[NYTr] IAC - Tell Bush and Congress: Hands Off Cuba! Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:25:58 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit International Action Center - Oct 30, 2007 http://www.iacenter.org TELL BUSH AND CONGRESS: HANDS OFF CUBA! Sign the Petition http://www.iacenter.org/cubacampaign07.shtml Sign Up for Updates http://www.iacenter.org/folder04/list.htm Donate http://www.iacenter.org/iacdonate.shtml Please tell Bush and Congress: HANDS OFF CUBA Sign the petition and send it to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Rice, Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez, U.N. Secretary-General Ki-moon, Congressional leaders, your own Congressional delegation, and media representatives! President Bush's speech on Cuba Oct. 24th represented what appears to be a brazen and unprecedented escalation of the U.S. government's hostility toward Cuba. Almost every word uttered by Bush was a baseless lie or slander against the Cuban Revolution, and everything else was a very thinly veiled threat of all-out war against the Cuban people. During his speech, Bush surrounded himself with families of the mercenaries that the U.S. government has paid to try to overthrow the Cuban Revolution, and referred to these mercenaries as "political prisoners." No doubt Bush was trying to make some terrible analogy between the people he pays to overthrow the government of a sovereign country and the five Cuban heroes who have been languishing in U.S. prisons for a decade now because they defended their own country from the U.S. government's criminal aggression. In a part of his speech that was almost as arrogant as it was absurd, Bush called on the Cuban military and the Cuban people to turn against their own government and to accept "liberation" from the United States. He ominously declared, "The operative word in our future dealings with Cuba is not 'stability.' The operative word is 'freedom.'" The response of Cuban leaders was swift and strong. Cuba's Foreign Minister condemned Bush, telling him: "I have a message for you, you are raving, you are talking to an army of liberation and to security combatants who have prevented more than 600 assassination attempts on Fidel. You are mistaken, you do not know this people, who are not in the category of the mercenaries whom you pay here." Indeed, Bush is "raving" if he thinks he has any chance of convincing the Cuban people to turn against the Revolution for any reason, much less to become yet another neo-colony of U.S. imperialism. Bush is already isolated internationally in this criminal policy. The New York Times noted that even among the audience in the State Department, where Bush gave his speech, the only people who applauded were the mercenaries and the right-wing Cuban politicians that were handpicked to attend. All of the Latin American diplomats in the room remained silent. Even in his speech, Bush could only cite three countries (Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic) that support isolating Cuba. Almost every other country in the world has condemned the U.S. government's criminal blockade against Cuba, and not one has yet expressed support for this irresponsible escalation. It is clear that when Bush speaks on Cuba, he is speaking only on behalf of the U.S. ruling class and a small population of rabidly right-wing Cubans. He is certainly not speaking on behalf of the people of the United States who have no desire to or interest in waging war against the people of Cuba. The people in this country--and of Iraq and countless other countries--know all too well what Bush has in mind when he speaks of "liberation." No one wants more billions of dollars spent on another murderous plunder of a sovereign nation. But the fact that Bush is completely isolated politically will not alone guarantee Cuba's protection. Neither will the fact that any attack against Cuba will surely result in defeat for U.S. forces. The U.S. government has been relentlessly determined to defeat Cuba throughout every single presidential administration in the last fifty years. Bush, in particular, is extremely reckless and arrogant. The fact that he is facing defeat at this very minute in Iraq hasn't stopped him from threatening war against Iran, Venezuela, and now Cuba. The people of the U.S. must be ready to act to defend Cuba. We must stand up to the Bush administration; against all its imperialistic adventures, but especially for Cuba, which stands as a beacon of hope for people all over the world who are struggling for real freedom and real liberation. We must continue to fight for freedom for the Cuban Five, who symbolize Cuba's right to defend itself against U.S. terror. The Cuban people have shown nothing but kindness and generosity to the people of the United States. They have opened their medical schools to students from the United States who want to work as doctors in poor communities. They offered assistance to Hurricane Katrina survivors. In return, Bush has offered them nothing but continued aggression. It's time for the people of this country to stand in solidarity with Cuba and to reject Bush's program of endless war! We should demand an end to the blockade, freedom for the Cuban Five, and absolutely no war against Cuba! U.S. Hands Off Cuba! Free the Cuban Five! Extradite the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles! Venceremos! *** El