be the two legs on which U.S. Cuba policy stand on. They are: steps and measures regarding transition in Cuba, what they call the “post Castro era,” but saying that the main focus is on avoiding that the government falls into the hands of who they refer to as Fidel Castro's “henchmen” – other personalities, members of the present revolutionary government.

The other leg is being implemented by intimidating Americans and Cuban Americans that travel to Cuba, and also by threatening to investigate individuals or companies that are doing or have done business with Cuba, be they Americans or Cuban Americans. Another sample of this second leg is a potential bill that would allow a tax on 100% of the income earned by any U.S. corporation that signs an agreement with the Cuban government accepting to pay expenses for lobbying actions against the embargo – something that seems absurd for anyone to sign; but that's still another one of the measures. This goes to show that the measures would be implemented on U.S. society. It's precisely on that Committee that I would like to know your opinions.

Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo (EGM): I'm fully aware that the Cuban problem is a matter to be resolved among Cubans; it doesn't depend on a committee created by the United States for a transition period nor anything of the sort, and what I can perceive is that there are two U.S. policies towards Cuba : one visible and another one invisible.

I would say that the visible policy of the Committee is a swindle; it aims to please certain sectors of the Cuban exiles, giving the impression of U.S. policy as tough against Cuba. It could even be considered as having the same objective as Bush's brief visit to Iraq last November; in other words, in relation to the president's re-election campaign.

The invisible policy, the one no one sees, is a U.S. approved project called “Pro-active Policy Towards Cuba,” and I'm giving you its exact name, and not as the project is known, and it has been approved. The project does not include the participation of the extreme right in any type of transition in Cuba. And it doesn't include it for a reason: Because it would be a destabilizing factor in Cuba. We can't consider that committee as interfering, because at this moment it's not speaking of escalating pressure on Cuba, but on Cubans that are traveling to their country and, besides, the measures are absurd. They are intimidating people, they are giving an image as if they were acting tough and when you realize it, in a country where so many drugs come in, they are harassing Cubans because they bring back two bottles of rum or three cigar boxes. It's laughable, because it doesn't affect Castro, nor does it contribute to democratization in Cuba. What I don't understand is how the extreme right in exile, and certain other sectors, still don't realize that they are being left out by President Bush's own administration. They are being used exclusively with an electoral purpose. Next May 20 we will see how they put on a show with everything they'll have done by then. I mean, what's the point of having people like Colin Powell and Mel Martínez in a committee that says nothing about toughening your stance against Cuba? It only has a propaganda objective, because if they don't put such visible people in that committee it wouldn't be news.

I'll say it again: a serious policy towards Cuba is the pro-active policy; many of the characters that were present will disappear, including many of them who are members of the internal dissidence. They'll disappear because they have played their roles; they are part of a plan and have to give way to a serious stage, one of opposition inside Cuba . In that pro-active policy, the Cuban government must also understand that it has to take concrete measures in favor of that democratization. And of course, neither the Cuban government nor us (in the opposition) believe that in a period of transition requiring seriousness, can there can be a participation of the extreme right that has shown easily fooled – even by the president of the United States.

http://www.progresoweekly.com/index.php?progreso=Aruca&otherweek=1071727200

A search on "menoyo" turns up quite a few hits at Progreso Weekly http://www.progresoweekly.com/index.php?progreso=findpage&otherweek=1155186000


Che Guevara, Aurelio Nazario, friend, and Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, in Las Villas, December 1958.


“The visible politics...goes to please...sectors of the exile community,” Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo (Photo: David Alberto/ProgresoWeekly)

[Judi Lynn]

6. Spectacular post on Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo. Isn't it a mystery that

that fool, _{George W. Bush} claims, on one hand, he supports opposition in Cuba (we know that as he sends our taxpayers' dollars to them, which should be seen as illegal bribery) yet if a Cuban living in Florida GOES TO CUBA and STAYS THERE to create his own legal opposition group, _Bush tries to land on him like a ton of bricks, to force him to return to Miami, as if it's really any of his business!

What the hell sense does THAT make? I hope more and more people will start pondering these events, and questioning them. It will lead them to undeniable truths.

[Akim]

8. Is It Now a Crime for Cubans to Live In Cuba?

I know that Gutierrez Menoyo was born in Spain and holds Spanish citizenship. I presume that he holds Cuban citizenship as well.

Did Gutierrez Menoyo also become a U.S. citizen? This is the only way that the U.S. could presume to punish him for living in Cuba.

Or is it now also a "crime" for Cubans to live in Cuba.

[Akim]

7. A Touching Photograph

In this photo, Fidel had just been presented with a framed photo of himself at 18. Tears welled in his eyes and he tried to wink them away. Then he looked into the audience searching for faces of young mem, feeling at that moment as if the decades had melted away, and he was once again the idealistic young man who had galvanized Cuba's youth in the name of freedom. Shortly thereafter came the health crisis that Fidel is still battling.