LAST MINUTE: ROCKEFELLER TO THE RESCUE OF CASTRO (AGAIN)
Today, May 20, we celebrate 112 years since the proclamation
of the independence of Cuba, issued by the U.S. government after ruling the
island for four years after the withdrawal of the Spanish colonial government
in 1898.
Taking advantage of the event and giving it a more emotional
ideological character, a group of “private” individuals " (as it says on
the tagline of the document signed by them), published an open letter to
President Barack Obama in which they requested his personal support and
influence as chief executive in favor of what they call "civil
society" in Cuba.1
The definition of "civil society” is somewhat elusive.
Many legal scholars and academic, financial and governmental organizations and
institutions have struggled with the definition since Aristotle.
Civil society generally is distinguished as one that is
established without any commercial purpose, or at least not purely commercial.
Alexis de Tocqueville identified "civil society"
as the set of voluntary social organizations and civic institutions which act
as mediators between individuals and the state. This definition therefore
includes both, non-profit organizations or non-governmental organizations,
associations and foundations. The nineteenth-century concept also included
universities, professional associations and religious communities.
The World Bank has adopted a definition of civil society
developed by a number of leading research centers: “the term civil society to
refer to the wide array of non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations
that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of
their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific,
religious or philanthropic considerations. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
therefore refer to a wide of array of organizations: community groups,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labor unions, indigenous groups,
charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations,
and foundations”.2
For the United Nations, civil society organizations are
non-governmental organizations or NGOs . 3
John A. Hall , James McGill Professor of Comparative
Historical Sociology at McGill University, Montreal, distinguishes five enemies
of civil society :
1. Despotism : State terror that
discourages the formation of any group between society and government.
2. Revival of the tradition of
republican civic virtues:. Qualities of moral value or principle established by
a number of rules to obey.
3. Specific Forms of nationalism:
the triumph of the rule of the majority and the total assimilation in order to
form an ideal society.
4. Totalizing ideologies
5. Essentialist cultural ideals:
social cells that determine the function and value of each individual in
society.4
Such list should sound very well known by Cubans, especially
those who live or have lived most of their lives on the Island.
In summary, in Cuba since Fidel Castro took power, there is
simply impossible the existence of a civil society.
Communism is a perfect society. It is perfectly designed to
eliminate any possibility of democracy, rule of law, civil rights and civil
society,
Since its complete creation in the USSR by Stalin, all
institutions, organizations, or item and each of the individuals under the
communist empire, are state property.
Communism is the perfect modern system of total slavery.
Other ancient societies with features of total slavery had no such perfection.
Ancient Egypt, Babylon, ancient China, India Persia allowed trade and
partnership between individuals and some economic, and informational
independence. However, the communism designed by Stalin (and applied by Mao
Zedong, Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot in its most brutal form) leaves no
window to independence and personal initiative of any kind.
The Case of Castro's Cuba is no exception.
The Communist Party and its repressive institutions keep
tight control on each activity, group and individual.
All the so called NGOs in Cuba are directly or indirectly
controlled by the Communist Party: cultural, religious, sports, hobbies
organizations, and even animal breeding groups, whatever. Even the dissident
and opposition groups are particularly penetrated and organized secretly from
institutions in the Central Committee of the party and the state security.
Even it is sad to say that most, if not all , the opposition
groups in exile have been penetrated at some point and are constantly
penetrated by Castro's intelligence covertly, pushing many of its actions in
support of communist government propaganda.
Those who do not want to recognize this does not understand
the nature of the communist regime installed by Castro in Cuba.
I do not mind that Cuban exiles help their families on the
island. In fact, is a way to save their lives given the critical shortage of food,
hygiene products, clothing, appliances, medicines, medical services and the
most basic construction, infrastructure, sanitary and social security of any
type.
Sending remittances to relatives in Cuba and, above all,
bring them to the U.S. is the way of saving their lives.
However, remittances are not the main Castro’s profits, but
his huge family business that he has secretly developed in the United States
and the rest of the world under enormous overlapping network of shell
companies, sheltered under the protection of international financial
organizations.
The profits of these companies are great support of Castro,
along with subsidies from his allies such as Russia and China, and its
semi-colonies as Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, etc.
The letter to Obama is a desperate call to save the
suffocated Cuban government.
Its "signers" ask the U.S. President to use the
powers at his disposal in order to evade the law of Cuban embargo, so hard to
repeal in Congress, as they recognized though.
They ask Obama to allow organizations and entrepreneurs to
travel to Cuba in order to develop commercial and financial activities with
micro-entrepreneurs and "independent” farmers, and to give licenses to
certain high-tech products so they can be exported to Cuba as it is done now
with agricultural goods. They also ask allow unlimited remittances of money to
non-family members.