discurso del presidente Bush sobre Cuba el 24 de octubre representa lo que parece ser un descarado aumento sin precedente de la hostilidad del gobierno de los EEUU hacia Cuba. Casi cada palabra pronunciada por Bush era o una mentira o una difamaciC3n infundada contra la revoluciC3n cubana, y todo lo demC!s era una velada amenaza de guerra total contra el pueblo cubano. Durante su discurso, Bush se rodeC3 de las familias de los mercenarios que el gobierno de EEUU ha pagado para intentar derrocar la revoluciC3n cubana, y se refiriC3 a C)stos mercenarios como "presos polC-ticos." Ninguna duda que Bush intentaba hacer una terrible analogC-a entre la gente que C)l paga para derrocar al gobierno de un paC-s soberano y los cinco hC)roes cubanos que languidecen en prisiones estadounidenses por una dC)cada ya porque defendieron su propio paC-s de las agresiones criminales del gobierno estadounidense. En una parte de su discurso que fue casi tan arrogante como absurdo, Bush invitC3 a militares y al pueblo cubano a volcarse contra su propio gobierno y aceptar la "liberaciC3n" de los Estados Unidos. C l siniestramente declarC3, "la palabra crucial en nuestros tratos futuros con Cuba no es "estabilidad." La palabra crucia es 'libertad' " La respuesta de los lC-deres cubanos fue rC!pida y enC)rgica. El Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Cuba condenC3 a Bush, diciC)ndole: "Oiga, un mensaje tengo para el Presidente de Estados Unidos: Usted delira, estC! delirando. Usted le estC! hablando a un ejC)rcito libertador. Usted olvida que esos hombres y mujeres llevan medio siglo derrotando los mC!s de 600 planes que ustedes organizaron para tratar de asesinar a Fidel. Usted olvida que los hombres y mujeres que llevan ese uniforme son el pueblo en el poder, porque aquC- hay una RevoluciC3n victoriosa que ustedes no han podido derrotar. Usted se equivoca. Usted cree que este pueblo son gente de la categorC-a de los mercenarios que ustedes pagan aquC-. De hecho, Bush "estC! delirando" si piensa que tiene la oportunidad de convencer al pueblo cubano a que se vuelva en contra de la revoluciC3n por cualquier razC3n que sea, y mucho menos a hacerse otra neocolonia del imperialismo yanki. Bush ya estC! aislado internacionalmente sobre esta polC-tica criminal. El New York Times observC3 que incluso entre la audiencia en el Departamento de Estado, donde Bush dio su discurso, los C:nicos que aplaudieron fueron los mercenarios y los polC-ticos cubanos de derecha que fueron escogidos para asistir. Todos los diplomC!ticos latinoamericanos en el salC3n quedaron en silencio. Incluso en su discurso, Bush sC3lo pudo citar dos paC-ses que apoyan el aislar a Cuba, HungrC-a y la RepC:blica Checa. Casi todos los otros paC-ses del mundo han condenado el bloqueo criminal del gobierno estadounidense contra Cuba, y ni uno todavC-a ha expresado apoyo a esta escalada irresponsable. EstC! claro que cuando Bush habla sobre Cuba, estC! hablando solamente a nombre de la clase dominante estadounidense y del pequeC1o grupo de cubanos ultraderechistas. C l definitivamente no estC! hablando a nombre del pueblo de los Estados Unidos que no tiene ni el deseo ni el interC)s de emprender una guerra contra el pueblo de Cuba. La gente de este paC-s, como la de Irak y de otros incontables paC-ses, sabe muy bien quC) es lo que Bush tiene en mente cuando habla de "liberaciC3n." Nadie quiere que se gasten miles de millones de dC3lares mC!s en otro saqueo asesino de una naciC3n soberana. Pero sC3lo el hecho de que Bush estC) completamente aislado polC-ticamente no garantizarC! la protecciC3n de Cuba. Ni tampoco el hecho de que cualquier ataque contra Cuba seguramente terminarC! en la derrota de las fuerzas estadounidenses. El gobierno de los EEUU ha estado persistentemente decidido a derrotar a Cuba a travC)s de cada administraciC3n presidencial en los pasados cincuenta aC1os. Bush particularmente es extremadamente irresponsable y arrogante. El hecho de que estC) enfrentC!ndose a una derrota ahora mismo en Irak no ha prevenido el que amenace con guerra a IrC!n, Venezuela, y ahora a Cuba. El pueblo de los EEUU debe estar listo para defender a Cuba. Debemos confrontar a la administraciC3n de Bush; contra todas sus aventuras imperialistas, pero especialmente para solidarizarnos con Cuba, que es un faro de esperanza para los pueblos de todo el mundo que estC!n luchando por la verdadera liberaciC3n. Debemos continuar luchando por la libertad para los Cinco Cubanos, que simbolizan el derecho de Cuba a defenderse contra el terror de los EEUU. El pueblo cubano no ha demostrado sino amabilidad y generosidad al pueblo de los Estados Unidos. Han abierto sus escuelas mC)dicas a l@s estudiantes de los Estados Unidos que desean trabajar como doctor@s en comunidades pobres. Ofrecieron ayuda a l@s sobrevivientes del huracC!n Katrina. A cambio, Bush no les ha ofrecido sino agresiC3n continuada. B!Es hora de que la gente de este paC-s estC) en solidaridad con Cuba y de rechazar el programa de guerra infinita de Bush! B!Debemos exigir el fin del bloqueo, la libertad para los Cinco Cubanos, y absolutamente ninguna guerra contra Cuba! B!No a la intervenciC3n de los EEUU en Cuba! B!LiberaciC3n de los Cinco Cubanos! B!ExtradiciC3n del terrorista Luis Posada Carriles! B!Venceremos! * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================