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Posted on 06/20/2002 3:34:55 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I have been fooled, lied to, made to believe imperialist propaganda. It's all there in black and white -- all there in the media pictures, a sea of faces shouting in the Caribbean heat: Socialism or death!
What can I say?
Granma summed it up nicely in last week's coverage of the Cubans' 800 marches and 2,230 rallies throughout the island. The marches, the government-run newspaper noted, were "without precedent in the world, fruit of a high level of culture, patriotism, awareness and knowledge." You better believe it. I sure do. Because when jobs, schooling, food-ration cards, housing and all else are based on each and every Cuban's "high-level of culture, patriotism, awareness and knowledge" that he or she risks everything by staying home, it becomes obvious that marching is in order.
This has been the case for 43 years. Who would want to lose one's job, schooling, the ramshackle home or the meager supply of food that ration card guarantees? Just because of some cockamamie idea proposed by a few dissidents who, clearly, are loco to seek multiparty elections, a little economic freedom for small businesses, free speech and the like.
What could Jimmy Carter have been thinking when he mentioned the Varela Project to the Cubans on national television? Well, Fidel sure set him straight.
Fidel Castro, Cuba's fearless communist leader of 43 years, went before the people and invited them to support a change in the island's constitution, declaring "the socialist system untouchable." About 2 million of the island's 11 million people didn't show, but they had good reason. In fact, Granma stated, "In the face of possible heavy rainfall, Fidel showed his concern for the well-being of young children, pregnant women and senior citizens with health problems, advising others to take umbrellas or raincoats."
And what did independent newspapers state in their coverage of the marches?
Absolutely nothing because in Cuba it's illegal to have a free press. That would only confuse Cubans. Besides, Cubans can read what they want -- which is to say, they want whatever the people in power tell them they should want and make accessible.
Hey, no system is perfect. After all, as Cuban government officials pointed out to me in March when I was in Havana, we had a presidential election and fewer than half the registered voters even bothered to go to the polls. The majority voted for Al Gore, but because the U.S. Constitution has that pesky Electoral-College requirement, George W. Bush actually won more states. And then, Palm Beach County's butterfly ballot mess ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court, and we know how that went.
Cuba doesn't have any of those problems, you see. There's only one party, so it doesn't matter if you vote for Pedro or Pablo. Either one will propose what Fidel's party proposes. And this evidently excites Cubans very much, because turnout consistently is in the 95 to 99 percent range.
Nor do Cubans need to worry about who will follow the 75-year-old Fidel. That's all settled. Fidel has chosen his brother Raul, who runs the military, and everyone is in agreement.
All is back to normal in Cuba. No more foreign presidents visiting dissidents or telling Fidel what he should be doing. Who are they, anyway? Those leaders represent "demo-injustice, demo-poverty, demo-malnutrition," Granma notes. The black middle class in America, now the vast majority of African-Americans, must know how bad things are here.
Not in Cuba. "As of Tuesday midday, 8,165,320 Cubans had signed" Fidel's untouchable proposal. If you're wondering what that means, the Granma headline helps you do the math: "98.97% in favor of socialism."
Pedro Ross, president of the National Commission that's supervising this "popular consultation," says that once the election "census" is complete, the exact vote "will not be more than half a point above or below" the 98.97 percent.
I'm so glad that's cleared up. Ah, it would be, oh, so much easier if America followed Cuba's example. No messy democracy offering competing ideas, no free press to agitate the masses. People would be free to think just like their president thinks.
Myriam Marquez, gagging on her tongue in cheek, can be reached at mmarquez@orlandosentinel.com
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For more info on "the workers' Paradise" ( largely unmentioned by the press ) just follow the links here:
Castro Watch:
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Castro Watch: for Castro Watch articles. Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register |
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