"It's not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S.; but yes, they [supporters of Barack Obama] are laying the foundations for a revolutionary change... I have faith in God and in the North American people, and above all in the youth, that the moment of great change in the U.S. will come and it will act differently, with justice and equality toward all nations." — Daniel Ortega, Statement broadcast on Sandinista Radio la Primerísima, February 14, 2008
Really, what can one say?
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22 comments:
Oh my God!
Manuel, it's just a matter of hours for Hugo Chavez to offer his support for his "fellow traveler" Obama....
This is all we and the country needs to realize who Obama is, hope the people of this country open their eyes, not much one can say, except as ms calabaza said, oh my God!
Is interesting to see that not only are Obama and Hillary the preferred candidates of the Caga-andante, but Ortega too. And his followers display Che's picture and Cuban flags in the recruiting places. If it quacks, has a beak, has feathers, and swims in the water and does not get wet, is a duck. No doubt about it. The Manchurian Candidate is an OBAManation. I hope these things will ignite, fire up and wake up the Republican base who has been apathethic to go out in masse and vote for McCain, Henry's and Val's musings and tantrums not withstanding.
I know this is off topic, but the blog "Los miquis de Miami", have posted an entry where the have accused Carlos Miller of being a "made in USA Castro agent". This was really a surprise because I was wondering if the person they named is the same Carlos Miller that comments here often. I guess it must be, because the web site they posted for Carlos is all about photography. Now, this is a surprise. The wholel thing deals with the recent Code Pink demostration in front of the Versailles to demand Posada Carriles be arrested and deported. What gives? Anyone knows about this? I am puzzled.
Agustin:
I'm puzzled too, we need to look into this, one just never knows who one is talking to.
Agustín:
Carlos Miller videotaped Code Pink's anti-Posada demonstration in front of Versailles Restaurant. The pro-Posada Cuban demonstrators, who had seen Carlos conversing with the Code Pinkers, became suspicious when he aimed his lens at them. Carlos, of course, is a freelance photojournalist, as free to photograph whatever he pleases as anti-Castro Cubans are to question his intentions or the destination of his tapes.
Carlos reportedly was confronted by the Cuban counter-demonstrators, who were able to stop him from videotaping them.
A Miami Herald photographer took pictures of the incident which Carlos believes (though he has not seen the photos) will show that he was assaulted. But the Miami Herald wants to charge him $375 per photo and he refuses to pay.
And there the matter stands for now.
MAT,
I am just puzzled as to why the Miquis of Miami, would want to accuse Carlos Miller of being a Castro agent in the USA, as stated in their blog.
Below is their entry reference Carlos presence at the encounter with Code Pink.
Y tu que crees?
Otra entrega del agente castrista "Made in USA" Carlos Miller sobre aquella visita de las Code Pink a Miami para manifestarse contra Posada Carriles. El autor del video, quien ya se había aparecido en la red con otro sobre este tema, ahora sí se destapa completamente para mostrar cómo su grabación estaba en sintonía con los propósitos de la agenda orientada por los Castro que trajeron Medea Benjamin y su grupo al pasar frente al Versailles. Sino, juzguen por ustedes mismos".
If he is a bonafide photographer he has every right to be there at the encounter.
The Miquis of Miami usually are on the side of freedom of speech, that is why I am so troubled by this accusation.
I don't know enough about the subject to make any conclusions, but since Carlos comments here often and I have never seen him defend Castro, I was shocked by the accusation of him being a Castro agent.
Knowing a little about MAT from his writings, I am sure he would have pounced on him with a vengeance, had he seen any sign of that.
Agustín:
Carlos Miller was stopped a year ago from photographing Miami police officers and is now being prosecuted for their crime, because, of course, "Photography Is Not a Crime — It's a First Amendment Right."
Carlos reminds me of a boy who saved a puppy from being run over by a train but lost his leg in the process. For a few months, he was the most popular kid in the world. Then the acclamation stopped. Whereupon, the boy again rescued another dog from the train tracks and lost his other leg. The world was shocked but not as sympathetic as the first time. It's a true story.
I think Carlos' confrontation with the pro-Posada demonstrators could have been avoided. I think perhaps the outcome is not entirely unwelcome by him. Martyrdom is like any other narcotic: people tend to become addicted to it.
