cubaninsider

6.3.15

Visit Cuba to Know Cuba

Then Vent Your Own Propaganda
Updated: Sunday, March 8th, 2015

If you visit Cuba these days this is a common sight you would see -- buildings displaying both the American and Cuban flags. The flags blowing in the tropical breeze seem to be speaking softly, hoping the mutual efforts by the two nations will succeed in normalizing relations. Most Cubans want it to happen. Most Americans, including those in Miami, want it to happen. Most citizens of the world want it to happen. But it probably won't happen. A few vicious Cuban-American benefactors don't want it to happen. From Batistiano bastions in Miami and Union City, a handful of Cuban-Americans have dictated America's Cuban policy since 1959. That won't change in 2015. The American democracy is still strong, but not quite that strong.

This week Conan O'Brien devoted his whole TBS late-night program to Cuba after his visit to the island consumed four days. His video crew preceded his arrival and got some interesting footage of everyday life on the nearby "wickedly oppressed" but "utterly fascinating" nation, which sometimes is just called "wickedly appealing."

Conan O'Brien has been one of America's most notable comedians for the past 22 years and his wackiness on the streets of Havana entertained the Cubans. There were no restrictions on where he could go or who he could talk to, so he engaged in entertaining dialogue with a beautiful Cuban woman in a bar, a charismatic Cuban teacher who tried, mostly in vain, to teach him some Spanish, and another diligent Cuban escorted Conan through a large pig farm. On the streets, including the famed Malecon promenade, Conan's interactions with everyday Cubans highlighted his visit.

Jake Tapper is one of CNN's top anchors and generally considered the networks most erudite and best informed anchor. Yet, his ignorance regarding Cuba is not surprising because, I assume, he has never been there and thus has been susceptible, for all his 45 years of life, to propaganda about the island, mostly from unchallenged Cuban-exile sources. That is not to say that revolutionary Cuba is beyond criticism; indeed it is not and I have criticized it. {But, seemingly unknown to Tapper, the Batista-Mafia dictatorship that preceded it was not exactly a Mother Teresa-type rule}. This week Tapper interviewed Conan O'Brien to promote Conan's program about Cuba. One of Tapper's questions inquired about the "Cuban minders" who, Tapper assumed, allowed Conan to see only what they wanted him to see and go only where they wanted him to go. Conan seemed to shock Tapper when he explained there were "no minders" and both Conan and his large crew were told they could go wherever they wanted and see whomever they wanted with no restrictions. I was told the exact same thing when I was in Cuba to research Celia Sanchez.

Chris Cuomo is another very intelligent CNN anchor. He's also very ignorant about Cuba, which I assume he has never visited but, for all of his 44 years of life, has been told what to think, mostly by Cuban-exiles or their sycophants who have their own special agendas, often monetary ones. Recently, Cuomo interviewed someone who had been to Cuba and tried, unsuccessfully, to get that guest to talk about "the decades of brutality" revolutionary Cuba has subjected its people to since 1959 -- implying, of course, that prior to 1959 the Mother Teresa-type Batista-Mafia dictatorship had treated the Cuban people sweetly. {I obviously watch CNN because I think it is the best cable network news outfit, especially on Breaking News, but like the biased ones -- Fox and MSNBC -- its money-saving overuse of pundits masquerading as experts is a quick turn-off. I merely use Tapper and Cuomo to point out that even CNN is not capable of providing unbiased, intelligent reporting when the topic is Cuba although CNN does have a bureau in Havana. Biased Cuban reporting shames the U. S. media because, although unwittingly, the nearby island -- daily since the 1950s -- has greatly shaped the region's and the world's image of the United States and its democracy}.

Andrew M. Cuomo is the 57-year-old Governor of New York and he is the brother of CNN's highest-profile morning anchor Chris Cuomo. Governor Cuomo is already booked for a trip to Cuba because, like other governors, he hopes the warming of relations between the U. S. and Cuba can benefit farmers and businesses from his state. When Governor Cuomo returns from Cuba he will likely be interviewed by Chris Cuomo. I hope a panting Chris does not begin his typical Cuban interview with this question, "Governor, can you begin by telling the American people about all of those Cuban minders who made sure you saw only what those brutal Cuban leaders wanted you to see?" If Chris prefaced his interview with that question, I would assume Andrew, his brother the Governor, would reply something like this: "Uh, Chris, there were no minders. There were no restrictions on my going where I wanted to go and the top dissidents on the island were not off-limits to me. I..." "But, Governor, before we proceed, at least tell us how nervous you were in Cuba. I mean, we have been reporting all week about the Congresswoman from Miami, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, telling us and the world that, quote, 'Cuba is a clear and present danger to the United States.' Now, Governor, we all know the members of Congress from Miami are the very best sources for true information about Cuba, so as a top American politician, how nervous were you in Cuba about that 'clear and present danger?'" If Governor Cuomo answered such a question, his answer might have been: "Well, Chris, I, uh...you know, my staff had, uh, already informed me that Cuba is probably the safest place for me to visit and they also informed me that Cuban people were friendly to Americans and that I...uh, I know this will surprise you...was what I found.'" {Moral of this apocryphal story: Chris Cuomo gets his Cuban data from Miami and Andrew Cuomo will presumably get his data from an actual visit to the island. And, yes, it is a Herculean difference.}.

