Insulza will travel to Honduras tomorrow, but Zelaya is not going

July 2 - The OAS' Secretary General, Miguel Insulza, said this afternoon that he will travel to Honduras on Friday and meet with new president Roberto Micheletti.

Insulza will be traveling alone.

Deposed president Manuel Zelaya had previously said that he, together with the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador were going to travel with Insulza, but the new authorities made it clear that Zelaya would be arrested if he returned, no matter who was with him.

Micheletti confirmed that Insulza is arriving tomorrow and that he plans to meet with him.

Castro keeps ill writer jailed as Norway awards prize

July 2 - A few weeks ago, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez got the kind of news that usually prompts cheers and emotion-filled toasts.

The Cuban journalist and poet had been awarded the annual Freedom of Expression award by the Norwegian Writers’ Union. A delegation traveled from Oslo to the island nation to present the award, which included a prize of 100,000 kroner (about $15,775).

In this case, there were no hugs, no toast. Gonzalez, 39 and seriously ill, has been in prison for six years, except for a few stays in a Havana military hospital. Much of his incarceration has been spent at the notorious Kilo 7 in Camaguey.

A message from Honduras: Don't listen to Chávez; this is not a coup

July 2 - Paleontologist Sue Hendrickson, who discovered the Field Museum's famous T-Rex "Sue," lives in Honduras -- and has dispatched urgent messages to her friends about trouble there.

Here is what she is reporting from Honduras:

"The event should be taken as an arrest against a Honduran citizen, Manuel Zelaya, who broke the constitutional Honduran law in multiple occasions over the last few days."

"This SHOULD NOT be taken as a coup d'etat."

"The vast majority of Hondurans firmly oppose Manuel Zelaya and are in favor of his arrest."

"The current news being portrayed in international networks appear to be heavily tilted toward a contrarian view of most Hondurans."

"Declarations made by Hugo Chavez should be discredited immediately. He should, as President Obama said, allow Hondurans to solve this issue through open communication following LEGAL processes."

"It is NOT ONLY in the interest of Honduras and its citizens that democracy prevails (supported by the events today and Manuel Zelaya's arrest) but also in the interest of the UNITED STATES that no other countries align with Hugo Chavez (and his puppets) to build his empire against democracy and peace."

Honduras Supreme Court Juge: There was no coup

July 1 - Honduras’s military acted under judicial orders in deposing President Manuel Zelaya, Supreme Court Justice Rosalinda Cruz said, rejecting the view of President Barack Obama and other leaders that he was toppled in a coup.

“The only thing the armed forces did was carry out an arrest order,” Cruz, 55, said in a telephone interview from the capital, Tegucigalpa. “There’s no doubt he was preparing his own coup by conspiring to shut down the congress and courts.”

Cruz said the court issued a sealed arrest order for Zelaya on June 26, charging him with treason and abuse of power, among other offenses. Zelaya had repeatedly breached the constitution by pushing ahead with a vote about rewriting the nation’s charter that the court ruled illegal, and which opponents contend would have paved the way for a prohibited second term.

She compared Zelaya’s tactics, including his dismissal of the armed forces chief for obeying a court order to impound ballots to be used in the vote, with those of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.  Bloomberg
 

Another huge demonstration of support for Honduras' new government

July 1 - One day after thousands of Hondurans marched in the capital of Tegucigalpa in support of the new government, thousands more did the same thing today in the town of Choluteca in the southern part of the country.

"We want peace and democracy," read many of the signs carried by the demonstrators.

Zelaya's return trip to Honduras is delayed

July 1 - The meeting of the Organization of American States about the crisis in Honduras ended around 4 AM Wednesday.

Deposed president Manuel Zelaya went to sleep at the OAS headquarters, while the foreign ministers discussed what to do.

He came back around 3 AM and held a press conference after it was announced by the OAS' useful idiot in charge, José Miguel Insulza, that the organization gave the new Honduras government 72 hours to put Zelaya back in power or Honduras would be suspended from the OAS.

