U.S. shifting funds away from Miami anti-Castro groups

[Mika]

Source: Miami Herald

The Bush administration is undertaking a major do-over of the controversial Cuba democracy grants, restricting the funds available for anti-Castro groups in Miami and sending more resources to non-U.S. international advocacy organizations, officials and others familiar with the programs say.

The new orientation, which has sent tremors of uncertainty among many grant recipients in South Florida, comes as the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development prepare to award a record $45.7 million in Cuba democracy grants this year -- more than triple the 2007 levels.

The money aims to bring about a transition to democracy in Cuba, but the programs have long faced allegations they favor more Cuban Americans in Miami than people on the island. On Friday, a White House aide resigned amid allegations of misusing program money when he worked for one of the Cuban-American groups.

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Until now, the bulk of the grants have been funnelled through Miami groups. Critics said the programs placated Cuban-American groups but did little to bring democracy to Cuba. Havana routinely calls Cuban recipients of U.S. aid programs ``mercenaries of the empire.'' A November 2006 report by the Government Accountability Office criticized USAID for providing $74 million in grants since 1996 without competitive bids. The GAO also found some instances of abuse, including using grant money to purchase game consoles and cashmere sweaters.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/475632.html

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One reason for the shift to foreign "pro democracy" movements is "European and Latin American activists have an easier time entering Cuba than U.S. citizens" according to US gov officials.

Umm.. that's because the US is the ONLY country than bans its citizens from going to Cuba.

If the REAL goal was to bring the changes they seek to the Cuban people one might think that dropping the US travel ban would be a better way.

IMO, its just another pork barrel project, and has almost nothing to do with their stated goals.

[acmavm]

1. No more government money for custody fights? No more money to

shelter people like bosch and carrilles?

Ah, too bad.

[Mika]

2. Less federal dollars. I'm sure Fla and Miami-Dade taxpayers will pick up the slack.

Who knows what will happen. Could be that the newly funded programs operating in foreign countries just might hire the same Miami groups. Could be a money laundering operation with more steps to profit from (a ponzi scheme).

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[ohio2007]

3. Somebody must have cut a cell phone deal with papa Raul

nt

[Eugene]

4. Somehow, I doubt that BushCo will leave the Miami exiles begging.

With the pot of money tripling in size, there will be plenty of cash for everyone.
As always with BushCo, one should always look under the table.

After Katrina, I'll believe any promises of competitive bidding reforms when
I see them kept.

[AlphaCentauri]

5. another welfare check

[ngant17]

6. The US owes the Cuban government something like $500 billion dollars

in the human death, suffering and property damages owing to its +40 years of terrorist attacks launched from US soil against Cuba. This was the decision of a Cuban court about 10 years ago, I think.

The "$45.7 million dollars" allocated for the Cuban-American groups this year should be immediately transfered instead to the Republic of Cuba for compensation of all those damages, that's a drop in the bucket but it's at least a responsible start.

"...in terms of reparations for material damage, $30 million USD is being claimed for every person to have died (a total of $104.34 billion USD) and $15 million USD for each person maimed ($31.485 billion USD). In relation to compensation for damages, $10 million for each person to have died (total: $34.78 billion USD), and $5 million for each person maimed ($10.495 billion)."

see Cuba's lawsuit: http://www.granma.cu/cubademanda/ingles/index.html

[Judi Lynn]

7. I don't think this would have happened had there not been a groundswell rising against the

TOTAL domination of ALL U.S. policy toward Cuba by the right-wing cluster of "exiles" in Congress from Miami who have been steering TONS and TONS of U.S. taxpayers' dollars to this black hole in space for generations, and driving our own policy, through President after President, in EXACTLY their own, self-serving way.

Tons of people are simply fed UP with this. Don't believe? Start reading the readers comments on Cuba-related articles in the hard-core reactionary faction-serving Miami Herald, at the bottom of the pages.

U.S. taxpayers are gradually finding out what has been going on.

This WON'T go over with these guys very well, but they are losing their crucial anchors, themselves, in Washington. They lost Jesse Helms! They lost Tom DeLay! They lost Senator Bob Smith, of New Hampshire. Oh, the humanity!

By attempting to spread it around, particularly throwing the ball to the groups who have been already on the U.S. dole parceled out to them since Reagan, _Bush hopes to create the impression THE ENTIRE WORLD wants to dismantle Cuba's world-famous, and widely respected health care and education systems, in order to privatize them, and return them to the conditions they enjoyed before the Cuban people couldn't take it any longer and threw these scums out in the first place!

[Vidar]

8. Damn, that could mean that some member of this administration is still sane,

[Blue_Tires]

9. the gravy train stops...