Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Rarest Thing Happened Today: A Debate Broke Out at Babalú

A debate has broken out at Babalú. Those acquainted with that echo chamber will be surprised if not floored. It may explain things if we point out that the debate is between Val and Marc Másferrer. If it were someone other than Marc who raised an objection to Val's condemnation of remittances, his comment would have been deleted pro forma and the dissenter summarily banned. But because it is Marc, who by rights should enjoy Val's respect and gratitude, Babalú's editor-in-chief has consented to reply to him in a civil fashion.

Val is upset because he think that Castro's goons in Cuba are receiving remittances from their Miami relatives who may or not know about their activities. It is entirely possible that such amoral men would represent themselves as enemies of the regime in order to obtain the largesse of their families in Miami. It is entirely possible also that many Miami families may send money to their relatives in Cuba even if they know or suspect that they are complicit with the Castro regime in the subjugation of the Cuban people. What is not true, however, or even remotely possible, is that a majority of those receiving remittances in Cuba are Castro's goons, which is what Val is implying.

Of course, in Val's way of thinking, any Cuban who is not being beaten up in the streets like the "Ladies in White" must be a Castro goon or a coward. The obstinate refusal of Cubans on the island to shed their blood in rivers so that they can provide Val with a red carpet for his return to Cuba once that blood is congealed causes poor Val to be greatly disillusioned with his countrymen for failing to live up to his own heroic example. Has he not had to contend with coconuts and dead chickens on his lawn? Has he not received mysterious anonymous phone calls and supposed death threats from other bloggers? Have not Gloria and Emilio snubbed him despite his relentless ass-kissing? Truly Val knows the meaning of suffering. Too bad that the Cuban people don't, because if they did, according to Val Prieto, they would have already risen against the tyrant.

Val does not mention his famous pressure cooker. I have berated him about it so many times that he has obviously rethought the metaphors that he employs to condemn the Cuban people. Val and Henry's "Pressure Cooker" Theory holds that if you double-starve the Cuban people and make life even more miserable for them, they will have no choice but to rise up against Castro, that is, self-implode. An island bereft of Castro and the Cuban people is their fondest hope, or, as I once put it, the cherry on their brazo gitano.

Then there is this:

"If some creep grabbed your wife and a gun point told you "give me money or Ill shoot her." and you gave him money and he told you "give me more money or Ill shoot her." and you gave him more money and he once again tells you "give me money or ill shoot her." Where does it end? What impetus does that creep have to free your wife, given that each and every time he asks you for money you give it to him?"

I pity Val's poor wife who in this example stands for the long-suffering Cuban people. Can you imagine! Val would refuse to give the "creep" holding his wife at gunpoint more money because he (the "creep") is too greedy. Better a dead spouse than to be "fleeced" by such a lowlife. It's a matter of principle. His wife's brains splattered on the street are preferable to succumbing to blackmail or emptying out his bank account.

I pity his wife. I pity the Cuban people if their fate were ever in Val's hands. Thank God it never will be.


POSTSCRIPT:

In an unusual but welcome display of autonomy, Fantomas has also challenged Val on his assertion that Cuban exiles support Castro's henchmen with their remittances. Since Fantomas once said that he could not "afford" to be booted from Babalú, this was a risky move on his part. We are glad that Fantomas finally took a stand at Babalú, and hope, for his sake, that it not be his last stand.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

A quien se le puede ocurrir que los tipos (o tipas) de las brigadas de respuesta rapida o la gente del Minint reciban dinero de sus familiares en Miami?
Si es que tienen familia en Miami, por lo general esa gente "enterraron" a su familia cuando se fue. Y son extremistas. El Ministerio los vigila y controla y los llaman a contar y lo pagan caro si tienen algun tipo de relacion con alguien en el extranjero, sea familia o no, le revisan el correo y los telefonos los tienen tan tomados como cualquiera otra persona.
Yo lo veo como un ataque contra los balseros como yo, contra los recien llegados como yo, porque siempre nos estan acusando de ser nosotros los que le mandamos dinero a Castro para sostenerlo, siempre nos estan recriminando por no rebelarnos, a ver si alguno de ellos se rebelo en su dia. Todos vinimos porque con aquello no se podia.
Vivo en Miami, y voy a ir a la famosa Cuba nostalgia solo para ver a este tipo de frente. Que sigan con las olla de presion, que en Cuba se las van a poner de sombrero.

Vana said...

The Cuban people's life is miserable enough without further starvation, a starving people will never rise against their master, they are to weak always worried about the next morsel of food.