Insulza didn't say why he is threatening to suspend the new Honduran government, unless Zelaya is returned to power within 72 hours, while at the same time he is begging the Castro brothers to return to the OAS after 442,320 hours of holding power in Cuba without the consent of the Cuban people.

Asked if he still was planning to return to Honduras on Thursday, as he announced in Nicaragua on Monday and at the UN on Tuesday, Zelaya said that the trip is now delayed until at least Saturday.

Zelaya accused of having ties to drug traffickers

July 1 - The new government of Honduras claimed Tuesday that the deposed president allowed tons of cocaine to be flown into the Central American country on its way to the United States.

"Every night, three or four Venezuelan-registered planes land without the permission of appropriate authorities and bring thousands of pounds ... and packages of money that are the fruit of drug trafficking," its foreign minister, Enrique Ortez, told CNN en Espanol.

"We have proof of all of this. Neighboring governments have it. The DEA has it," he added.

Will Hugo accompany Zelaya to Honduras?

June 30 - Deposed president Manuel Zelaya vowed to return to Honduras on Thursday, despite warnings that he could face arrest.

According to Zelaya, a number of "leaders" have offered to escort him, including Miguel d’Escoto, the Sandinista priest who is currently acting as president of The UN General Assembly; President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina, who took a beating on Sunday's election and needs to keep people in Argentina talking about something else other than her defeat; Rafael Correa president of Ecuador, who will always follow any order given by Chávez and the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Miguel Insulza, the perennial useful idiot.

But so far, Hugo Chávez, the most vociferous of all in the pro-Zelaya group, has not said whether or not he will accompany him on his return trip to Tegucigalpa.

Will Hugo join the group, or will he only pay for the trip and send his puppets? That's the $64,000 question.

Are these three going to restore democracy in Honduras?

Give me a break!

Honduras Attorney General: Zelaya could be sentenced to 20 years in jail if he returns

June 30 - Honduras Attorney General, Luis Rubí, said this afternoon that if Manuel Zelaya returns to Honduras, he would be arrested and face charges that could rcost him 20 years in jail.

"As soon as he steps into the territory of Honduras he will be arrested and placed at the order of the courts," Rubí told journalists in Tegucigalpa.

Among the charges that Zelaya could face are betrayal of the homeland, abuse of power and violation of the public trust.

Rubí said that he had warned Zelaya that he was violating the law, when he insisted in having a referendum that the Supreme Court of Honduras had ruled as illegal.

"Zelaya was informed in advance that what he was doing was illegal. We followed all the steps required under the law of Honduras," the Attorney General said.

Read more

Honduran president responds to Chavez threats: "In Honduras we are seven and a half million soldiers"

June 30 - Honduran President Roberto Micheletti answered Hugo Chavez's threats of invading his country, telling the Venezuelan dictator that in Honduras there are seven and a half million soldiers ready to defend their sovereignty, referring to the country's entire population.

Listen to Micheletti (Spanish)

Thousands march in Honduras in favor of the new government

June 30 - Thousands of Hondurans showed their support for the new Honduran government Tuesday morning at Tegucigalpa's Parque Central.

Many of the marchers carried signs praising the Honduras Armed Forces and against Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

"No to the Chavez-Castro intervention in Honduras," said one of the signs carried by the marchers.

"Yes to democracy, no to anarchy," said another.

Cristina Kirchner will also travel to Honduras with Insulza and Zelaya

June 30 - The Argentinean government announced this morning that President Cristina Kirchner will also accompany deposed Honduras president Manuel Zelaya in his planned return trip to his country on Thursday.

Kirchner will be joining OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza who has also offered to travel with Zelaya.

No information as to how many suitcases full of cash were provided this time by Hugo Chavez to help Cristina make her decision.

