Congressional Black Caucus, allow me to introduce mi familia. Have we got oppression stories for you!
Boys. Havana, Cuba. 1991
When some members of the Congressional Black Caucus came back from Cuba this week, the members stuck their foot in their mouths by saying that they saw no oppression. When I heard a congressman say that on the radio, I sucked my breath in so fast, I nearly passed out.
I could hear the war drums begin to pound in Miami. And indeed, they are pounding. Rightly so.
The stories I have read and heard have done a good job of pointing out the delegation did not meet with Cuban dissidents, but rather with the Bearded Dictator and his Little Brother.
But hell, it doesn’t take a dissident to tell you what really happens in Cuba, where any person on the street, any hotel barman or maid will whisper the truth if you ask. Hell, just read Yoani Sanchez from the comfort of your Washington, D.C. office. (The NPR story in the previous link is worth listening to. The reporter did a good job of pointing out the “sanitized” view the caucus got and Congressman Cleaver from Missouri is hablando caca…If I was his publicist I would be spanking him hard for what he said.)
But, let me share this:
Regular readers know my family is expecting six relatives to immigrate from Havana this spring. You want to know what happened when one of the relatives told his boss he was leaving the country in six weeks or so? He was ordered to “quit” his job and his access to state-given food was denied for the remainder of his time in the country. He has a family to support and feed. Any food or necessities would have to be purchased with cash, of which there is little to none.
In addition, the state will be sending someone — with a neighbor as witness — to take inventory of their apartment and every single thing on the list has to be there when they board the plane to Miami. My relatives are not allowed to sell or give anything away before they leave, and I am not sure what, if anything, they will be allowed to bring with them.
No oppression?
I’ll tell you more when my family gets safely off that island “paradise” next month.
Thanks for posting about this, Carrie. What I would give for ten minutes in a room with the members of the CBC…pero primero, me van a tener que amarrar…
The CBC are ignorant idiots. Everything they’ve said has left me hitting my head against the wall.
Carrie I hope your family makes it here safe and soon!
They just don’t get it and they never will…liberalism and socialist ideas breed deep within them and therefore what we deem oppressive suits them fine. What these people desire for the US citizen is exactly the same thing the Castro brothers provide their people. These “congress people” do not love this country or its people. They would love to rule and control us all…don’t ever think otherwise. They are not naive or fooled; they know exactly what the Cuban people live through everyday and they “really don’t care.”
Morosconcristianos, again they are not fools or idiots (CBS) folks I mean. They know exactly what they are saying and what they are doing. I do not call it idiotic; I call it evil. There is, you know, plenty of evil in the world…
Hey, it’s your little brother. I had to post a response. Thank you for pointing this out. The MSM is not speaking out at all on this issue.
I agree with the previous poster. We all need to understand there are very bright people in this country who believe that government control and/or a socialist-like system is the way to go, even it means most people live on very little and some go to jail for speaking out.
I used to think people were ignorant if they supported regimes like Castro’s or if they supported bigger government. No more. People who ignore human rights violations should be outed and humiliated.
Acuerdense: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”