Elian Gonzalez slams U.S. embargo against Cuba
Source: CNN.COM
Quito, Ecuador (CNN) -- One name stands out on the guest list of thousands of youth at a conference in Ecuador this week: Elian Gonzalez.
Fourteen years after he made headlines as the subject of a bitter international custody battle, Gonzalez spoke to CNN on Tuesday.
It's his first trip abroad since the U.S. government removed him at gunpoint from his relatives' home in Miami and, after a legal battle, sent him back to Cuba to live with his father.
He had harsh words for the United States on Tuesday as he recalled his mother's deadly journey.
"Just like her, many others have died attempting to go to the United States. But it's the U.S. government's fault. Their unjust embargo provokes an internal and critical economic situation in Cuba," Gonzalez said.
"But, despite that, Cuba, even with all its problems has progressed over the years. The progress we've made is all thanks to Cuba's courage, our dignity, our continued fight for a more just model."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/world/americas/elian-gonzalez-ecuador-interview/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
onehandle
(51,122 posts)onlyadream
(2,167 posts)China is a huge threat, but we seem to turn a blind eye.
reformist2
(9,841 posts)Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)The Cuba embargo has jack to do with freedom or human rights. China gets away with far, far worse, but is treated as an ally because they let U.S. corporations come in and exploit their brutal labor conditions.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)You can say that again...
I was beside myself watching the same old-school, red-baiting senators who wanted to crush Cuba into oblivion argue so heavily in favor of normal relations with China...
treestar
(82,383 posts)What an entitled little monster. Stay in Cuba then.
ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)Still hiding from Commies in your closet?
treestar
(82,383 posts)and apparently died trying, and that's our fault?
Yet this is such a horrible place!
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)Maybe your lies would be more easily received on freerepublic.
kskiska
(27,045 posts)The boyfriend had ferried people back and forth quite often to shop or whatever. I remember an article back then in George Magazine by Ann Louise Bardach stating this.
According to this 60 Minutes interview, he was going to Miami and she just wanted to be with her boyfriend. There was a love letter to that effect.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/elians-father-speaks-on-i60-minutes-i/
Here's the George article:
(snip)
BARDACH: Well, according to friends and family that were the closest to Elizabeth, she was pretty apolitical and she was pretty much a small-town girl who didn't have much curiosity. She didn't even travel much in Cuba. She came to the states for one reason only, and that's to be with her boyfriend Lazaro who came back from Miami to get her. But he was no longer able to live in Cuba because he was always in trouble with the law. He had a lot of problems in Cuba. In order for her to be with him, she had to be with him in Miami. Otherwise, they say she never would have left. And she was unable to leave her son Elian because this is a child -- she had had seven miscarriages previously and just was very bonded with the child.
RANDALL: So you're saying this was not the political statement that the Miami relatives would have people believe?
BARDACH: Well, her best friend said -- and it's in the story -- is those were not her sentiments, those were not her ideals, she was never a dissident. In fact, Elizabeth Brotens (ph) Rodriguez was, in fact -- had a job in the Communist Party in Cardenas, was pretty active. She represented her union of workers in the local Communist Party.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0004/23/sm.19.html
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)It is YOUR fault. Have you done ANYTHING to help change the unjust situation? Didn't think so. It's done in your name, it's done with your consent (silence is consent) and it's done by your government, so yes, it is YOUR fault. Try to be an honest person in political debates, it makes all the difference in the world. PS, Cuba has no equal measure against the USA, Cuba has NO EMBARGO against your country. Now go away with your solipsistic privileges.
CKS
(2 posts)Reasons the US continues it's embargo on Cuba: Human Rights violations, terrorism designation, and billions of dollars worth of financial claims against the government.
Cuba has been given steps it could take to begin the end of the embargo but does not.
I am very sad that so many people in Cuba suffer because of the embargo and I wish the embargo did not exist. But Cuba's government has brought this embargo upon it's own country and does not follow steps given to end the embargo. So no, the US is not to blame for the embargo still being in affect. Cuba is to blame.
carla
(553 posts)"Entitled little monster" just about sums up how I see you through your post.
idwiyo
(5,113 posts)Never mind about "entitled". Looked in the mirror lately?
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)There is a another(dying) party at which you would probably find yourself more comfortable.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)Yes, the embargo is our fault. Unless it's another country I'm unaware of that has it implemented.
Judi Lynn
(160,598 posts)and its impact on the people of Cuba.
The embargo has been protested massively at the U.N. for many years.
Why do you think the rest of the world sharply disapproves of this economic war on the people of Cuba, anyway?
Take some time off from trying to scuffle with people who know what they're talking about, and start looking for the truth, yourself. It's right in front of anyone industrious, and honest enough to start getting educated on the subject. You have to put in the work, yourself, just as everyone else does who expects to know more than deliberately crafted propaganda.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)complete with rehearsed finger-wagging and other nonsense?