Honduras interim president, Roberto Micheletti, said this morning that Zelaya telephoned one of the country's top military chiefs to try to "negotiate" his return.

According to Micheletti, the officer told Zelaya that the country had a new government and there was nothing to negotiate.

Honduras defends its democracy. Fidel Castro and Hillary Clinton object

June 30 - Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution.

It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran Constitution to his liking.

Honduras new president: Zelaya will be arrested if he returns on Thursday

June 30 - The new president of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, warned deposed president Manuel Zelaya that the courts have issued an order for his arrest for violation of the Constitution and other illegal acts while he was president.

Zelaya said yesterday in Nicaragua that he plans to return to Honduras on Thursday in the company of useful idiot José Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the OAS.

"The courts of my country have issued an order to capture him because he violated the law and the Congress made the decision to name a new president based on the decision by the court," said Micheletti.

Zelaya is supposed to arrive in New York today to address the UN General Assembly.

During the meeting of leftist leaders in Nicaragua yesterday, Zelaya said that he and Insulza will go from New York to Honduras on Thursday.

Dictators, drunks and child rapists meet in Nicaragua to "restore democracy" in Honduras

June 29 - Raul Castro arrived in Nicaragua this afternoon to join fellow dictator Hugo Chavez and fellow drunk and child rapist Daniel Ortega, in a "summit" to support the return of deposed president Manuel Zelaya to Honduras.

What a spectacle!

It would be funnier if it wasn't so tragic.

Raul Castro, who together with his brother has refused to allow the Cuban people to democratically elect their own leaders and system of government, going to Nicaragua to support "democracy" in Honduras, together with Chávez who has refused to recognize the results of the last elections in Venezuela where the opposition won in Caracas and in several of the most important states, but Chávez has put his own people in charge.

And then you have Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, who has been accused by his own stepdaughter of rape.

What a wonderful summit!

Click here to read the testimony of Zoilamérica Narvaez, Ortega's stepdaughter, about the abuse she received at the hands of this criminal.

Spanish papers provide more information about the purge of Lage and Perez Roque

June 29 - Newspapers in Spain revealed more information during the weekend about the video prepared by Raul Castro to explain why Carlos Lage, Perez Roque and Fidel Castro's personal secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, were purged.

The video was originally shown to the top hierarchy of the Communist party, but now is being shown to all party members.

In the video, Raul Castro makes reference to a birthday party for Valenciaga on September 16, 2006 when the Cuban dictator was near death.

"While my brother was between life and death, Carlitos was holding a party one floor lower which turned indecent and where Lage and Perez Roque participated," Raúl Castro said in the video according to El Pais and El Mundo.

There is a photo of Valenciaga taken during the party, where he is wearing a "comandante" cap and holding a bottle of liquor.

The video shows recorded conversations between Lage, Perez Roque and Valenciaga where they expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to name old dinosaur Jose Machado Ventura as first Vice-president.

According to sources in the Cuban regime who spoke with the Spanish newspapers, Lage was informed of the decision about Machado but was told no to say anything until the next day, when the "parliament" was going to go through the formality of approving what had already been decided.

But on that same night, there was the celebration of the wedding of Dr. Raul Castellanos Lage, Carlos Lage's cousin, at the Ambos Mundos Hotel.

Among those present at the wedding were Fernando Remírez de Estenoz, who was formerly in charge of International Relations for the Central Committee of the Communist Party and who was also a victim of the purge; Conrado Hernandez, a Cuban citizen who represented Basque interests in the island and was arrested by State Security agents accused of passing information to Spanish Intelligence; Lage and Perez Roque.

Carlos Lage revealed the information about Machado Ventura to those at the wedding and, according to Raul Castro, "the party turned into a wake."

Perez Roque said that the next day he would oppose Machado's nomination at the National Assembly meeting. But he never did.

Dr. Raul Castellanos Lage, who is a cardiologist, is heard saying that it would have been better to have killed Machado when he was hospitalized earlier, after suffering from heart trouble. "It would have been a great service to the fatherland."