These gentlemen are well aware that not one of these
financial and technological resources will never reach the Cuban people and
will remain with the government, which uses them for its survival, especially
now that the country has reduced to total dependence on subsidies from its
allies.
Cuba has been reduced to a country without economic means,
like sugar citrus, tobacco, nickel or other. Even tourism. Cuba does not
produce any goods or services at all. Its only means came from the exportation
of terrorism specialists and political interference in other countries such as Venezuela,
Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador , etc. .
Giving a break to Castro’s government right now is criminal
and genocidal.
And who are the signatories and promoters of this letter?
There are not representatives of the opposition in the
country or in exile, or democratic or human rights organizations.
Tucked amid the multitude of signatories, it is no less than
David Rockefeller.
The patriarch of the Rockefeller clan, ninety- nine years
old, still comes out of his retirement of years to rescue his best friend Fidel
Castro (see article in this blog " CUBAN CONSPIRACY ( DOS) : CASTRO AND
ROCKEFELLER " in
http://havanaschool.blogspot.com/2010/09/la-conspiracion-cubana-dos-castro-y-los.html).
Rockefeller is followed by a number of his old comrades of
the Council on Foreign Relations, which, despite being general and senior U.S.
government officials, they have responded to the call from his boss in aid of
the only man who has threatened to drop the bomb atomic in the U.S. territory,
has promoted terrorism and interventionism throughout the world, supports all
hostile governments to the United States and has filled his northern neighbor
with spies.
To leave no doubt about it, you can read the letter below.
http://www.supportcubancivilsociety.org/
Open Letter to President Obama:
Support
Civil Society
in Cuba
Dear
Mr. President,
Your
administration has taken several important steps to support the Cuban people by
opening travel for Cuban-American families, expanding remittances, and enabling
purposeful travel for more Americans. Those policies have fostered direct
contacts between the United States and the Cuban people, provided a lifeline
for average Cubans, and empowered Cuban civil society. As a result, Cuban
society and U.S. society are sharing more information and are more connected
today than in the past fifty years.
Now
more than ever the United States can help the Cuban people determine their own
destiny by building on the U.S. policy reforms that have already been started.
Such efforts would seek to provide openings and opportunities to support the
Cuban people in their day-to-day economic activities, and in their desire to
connect openly with each other and the outside world and to support the broad
spectrum of civil society, independent, non-state organizations created to
further individual economic and social needs irrespective of political
orientation. Doing so not only promises to deepen the contacts between the U.S.
and Cuban society, it will also help Cubans increase their self-reliance and
independence. But timing matters and this window of opportunity may not remain open
indefinitely. At the same time, the U.S. is finding itself increasingly
isolated internationally in its Cuba policy. In the current political climate
little can be done legislatively, but the Obama Administration has an
unprecedented opportunity to usher in significant progress using its executive
authority at a time when public opinion on Cuba policy has shifted toward
greater engagement with the Cuban people while continuing to pressure the Cuban
government on human rights.
The
undersigned members-individuals from the private sector, think tanks,
non-governmental organizations, and foundations- acknowledge and appreciate the
steps you have taken to improve U.S. - Cuban relations.
We
further propose the following recommendations that you, Mr. President, can take
through executive authority to deepen the changes already underway by giving
greater freedom to private organizations and individuals to directly and
indirectly serve as catalysts for meaningful change in Cuba.
1.
Expand and safeguard
travel to Cuba for all Americans
1.
Expand general licensed travel to
include exchanges by professional organizations, including those specializing
in law, real estate and land titling, financial services and credit,
hospitality, and any area defined as supporting independent economic activity.
2.
Expand travel by general license for
NGOs and academic institutions and allow them to open Cuban bank accounts with
funds to support their educational programs in Cuba.
3.
Authorize U.S. travelers to Cuba to have
access to U.S.-issued pre-paid cards and other financial services-including
travelers' insurance-to expand possibilities for commerce with independent
entrepreneurs and safeguard people-to-people travel.
2.
Increase support for
Cuban civil society
1.
Allow unlimited remittances to
non-family members for the purpose of supporting independent activity in Cuba
and expand the types of goods that travelers may legally take to the Island to
support micro-entrepreneurs.
2.
Establish new licenses for the provision
of professional services to independent Cuban entrepreneurs.
3.
Authorize the import and export of
certain goods and services between the U.S. private sector and independent
Cuban entrepreneurs.
4.
