Claudia4Libertad

Never-Before Seen Video of Cuban Health "care" on Maria Elvira TONIGHT

Tomorrow night Tonight Maria Elvira Live, Mega TV Channel 22 in South Florida and Channel 405 on Direct TV everywhere else, will feature secretly filmed videos of that amazingly excellent health care that regular Cubans receive on the island.

The program will debut show many new videos taken clandestinely inside Cuban hospitals. Cuban dissident Jaimel Hernández who took these videos with Dr. Darsi Ferrer, took this videos.  Hernández had to leave Cuba recently when state security went looking for him for taking these videos and threatened him with 9 years in jail.

George from the Real Cuba will also be on the show- George's tireless efforts to exposing the myth of the Cuban healthcare system has enabled us to get to see this videos. He has been instrumental in getting shown to the public.

Please make it a point to tune in to Maria Elvira tomorrow night tonight and also, spread the word to someone you know who thinks that Cuban healthcare is so wonderful.  If the show is taped and uploaded to the internet I will post the link here.

Spies Among Us- US Counter Intelligence Expert to Reveal Cuban Spy Names on Television

If you like a good spy thriller, you're going to have a couple of chances to hear a real-life spy expert tell his story.  Lt. Colonel Chris Simmons of the U.S. Army is a CounterIntellgence agent and expert on Cuban Intelligence.  He was a key figure in the end of Cuban spy Ana Montes-Belen's espionage career;  castro had planted her in the defense department and she was the highest-ranking spy ever sent to prison in the US. Lt. Col. Simmons also played a major part in the explusion of 14 Cuban spies serving under diplomatic cover in 2003.

Lt. Colonel Simmons will appear on "A Mano Limpia" with Oscar Haza tomorrow night at 8 pm, where he will reveal the names of the Cuban spies living in South Florida. Haza challenged him to reveal these names and Simmons has decided to do it.  It's a Miami-based show but I will post the video here if you can't see it tomorrow, like me, not in Florida. 

Simmons has also just finished writing the draft of his first book, "Shadowplay: Cuban Intelligence Operations in Latin America & the Caribbean," and is working on the second part.

In case you are wondering how a government agent can reveal what appears to be classified information, worry not.  I asked him today about this and this is his statement:

"Naturally, I would never divulge US classified information. However, I have in my possession declassified US Government information (only some of which was publically released), previously undisclosed eyewitness accounts of espionage-associated events (also unclassified due to the sources or data provided), and information provided to me from Cuban intelligence defectors now under US control (ergo, the material is Cuban classified information). There is some public-domain information thrown in there as well. I will divulge no US classified information and the USG has no ongoing or anticipated investigations of those I identify. Not every spy's career ends with an arrest; sometimes public awareness is enough."

Make sure you watch "A Mano Limpia" if you can tomorrow night and check back here for the video.  You can also tune into the Babalu Radio Hour next week, August 6th to hear George Moneo interview Lt. Colonel Simmons. Babalu Radio Hour.

0bama- a Friend of Israel? What chutzpah.

From the Gateway Pundit: Barack 0bama is pledging his support to Israel today and while in Jerusalem he rekindled the eternal flame that commemorates the death of 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis. He donned the traditional 

yarmulke but Israelis weren't buying his empty suit rhetoric and greeted 0Bama at his hotel with these signs:

It's not just associating with people like Louis Farrakhan (who is anti-semitic) and Jeremiah Wright, it's also relationships like this one:

 

Barack & Michelle 0bama with Palestinian Activist, PLO/Arafat Advisor Edward Said (pictured above) at an Arab Fundraiser.

And while 0bama now denounces anti-semitism and condemns all anti-Semitic statements made by Louis Farrakhan, and condemned his church's award given to Farrakhan, and his former minister Jeremiah Wright's relationship with Farrakhan, there is one tiny problem.

According to Debbie Schussler,

"Obama employed and continues to employ several Farrakhan acolytes in high positions on his Illinois and U.S. Senate campaign and office staffs."

You can read more about what Debbie Schussler found out about 0bama's connections with anti-semitism HERE.

