Understanding Cuba

And Why That Is Important
Essay updated: Friday, July 10th, 2015

      For Americans to understand Cuba, I believe it is essential for them to get to know this young lady -- 26-year-old Cristina Escobar. She is pure Cuban and she happens to be the most popular and most influential journalist in Cuba. Both in Spanish and English, she is ubiquitous on Cuban television and on regional television networks such as Telesur. She is an absolute brilliant anchor in delivering both news and opinions. She is also an extraordinary interviewer, adept at listening acutely to replies before formulating her follow-up questions. She recently covered the last Josefina Vidal-Roberta Jacobson diplomatic meeting in Washington and stunned veteran journalists at a crowded White House News Conference when she fired a series of questions at Press Secretary Josh Earnest, an exchange that lasted exactly five minutes and 59 seconds and still is being talked about. {Check it out on YouTube} Five of her questions were the most pertinent five questions asked that day. {"Do you think U. S. diplomats at a new embassy in Havana will be respectful to Cuba?" "Will the U. S. continue its regime change programs?" "Can we expect President Obama to visit Cuba in 2016...?"}. After highlighting that news conference, she made a series of one-on-one interviews and several gripping speeches, in both Spanish and English, while in Washington. Before she landed back in Havana, it is known that she had been offered "3 million tax-free dollars" if she would defect to Miami, a price apparently quite available because she, indeed, would be a very luminous embarrassment to Cuba if she defected. But unlike many others, that is not in her DNA. She has a huge following on the island, Fidel Castro included, but primarily she has inspired other twentysomethings on the island to firmly believe that they can give Cuba a prosperous future, "With me the dictator, Ha!"

         On state television in Cuba and on regional networks like Telesur, Cristina Escobar is a great ambassador for Cuba because of her journalistic talent and her sincere devotion to the island and its people. Beyond that, she has integrity and is fair-and-balanced in her presentations. She realizes that Cuba has a ways to go to realize its "unlimited potential as a sovereign nation." She staunchly believes that Cubans on the island, not "defectors" in Miami nor "right-wing thugs" in Washington, should predicate Cuba's future. Americans wonder, after all these decades, how in the world Revolutionary Cuba has survived when fiercely determined anti-Castro zealots in Miami, for all these years, have had the incomparable support of the U. S. military, the U. S. treasury, and the U. S. Congress -- as well as the acquiescence of the U. S. public -- to assist their primary goal, which is to regain control of the nearby vulnerable but pugnacious island. Understanding Celia Sanchez from 1953 till she died of cancer in 1980 would be a place to start. Then understanding Josefina Vidal from 2000 till 2015 would be the next place to go. But understanding Cristina Escobar from 2015 well into the foreseeable future is where Americans should concentrate now if they want to understand Cuba. She is Cuba's present and Cuba's future.

       And in the current digital age, it is incredibly easy for Americans to get to know Cristina Escobar. She is shown above interviewing an awesomely important, decision-making Cuban -- Josefina Vidal. This particular interview lasted exactly 39 minutes and 57 seconds and has been shown regionally and around the world. It is in Spanish and you can see and hear the entire interview on YouTube merely by dialing up: "Interviews From Cuba: Cristina Escobar" when you visit YouTube. That simple search will quickly reveal a page of Escobar interviews and one that shows her extreme anchoring talents. But it's the interviews on YouTube that will best introduce Americans to both Cristina Escobar and Cuba. One of her interviews in English with Hugo Cancio runs 13 minutes and 11 seconds. It is particularly insightful. Cancio was born in Havana but has been a successful businessman in Miami for three decades. He mentions that when he has said some positives about Cuba in Miami he has needed protection from authorities. He tells Cristina that the majority of Cuban-Americans agree with him but he strongly laments the fact that the only Cuban-Americans in the U. S. Congress are radical anti-Castro zealots bent on punishing all Cubans on the island, apparently because they, through two generations now, haven't been able to recapture the island since 1959. After Cancio expresses that opinion, you'll be interested to see Cristina's reaction. Her Cancio interview on YouTube is in English. Americans are being told that Marco Rubio is Cuba's future, especially when he or Jeb Bush becomes Commander in Chief. That's not so. Cristina Escobar is Cuba's future.