Francois Hollande, the President of France, has scheduled a visit to Cuba as the European Union seeks closer relations with the island. President Hollande, instead of getting his Cuban information from Miami, apparently believes it is best to get it first-hand. Of course, Presidents of nations that promote or consider reasonable relations with Cuba -- such as Panama in recent days -- can expert scathing letters on congressional stationery reminding them of the error of their ways. I have read the scathing letters to the Panamanian President. I am not sure the French President has gotten his, but it's probably now in the mail to Paris.

This Enrique De La Osa/Reuters photo was taken late this week -- Thursday -- in Havana. It shows Christan Leffler, the European Union's top diplomat for the Americas, holding a news conference to conclude his two-day stay in Havana. He told Daniel Trotta of Reuters that the EU is elated with the U. S. effort to normalize relations with Cuba. He said, "The two processes -- America's and ours -- complement each other and we very much welcome the step the U. S. is taking away from constant confrontation. It lifts a cloud that has hung over the region." The EU lifted sanctions against Cuba in 2008 but, because of the worldwide influence of the U. S., has been reluctant to go further. But in Havana this week, Mr. Leffler made it plain that the EU and the rest of the world does not feel so "restrained" in its dealings with Cuba if it does not anger the world superpower, the U. S. As Mr. Leffler and the world understands, that U. S. policy since 1959 has been dictated by self-serving Cuban exiles and their carefully honed sycophants in the U. S. Congress, from Jesse Helms to Lindsey Graham...and beyond.

This Reuters photo was taken Thursday {March 5th} at a meeting between Cuba and the European Union. The main Cuban negotiator, depicted on the left-front, is Abelardo Moreno. The primary EU negotiator, on the right-front, is Christian Leffler.

As President Obama battles a Bastistiano-dominated U. S. Congress in a brave and gargantuan effort to normalize relations with Cuba, Jose Marti Airport in Havana is flush with visitors from the U. S. hoping to benefit from more normal relations with the neighboring island. This Reuters/Getty Images photo shows some of the 95-members of a powerful American Agricultural Coalition that visited Cuba for three days this week. The Americans shown above are sampling fruit and juice from a Cuban farm and it appears they were impressed. Among the 95 Americans in this group were two former U. S. Secretaries of Agriculture. Their visit was appropriate as opposed, say, to calling on Cuban-Americans in Congress to tell them all about Cuba.

To praise or damn Cuba, it is best to visit the island and judge it for yourself because the U. S. media is not yet capable of providing Americans an unbiased view. I have been to Cuba and traveled the island from one end to the other, without any restrictions from what Chris Cuomo called "minders." Thus, I believe I can praise it or damn it, which I do in this forum. Yes, a voracious Havana-born member of the U. S. Congress from Miami lobbed a grenade to counter President Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba and got the usual mainstream media coverage with that "Cuba is a clear and present danger to the United States" propaganda. Such uncontested comments insult the late Tom Clancy and...America.

By the way, in the past week 88-year-old Fidel Castro was well enough to host the Cuba 5 in his Havana home. They are the five Cubans who had been sentenced in Miami to 15 years to life in American prisons but two were released after serving their terms and the other three secured their freedom as part of the December 17th deal that freed American Alan Gross from a Cuban prison. In this photo, the most famed member of the Cuba 5 and the one that had received the life sentence in that Miami courtroom, Gerardo Hernandez, is shown shaking hands this week with the seated and obviously very weak Fidel Castro. By the way, this photo shows three of the Cuba 5 paying homage to revolutionary icon. The man on the right is Alejandro Castro Espin. Alejandro is the 49-year-old son of Cuban President Raul Castro and his wife Vilma Espin, the late and legendary revolutionary. Alejandro is a Colonel in the Cuban army and it appears he escorted the Cuba 5 to his uncle Fidel's home in Havana.

In the early days of March, 2015, Fidel Castro remains very sick and quite weak. Dalia, his wife since 1980 and the mother of his last five sons, minutely determines who gets to see him. "He is 88-years-old," she told Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro two weeks ago. "The illness that almost killed him in 2006 remains my worry. I allow you to see him again but, understand, it is on a good-day/bad-day basis now." Thus, based on his prime care-taker Dalia, February 27th was a "good day" for Fidel because that was the day she allowed the Cuba 5 to spend five hours with him.

