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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI'm watching the Cuba v the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game in Havana. They are awaiting Pres. Obama
It's quite a spectacle. As the cameras scan the stands you can see that the complexions of the people range from black to brown to lighter brown to white, all Cubans. Both presidents have arrived now and a huge choir of Cuban ladies in white are singing both the Cuban anthem in Spanish and US anthem in English beautiful.
Many other baseball notables are there Rachel Robinson, Jackie Robinson's widow (she's 90 and still beautifu- black don't crack); Derrick Jeter; Dave Winfield; Louie Tiant, a Cuban and great former pitcher for the Indians and Red Sox threw out the first ball, man, this is historic.
Eduardo Perez, a Cuban American and former player here is one of the announcers. He has relatives in Cuba that he hadn't seen before. He was asked about the trip and he expressed joy and sadness in seeing his family, sharing a meal with them, and then at the diplomatic situation between Cuba and the US. Then he expressed the anger at the Castro regime that many Cubans and Cuban Americans hold.
It made me wonder if there is ever any appreciation towards the Castros and Guevara and their overthrow of the Batista regime?
I know Castro kept his grip on power much too long, unlike revolutionary Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua who eventually held elections.
Land of Enchantment
(1,217 posts)Historic!
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Am I reading that right?
Mika
(17,751 posts)Yes. You are reading it right .... Most Cubans in Cuba do appreciate the Castros.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)304 Dissidents Arrested Ahead of Obama Visit, Cuba Human Rights Group Says
HAVANA, Cuba -- The head of Cubas leading human rights organization tells ABC News that 304 people were arrested for criticizing the Cuban government just days before President Obamas historic visit to the island.
The Cuban Commission on Human Rights provided a list of names and the locations where the arrests took place -- 104 of them in Havana and others at locations throughout Cuba.
Since last year, were talking about thousands of arrests, Elizardo Sanchez told ABC. The worst thing is that the Cuban government has unleashed a huge wave of political oppression, and during Obamas visit this morning they were arresting people and this will go on for the rest of the day and probably tomorrow.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/304-dissidents-arrested-ahead-obama-visit-cuba-human/story?id=37823936
malaise
(267,823 posts)Most Cubans love Fidel
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Cubans are not permitted to speak critically about the Castro regime.
malaise
(267,823 posts)Mika
(17,751 posts)You post here what you know not of.
Do yourself a favor... go there and see for yourself. Like most who go, your opinion might change.
Don't accept what the corporate media and US State Dept/USAID paid minions spew for profit.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)For fear of being imprisoned if they don't.
Mika
(17,751 posts)You just pull that one out of your nether-regions?
"Bigoted"? Please do explain how on earth what I said could be considered bigoted.
And then answer this question - TRUE or FALSE: People are imprisoned in Cuba for criticizing the government.
To help you with that question, feel free to consult this 2014 report from Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/cuba
Mika
(17,751 posts)Cubanet (based in Miami, funded by US gov't entities to the tune of $180,000 per month, as well as from Miami Cuban RW exiles connected to terrorism in Cuba) pays their propagandists in Cuba $2000 a month to produce anti Cuba propaganda.
You want to go with that as your truth? ... have at it.
Otherwise, it might be good to do some research on this.
It is kinda bigoted to be broad brushing an entire populace with your dystopian, and untrue, aspersion.
BTW, I've lived in Cuba. Have family there. I visit regularly, fyi.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)You have all the facts, and everyone else has propaganda.
All the Cubans who escaped and reported facts other than what you are claiming must be part of the propaganda conspiracy. Of course! I guess the UN is being paid off too, somehow? https://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/commission/country51/52.htm They control the government of the UK even! https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cuba-country-of-concern/cuba-country-of-concern And the Red Cross to boot! Amnesty International! All must be fake orgs propped up by Cubanet no doubt!
Mika
(17,751 posts)None have human right observers in Cuba. The sources are, for the most part, from one resource (funded by anti Cuba entities).