This whole thing about me being "an agent for Castro" is a perfect example of the McCarthyism that remains alive and strong in Miami.
The accusation is so absurd and ridiculous that I feel like an idiot even responding to those charges.
But if the records need to set straight, then here we go:
I am not an agent for Castro. I have no contacts or communications with the Cuban government. I've been to Cuba once as a journalist (although I didn't have an American-sponsored license) and my only contact with anybody working for the government during that week was when police harassed me for taking photos (yes, this is a pattern for me).
You can see those photos here.
http://magiccitymedia.com/WebGalleries/Havana/index.htm
The problem is that the Cubans in Miami think that anybody who is not to the right of Hitler is a Castro-affiliated communist.
I've always maintained that I am a liberal democrat. They might think that's the equivalent of a communist, but they are out of touch with reality anyway. I believe in free speech and free will, so I am far from a communist.
And I have also maintained that I believe Posada is a terrorist. Sure, he got acquitted but so did OJ Simpson and the cops who beat up Rodney King.
But just because I believe Posada is a terrorist does not make me sympathetic to the Castro regime. And anybody who fails to see are just as blind as the fascist Cubans at Versailles.
I have no idea who the Miquis of Miami are, but surely they would be able to provide stronger proof of me being an agent of Castro than just a couple of documentary videos that I produced.
These people are not only slandering my name, but they are putting me in danger in my own community.
I am going to talk to some lawyers to see if there are enough grounds to file a lawsuit. I completely believe in free speech on the internet, but this is borderline between free speech and libel and slander.
The problem that arose on Saturday was that I was video-taping both sides of the protest. This is essential for me to get, well, both sides of the story.
And I talk to people when I do my job. People talk to me. When I was on the Code Pink side, I was talking to some of them. Small talk. About my camera or whatever.
I did the same on the Cuban side. And for two hours, I went back and forth, filming, shooting photos, exchanging a few words here and there. This is how I do my job.
But then at one point when I walked back to the Cuban side, this old man, who I know as a trouble-maker because I've seen him around, confronted me, telling me he had been observing me talking to Code Pink, so he knows I'm with them.
At first, I was just trying to blow him, so I told him that I've also been talking to people on the Cuban side. But he wouldn't let it go.
So I told him I had the right to talk to whomever I want as well as film whomever I want, just as Code Pink has the right to protest and the Cubans have the right to counter-protest.
And yes, that is my stance as a liberal democrat.
But he totally lost it and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a bunch of crazy Cubans calling me Chavista and communista, telling me to get out there.
A security guard grabbed my arm to walk me out, but I jerked back because I don't like to be fucked with in these situations.
Then he slapped my camera down. And then I pushed him back hard. Then the cops came.
And the Cubans later told a newspaper reporter that I popped up on the scene making pro-Chavez statements. But Chavez was never part of the conversation.
And they also said that I was an agent for Castro, which is insane because I speak Spanish like a gringo for the most part.
So fuck those people. And fuck anybody else who is going to jump on this McCarthyesque bandwagon.
And fuck you, Agustin Alles, or should I say, outinforce.
Oh yeah, and one of the photos has been posted on El Nuevo Herald with a little write-up. This is when I pushed him off.
http://www.armengol.blogspot.com/
Carlos, I would support you 100%, but if you listen to your video, you were not just recording the situation. You started interviewing with provocative questions-responses You asked the one guy "what about the airliner..." or something similar. You decided to "ask the tough" questions and be an interviewer, you wanted a rise from the exiles. Well, you got one. Would you have done the same thing in south LA after the OJ trial (which has parallels to Posada). Use some common sense. You don't have any more legs to spare.
anon,
The debate about Luis Posada Carriles' alleged role in the incident has been discussed to death in the blogosphere, especially between me and Manuel.
But as a journalist, I really felt I needed to ask that question for my video because most people who are going to watch this video are English-speaking Americans and Europeans.
I wanted to give them an insight into the Miami Cuban culture that they don't normally see. I want to hear the reasons why they stand by Posada, even though many people consider him a terrorist.