On a different topic................

.......this little songbird is a Wood Thrush Sparrow.

{Photo was taken by Marie Read and is used courtesy of Birds & Blooms}

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3.3.15

Naty and Fidel

A Revolutionary Love Affair
Updated: Thursday, March 5th, 2015

Naty Revuelta died Friday, February 27th, at age 89 in Havana. The love of her long life was Fidel Castro. Born on December 6th, 1925, Naty was one year older than the now 88-year-old Fidel. Naty's mom, who had divorced when Naty was a baby, worked for the U.S.-owned Havana Electric Company. A nationalist, the teenage Naty resented the fact that Cuba was "a pawn and a piggy-bank" for the United States. By the time she exited her teens, Naty was considered by many the most beautiful woman on the island. Fidel Castro, the young lawyer, saw her for the first time in 1951 at a rally in Havana honoring Cuban rebels killed in the previous century by Spanish soldiers. Naty was the most beautiful thing Fidel had ever seen. Like many young men in Havana, Fidel's lust for Naty was insatiable. But at age 22 she had married a rich heart doctor named Orlando Fernandez, 20 years her senior. She had a daughter, Nina, with Dr. Fernandez. Fidel had married Mirta Diaz-Balart in 1948 and they quickly had a son they called Fidelito. But by 1953, while married to others, Naty and Fidel shared a common passion -- the defeat of the vile U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fidel began planning his revolution in early 1953 in Naty's home. She emptied her personal bank account, $6,000, and sold her diamonds and jewels to become the first major supporter of Fidel's nascent revolutionary ideas. It was in Naty's home that Fidel, Haydee Santamaria, Melba Hernandez and other young rebels planned the ill-fated attack on Batista's Moncada Army Barracks on the edge of Santiago de Cuba on the island's southeastern tip. Many of the 120 rebels were shot to pieces in that attack on July 26-1953 and the rest were soon captured -- including Fidel, Haydee, and Melba. Most of the captured rebels were tortured and murdered but Fidel and the two females were imprisoned at the behest of Batista's prime supporter, the United States. The disastrous Moncada attack had made Fidel the hero for the majority peasants who were being unmercifully maligned and, if they even meekly resisted, they were routinely butchered by Batista's forces, especially the infamous Masferrer Tigers. In prison Fidel sent a litany of now-famous love letters to Naty. One ended up being sent to Mirta, leading to her divorce from Fidel. In May of 1955, to sate the rumblings of the peasants, the U. S. prevailed upon Batista to free Fidel, Haydee, and Melba. Batista complied because he wanted the opportunity to murder the closely monitored Fidel away from the prying eyes of the peasants and New York Times reporter Herbert L. Mathews. Tailed by hit-men, female admirers Celia Sanchez, whom Fidel had never seen, and Naty, whom he had seen, provided a sequence of safe houses for Fidel before he could escape to the U. S. and Mexico where he wanted to recruit money and men before returning to Cuba to wage revolutionary war against Batista. One of the safe houses was owned by Naty and that's where she was impregnated by Fidel Castro. Their daughter was named Alina.

Naty had one daughter, Nina, with Dr. Fernandez but they divorced when he learned how deeply her affection for Fidel really was. Her illicit daughter with Fidel, Alina {shown here with Naty}, was born in March of 1956, six months before Fidel left Mexico to join Celia Sanchez in the Sierra Maestra Mountains to wage the Revolutionary War against Batista, finally chasing the Batistianos off the island in the wee hours of January 1, 1959. But by age 12 Alina had grown rebellious and disliked Fidel, some say because of jealousy while others say because he refused to shower her and her friends with luxuries. By 1956 when he was in Mexico, Fidel had divorced Mirta and Naty had divorced Dr. Fernandez. Fidel sent word for Naty to join him in Mexico so they could get married. She refused but only because she believed "you will not live long because the Batistianos, the Mafia or the U. S. will soon kill you." Throughout the 1960s, the 1970s and into the 1980s, all three of his prime enemy factions -- as correctly named by Naty -- tried their best to kill him but, somehow, Fidel survived as Cuba's leader. In 1993 Alina defected to Madrid before ending up in Miami, Florida.