Those rightwing loons even went on Hannity and told him they saw the Virgin Mary appear over the house he was staying in. Yeah, that was such a better place for him than with his dad.
God bless janet Reno for standing up to those rightwing crackpots and refusing to let them use the kid for their stupid agenda.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)The downside was that it meant he'd get brainwashed into loving dictatorship.
But it was still the right call.
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)The father was alive and well and the then little boy needed to be with his flesh and blood - and not used as a political bludgeon. It set a precedent in the family court system that Americans encounter every single day. Kind of solidified first right of refusal in custody issues right then and there.
ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)Like it or leave it, pledge allegiance, git r done, usa number 1!!!! better dead than red.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)carla
(553 posts)based on nothing. Is it fun to just make stuff up? Cuba has an EXCELLENT educational system and the vast majority of Cubans think more complex thoughts than all Americans who support the embargo. Elian indoctrinated? Take a look at your own offspring and youth if you want to see what real indoctrination looks like. Cuban youth doesn't want to kill other people, your youth is enthralled by the idea of killing, in games, in life. Indoctrination so deep even you are oblivious to the dumb things you are saying in defense of a nation that has long ago lost it's bearings. Cuba is what it is because of external pressure and responses to imperial aggression. Prove me wrong. I know you wouldn't even know where to begin. Facts are Cubans are now way freer than you.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Can they start a "capitalist underground" where they log on to describe Castro as a dictator?
Can dissidents get passports?
Can they oppose the Communist party in elections?
How's that free press working out for you?
http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=predateur&id_article=44496
idwiyo
(5,113 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Response to geek tragedy (Reply #33)
ronnie624 This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)has hurt Cuba.
It's hurt the US too, but to a lesser degree.
Response to geek tragedy (Reply #44)
ronnie624 This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Response to geek tragedy (Reply #48)
ronnie624 This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Response to geek tragedy (Reply #50)
ronnie624 This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)ronnie624
(5,764 posts)I'll delete.
pstokely
(10,530 posts)nt
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)pstokely
(10,530 posts)and propped up on Faux news
Penicilino
(97 posts)I agree with him. Most members in this thread seem to agree with him too. Does it take indoctrination to hold the embargo view in question?
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)unjust system where the vast majority of all Cuban lands were held by a few wealthy families and corporations. Modern Cuba has some very admirable ideals and characteristics. Freedom of expression and conscious remains a very troubling aspect of the Cuban state for me and many others.
Elian Gonzalez has every right to speak out about Cuba's "courage" and "dignity". He has every right to talk about his and his country's journey toward "a more just model."
There are things I admire about Cuban society and there are things I cannot support.
But I won't make the assumption that Elian's pride in his country or his disdain for the United States makes him a "pawn" or a "propagandist". He's a grown man with his own perspective on social justice, politics, economics, and the organization of society and state.
I'm frankly surprised by some of the dismissive and condescending comments to that effect here on DU.
erronis
(15,328 posts)Thank you for a very clear summation of the history of Cuba as it applies to this situation.
I'm not involved with the Cuban-American community or the Cubans but I think that the U.S. relationship with one of our closest countries has been stupid, counter-productive, vindictive, and without any clear rationale.
Just look at how many other countries the U.S. has subjugated just through the insiduousness of the $. Of course, that's one of the reasons that Fidel threw out the worshipers of the US$.
okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)number of comments to determine which posts stay at the top of the news feed. The recommend button is at the bottom left of a post, by share facebook & share twitter. If you click on the center of the recommend box you'll see who has recommended the story/post and if you click the lower portion you can recommend a story you like. If you recommend it, the small box will turn yellow. If there's a story someone likes but doesn't have a comment they'll post K & R just to keep the story/post near the top. Just thought i'd share that with you. Welcome to DU.
adirondacker
(2,921 posts)true sustainable agricultural methods. It was actually quite fascinating that an island nation could accomplish what they did with the little resources they have.
Renew Deal
(81,869 posts)I agree with some of what you said, but I disagree about the pawn argument. Not only is he a pawn, but an important one at that. He's one of the most well know Cuban political figures there are, particularly in the US. He will be very useful to the Castros.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)TBF
(32,085 posts)The knee jerk comments in this thread are the obvious product of propaganda against an island that has made it without capitalism 50 years. They are predictable and to be expected from the "reasonable" people who support imperialism. I would venture a guess Cuba will re-join the world a bit more in this next century with the help of other nations. But I give them kudos for what they've managed to accomplish as they had the guts to throw off their overlords.
MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)of Cuba. But I am white and therefore folks here know I can think for myself, unlike those Spanish people that are just drones.
If it were me I might look into his life a little and explore the possibility he may actually have a brain.
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)Cal Carpenter
(4,959 posts)Oh wait, it already has.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)It ranks lower in press freedom than Saudi Arabia, Russia, Sudan, and Burma.
http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013,1054.html
tavalon
(27,985 posts)Pull back the curtain. There isn't anything remotely representing a Democracy here. We are Consumers, not Citizens. Open the box and your mind.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)tavalon
(27,985 posts)Let's stop wasting pixels, shall we?