Carlos:
"The problem is that the Cubans in Miami think that anybody who is not to the right of Hitler is a Castro-affiliated communist." — Carlos Miller
Hyperbole, I suppose?
Doesn't this kind of inflammatory statement demonstrate the same reductionist thinking in you which you are condemning in Cuban exiles?
With you thinking of all Miami Cubans as Nazis and they thinking of all Carlos Millers as Communists, it is no wonder that you crashed.
Why do you think I think that way, Manuel?
Do you think Saturday's incident may have anything to do with it?
Carlos,
I was surprised myself when I saw the entry at the Miquis Blog because I have seen you comments here and you don't sound like a Castro apologist or agent in any of your commentaries.
By the way, I need to clarify that I am not the "Augustin Alles" that wrote the comment you objected to. He is a totally different individual from me.
I was puzzled, because I followed your commentaries and civil discussions with MAT and never saw a hint that you favored Castro or his regime. But you are right, we have some people in our community that sometimes step over the line in their zeal and hatred of Castro. Is a shame these folks get more press than the others who behave in a more civilized manner. When they do these things, they fall for the trap setup by the procastroites to get a reaction from them and cast all the Cuban exiles in the role of intolerant and vicious hate spewing right wingers, which they are not.
Augustin Farinas,
I know you're a different Augustin.
The other Augustin has left three comments on my blog, the first two under the name "outinforce".
The last one under Augustin Alles where he finally comes out and calls me a communist.
It's really stupid because I even quote Thomas Jefferson in the video that supposedly confirms I'm a communist.
Normally, I wouldn't let it bother me because it is so absurd, but people down here will start believing it.
They are so blinded by their politics that they won't even begin to look beneath the surface to see if the allegations are true.
There has been one blogger who is claiming that I was misrepresenting myself as a CNN reporter and that bothers me as well because that affects my professional credibility.
I am always very careful never to misrepresent myself. In fact, after the incident, a videographer was talking me while the cops were investigating.
He was a Hispanic guy, spoke in Spanish, I think he was Cuban. He told me he was a freelancer but when they ask who he shoots for, he always tells them something like MTV or whatever because then they leave him alone.
He was saying he did this not really to misrepresent himself, but to protect himself.
But I told him that I really can't do that because that shit will always come back and bite you in the ass.
And when I first read that quote about me in El Nuevo Herald that said, "Ese fotógrafo es un agente de la inteligencia cubana", I busted out laughing because it was so absurd.
It made me think of the Spy vs Spy cartoons from Mad Magazine.
But then I also have to keep in mind that people down here will hear that and be immediately convinced.
And I'm always out there taking photos of these things, so I will run into these people again. And I don't want it to get to the point where I have to pack a gun every time I go out there.
But if I have to, I will.
And it does piss me off that these people end up giving all Cubans in Miami a bad name.
There was about 100 Cubans at the protest, and it was only a handful that started shit with me.
And it's always the same people. Before Saturday, I didn't really know their names, but I knew their faces.
That is why I wanted to stress in the video the lady in black who stood up for me, even though she was clearly on the pro-Posada side.
She also had enough sense to understand the First Amendment.
And the photographer who took those pictures was born in Havana and he saw the whole thing break out and he is on my side.
I've been talking to him a lot lately. He really can't get too involved because of his job, but he saw this as an assault on photographers' rights.
That is why he ended up finding a way to get the pictures posted eventually because the editors chose not to run the photos with the original story.
He was the one that told the cops that I did not start the melee.
And although as a democrat I disagree with many of the Cuban republicans down here, numerous times I've been able to have civil discussions with them about politics without it ever coming to blows.
Sometimes I even get them to see my side of things.
And that is what democracy is all about. And that is what I was trying to explain the old man who accused me of being a communist.
But as it turns out, he had no clue about the true meaning of democracy.
Carlos, I'm not going to speculate on whether or not you have communist sympathies because I don't know you, but I will defend Sr. Carriles. There is no proof that Luis Posada Carriles is responsible for the crimes he's accused of, and quite a lot of evidence that he is innocent. That's why two courts were unable to convict him. Luis Posada Carriles is called a terrorist because fidel castro says so. The dictator also says everything is fine in Cuba. Two million plus refugees, tens of thousands of grieving families, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans who have been imprisoned in his gulags don't agree.