       To understand Cuba and U.S.-Cuban relations in the year 2015, one needs to understand Cristina, the island's young journalistic superstar. Americans need to know why "3 million un-taxed dollars" do not mean nearly as much to Cristina as staying on the island to help make sure that young Cubans like her, not "defectors" or "right-wing thugs" in Washington, dictate Cuba's future. With their dominance of the U. S. media, Miami Cubans control the Cuban narrative in the U. S. but Cristina Escobar is the countermeasure in Cuba, the Caribbean, and, more and more, in Latin America. She is a force because she is effective in articulating that such things as the terrorist bombing of Cubana Flight 455 "was wrong" while the Miami narrative effectively convinced the American people that it was "the biggest blow yet again Castro." In regard to the terrorist bombing of the child-laden Cuban airplane, Cristina is aware of de-classified U. S. documents that reveal the U. S. government and the FBI knew the culprits had informed the CIA beforehand about their plans to bomb a Cuban plane. Afterward, declassified documents prove that the U. S. knew of a code message the actual bomber sent to the actual mastermind: "73 dogs just went over the cliff." Cristina Escobar believes 73 innocent people, not "dogs," died on that plane, including two dozen young athletes. Except for proselytized Americans, the rest of the world agrees with Cristina Escobar.

       Ever since the 1950s Americans have been proselytized and propagandized to focus on the soon-to-be 89-year-old Fidel Castro. But to have gotten a clearer understanding of how an island defeated a dictator supported by the Mafia and the United States, Americans would understand it better if they had concentrated on Celia Sanchez. To understand how that island has maintained its sovereignty from 1959 till today, Americans would comprehend that phenomenon better by concentrating on Josefina Vidal. And to understand how Cuba might manage to maintain its identify in the face of super threats from Miami and Washington, Americans need to understand Cristina Escobar. If you study this photo, you might conclude that she doesn't look all that formidable, certainly not as a primary barrier to Miami Cubans in the U. S. Congress who can dictate unlimited tax dollars and, if they secure the proper pretext and capture the White House, they can also deliver massive military force to thwart her dreams for Cuba's future. But Celia Sanchez, the doctor's daughter, was underestimated. Josefina Vidal, the stoic intellectual, is underestimated. And it is likely Cristina Escobar, the 26-year-old superstar journalist, will be underestimated. Beyond all that, if there comes a day when Cristina Escobar puts intimidation or millions of un-taxed dollars ahead of her dreams for Cuba, the island as a sovereign nation will likely cease to exist. Just as Celia Sanchez was Cuba's best hope in 1953 and Josefina Vidal has been Cuba's best hope since 2000, Cristina Escobar is its best hope in 2015 and beyond. An underdog? Yes. Impossible? No. Meanwhile, carrying out their propaganda machine as long as possible, the Miami Cubans insist Americans be fixated on 84-year-old Raul Castro and Fidel Castro, who turns 89 on August 13th. They surely don't want you to know anything about Celia Sanchez, Josefina Vidal or Cristina Escobar. And, of course, as long as that propaganda machine works, the four Miami Cubans in the U. S. Congress can continue to stuff the Washington-to-Miami pipeline with ongoing billions of hard-earned U. S. tax dollars to fund what now is 37 known regime change projects, money also designed to enrich elite Miami Cubans. {Respected journalist and Cuban expert Tracey Eaton, on his AlongTheMalecon website, recently listed 32 of those regime change projects and the tax dollars devoted to them. He also listed -- via data secured under the Freedom of Information law -- the exact obscene salaries being paid to the dozens of Miami Cubans working at Radio-TV Marti, providing the names and their salaries. Of course, ABC-TV News nearly two decades ago revealed Radio-TV Marti as "The Broadcast To Nowhere" but one soaking up "hundreds of millions" of tax dollars.} Remember one of those questions Cristina Escobar fired at White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest? In case you forgot or didn't hear it on YouTube, she asked, "Will the U. S. continue those regime change programs?" U. S. taxpayers should love Cristina. U. S. journalists don't have the guts to ask such questions but American taxpayers might eventually garner enough courage to do so. Most Cuban watchers understand that those ubiquitous regime change schemes, repeated assassination attempts against Castro, the Bay of Pigs attack that served to crown the Castro legend, the terrorist bombing of the child-laden civilian Cubana Flight 455 airplane, etc., etc. are prime reasons one man on one island has survived all these decades with a soon-to-be legacy that will also resonate. Cristina Escobar, the young and brilliant Cuban journalist, seems to understand what she calls the "Miami Cubans." Perhaps it is time Americans do too, not because they have any concern for Cuba but because they should have concern for their democracy and for the image the Miami Cubans are sending around the world.