Do your own homework. Not asking you to believe my words.
I have no idea what your " fake orgs propped up by Cubanet" comment means. I never said nor inferred they were. Just referring to their sourcing of information that they base their reports on - they do not have their own sources ... they've outsourced reporting to anti Cuba exile organizations based in Miami.
I might not know "all the facts" on every topic in Cuba, but, I certainly know more than posters on the internets who have never set foot on the island.
Do yourself a favor ... and go there.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Have they not tried to put them there?
Has someone stopped them?
Help me do this homework. Educate me.
Mika
(17,751 posts)You can choose to look, or not.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Where are the answers to my questions?
brush
(53,475 posts)I did say that they've kept their grip on power much too long.
You do understand that right?
Before Batista was overthrown, Cuba was a society exploited by rich Americans and their corporations, and by the mafia.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)So there really isn't a whole lot of free choice involved in this matter.
brush
(53,475 posts)if Batista and his family had held onto power all these years.
But we can't really get a good read on that since they are not allowed to speak freely on the subject.
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)That's a big no no.
Otherwise it's not as locked down as the media would have you believe.
Don't forget they are, in their minds, fighting against the USA and the embargo, very real to them.
Mika
(17,751 posts)It is a no no to be an unregistered foreign agent on US payrolls spewing anti Castro propaganda. That is it. Otherwise Cubans openly speak out freely about their feelings about the Castros, both pro and con.
I have NO idea why you would post such doggerel.
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)Consider the artist who wrote Fidel and Raul on two pigs. He did time for that.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Much as had happened during the Batista presidency using his his Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities to carry out wide-scale violence, torture and public executions; ultimately killing anywhere from 1,000 to 20,000 people.
And the Machado regime prior to that.
Seems Castro was simply one more in a line of naked emperors rather than The Naked Emperor.
brush
(53,475 posts)Seems in rightist dictatorships the connected elite do very well but the rest of the people don't.
Mika
(17,751 posts)Go to Cuba. See for yourself that this dystopian Cuba many American fantasize over doesn't exist.
malaise
(267,823 posts)brush
(53,475 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)By the way, I heard there is a push to bring it back in 2020.
malaise
(267,823 posts)Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)The best players in the US, Dominican Republic, Japan, etc. are in the middle of their Major League and Minor League seasons. The owners, executives, and coaches are simply not going to allow their best players to take a month off to play in the Olympics. There are millions of dollars at stake. Cuba doesn't have that problem, even though some of their best players have defected to Major League Baseball. That stupid early March world baseball tournament that is played every 4 years attracts very few of the best American players and some of the best foreign Major League players skip it.
For years we sent 18-22 year-old college kids to play baseball in the Olympics. Those are kids not good enough to be selected high in the Major League draft and were not even the best 18-22 year-olds available. Most of the best in that age group were playing in the Majors, Minors, under contract, and not available for the Olympics.
The NBA allows it because the Olympics are played weeks before the NBA season starts. The NHL works with the Olympics also.
brush
(53,475 posts)It's also every four years.
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)I can't get it to work with my cable provider, dang.
brush
(53,475 posts)Now they're interviewing Rachel Robinson about Jackie Robinson's play in Havana before the Dodgers bought him up to the major leagues.
She says they were treated excellently by the Cuban people.
malaise
(267,823 posts)starting now
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)?
malaise
(267,823 posts)malaise
(267,823 posts)malaise
(267,823 posts)is his honesty about himself and his own weaknesses - as in not being a great baseball player.
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)and that's something new. The USA doesn't do much self inventory, especially when empire is involved!
malaise
(267,823 posts)but we knew that was Obama. I remember how shocked the hacks at M$Greedia were when he talked about the shellacking after the 2010 elections. ReTHUGs never admit they are wrong.
I'm going to watch the speech again and read the transcript - it was deep and honest.
flamingdem
(39,304 posts)That was the cause of about 100 tweets! I guess it's old school or something.