Alina carried with her to Spain the torrid love letters Naty had received from the imprisoned Fidel. They were indeed steamy. In one of the letters, Fidel wrote: "I am on fire. Write to me for I cannot live without your letters." Alina sold the private letters to a publisher, greatly embarrassing her father and direly breaking her mother's heart when they were published internationally. From 1993 till today, Alina has told the world that she defected from Cuba because of what her father "was doing" to Cuba. But Naty and others believed her teenage hatred of her father was because he refused to shower her or her friends with the luxuries she expected from the leader of a nation, a leader who was born rich but who happened not to shower himself or his other nine children with luxuries. In any case, like many other defectors, Alina has grown very rich in the U. S. as an anti-Castro zealot. In her anti-Castro books, her anti-Castro talk show in Miami, and especially via her lucrative anti-Castro speeches on college campuses across America, Alina -- like many other anti-Castro defectors in Miami, Florida -- is now a rich lady, living in homes far more luxurious than the modest one her father still lives in on the western edge of Havana.

This is a Dec. 7-1953 prison letter from Fidel to Naty.

This is a Feb. 9-1954 prison letter from Fidel to Naty.

Alina Fernandez, the daughter of Naty and Fidel, had recently been making monthly trips to Havana from Miami as Naty's battle with emphysema worsened. Alina was there when Naty's body was cremated, after which Alina attended a very private memorial ceremony. Cuba readily allowed Alina's visits from Miami.

While Alina made regular trips to Cuba to visit her ailing 89-year-old mother Naty, the chasm between Alina and her ailing 88-year-old father, Fidel, is far too wide for her to visit him. While he is abundantly aware that Alina, since 1993, has aligned herself with the anti-Castro faction in Miami, Fidel has never been known to say an unkind word about her. It is also known that he keeps this photo in his bedroom.

Castro's daughter: A Cuban-American tragedy.

Throughout her adult life, the sultry, beautiful, blond, green-eyed Naty maintained her intense love for Fidel Castro and her eternal devotion to the revolution that she helped him forge.

As she aged, Naty more and more became reclusive as she tried to avoid the unwanted limelight. But her relationship with Fidel has always fascinated both the public and troves of journalists. This photo of a smoking Naty illustrated a long article in US News & World Report magazine. In the article, Naty lavishly confirmed her undying love for Fidel. She was so effusive, in fact, that she was asked if there was any one thing she would criticize him for. She unhesitatingly replied, borrowing a famous line from a Jose Marti poem: "Not even with the petal of a rose." She loved Marti but she loved Fidel more: "Marti tried really hard but died on the battlefield; Fidel tried but lived".

This is one of the last and one of the greatest photos ever taken of Naty Revuelta. The photographer was Sven Creutzmann. It shows Naty in a rocking chair in her Havana home. Over her right shoulder is a portrait of her when she was young. Over her left shoulder is a portrait of Fidel when he was young. The expression on her still beautiful face indicated that her memories will be forever young, as they should be.

{Naty: Dec. 6, 1925--Feb. 27, 2015}

Naty Revuelta will always be remembered for two monumental things: Her enormous beauty and her enormous love for Fidel Castro. Georgia Anne Geyer, America's seminal Castro biographer, wrote in her book "Guerrilla Prince": "Naty was one of the most exquisitely beautiful women in Cuba and a woman with an abnormally sensuous appetite for revolution and adventure." Ted Szulc, in his excellent book "Fidel: A Critical Portrait", wrote: "Naty was one of an extraordinary contingent of beautiful and/or highly intelligent women who, in effect, dedicated their lives to Fidel and his cause." Above all that beauty and notoriety, Naty was a sweet and gentle lady. She had 89 remarkable years. Her cremated ashes will forever remain in Cuba and she will forever be a part of two legacies -- Fidel Castro's and the Cuban Revolution's. Her life was well-lived. May she rest in peace.

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The two most important women in Fidel Castro's life have been Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria. They are shown here flanking Fidel shortly after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. He has always maintained that Celia and Haydee "were more vital to the revolution than me or any others." Indeed, Celia and Haydee eclipsed Fidel and the others when it came to fighting, planning, and recruiting -- the prime elements that defeated Batista. Fidel was still a young, powerful, and vigorous leader of Cuba in 1980 when Celia died of cancer and Haydee committed suicide because of Celia's death. After first Celia died and then Haydee, Fidel endured the darkest and saddest days of his life, as revealed by intimates and his best biographer, Georgie Anne Geyer.

Fidel Castro's recognition of Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria as the two most important cogs in the Cuban Revolution is a fact recognized by the best Cuban historians, such as Pedro Alvarez Tabio and Marta Rojas. Haydee and Celia are shown above leading a guerrilla army in the Sierra Maestra while Fidel was off the island for almost two years right after he had spent almost two years in a Batista prison. The revolution was essentially over -- except for the fact that Celia and Haydee not only kept it supplied but led the front-line fighting that kept Batista's army from winning.

