It never ceases to amaze me how President Bush can lecture other nations as he just did with Cuba albeit to pander to the strong anti-Castro movement in Miami, Florida. Let me ask the President has he lectured China concerning their human rights abuses? Of course not since we do billions upon billions of dollars worth of trade with that country, only to be sent merchandise that does not meet with U.S. safety standards and a country we have borrowed from to fund the war in Iraq.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Felipe Perez Roque is correct when he accused Bush of making "a plea for violence, a call for the use of force to topple the revolution and impose his ideas on Cuba."
Is Pres. Bush looking in the mirror as he “scolded countries that do business with Havana as enriching a brutal elite with an iron grip on power.” Let us ask the Iraqi people who have suffered for four long years how they feel of our brutality when the L.A. Times reported recently that one million innocent Iraqis have been killed by a by an elitist group of people with an iron grip on power within our own government. I can’t think of greater abuse of human rights when we went into Iraq with guns blazing.
As Bush has flatly rejected calls for an ending of the Cuban embargo, again, let me remind President Bush that this country has long done business with unscrupulous characters. Does Saddam Hussein’s name ring a bell as we supplied him with weapons back in the 1980’s?
Saudi Arabia has long been known for its human rights abuses, so I find this article amazing, The Saudi Arms Deal where the “Bush Administration announced its intention to expand substantially its military assistance to the region. The proposed plan includes the sale of up to $20 billion of weaponry to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.”
Many within the Arab states have cited where they feel that Israel is a brutal elitist power and yet we aid them with billions of dollars each year. When they pummeled Lebanon last summer, we gave them $280 million dollars to fuel their fighter jets. Yet we dare admonish Cuba?
What right does Bush have in addressing Cuba when we gave safe-harbor to one of the most unremitting terrorists in Luis Posada Carriles as he will live out the rest of his life safe within our own borders?
I believe the last article I wrote of this terrorist was back in April of this year in which I accused the Gonzales justice department of setting Carriles free. As you will read, he was set free on $350 thousand dollars bail. This is the same monster who took down Cabaña flight 455 back in October of 1976 killing 73 innocent people aboard and many of them were Cubans. As we scream for justice for our victims of terrorism, Cuba has not seen theirs. I have been writing of this terrorist for several years now, but to no avail. I have even contacted elected officials namely my own congressman, Tim Bishop and I have not heard anything back concerning this monster.
Just before that plane went down, this is what the pilot screamed out in his May-day call, “We have an explosion aboard, we are descending immediately! ... We have fire on board! We are requesting immediate landing! We have a total emergency.” Yet the terrorist responsible resides safely within Miami. These were the acts of the Gonzales justice department and ones that are far more reprehensible than anything I can think of coming from the United States congress as they grilled of him emails and the firings of prosecutors. Those are small potatoes considering Gonzales’s justice department set a terrorist free.
Upon his release from custody with that low-bail, he was given an ankle-bracelet to wear as we hold many alleged terrorists within Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A proven terrorist wearing an ankle-bracelet does not make sense to me and it should not make sense to you.
I have even cited over the course of two and a half years that, Posada Carriles was tried and convicted of this bombing by the Venezuelan courts, but fled before sentencing was handed down in 1985. Under Venezuelan law any defendant cannot be sentenced in absentia. I have asked in the past how Americans would feel if Cuba or Venezuela were to give safe-harbor to Osama bin Laden that is if he is alive or any number of terrorists that took the lives of innocent Americans. Please tell me, America; just how would that make you feel?
This is what Peter Kornbluh who is an expert when it comes to Latin-America affairs had to say of Carriles that “Posada has been one of the world's most unremitting purveyors of terrorist violence" Yet he is here in America living freely. I thought this country was serious when it comes to terrorism. Obviously we are not.
In that above piece where I discuss Carriles, I wrote, “AFP also reported, “US officials refuse to release Posada Carriles to Venezuela or Cuba, claiming he might be tortured.” The only country that is demanding his extradition is Venezuela and under the Venezuelan Constitution, torture is prohibited. If anyone is found to commit any act of torture under Venezuelan law, they face punishment.” As proof of this if you read the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, article 46 reads as follows:
(1) No person shall be subjected to penalties, tortures, cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment. Every victim of torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment effected or tolerated by agents of the State has the right to rehabilitation.
(2) Any person deprived of liberty shall be treated with respect due to the inherent dignity of the human being.
(3) No person shall be subjected without his or her freely given consent to scientific experiments or medical or laboratory examinations, except when such person's life is in danger, or in any other circumstances as may be detained by law.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