Yes sadly Val and Henry are among those who will not send a penny to their bereaved brethen, or maybe they have no one left in the island, therefore they don't give a shit.

Anonymous said...

Mat said: Val is upset because he think that Castro's goons in Cuba are receiving remittances from their Miami relatives who may or not know about their activities





No sir, Val is upset, because he thinks he is not recieving "his" fair share of the Cuban-American dollars. Dollars which he will prompty use for home improvements!!

bookster said...

mat, isn't this a question of priorities. Is our first priority self/immediate family or duty to country?

In my view self/family/personal property come first, everything else is secondary. You do what you got to do to make sure your immediate circle is take care of.

Anonymous said...

corgiguy said: In my view self/family/personal property come first, everything else is secondary.



Not with an American solider, or even most Americans!! Many who fight for things bigger then themselves. It is called sacrifice. It is a very American trait!!

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

John:

Yes, John, that American trait was amply displayed in the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War.

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

corgiguy:

The world is a set of intertwining circles. By helping your family you are in fact helping everybody else.

Vana said...

Yes corgiguy we must take care of our immediate circle, of course they gotta come first, but we must not forget those over there, at least I have not.

Vana said...

Yarey:

No se te olvide contarnos lo que veas en Cuba Nostalgia, ok..yo se que muchos los culpan a ustedes los recien llegados, pero eso es sin fundamento, yo llevo 47 años aqui y continuo ayudando a los de alla.

Creeme muchos de nosotros nos alegramos cuando otra balsa arriba con pies secos, animo mi hermano, y al carajo con los comemierdas.

Anonymous said...

"BTW if the cash spigot were shut off (voluntarily) for six months the regime would be toppled. But to be honest there's a lot of people down there who honestly have no motivation to work or work for the end of the regime because they have a relative who sends them a couple of hundred bucks a month"

-dijo Henry antes de irse a cebar en Versailles.

Anonymous said...

no chico, hoy es Martes y vamos a La Carreta pa' la vaca frita. Val

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

Vana:

Well said as usual, Vana.

The only fidelistas left in the world -- that is, the only ones who still believe the myth of a Revolution betrayed by Fidel -- reside in Miami. It is these fidelistas sin fidel, who bear the responsibility for what happened in Cuba as much as Castro's henchmen, that are always the first to condemn Cubans on the island for not undoing what they did to them.

The Cuban Revolution was a vampirish enterprise from the beginning and has bore the only fruits that could be expected from it -- the fruits of the cemetery.

Anonymous said...

Señora Vana,
Mejor le mando el dinero a mi familia, gracias! Pero cerca de ahi voy a estar, seguro por mi trabajo.

Anonymous said...

anon said: But to be honest there's a lot of people down there who honestly have no motivation to work or work for the end of the regime because they have a relative who sends them a couple of hundred bucks a month"




But to be honest, there are a lot of Americans who have no motivation to work because they have our government who sends them a couple of hundred bucks a week, i.e., welfare.

When does the self-lothing stop among some in the Cuban community?

Anonymous said...

long john = anti cuban

Anonymous said...

long john = dont buy maps, thinks Cuba is in south Africa

Anonymous said...

long john = poor lost soul

Anonymous said...

Henry and Val,


Just because i call you two self-loathing Cubans doesnt mean i am anti-Cuban. I have already explain this to you many times.


It is you two who hate Cubans, not me!!

Anonymous said...

Henry Gomez=embarrassed to be Cuban
Val Prieto=embarrassed to be Cuban

Anonymous said...

Henry Gomez<-------ashamed to admit that he is of Cuban heritage

Anonymous said...

Val Prieto<---------quietly hates being Cuban, but quietly likes the money that he gets from exploiting the Cuban sufferage.

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

John:

I do wish you would use suffering instead of "sufferage."

There is another word, sufferance, which means pretty much the same as suffering, which you might try.

However, if you are inventing a new word "sufferage" because you consider Cuban suffering unlike any other suffering, then ignore this suggestion.

Anonymous said...

mat,


You should know by now that I have my own special vocubulary!!

:)


P.S.

Legimate response about Mandela in the prior post!!

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

John:

Don't see your response about Mandela in prior post.

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

John:

There is also the word suffrage, which is something that Cubans don't have unlike your "sufferage."

Anonymous said...

Manny,
Alex let Val have it at SFDB today. Funny as hell.


Lazy-ass Cuban (receiving money from family in USA).

Vana said...

Congratulations fantomas, you finally found your voice, maybe just maybe you are becoming human.