When Fidel finally joined Celia and Haydee in the Sierra Maestra in December of 1956, the two female guerrilla fighters provided him his first rifle {above}. On his treacherous journey from Mexico to hook up with Celia, the old yacht Granma leaked badly and had to be ditched fifteen miles up the coast from the beach where Celia waited. A phone call from Mexico City had tipped off Batista about the yacht's departure. A Batista helicopter spotted the leaking Granma and Batista soldiers set up an ambush as the unarmed men swam to shore. All but 17 of the 82 men aboard the Granma were killed. Celia still got there in time to save Fidel and sixteen others, including future commanders Raul Castro, Che Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos. Fidel's rifle and ammunition belt were at the bottom of the ocean when Celia saved his life. That's why Celia and Haydee showed him the weapon in the above photo.

In addition to leading the guerrilla fighting against Batista's forces, Celia and Haydee were the revolution's top recruiters of rebels, weapons, and money. This photo shows Celia and Haydee in the heart of the Sierra Maestra showing Fidel a stash of $100 bills that Haydee had gotten in Miami after Celia sent her on the mission in which Haydee reluctantly went because she preferred staying in the Sierra "fighting the Batistianos." Her motivation was fueled by Batista's brutality to the peasants but greatly exacerbated when, in prison after the Moncada attack in July of 1953, Haydee was unmercifully tortured. One day she was tied to a chair and forced to watch as her fiancee was tortured to death and then his testicles were cut off and rubbed on her chest. So, it's understandable that Celia had to encourage her to leave the fighting to make the recruiting trip to Miami. But Celia knew that procuring rebel fighters, weapons, and supplies was the lifeblood of the revolution. By the time Fidel returned from Mexico, Celia was receiving shiploads and planeloads of weapons and supplies from friends she had cultivated atop the government of Venezuela. As the great historian Pedro Alvarez Tabio said, "If Batista had managed to kill Celia Sanchez anytime between 1953 and 1957, there would have been no viable Cuban Revolution, and no revolution for Fidel and Che to join." He could also have said the same thing about Haydee. The Cuban Revolution was a female-inspired and female-fueled revolution. The macho Fidel Castro has always admitted that even though he too fought bravely on the front-lines in the Sierra, at the Bay of Pigs, and elsewhere. The machismo-inspired Batistianos, who precipitously fled the revolution for a safe and lucrative sanctuary on U. S. soil, have always denied that. I, uh...wonder why?

This photo montage was vital to Celia Sanchez and the Cuban Revolution. The man is Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal. He was a top Admiral and politician in Venezuela and in 1955 he proclaimed, "The doctor's daughter in Cuba is going to make history if she has a little help." The doctor's daughter was Celia Sanchez. Larrazabal helped her, both before and after he overthrew Venezuelan dictator Marcos Perez on January 23rd, 1958. Celia famously kept a million or so dollars in a closely guarded steel box and used it to purchase weapons and supplies. But Larrazabal, a respected family man, told her to "keep your funds for other needs, my love." He provided her, free of charge, valuable weapons and supplies at pre-arranged coastal drop-off points.

Keen Cuban historians know the significance of this photo. It was taken in Caracas in February of 1959, just weeks after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. It shows Fidel Castro chatting with Venezuelan Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal. Celia insisted, at that early date, flying to Venezuela so Fidel could personally thank Wolfgang. Cuban security had advised Celia not to go because Rafael Trujillo, the ruthless U.S-backed dictator of the Dominican Republic, had his warplanes patrolling for any Cuban aircraft or boats. But Celia's plane circled wide around the Dominican Republic and her risk paid off although, at the airport before the return flight, Celia's personal bodyguard was killed when he was struck by a propeller on a foggy night. But Fidel did get to thank Wolfgang and President Romulo Betancourt, who was also Celia's dear friend and is still known as The Father of Venezuela's Democracy. Some intimates of Celia maintained that Wolfgang was madly in love with Celia and at several meetings in the early 1950s on an island off the Cuban coast she reportedly reciprocated his love. But Tabio, Rojas, Fidel and others believe that the focused, pragmatic, and business-like Celia loved Wolfgang only because of the huge role he played in helping her achieve her life's primary goal -- beating Fulgencio Batista!!

Fidel Castro is now 88-years-old and unwell. But he is still Fidel Castro. He has always been an extremely private man, especially where the women in his life are concerned. But the five women, apart from his mother Lina, that he most loved and/or admired are his first wife Mirta Diaz-Balart, his revolutionary soul-mates Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria, his lover Naty Revuelta, and his current wife Dalia Soto del Valle. It was on March 1st that Fidel was told that Naty had died. Only his closest intimates -- Dalia and his eight loyal sons -- would know for sure, but it is believed that Naty Revuelta's death is hurting him more than anything that has transpired in his long and eventful life since Celia and Haydee both died in 1980.

