Castro resolute in repressing his people

For years, Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, referring to the temperature at which books burn, has been an inspiration to me and other millions around the world who believe in the freedom to read -- particularly in those countries whose dictators forbid dissenting books.

We were talking about Fidel Castro's recurring crackdowns on those remarkably courageous Cubans who keep working to bring democracy to that grim island where dissenters, including independent librarians, are locked in cages, often for 20 or more years. Bradbury knew about the crackdowns, but until I told him, was not aware of Castro's kangaroo courts often ordering the burning of the independent libraries they raid, as in 451.

For example, on April 5, 2003, after Julio Valdés Guevara was sent away, the judge ruled: ''As to the disposition of the photographic negatives, the audio cassette, medicines, books, magazines, pamphlets and the rest of the documents, they are to be destroyed by means of incineration because they lack usefulness.'' Hearing about this, Bradbury authorized me to convey this message from him to Castro: ``I stand against any library or any librarian anywhere in the world being imprisoned or punished in any way for the books they circulate.

''I plead with Castro and his government to immediately take their hands off the independent librarians and release all those librarians in prison, and to send them back into Cuban culture to inform the people.'' Among the books destroyed through the years by Castro's arsonists have been volumes on Martin Luther King Jr., the U.S. Constitution and even a book by the late José Martí, who organized, and was killed in, the Cuban people's struggle for independence.

Whether or not the Cuban dictator ever heard of Bradbury's message to him, Castro is resolute in his repression of his people. As Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) reports: ''In a renewed government crackdown on dissidents in Cuba, authorities arrested at least 57 peaceful democracy and human rights advocates'' between July 13 and July 22. Three of those still imprisoned will be prosecuted under Castro's notorious Law 88, which mandates up to 20 years in prison and possible confiscation of property.

Meanwhile, Nebraska Gov. David Heineman conducted a trade mission to Havana in August to negotiate the purchase of Nebraska-grown dry beans. Reps. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Mario Díaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, South Florida Republicans, wrote to Heineman, telling him his mission would be ``sending the appalling signal that the cash of tyrants is more important than the lives of pro-democracy leaders.''

These members of Congress asked the governor to at least meet with leaders of the democracy movement as well as with some political prisoners.

Heineman's spokesman Aaron Sanderford told Meghan Clyne of The New York Sun that the governor would not meet with any dissidents, and would ''certainly not engage in the politics of the day.'' Replied Lincoln Díaz-Balart: ``It's like saying politics is not part of a trip to Hitler's Germany in the 1930s. It's not a question of politics; it's a question of elemental human decency.''

Now that China has become a strong supporter of Robert Mugabe, the tyrant of Zimbabwe, and is bolstering the economy that Mugabe shattered, maybe Mr. Heineman can lead a trade mission to that brutalized nation and sell more Nebraska-grown dry beans. How about a side trip to the Sudan government in Khartoum? The governor could take a world tour, boosting sales to Iran, North Korea and other totalitarian countries whose politics are of no concern to him.

Not all Nebraskans share their governor's views. There is one librarian who is very concerned with Castro's crackdowns of conscience, free speech and the freedom to read. Robert Boyce at the reference department in Lincoln City Libraries in Lincoln, Neb., tells me that he hopes to adopt a suggestion I made in previous writings on Castro: Every fall, libraries across America display during Banned Books Week actual volumes that have been banned. Why not include books banned by Castro? Boyce writes: ''We are going to be putting together a very small display of banned books for the fall of 2005 Nebraska Library Association Conference in late September,'' and he wants to include some titles forbidden in official Cuba libraries.

This will be a significant reaching out to Cuba's imprisoned librarians by an individual American library state association -- the first time it has happened. Yet, the national Governing Council of the American Library Association continues to refuse to ask Castro to release the independent librarians in his prisons. Admirers of Castro on that governing body have blocked clear support of the freedom to read -- the very credo of the ALA.

Perhaps, in tribute to free trade if not free ideas, Gov. Heineman will send a supply of Nebraska-grown dry beans to the governing council of the ALA.