Lage and Perez Roque were close friends of Hernandez and he used to invite them to his country estate in Matanzas for parties and domino games.

Hernandez recorded most of the conversations at his home, to provide the information to Spanish intelligence agencies.

After his arrest, Cuba's State Security agents found the recordings. In them, according to what Raul Castro says in the video, Perez Roque and Lage referred to Machado Ventura as an "old fossil" and a "dinosaur."

You can read the whole thing in Spanish here

More good news for democracy in Latin America: The Kirchners suffer big loss in Argentina

June 29 - President Cristina Kirchner suffered a stunning setback in Argentina's congressional elections, losing absolute majorities in both houses of Congress.

Kirchner's husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, lost his own bid for a seat from Buenos Aires province in Sunday's election. He trailed Francisco de Narváez, having taken 32.2% to Mr. de Narváez's 34.5% after 91% of the vote was counted.

A classic example of hypocrisy

June 28 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that Honduran president Manuel Zelaya's ouster "violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic charter and should be condemned by all."

The US diplomacy chief called on Honduras to uphold "the very principles of democracy" that were reaffirmed during an Organization of American States (OAS) meeting hosted by Honduras earlier in June.

"Very principles of democracy" reaffirmed in a meeting where the OAS lifted the sanctions against the Castro regime, that for 50 years has refused to allow the Cuban people to democratically elect their own leaders or system of government?

Who are you trying to fool?

The OAS lost all credibility when it ignored its own Charter and invited the troglodyte dictator back with the support of all OAS members.

If the OAS represents democracy, then Bill Clinton must represent fidelity in marriage.

Honduran president arrested (UPDATED)

9 PM Honduras' newly named interim president Roberto Micheletti told reporters that he wasn't concerned about international pressure to return deposed president Zelaya to power.

"I don't think anyone here, not Barack Obama and much less Hugo Chavez, has the right to come and threaten (Honduras)."

Micheletti was sworn as interim president until new elections are held in November.

Castro's Cuba has less telephones than Haiti, less computers and no access to the Web. Gracias Fidel!

June 27 - The National Statistics Office released 2008 telecommunications data showing there were 1.4 million telephones, fixed and mobile, in the country of 11.2 million inhabitants.

This gave a total density of 12.6 telephones per 100 inhabitants, the lowest in the region, according to the United Nations International Telecommunications Union.

Computers were also scarce at just 630,000 and most were believed to be in government offices, health facilities and schools.

The report said 13 percent of Cuba's population had Internet access, but in most cases this was to a government Intranet.

No data was available for access to the worldwide web, but diplomats and residents say it is severely restricted.

In Jamaica, Internet access was 53.27 per 100 inhabitants, the Dominican Republic 25.87 percent and in Haiti 10.42 percent, the ITU reported.

Cuba dissidents win award, but not an audience with Obama

June 25 - Five Cuban dissidents who have collectively spent decades in jail for their pro-democracy activities were given a top award by the National Endowment for Democracy last night. But, unlike in past years, their representative was not invited to the White House, organizers said.

Carl Gershman, president of the endowment, said the organization asked two weeks ago whether President Obama could meet with Bertha Antúnez, the sister of one of the dissidents, who was picking up the award on their behalf. Gershman said he never got a response. It was the first time in five years that the president had not met with the winner of the Democracy Award, according to the endowment, which is funded by Congress.

"I am disappointed, and also surprised since the President said in the campaign that Libertad would be the touchstone on his Cuba policy," Gershman said in an e-mail, using the Spanish word for "liberty." 

The endowment had also asked Obama to issue a message to the Cubans to accompany words of support from Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa, dissidents who went on to lead the Czech Republic and Poland, respectively. The message from Obama arrived shortly before the ceremony began -- after an inquiry by The Washington Post -- with an apologetic note from a National Security Council staffer: "I had my dates confused." Washington Post

From "Fatherland or Death" to "Socialism or Death" and now "Conservation or Death"

June 25 - For over 50 years, the Castro brothers have only brought death and suffering to the Cuban people.