Fidel Castro married Mirta Diaz-Balart in 1948.

Fidel and Mirta had a baby boy, Fidelito, in 1949.

This is an updated photo of Mirta and Fidelito, an interesting image to ponder. History records that the love letter Fidel wrote to Naty from prison that ended up being received by Mirta helped expedite Mirta's divorce from Fidel, Fidelito's father. Fidel later gained full custody of Fidelito, who is now a scientist and a professor. Mirta to this day maintains a home in Havana and remains motherly and wifely found of Fidelito and Fidel. Now that's interesting. Mirta's brother was the late Rafael Diaz-Balart. He was a key Minister in the Batista dictatorship and then, after the revolution, a fiercely anti-Castro billionaire in Miami. Rafael had four fiercely anti-Castro sons -- Lincoln, Mario, Jose, and Rafael Jr. With great head-starts in Miami, Lincoln and Mario got elected to the U. S. Congress. Jose today -- with his own ubiquitous anchoring programs on both Telemundo and MSNBC/NBC, is America's most anti-Castro news anchor. And Rafael Jr. is one of America's wealthiest bankers. Yet, Mirta -- the brother of Rafael Diaz-Balart and the aunt of his four powerful anti-Castro sons -- is today on close terms with Fidel Castro despite her close relatives in Miami...just as Naty Revuelta all her adult life loved Fidel Castro while her daughter with Fidel, Alina, has grown rich as an anti-Castro zealot in Miami. Trust me, I didn't make that up. I just use it as a reminder that in the U. S., where anti-Castro zealots control the Cuban narrative, Alina and the Diaz-Balarts don't want you to know this fact: All of the primary women in Fidel Castro's life presumably knew him well for many decades -- Mirta, Naty, Celia, Haydee, Melba, Vilma Espin, Tete Puebla, and Marta Rojas in particular. And all loved him all their adult lives. Interesting, huh? But in the U. S. since 1959, as Alina and the Diaz-Balarts can attest, you don't get rich by being pro-Castro but you surely can get rich by proclaiming your hatred of him. Mirta's four nephews from Miami hate him; Naty's and Fidel's daughter in Miami hates him. And they're all very rich! Mirta, Naty, Celia, Haydee, Melba, Vilma, Tete, and Marta...not very rich! Moral: It pays to hate Fidel, especially where anti-Castro/pro-Batista propaganda rules supreme, which is the case in the U. S. since January 1, 1959.

On Saturday -- February 28th, the day he learned of Naty's death -- Fidel's son Alex took this photo in the living room of Fidel's Havana home. The lady in the red dress is his wife Dalia, whom he married in 1980 at the request of Celia Sanchez, who was dying of cancer. The five Cuban men huddled around Fidel on February 28th, 2015, are "the Cuban 5." Two of the men had been released after serving almost 15 years in U. S. prisons and the other three were released on Dec. 17th, 2014 in an exchange that freed American Alan Gross from a Cuban prison. The exchange paved the way for Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro to announce plans to normalize relations between the two nations. On March the 1st, his first full day of mourning Naty's death, Fidel wrote a long tribute to the Cuba 5 that was published in the Cuban media and then released worldwide by news agencies. He began that article with these words: "Yesterday, I immediately wanted to converse with the Five Heroes. For five hours, that's what we did." He signed off on the long article with these words: "Fidel Castro Ruz; March 1, 2015; 10:12 P. M." When he finished writing that article at 10:12 Sunday night, he was undoubtedly consumed with his everlasting memories of Naty Revuelta. And surely, they were very private thoughts, as well they should be.

Remember the earlier photo of Fidelito, the baby Fidel Castro and his wife Mirta had in 1949. Well, this Reuters photo taken a few days ago shows U. S. entertainer Paris Hilton taking a selfie with Fidelito. Time flies and even the sons of Fidel age.

Paris Hilton posted this photo on her Instagram page with the caption "Cuba baby!" She is standing in front of the Hilton Hotel in Havana. She pointed out that her great-granddad, Conrad Hilton, opened the famed hotel in March of 1958 in the last year of the Batista dictatorship. The Habana Hilton has 25 stories and 515 rooms.

And speaking of the Hilton Hotel in Havana, this photo was taken in January of 1959. It shows Fidel Castro on a balcony of the Hilton Hotel overlooking Havana. Presumably, he liked the expansive view. After all, the Batistianos had just left.

