[van-discuss] free the Cuban 5

[Eric R.]

Barb,

I completely disagree with your claim that Cuba today is a "free socialist
society".
It seems clear to me that Cuba is a state capitalist dictatorship.
(However, I would not describe it as a "fascist dictatorship", although the
differences are entirely formal, in my opinion.) The workers in Cuba today
are wage slaves without power.
Commodity relations and the law of value dominate the entire economy, while
all political and economic power is in the hands of the elite of the
party-state bureaucracy, an elite which forms the ruling class of the
country. All of these facts are completely antithetical to real socialism.
Socialism is only possible on a global scale. The idea of "socialism in one
country" is a Stalinist one. Lack of clarity on these questions in the
context of the current
barbaric reality facing humankind is unacceptable as far as I'm concerned,
no matter how good one's intentions are.

For anti-capitalist revolution in EVERY country of the world! It's not a
utopian dream; it's an urgent necessity if humankind is to survive without
barbarism.

Fraternally,

Eric R.

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A revolutionary anti-capitalist website: www.geocities.com/wageslavex/ .

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Barb Waldern wrote:


>
> Here is another perspective on the sentencing of Cuban
> dissidents by the state of the socialist Republic of Cuba.
> I have information from participating in a tour of Cuba
> from April 28 to May 12, 2003.
>
> The Vancouver and District Labour Council and Central de
> los Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) coordinated a special
> labour/cultural solidarity tour for Solidarity Notes
> choir. 40 choir members and some of their partners and
> friends went on this tour. Most are members of union
> locals in the Vancouver area.
>
> After have planned this tour for about a year, it was
> a coincidence that we arrived to Cuba after a series of
> airline and ferry boat hijackings and bombings of tourist
> sites in Cuba carried out by Cuban citizens, and after a
> couple of speeches by GW Bush calling for the reconversion
> of Cuban society to capitalism in the name of fighting
> terrorism, by any means including military intervention,
> in March and April of this year. Our solidarity mission
> was therefore celebrated widely as a show of international
> solidarity in support of Cuba and against US aggression
> and interference.
>
> We attended May 1st events, an International Labour Solidarity
> Conference on May 2, met performing arts groups, held our
> own performances, attended meetings of CTC reps and government
> workers, visited historic sites and enjoyed markets,
> beaches, bands, museums, restaurants and bars. Among the people
> in our choir (about 60 members) and this tour group, there are
> many different politics and perspectives. But the tour agreed
> that the social advances are remarkable and worth defending.
> Therefore, we expressed our heartfelt solidarity at the formal
> events and in the streets of the five cities of Cuba we visited.
>
> AT the May 2 Solidarity Conference, delegation after delegation
> from around the world expressed solidarity and pledged to defend
> Cuban socialist society and the five citizens of Cuba imprisoned
> in the US because of their pro-Cuban activism. The conference
> created a petition calling for the release of the Cuban 5 from
> US jail cells, which every individual attending signed. They also
> gave their contact information to the Toronto-based Free the Cuban
> Five organization.
>
> A statement by the 1.5 million union leaders and 3.5 affiliated
> workers who comprise the CTC denounced the harsh sentences
> imposed on the 5 Cuban citizens who are now held in a US prison.
> They have not been able to consistently have legal representation
> and make communications. They have been denied medical treatment
> and visits from their families. The statement was released on
> April 18, 2003.
>
> The press conference speech by Cuba's Foreign Minister, Felipe
> Perez, made on April 9, 2003, points out the hypocrisy of the US
> government. GW Bush enjoys the support of Batista supporters and
> mobsters in Miami, says Perez. As a payback for this support,
> Bush is going all out to assist their counter-revolutionary
> activities in Cuba. Perez gives full details. The Head of the
> US Interests Section
> in Havana--set up to protect the US citizens who left Cuba--James
> Cason, has been wining and dining pro-US elements in Miami and
> Cuba, even though a diplomatic note from Cuba has asked him
> to stop his provocative actions. Meanwhile, the US is pouring
> millions of dollars into counter-revolutionary
> activities through many NGO's. Examples: $22 to US Agency
> for International Development, and $27 million into anti-Cuban
> broadcasts on Radio and TV "Marti".
>
> Such allocations have increased since the enactment of the Helms-
> Burton law prohibiting commerce with Cuba. As a result of this law,
> individuals with remote relations to individuals suspected of
> doing business with Cuba, even those with Cuban citizenship, are
> being rounded up and punished.
>
> A "declaration from Cuban intellectuals and artists against fascism"
> denounces these and other acts of US interference and aggression
> around the world, especially its war against Iraq. It was signed
> by 145 individuals in Havana on April 12, 2003.
>
> While the US is carrying out a worldwide war on the pretext of
> fighting terrorism, it is protecting the terrorists who have
> been waging terror in Cuba. On December 20, 2001, the Republic of
> Cuba passed a new law against acts of terrorism setting out
> penalties for anyone using Cuban territory even to organize
> or finance acts of terrorism against other countries, even the US.
>
> On March 18, 32 participants of anti-Cuba meetings on December
> 24, March 12 and 14 were arrested. On March 19, another 33 were
> arrested. These individuals are called "mercenaries" because
> they are recipients of US cash and gifts whom US authorities
> including the US Interests Section for carrying out US interests,
> according to Foreign Minister Felipe Perez. But during the night
> of March 19, a DC-3 aircraft was hijacked. An AN-24 was hijacked
> on March 31, and the ferry was hijacked on April 2.
>
> The trials were expedited and began on April 3. The accused
> were allowed legal representation of their choice and free to
> give their own evidence in front of a jury. The proceedings
> were tape-recorded and transcribed. One of the accused
> described his treatment in prison to the judge: he said he
> and all the other prisoners were treated well, seeing a doctor
> daily and receiving visits from their families.
>
> On our tour during the past two weeks, we walked freely around
> the cities and spoke with locals as we pleased. We saw no
> evidence of a fascist society. We were however harassed by
> black marketeers. We did observe the police and
> security guard presence increased in order to keep black
> market traders in check and ward off terrorist attacks.
> We did observe the shortages of everyday
> convenience and luxuries as well as common necessities created
> by the lenghty embargo and loss of trade with the Soviet block.
> Though the people cannot afford to buy the simple pleasures
> that visitors may with US dollars, the cost of living within
> their domestic peso economy is very low and the government
> provides free education, child care and health care. Housing
> is affordable; there is no homelessness and most people own
> a home. When they do rent housing they pay 10% of their
> income. Small private enterprises pay 40% of their revenues
> to the state. Farmers pay a similar portion. There is no
> other form of taxations and these taxes are recent
> inventions. Everyone gets guaranteed monthly rations of food
> supplies by state farms; they buy whatever else they need
> beyond that. Horse and buggies are still common form of
> transportation and farmers don't have machinery.  But many
> people buy cars or motorbikes.
>
> We had some concerns about the growing inequality that the
> dependence on tourism and the influx of US dollars are
> creating. We also grumbled about bureacratic inconveniences
> and hierarchies. However we saw great advantages over other
> poor tropical societies and a free socialist society that
> honours work and workers.
>
> Barb Waldern
> TSSU Chief Steward
> TSSU delegate to the VDLC
> Solidarity Notes choir member
> MA student, anthropology, SFU