As a general rule with Cuban revolutionary slogans, the second choice is never a good option.

For PETA, Cubans are worth less than flies

June 19 - PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) complained this week when President Barack Obama killed a pesky fly that was interrupting a TV interview with a CNBC reporter.

The group wants the president to take a more humane approach the next time he’s bugged by a fly and they sent the White House a bug catcher that allows users to trap a housefly and then release it outside.

However, today we find out that PETA is using the granddaughter of che Guevara, the mass murderer who killed hundreds of Cubans and was known as the "Butcher of La Cabaña Prison," for a publicity campaign in South America promoting vegetarianism.

The campaign, expected to begin this October in the form of print ads and posters, features Lydia Guevara, the 24 year old granddaughter of the Argentine murderer, armed with carrot-laden ammunition belts and wearing a beret that resembles the one worn by her grandfather.

It seems that for PETA, the life of an insect is worth more than that of hundreds of innocent Cubans murdered by che Guevara.

Department of State: New trafficking in Persons Report

June 17 - The US Department of State has just released its new Trafficking in Persons Report 2009.

Cuba is one of only 17 countries in the worst category: Tier 3.

Here is part of what the report says:

"Cuba is principally a source of women and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Some Cuban children are reportedly pushed into prostitution by their families, exchanging sex for money, food, or gifts. Cuban nationals voluntarily migrate illegally to the United States, and there have been reports that some are subjected to forced labor or forced prostitution by their smugglers. The full scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult to gauge due to the closed nature of the government and sparse nongovernmental or independent reporting. State-run hotel workers, travel employees, cab drivers, and police steer some tourists to women and children in prostitution – including trafficking victims – though this appears to be on the decline."

On May 28, we updated our FEEDBACK page

It was difficult, but they got there

May 20 - Getting the Marti t-shirts to Cuba hasn't been easy.

This weekend they finally reached some of the dissidents who will help distribute them.

Some of the t-shirts were distributed in Havana and others were sent to Cardenas and Holguin.

I want to thank Dr. Darsi Ferrer and the Plantados for the great help they have provided me with this project and I also want to thank all our readers who have contributed to this effort.

We are having more t-shirts printed and I'm looking at different ways of getting them to Cuba.

This photo was taken last weekend when several of the dissidents got together to receive the first t-shirts.

From left to right: Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramirez, Rafael Leyva Leyva, Carol Susent Cruz and Pedro Moises Calderin.

Rafael and Carol live in Holguin and took several of the t-shirts to be distributed there.

We want to thank the following readers who have contributed to our campaign:

Ruth E. Cooke - Diego Trinidad III - Daisy Varela - Miguel Beltra - Marco Polo - R. Duval - Dona Flores - Henry Agueros - Christopher Glick - Elena Borkland -

Odalys Fabregas - Fernando Dominicis - Zivainla Sahl - Alfredo Zayas - Andy Grubbs - R. Campanioni - Ana J. Martinez - Liliana Quincoses - Pete Guevara - Constantino Peña - Angel Valdes - José A. González-Posada - Francisco A. Gómez

If you want to help with the t-shirts and postcards projects, please send a donation:

You can also send a check to: The Real Cuba - P.O. BOX 835308 - Miami, FL 33283-5308

Click here to learn more about our projects for 2009

Racism in Castro's Cuba

This documentary about racism in Castro's Cuba was aired Sunday, April 26, on Channel 41 in Miami.

Interview interrupted

The interviewer wanted to ask the musician about reggaeton in Cuba, but another guy kept interrupting.

"Jama, jama" (Food, food)  "Hace falta comida porque hay tremenda hambre" (We need food because there is great hunger).

Video

Fidel Castro, a vulgar liar in any language