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)The organization accepts money in exchange for writing propaganda.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2006/08/01/reporters-without-borders-and-washington-s-coups/
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)ronnie624
(5,764 posts)Counterpunch hasn't accepted money from the CIA.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)ronnie624
(5,764 posts)RWB has denied that its campaigning on Cuba are related to payments it has received from anti-Castro organisations.[70] In 2004, it received $50,000 from the Miami based exile group, the Center for a Free Cuba, which was personally signed by the US State Department's Special Envoy to the Western Hemisphere, Otto Reich.[65] RWB has also received extensive funding from other institutions long critical of Fidel Castro's government, including the International Republican Institute.[71]
Journalist Salim Lamrani has accused Reporters Without Borders with making unsupported and contradictory statements regarding Internet connectivity in Cuba.[72]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders#Cuba
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Would you have a problem with Obama throwing Glenn Greenwald in a cell, along with Ed Snowden and Chelsea Manning?
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)Considering the history of US involvement in Cuba and many other countries, I give the Cuban government the benefit of the doubt.
Per capita, the US has more people in prison than any other country. US prisons also tend to be as brutal as it gets.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)someone they put in prison for political beliefs is a foreign agent.
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)but there is no disputing the history of US interventionism throughout the world or the deceit and duplicity in its relations with other countries. This makes it very difficult to believe any pronouncements about Cuba by the US government.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)its critics in prison. The US included.
Mika
(17,751 posts)A little old, but, still an accurate representation ...
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)and the U.S. President Barack Obama were making nice in South Africa.
(And I'm glad they did.)
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)1000words
(7,051 posts)And vice versa.
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)US extraterritorial sanctions against Cuba have resulted in considerable hardship for the Cuban people, and are soundly condemned by the international community, including the UN General Assembly. This is not in dispute by anyone but the hopelessly bamboozled.
1000words
(7,051 posts)You are, in my opinion, correct.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)to throw the Miami cubans under the bus and restore full trade with Cuba.
The Miami cubans vote for repukes anyway -- it will be a net gain in votes.
Paladin
(28,271 posts)idwiyo
(5,113 posts)joelz
(185 posts)29 October 2013 For the 22nd consecutive year at the United Nations, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.
By a vote of 188 in favour to two against (Israel and the United States) with three abstentions (Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau), the Assembly reiterated its call to all States to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures not conforming with their obligations to reaffirm freedom of trade and navigation.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 11, 2013, 07:28 PM - Edit history (1)
Somehow the world is supposed to accept our self-declared entitlement to control the world.
Renew Deal
(81,869 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)Jesus, you would think Elian said something bad about Obama.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)marshall
(6,665 posts)Kennedy laid the planks for the embargo we know today by executive order in 1962, which was finally more or less codified by Robert Toricelli in 1992.
Perhaps President Obama can use the same executive privilege to finally do away with it.
pstokely
(10,530 posts)teabagger, and he'd have a show on faux news
Judi Lynn
(160,598 posts)Mika
(17,751 posts)http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y00/jan00/18e12.htm
Here's what Elian Gonzalez, 6, will learn at the private school he now attends in Little Havana: He lives in a Christian society and should support prayer in public and private schools. He should oppose abortion, homosexuality and racism. He should love the American flag and realize that ``the influence of The United States in the world has been beneficial to all.''
The child has completed two weeks of kindergarten at the Lincoln-Marti School. If he stays in Miami and his great-aunt and great-uncle continue to use the $3,000-a-year full tuition scholarship offered by school owner Demetrio Perez, Elian will graduate from the school in Little Havana when he is 18.
This means that the boy will more than likely be influenced by the school's main textbook, Citizens Training Handbook, subtitled Discipline, Moral, Civism, Urbanity, which students use from kindergarten through 12th grade. Perez, the author, who also serves on the Miami-Dade County School Board, says he wrote the 315-page guide for parents, teachers and students at the private school to ``produce the worthy citizens our society so badly needs.''
The $25 book is divided into 57 chapters ranging from ``Foreign Policy'' to ``Serving a Formal Dinner'' to ``Friendship.'' Elian, like his classmates, will study the book and be tested on its contents every nine weeks during his 12 years at the school.
``The book and the practice of it is a very important part of the Lincoln-Marti education,'' says Amelia Estrada, 22, a former student.
While at the school, Elian will learn from the main textbook that Cuba, where he came from and where his father and grandparents still live, ``has not been able to provide for people's most basic needs such as food, clothing and housing.''
``We want Elian to know that in this country, we in no way support Cuba or people in Cuba who believe in that system,'' Perez says.
At Lincoln-Marti, the book will teach Elian that, according to immigration laws, certain undesirables are not allowed to come to this country: ``habitual drunks, adulterers and sexually immoral people.'' Elian will read that Richard Nixon got a raw deal when he was forced to resign as President, and that Americans now regret this and honor him.