Demystifying Anarchists

Suffice it to say, Ms. Nancy is an intelligent woman of liberal leaning, and who rather enjoys being edgy.

" Nancy Abbey, March 10th, 2004

From: Nancy Abbey
U.S.- Cuba Sister City Association
Alliance of Guyma Cuba and Santa Cruz County
To: Bruce Bratton
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Cuba

Well, he obviously believes that the "journalists" were really that. A few may have been - the majority were journalists du jour. And all of them were paid by the US to write articles for publication abroad that supported the blockade, were highly critical of the Cuban government and advocated its demise in one way or another. It is analogous to Paul Rogers - or, more accurately, a friend of his who doesn't write for a living - being paid by Al Queda to write anti-Bush pieces and promote religious jihad against us.

The US is the enemy of Cuba. We have invaded, supported and trained anti-Cuba terrorists, poured millions of dollars into the Miami "exile" community for activities designed to bring down the Cuban government, and imposed a blockade that creates enormous hardships for such a small country. Now the Bush government is tightening the screws, talks of (and funds) "regime change" and "transition to democracy" in Cuba, and sends a diplomat to the US Interest Section who provokes dissidents. How much more provocation can a country take before it defends itself?

As a journalist, he, of course, sees freedom of speech no matter what, as the greatest of human rights. In Cuba, as in other poor countries, there are other rights of primary importance - freedom from hunger (not much food in Cuba, but no-one goes hungry), the right to an education (Cuba is fast becoming the best educated country in the Western Hemisphere), the right to medical care (need I extoll their medical care?), the right to housing (as Castro has pointed out proudly, there are no homeless children in Cuba.) Yes, there's not much food, they lack many medicines, and the housing is dilapidated. But traveling in Cuba, one is always impressed by the priorities of the country - where they put the little money they have to work with. And all these human rights fulfilled without the help of a free press! Ted Koppel eat your words.

How much of the deprivation is due to the blockade and how much is due to mistakes by the government is debatable, but they are trying - really trying - to bring up the standard of living for everyone without fostering the huge disparity in wealth that is too evident in other third world countries.

If people don't consider how Cuba sees the threat to its integrity, safety and sovereignty, the suppression of the press is totally un-justifiable. But if one looks at the role of the press in overthrowing Allende (with the help of AT&T and the CIA) and the coup against Chavez (with the support of the US government), it's questionable whether a free press is a force for good or a force that can be easily co-opted to destroy a government of the people.

So, as long as we live in a country where the press is owned by a few big corporations and reporters are easily seduced by the government line, I don't think we should throw stones at Cuba. Besides, would he like to compare the jailing of the so-called dissidents to the jailing of the Cuban Five? Has he ever written about the Cuban Five? It's one of those stories that the US press had chosen to ignore.

Nancy Abbey"

From her correspondence, now public.