Claudia4Libertad

Basta de Apartheid en Cuba! Enough of Apartheid in Cuba!

Marc Masferrer of Uncommon Sense, a tireless fighter for the cause of democracy in Cuba and a dedicated journalist who features political prisoners in Cuba on his blog, posted this link on Babalublog today, so I want to share it as well. Dr. Darsi Ferrer, who appeared in taped footage about the Cuban healthcare system on Hannity & Colmes and A Mano Limpia in Miami, has a website dedicated to ending apartheid in Cuba and promoting the December 10th peaceful march for the end of apartheid- in Cuba.

Here is his website, it's in Spanish. Dr. DARSI FERRER

Hugo's Evil Plan, Pt. 2

Mini-Me chávez plans to expel a U.S. diplomat because he suspects him of messing up his evil plan to take over Latin America pass a referendum that would allow him to be re-elected indefinitely (the "sí" or "no" campaign).  AND... The diplomat will be henceforth referred to and considered PERSONA NON GRATA!  Harummphhh!!!!  Take THAT you evil imperialist!

Well, at least the King of Spain didn't tell him to shut up.

Read the whole mess HERE

Edited: Link fixed- thanks Cubanita in Colorado!

Drink Coffee, Eat Chocolate Stay up All Night- Chavez's Plan to Win Referendum Vote

The Admonished Venezuelan Dictator vowed yesterday to win this Sunday's referendum vote that would change the constitution and keep him in power indefinitely.  At a rally of women supporters, chávez told them to:

"drink coffee, eat chocolate and stay awake through Saturday night -- just like the nights when they gave birth"

so that they would be up bright an early en masse to get backers to the polls on Sunday.

In an even more disgusting show of shmoozing, chávez whispered to the women at the rally that he "likes it when a lady says 'yes' to him."  Then he blew kisses and sang a love song to them.

Read the big gross-out HERE.

Another non-Cuban who understands- Jeff Jacoby

José Reyes of Cubanology.com has featured several articles by Jeff Jacoby, writer for the Boston Globe and a non-Cuban.  Jeff has written articles such as "A Hero In Castro's Gulag," "Castro's True Legacy Is A Trail Of Blood," "Elián, '60 Minutes,' And The Party Line," "A Walk In Havana" and "The Keepers Of Cuba's Conscience " over the past five years and his understanding of the plight of the Cuban people is definitely not typical of American journalists.  Read more here.

Chile's President Also Tells Chávez to Shut His Big Yapper

Man, when it rains it pours for pobrecito hugo chávez.  It seems that President Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, revealed in an Chilean tv interview on Thursday that she told the Venezuelan dictator to butt out of Chile's affairs when he gave his support to Bolivia's demands for sea access through Chilean territory.  This took place at the same Cumbre IberoAmericana (IberoAmerican Summit) in Santiago, Chile, where King Juan Carlos of Spain uttered those now famous words: "¿POR QUE NO TE CALLAS?"  She told him that the issue was none of his business, specifically, that it was between Chile and Bolivia and "his comments were not appropriate and I asked him not to make further statements along those lines."

Read the rest here:

Why I'm Thankful This Year

Dear Readers:

I have so much to be thankful for this year. This year has been somewhat bumpy for me and my family and my friends but looking back, I truly have a mountain of things that I should be grateful to have.

• I am thankful to still have my dearest friend, who, faced with the big "C", stubbornly refused to accept it and spent this year ridding it from her body.

• I'm thankful for my commie-hating dad who supports my pro-free Cuba "side job" and my mom who thinks my activities are a great contribution to society.  I am thankful that they are now healthy.

• I am thankful for good doctors who helped me through several health issues and put me back together. That said,  I am thankful for health insurance and good health care.

• I am thankful to have a job where I can try to touch the lives of my students and share my fascination and appreciation of the Latino world and the Spanish language.  I am thankful for my bright and dedicated students who make my job so enjoyable. (usually)

• I am thankful for my ability to write, which started me in the world of blogging and which has helped me to use my voice to increase awareness of the oppression and apartheid in Cuba.

• I am thankful for all the great Cuban-Americans I have met in person and gotten to know through email or phone this year as a result of my blog, and for all of those who have shared their personal journeys with me.

• I am thankful for those Cuban-Americans I know who have helped me with questions I have had about Cuba-related topics, and who always take the time to explain things to me.

• Iam thankful to the readers of this blog who send me their thanks and their encouragement to continue to make the reality of Cuba known.

• I am thankful for my family who understands my need to do what I do about Cuba and helps me when I need it.

• I am thankful for our form of government which allows us to elect who we want to be our president.

• I am thankful that I live in this great country which allows me to type these words freely and does not hamper my ability to send them through cyberspace.(I am thankful for Al Gore for inventing the internet as well.)

Tonight at Thanksgiving dinner I will ask everyone at the table to write down two things besides family and health for which they are thankful.  Before you dig into your meal, stop and think about all that you have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Claudia

Don't pull a Chávez!

Today one of my students coined a phrase when another student tried to interrupt her:

"No cometas un Chávez."

("Don't pull a Chávez.")

I love it!

For humorous spin-offs on the "¿Por qué no te callas?" incident, check these out.

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CAMBIO- straight to the President's Cabinet

Today, Jorge Ponce,  Director of Policy in the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Commerce, sent me a link to this article and photo of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez wearing the Cambio bracelet at a meeting in Colombia. The little white band has made it not only to the President's Cabinet but to Colombia, too.

If you don't know who Secretary Gutierrez is, here is some info about his view on Cuba from the White House site.  Mr. Gutierrez was born in Havana.

As co-chair for the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, Secretary Gutierrez is actively involved in U.S. – Cuba policy. He is a strong advocate for the Bush Administration’s policy of helping the Cuban people hasten the day of their freedom from dictatorship. Secretary Gutierrez is also one of the President’s point men working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, an issue he sees as one of the greatest domestic social issues of our time. He believes a successful immigration solution must focus first on securing our borders, but must also address immigrants contribution to our economy and the importance of American unity.

Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty

In April, Henry Gómez, a blogger from Babalublog.com, CubanAmericanPundits.com and TrenBlindado.com (also HeraldWatch.com- he's a busy guy!) formed the Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty with the objective to increase the public's awareness of the issues that deal with Cuba's lack of freedom.  I am proud to say I have been a member and sponsor of both of BUCL's campaigns.

Today he masterminded the third campaign, to increase awareness of the internal opposition in Cuba and mark International Human Rights Day on December 10th: The Campaign for CAMBIO en Cuba
A Call for CHANGE and an end to Cuban APARTHEID.

You can help by spreading the word and sending people to the BUCL.org website for updates or if you have your own website, link to the BUCL website.  You can also donate to the campaign if you'd like, which you can do on the BUCL website.

Generación Y desde Cuba

I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does.  Yoaní Sánchez from Havana has a blog which somehow she gets published under the radar.  She gives the rest of the world insight into Cuba with posts such as banned books in Cuba and the lack of internet (in spite of what Perez Roque says), among other topics.  Her blog is in Spanish.

Check it out here: GENERACION Y

hat tip: Artie Ayala