Allow U.S. NGOs and other organizations
to lend directly to small farmers, cooperatives, self-employed individuals, and
micro-enterprises in Cuba.
5.
Permit family remittances to be used as
credits or equities in Cuban micro-enterprises and small farms.
6.
Allow U.S. academic institutions to
issue scholarships for exceptional Cuban students.
7.
Allow for Cuban entrepreneurs to
participate in internships in U.S. corporations and NGOs.
8.
Promote agricultural exchange studies
between U.S. based NGOs and private cooperative farms in Cuba.
9.
Authorize the sale of telecommunications
hardware in Cuba, including cell towers, satellite dishes, and handsets.
10.
Authorize general travel licenses for
the research, marketing and sale of telecommunications equipment.
11.
Authorize telecommunications hardware
transactions to be conducted through general license in the same manner as
existing transactions for agricultural products.
3.
Prioritize principled
engagement in areas of mutual interest
1.
The Obama Administration should engage
in serious discussions with Cuban counterparts on mutual security and
humanitarian concerns, such as national security, migration, drug interdiction,
and the environment, among others. The United States should leverage these
talks to press Cuban officials on matters such as the release of Alan Gross and
on-going human rights concerns.
4.
The Obama
Administration should take steps to assure financial institutions that they are
authorized to process all financial transactions necessary and incident to all
licensed activities.
John
Adams, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Retired); former Deputy U.S. Military
Representative to NATO; former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for
Intelligence, U.S. Army
Ricky
Arriola, CEO of Inktel
Joe
Arriola, former Manager of the City of Miami
Bruce
Babbitt, former Governor of Arizona; former Secretary of the Interior
Harriet
Babbitt, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carol
Browner, former EPA Administrator; former Director of White House Office of
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Diana
Campoamor, President, Hispanics in Philanthropy
Paul
Cejas, former U.S. Ambassador; President and CEO, PLC Investments, Inc.
Gustavo
A. Cisneros, Chairman , Cisneros Group of Companies
Jeffrey
Davidow, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere
Byron
Dorgan, former U.S. Senator
Andres
Fanjul, Fanjul Group
Richard
Feinberg, former Latin American Advisor to the White House; Professor,
University of California, San Diego
Christopher
Findlater
Mike
Fernandez, Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners
The
Right Reverend Leo Frade, Episcopal Bishop of Southeast Florida
Pedro
A. Freyre, Partner, Akerman LLP
Dan
Glickman, former Secretary of Agriculture; former Congressman from Kansas
Lee
Hamilton, former U.S. House Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Jane
Harman, Former Congresswoman
David
Hernandez, Co-Founder and CEO of Liberty Power
Vicki
Huddleston, U.S. Ambassador (retired); former Chief of the U.S. Interests
Section; former Director of Cuban Affairs at Department of State
Peter
J. Johnson, Associate to David Rockefeller
Eduardo
Mestre, Senior Advisor at Evercore; Board member of Avis Budget and Comcast
Corporation
Marcelino
Miyares, President MM Communications Inc.
Moises
Naím, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
John
Negroponte, former Deputy Secretary of State; former Director of National
Intelligence
Michael
Parmly, former Chief of U.S. Interest Section, Havana
Ralph
Patino, Civil Trial Attorney; Futuro Fund Board Member
Jorge
Pérez, Chairman, CEO and Founder, The Related Group
Ambassador
Thomas Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
David
Rockefeller, Honorary Chairman, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Christopher
Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society/Council of the Americas;
Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly
Carlos
Saladrigas, Chairman of Regis HR; Chairman of the Cuba Study Group; member of
the board of Duke Energy Corporation and Advance Auto Parts, Inc.
Ken
Salazar, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior; former U.S. Senator; former
Colorado Attorney General
Susan
Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Ambassador
Charles Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela; President, Institute of
the Americas
Anne-Marie
Slaughter, President and CEO of the New America Foundation; former Director of
Policy Planning for the U.S. Department of State
Hilda
L. Solis, former U.S. Secretary of Labor; former Member of Congress
Enrique
Sosa, former President of Dow Chemical North America
Admiral
James Stavridis, Commander of U.S. Southern Command 2006–2009; Supreme Allied
Commander NATO 2009–2013; Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Alan
Stoga, President/Founder, Zemi Communications; Vice Chairman, Americas Society
Strobe
Talbott, former Deputy Secretary of State
Arturo
Valenzuela, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs;
Professor of Government and International Affairs, Georgetown University
Alexander
Watson, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
George
Weiksner, Vice Chairman, Credit Suisse
The above signatories have signed this letter in their
personal capacities; they do not reflect the views of their company,
organization or university, current or past.
