Mary Anastacio O’Grady, the main (and best) Latin America reporter for the Wall Street Journal warns this morning that the Castro government of Cuba (which ever Castro you think might be running it this week) is trying to manipulate norteamericano politicians, using the devastation in Cuba and the Cuban people as hostages to continue holding on to power in the tropical paradise.
Now [the Castro government is] using the latest Cuban tragedy to ratchet up the pressure on Washington through the international press. Rather than accept an offer of $5 million in humanitarian assistance from the U.S., the regime is demanding that the credit ban be lifted.
Fidel writes in the state-owned newspaper Granma that Cuban dignity is at stake if the aid is accepted while the credit ban is still in place. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the regime is totally overwhelmed by the disaster. Raúl was not seen in the first week after Ike and only emerged a few days ago to tell Cubans they should be optimistic.
O’Grady continues;
Aid has already arrived from allies like Russia and Spain, but none has the vast relief resources the nearby U.S. can muster. However, Fidel wants lines of credit from the U.S. that will help him hold onto power, and without that he says, Yankees go home.
This is largely bravado posturing for Cubans. The U.S. government is giving $1.65 million to nongovernmental organizations working in the disaster areas, and has authorized more than $5 million in private NGO donations; that total could go to $10 million. None of this is out of the ordinary. Americans are the single largest humanitarian providers to Cuba; in 2007, private donations totaled $240 million.
While hundreds of thousands of Cubans suffer, the Castro brothers still manuever to cling to their power stnading on the bodies of the people they’re supposed to be protecting and helping through these devastating times. Where’s Fidel’s BFF Chavez? Well, he’s buying Chinese jets right now and one world tour. In fact he was in Cuba this morning (AFP link);
Chavez has said his travels hold “great strategic interest,” for his country. Lawmakers in Venezuela approved his September 21-27 tour, designed to “strengthen international relations with those countries and sign exchange and cooperation deals on economic, social and cultural matters.”
After his stop in Cuba, Chavez travels to China for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the capitalization of a six-billion-dollar bilateral investment fund which he says Caracas will use for “socialist productive projects.”
China is contributing four billion dollars and Venezuela two billion dollars, said Chavez.
Not a word about aid to Cuba…so much for the Cuban people and the socialist brotherhood between Venezuelans and Cubans. Of course, if Venezuela bails out Cuba, the Castros won’t get their grubby mitts on those US dollars they think they can convince US politicians to send them.
Well, at least Cubans can buy microwaves and cell phones now. The Miami Herald reports this morning that Cubans aren’t sitting around waiting for government help, though (like some residents hard-hit by storms that we know about);
While hoping for supplies to come in, most families aren’t waiting around for the government to fix their crumbling homes, clear the roads or erect downed electric poles.
”We’re just helping until the government can come out and help. It’s all of our duty,” said Hugo Alberto Betancourt, 80, as he and three others attempted to position the concrete post of an electric pole into place in Banes.
Maybe we should send some of those New Orleans crybabies down there to see what real poverty is like.