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2.3.15

Latin America Could Explode

So Could U.S.-Cuban Detente
Monday, March 2nd, 2015

This Reuters photo shows Venezuela's harassed President Nicolas Maduro ratcheting up his viral anti-Americanism. Oil-rich Venezuela -- long an oil exporter to the U. S. -- is suffering. It has extremely high inflation and crime while struggling with basic shortages from household supplies to food. That tsunami of problems was exacerbated by the recent decline in oil revenue. Like his democratically elected predecessor Hugo Chavez, Maduro is a major supporter of Cuba, including a mutually beneficial oil-for-services trade arrangement. And like Chavez, Maduro firmly believes the prime anti-Cuban elements in the U. S. -- namely, the Bush dynasty and Cuban-Americans in the U. S. Congress -- are trying to overthrow his government. In fact, in 2002 the George W. Bush administration alarmed Venezuela and Latin American when it put anti-Castro zealots Otto Reich and Roger Noriega in charge of its Latin American affairs. The alarm came to fruition when a U.S.-involved coup briefly overthrew Chavez and the U. S. State Department quickly recognized the new government as legitimate...till riots in the streets of Caracas reversed it. When the last Bush administration ended, both Reich and Noriega reverted to their lucrative lobbying/consultancy businesses. But President Maduro is still paranoid about elements of the Bush presidencies and Cuban-Americans in Congress supporting a coup against him. Thus in the past week Maduro made headlines by banning former President George W. Bush and his Vice President Dick Chaney from visiting Venezuela. Additionally, Maduro barred the two most virulent anti-Cuban/Cuban-American Senators -- Robert Menendez from Union City and Marco Rubio from Miami -- from visiting Venezuela.

This traumatic street scene in which a teenager was killed was used by CNN to illustrate the increasingly more dangerous turmoil engulfing Venezuela. Streets demonstrations are now commonplace.

In the past year President Nicolas Maduro has jailed the primary opposition leaders, including Henrique Capriles, shown here, and Antonio Ledezma. Capriles was the governor of the state of Miranda while Ledezma was the Mayor of Caracas. Maduro believes both Capriles and Ledezma are strongly supported by anti-Cuban elements in Miami, Union City, and Washington. Amidst all the turmoil, Maduro's approval ratings have dipped into the 20-percentile region. But he still has the support of the poorest Venezuelans and the military leaders, and he still has resonance whenever he can attach any interference from the U. S. to his mounting problems, which indeed could unleash a very violent, bloody Latin American firestorm.

This photo is extremely relevant to both the recent history and the current events now unfolding in Latin America. That's the 79-year-old Jose Mujica being hosted by the 88-year-old Fidel Castro in Castro's Havana home. Last week Mujica finished up his successful 5-year run as the democratically elected President of Uruguay, and Sunday he turned the job over to another left-wing, peasant-loving President, his friend Tabare Vazguez. Like President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, etc., Mujica tried to replicate Castro by becoming a guerrilla fighter against a foreign-backed dictatorship. None replicated Castro's success but their efforts later led to many of them being democratically elected Presidents of their nations. Castro spent almost two years in prison, Rousseff spent almost three years in prison, and Mujica spent 13 years in prison! Twice he broke out of prison, once by tunneling underground into a private home. During his just-ended five years as President of Uruguay, Mujica lived outside the capital city of Montevideo in a very modest farmhouse and drove a 1987 Volkswagen. During the above conversation he said, "Living out your life modestly, Fidel, will add to the considerable legacy you will leave." This week on his last official day in office Jose Mujica made headlines by warning that the Venezuelan diaspora could implode into a bloody, long-term quagmire that "Latin America does not need considering the blood of children being shed elsewhere in wars." Jose Mujica's warning should be heeded.

This Getty Images/AFP photo shows Uruguay's new President Tabare Vazguez eagerly embracing Cuban President Raul Castro at Vazguez's inaugural ceremony Sunday {March 1, 2015} in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo. The 75-year-old Vazguez was Uruguay's President before and left office in 2010 with an approval rating of 80%. He replaces his friend, the 79-year-old and also wildly popular Jose Mujica. Uruguay is a very poor country with a population of only 3.5 million. But it's last two Presidents -- Vazguez-Mujica-and-Vazguez again -- are perceived as being staunch supporters of the majority poor. That's why Vazguez so eagerly embraced Raul Castro Sunday. Hundreds of Uruguayan medical students are receiving totally free educations at Cuba's famed Latin American School of Medicine in Havana. Also, Cuba maintains a skilled staff of 30 Operation Miracle eye doctors in Uruguay and both Mujica and Vazguez credit Operation Miracle with improving or restoring eyesight for thousands of Uruguayans who otherwise would never have had such medical care. In Montevideo Sunday Raul Castro met other Latin American Presidents -- including Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and Michelle Bachelet of Chile -- who are strong supporters of Cuba. Such sessions point out that Cuba has strong support throughout Latin America and just one enemy, the U. S., in North America. Yet, Americans are not supposed to comprehend the significance of this photo.