        This is a graphic image of Cubana Flight 455 on fire as it crashed into the ocean because of a terrorist bomb. When Emilio Milian, the great Cuban-American newsman in Miami, complained about such things, he was car-bombed. When Jim DeFede, the great Miami Herald columnist, excoriated Miami's members of the U. S. Congress for their incredible support and protection of the well-known bombers, he was fired. The Miami-Cuban narrative about Cubana Flight 455 is: "It's the biggest blow yet against Castro." and "73 dogs just went over the cliff." Cristina Escobar's narrative about Cubana Flight 455 is: "73 innocent people, many of them children, died on Cubana Flight 455." and "Such things, by contrast, have helped sustain support and respect for Fidel all these years." and "Terrorism against innocent civilians anywhere is wrong." So, who is correct about Cubana Flight 455 and other issues that separate the U. S. from Cuba? Are the Miami Cubans right? Or is Cristina Escobar right? If Americans had the insight and the courage to ask those two questions, they would better understand two things: {1} What created Fidel Castro and what will sustain his soon-to-be legacy; and {2} why the very vulnerable island of Cuba is still standing in 2015...and beyond.

          Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was born in Long Island (New York} 48 years ago but she has represented South Florida as a Democrat in the U. S. Congress since 2005 {AP photo}. This week she excoriated a fellow Democrat, President Obama, for his overtures to Cuba. She assailed him about Cuba's "horrendous human rights record." Of course, she'll never comment about Batista's human rights record in Cuba prior to the revolution or about the Cuban-exile human rights record in South Florida since 1959, such as the terrorist airplane bombing of Cubana Flight 455 or with the terrorist car bombing of Cuban-American newsman Emilio Millian for going on the air and bravely/decently complaining about such things.

         Fox News is a veritable haven for right-wing Republicans who are seemingly provided unlimited airtime to bash Cuba and/or President Obama. But a Democrat from South Florida who will do the same, like Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is often afforded the same free airtime. She, by contrast, is a reminder of the YouTube interview Cristina Escobar had with Cuban-born Miami businessman Hugo Cancio. He complained to Escobar about two things: {1} He has needed police protection when he has said something positive about Cuba; and {2} he said most of Florida's 1.2 million Cuban-Americans agree with him but only anti-Cuban zealots end up in Washington in the U. S. Congress.  And whether entrenched Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz admits it or not, many democracy-lovers believe that the points Hugo Cancio made are more U. S. problems than they are Cuban problems.

She and Rubio will heatedly deny all that.

But...ask Cristina Escobar.

She is Cuba's antithesis to the Miami Cubans. 

       This is my favorite photo this week. {If you thought my favorite photo this week was the latest one of Cristina Escobar, you would be wrong} This one was taken by Marie Read and is used courtesy of Birds & Blooms Magazine, which I have no connection with except for being a loyal subscriber. I also subscribe to Time, National Geographic, The Saturday Evening Post, Major League Baseball, and both the print and digital versions of USA Today. In Marie Read's stunningly superb photo above, that is a male Great Blue Heron bringing nesting material to his mate who is very busy building a home for their future family.

       I received this book from Amazon on July 7th, the very day it was published. I believe the now 90-year-old Jimmy Carter was America's smartest and most decent President although fate, such as Iran, intervened to reduce his effectiveness and prevent a second term. But Mr. Carter's post-presidency, I believe, has far exceeded that of all other American presidents. I have also read all 27 of Mr. Carter's other books. In addition, other bios or memoirs from Amazon that I have recently devoured are about: Hope Solo, Brooke Shields, Sissy Spacek, Elizabeth Smart, Rachel Carson, Tete Puebla, and Amanda Knox. As you may detect, I admire the accomplishments of many women and a mere handful of men, with Jimmy Carter atop that list. I also recently purchased from Amazon Charles Leerhsen's "Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty;" "The Romanov Sisters" by Helen Rappaport; and "Toward The Setting Sun" by Brian Hicks. That latter book is about the Cherokees and the Trail of Tears, and it reminded me anew that Andrew Jackson should have been in prison instead of being elected President in 1828. {And Jimmy Carter deserved a second term}.

       Speaking of books, 82-year-old David McCullough is still America's best author/historian. His latest gem -- "The Wright Brothers" -- should earn him a third Pulitzer Prize. This one I didn't buy; it was a birthday gift.

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