Ziva,
Why does the argument about Posada always have to go back to Fidel?
Fidel is not the only person saying Posada is a terrorist.
Frankly, I don't give a shit what Fidel says. I can't trust anybody who wiped out elections after coming to power.
I've been to Cuba. I know how Fidel runs the place. The people are in fear. They are in desperation.
I could be talking to a group of Cubans, then suddenly they get scared and walk away, only because they saw a police officer.
There's barely food, never any meat.
I didn't stay in a hotel, but in a Casa Particular, but at one point, I walked into a hotel because I needed to use the internet, and I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and I had my camera in my backpack, and I look more Cuban than I do English or German, which is what most of the tourists were at that time.
I was immediately accosted by a guard, who thought I was Cuban. I even had to show him my US passport because he didn't believe me.
And I spent the whole week talking to regular Cubans to get a sense of how things are. A real sense. Not just what the Miami Cubans tell me.
That's the kind of person I am. I need to see things with my own eyes before I completely believe. I'm a skeptic.
And a lot of that stuff I saw in Cuba unsettled me because I live here and I still complain about my rights.
But I also saw that the Cubans, despite the harshness, were not going to let themselves get beaten down. They maintained their spirit. They are lively people. Amiable people. Family people. Surviving people.
And that is what bothers me about Posada. I believe he is guilty regardless of what the courts said. As I mentioned before, I'm a very skeptical person.
What bothers me about Posada is that I believe he killed those 73 people in that airplane, most whom were regular Cubans like the ones I met in Havana.
Like the ones I shared rum with and bullshitted with on the Malecon, like the ones who invited me into their homes for crappy coffee and hard, stale rolls.
Regular Cubans. Apolitical Cubans. Proud Cubans.
They might live in a communist country, but they tune out the politics.
Some may talk about coming to Miami, others say they know they won't like it. They wouldn't want to leave Cuba. It's got nothing to do with Castro, but everything to do with Cuba. If that makes sense.
I believe Posada killed these people as his way to fight against Castro, which doesn't really make sense because Castro doesn't really care about his people anyway.
So it was just wasted lives that had absolutely no strategic gain.
Posada will die a free man not because is innocent, but because it is not innocent. Especially when he was working with the CIA. He is protected in this country.
He is our monster. Well, there almost all our monsters at point, like Sadam and Osama and even Fidel.
But unlike the other monsters we created, this is has come to root.
Carlos, Posada is not protected in this country, quite the contrary. The justice department has been vigorous in its pursuit of any lead that might result in charges against him. Fortunately, contrary to the expressed wishes of castroites Medea Benjamin, the Pink Ladies, your beliefs, and the rest of the 21st century would be lynch mob, our courts have granted him at least temporary shelter. The rule of law prevails, and in the United States, one is innocent until proven beyond a shadow of doubt of guilt. Two acquittals should provide that moral clarity for any reasonable doubter.
"Why does the argument about Posada always have to go back to Fidel?"
Because were it not for Fidel, and his ruinous "revolution," Posada would be unknown to us. It is only because this great patriot dedicated his life to fight for the liberation of his homeland, and became Fidel’s enemy, that we know of him.
Follow the money…see the ties—research–>>
Obama–>Rezko–>Nadhmi Auchi–>Saddam Hussein & Muammar al-Gaddafi–>(Pastor Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and Raila Odinga–>Sheik Abdullahi Abdi)–>Raila Odinga–>Obama–>Bill Ayers & Bernadine Dorhn–>Obama–>Rashid Khalidi–>Obama–>Rezko–>Jabir Herbert Muhammad–>Farrakhan–>Obama–>
Follow the money…see the ties—>research–>>
You people keep calling everyone you dislike 'communists' and you will eventually give the real communists a pass.
And the logic in this thread is grade 2 caliber. It's a great relief to the rest of the country that the Cuban veto is dead, and the destructive hypocrisy of that community is now limited to south Florida.
It's obvious that the draconian treatment of communist Cuba by the US is unjust and ineffective, but I for one can't wait to see those rules repealed. It's the right thing to do, but it will also be very entertaining to hear you people squawk.
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