Three of Latin America's most important nations have female Presidents. They are, left to right, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, and Dilma Rousseff of Brazil. Each of these three women has been democratically elected to first terms and then democratically re-elected to their present second terms. However, in 2015 all three are now facing massive internal and external problems that have seen their popular support dwindle. All three of these Presidents are great admirers of Fidel Castro and all three have visited his home in Havana multiple times. And all three, in varying degrees, blame anti-Cuban elements in the United States for some or most of their political problems. President Fernandez in Argentina is the most out-spoken and the most troubled. "Miami," she said, "seems intent on taking down Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Nicaragua before that retake Cuba. I wonder if the world is watching this happen. Being blind to such things can destroy Latin American democracy."

Lilian Tintori, wife of imprisoned Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

{Photo courtesy of Fusion/Tumblr.com}

Maria Corina Machado {above, center} is the most powerful non-jailed opposition leader opposing President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. To her right in the above photo is the actress Lilian Tintori who is the wife of the powerful opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez who has been imprisoned for a year. As with the other major opposition leaders, President Maduro says Maria Corina Machado is funded and supported by anti-Cuban elements in Miami and Washington. "We all know this is true," Maduro says.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro uses this photograph and other data to tie Maria Corina Machado to the George W. Bush administration and the Bush dynasty. Maduro backers have accused both her and President Bush of strongly supporting the 2002 coup that briefly overthrew democratically elected President Hugo Chavez to install a "U.S.-friendly" dictator, Pedro Carmona. In fact, to this day democratically elected Presidents across Latin America agree with Maduro on that point and, obviously, it makes them cringe. It also accounts for much of America's lack of influence today throughout the region.

The above document reportedly shows the signatures of major backers of the would-be dictator Pedro Carmona. Notice the signature of Maria Corina Machado in the lower left. Indeed, Maria Corina Machado attended dictator Pedro Carmona's official swearing in ceremony as Bush's Latin American experts Otto Reich and Roger Noriega, both notable anti-Castro zealots, in Washington signaled the U. S. recognition of the "new government." Hours later millions of Venezuelans took to the streets, forcing the coup-leaders to return Hugo Chavez to the Presidency. From that day in 2002 till he died in office of cancer in 2013, Chavez was America's biggest Latin American opponent. The Bush, Corina, etc., involvement in the coup never resonated in the U. S. and today Chavez's democratically elected successor, President Maduro, also encounters a total lack of understanding in the U. S. where Maduro, like Chavez, is vilified. Neither the U. S. media nor the U. S. Congress will ever come clean about bloody coups in Latin America -- such as in Venezuela in 2002, in Chile in 1973, etc., that were clearly designed to put U.S.-friendly dictators in power -- such as Carmona in Venezuela for a few hours and Pinochet in Chile for 17 years -- as opposed to democratically elected Presidents -- especially Castro idolaters such as Chavez and Maduro in Venezuela or Salvador Allende, who was killed in the coup that installed the blood-thirsty but U.S.-friendly Pinochet as Chile's dictator for 17 very, very bloody years. {Chile's President Bachelet's father was a Pinochet victim}. Within the last week, President Maduro in Venezuela has directly accused Maria Corina Machado of participating in "a conspiracy to kill me." Regardless of what transpires, as the outgoing and very knowledgeable Uruguayan President Jose Mujica warns, Latin America is now a tinderbox ready to explode. If it happens, Miami Cubans and the Bush dynasty, and thus the United States of America, would be blamed by many, if not most, of today's democratically elected Presidents in Latin America. Americans are not supposed to understand that and if they do they are not supposed to react to it. However, there is one member of the U. S. Congress who not only understands it but also has the guts to react to it.

Jose Serrano was born in the U. S. territory of Puerto Rico 71 years ago. Since 1990 he has represented New York in the U. S. Congress. In 2002 as the coup unfolded against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Mr. Serrano was the only American politician to excoriate the George W. Bush presidency for shaming the American democracy by participating in such a coup. He famously and bravely said: "We participated why? Because Hugo Chavez is a friend of Fidel Castro." Congressman Serrano also assailed President George W. Bush for openly engaging well-known "Castro enemies" in countries that "should be allowed to elect and keep their own leaders." Regarding the 2002 Venezuelan coup that Mr. Serrano begged President Bush to avoid, the brave Congressman said, "Chavez has been democratically elected several times by the Venezuelan people. Who are we to keep eliminating popular leaders like Allende to install Pinochet in Chile or eliminate a Chavez to install our man Carmona in Venezuela?" Jose Serrano is not the best known Congressmen in America. That might be because he could be the best and the bravest person in the U. S. Congress. Congressman Jose Serrano is also a reminder that a rich and powerful political dynasty should be held accountable for self-serving anti-democratic actions.