Hugo Chavez's Latin Al Jazeera***Dressed down in their best proletarian duds, sympathizers of the FARC Marxist paramilitary take to the streets brandishing their best hammer and sickle flags. Manuel Marulanda Vélez, chief leader of the terrorist group, makes an appearance. An ominous voice takes the screen: "Who will judge the U.S. military personnel caught trafficking drugs and arms in Colombia?" This isn't a commercial for Al Jazeera, but that would be a close guess. It's a promotional campaign for a continent wide, pan-American satellite news channel that made its debut on July 24.

Witness Telesur, the brainchild of Cuban communist Fidel Castro and his ideological spawn Hugo Chávez. They say that it was created to both compete with foreign media conglomerates and offer a side of the news that is uniquely Latino. Independent, they say, from any voice but that of the people. The truth, however, is far from their propaganda platforms. Telesur is being funded by the leftist governments in Uruguay, Argentina, and Cuba, with Venezuela alone controlling 51% of the company. It will be housed in Caracas at the headquarters of Venezuela state media, where Chávez regularly opines for hours on end about impending imperialist invasion to the delight of only 2% of the Venezuelan public. …………………***

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and President Fidel Castro, speak with the media minutes before Chavez for Jamaica at Jose Marti international airport Tuesday Aug. 23, 2005. Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has suggested Monday that American agents assassinate Chavez to stop his country from becoming 'a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism.' (AP Photo/Jorge Rey)

Hugo and Fidel bring the news[Full text] The concept of Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez teaming up to create a regional television news network in Latin America takes some getting used to and maybe a stiff drink.

Cuba hasn't seen any semblance of freedom of the press or freedom of expression since the early 1960s, and Castro last year rounded up a group of 75 independent journalists and sentenced them to prison terms of up to 28 years.

Chavez hasn't gone that far but has enacted ominous laws that penalize media outlets that "offend or show disrespect for the president" or propagate information that might "cause panic or anxiety" among the people. More recently he decreed that half the music aired on radio must be of Venezuelan origin. Ciao, Britney Spears.

Yet, on Sunday, Telesur, a new regional Latin American television network modeled after the wildly successful al-Jazeera makes its debut from studios in Caracas. Venezuela, flush with money from the boom in oil prices, will bankroll 51 percent of the initial $20 million investment. The governments of Cuba, Uruguay and Argentina will provide other funding.

For those wondering about the editorial independence of Telesur, suffice it to say Venezuela's minister of communications will do double duty as the station's president. According to the BBC Monitoring World Media, some of Telesur's trial programming on June 3 included segments of the "International Forum against Terrorism and for Peace and Truth" from the Havana Convention Center. Ratings were not available, but that sounds about as riveting as vintage Soviet TV serials about tractor manufacturing.

Telesur, Spanish for "TeleSouth," may yet prove skeptics wrong and become a reputable and independent regional news outlet. That would be good for Latin America, which relies on foreign networks for its news, including CNN, from Atlanta, and a chain based in Spain.

There is a need for a network with an indigenous Latin focus. Telesur takes that mission literally: One correspondent will be Ati Kiwa, an Arahuaco Indian from Colombia, who will appear dressed in the tribe's regalia. Her visage will be a sharp departure from many of the Caucasian, blond news readers on Latin TV, who look like they were FedExed from Idaho.

"Today we know much more about Chechnya than what's happening on the corner, in Colombia or in Central America, because all the information that the North generates comes into focus about subjects that interest the North," Aram Aharonian, Telesur's director general, told the Los Angeles Times.

Some signs don't bode well. One Chilean contributor defined Telesur as an "anti-neoliberal medium ... critical of the First World's efforts to impose conservatism throughout the continent." Balance and objectivity will have to wait.

Whatever his politics, Aharonian understands one thing: People will vote with their fingers against bad TV. "The only censorship will be by the viewers," he told Newsweek. "If they are not satisfied they'll simply click the remote and change channels." [end]

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