 

To trace 0bama's pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian positions, click here.

Birthday Wishes to Dr. Biscet from His Daughter

                                                             

 

                                                    

                                              

Today is Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet's 47th birthday.  The recipient of the 2008 Presidental Medal of Freedom will not be celebrating with his family, his friends or anyone, because he is locked up in a jail cell not much bigger than a phone booth in Combinado del Este prison in Havana for peacefully protesting the regime. 

Many of us look up to our fathers as heroes and Dr. Biscet's daughter, Winnie is no exception, nor is she alone in considering her father a hero- many other people think he is, too. But this year, as in past years, Winnie Biscet cannot celebrate this special day with her dad.  There will be no cake, no candles, no party.  Just the same yearning that she and her family have had since her father was imprisoned.

When I realized that Dr. Biscet's birthday was approaching, I asked Winnie if she would write a letter to him that she could share with all of his supporters, hoping that her words will make it to her father.  I have read it several times and have wiped away tears every time.

Post your birthday wishes here for Dr. Biscet and I will send them to Winnie who is gathering them to send to her father. You can write in Spanish or English; I told her I would translate them into Spanish for her.

(The link for the English translation appears at the bottom of the page.)

 

Padre,

Primeramente quisiera darte muchísimas felicidades por tu cumpleaños y que cumplas muchos más que te lo mereces. Hubiese querido festejarlo contigo pero en estos momentos te encuentras en un lugar muy lejano porque estás luchando por la libertad de nuestro país y la de nuestros cubanos que están en la isla. Sabes que eres muy importante para mí porque siempre has sido un buen padre que lo único que quieres es lo mejor para mí.

Te amo con todas las fuerzas de mi corazón no tengo palabras para describir este sentimiento que ha atrapado mi corazoncito desde que tengo uso de razón. Siempre haré lo posible para que tu voz siempre esté en alto porque todos sabemos aquí que estás luchando pacíficamente por una democracia y que lo que más quieres es ver nuestro país algún día cercano libre. Cada vez que te sientas solo piensa en mí y en todas las personas que te aman de verdad. Los que de verdad luchan por tu libertad y cada día dedican un poco de su tiempo para ti. Papi, gracias a ti he aprendido muchísimos temas acerca de Cuba y otros países del mundo que están sufriendo como nuestros cubanos.

Papi, estoy orgullosa de ser tu hija porque para mí eres un verdadero héroe con mucha dignidad. Todos los días por la noche le pido a Dios que algún día muy cercano nos deje disfrutar de nuestra libertad y del amor que nos tenemos uno hacia el otro.

Con mucho amor y cariño de tu hija que siempre te recuerda,

Winnie Biscet

I translated the letter into English HERE.

Dra. Rosie, Te Recuerdo Hoy y Siempre

                                                

Hace dos años que falleció una señora muy querida, muy importante en mi vida, la doctora Rosario Caminero. Ella nació en la Habana y se mudó para los Estados Unidos después de la revolución. Por suerte, no tuvo que huir desde allí porque estaba en Europa—estaban allí por el trabajo de su esposo—cuando tomó el poder castro.  Pero nunca pudo regresar a su patria...tuvo que dejar lo todo en Cuba, incluso a su familia, y re-establecerse en los Estados Unidos.

La conocí antes de tomar sus cursos graduados porque yo trabajaba en su oficina y fue entonces cuando nos conocimos-- dos años antes de tener la suerte de tomar varios cursos con ella. Simplemente fue la mejor profesora de español que había conocido.  Su conocimiento era inmenso y sus clases eran fascinantes. Además, ella era mi segunda madre- me aconsejaba, me consolaba, nos reíamos y siempre lo pasábamos bien. Fue la primera vez que realmente empecé a aprender sobre Cuba y la cultura cubana no de un libro, sino de una persona oriunda del país. Cuando me enteré que ella padecía del cáncer del seno hace 4 años, fui a verla al hospital. Me partió el corazón haberla visto así pero tenía un pronóstico bueno. Nos dijimos que nos queríamos pero yo no sabía si se recuperaría.  Un año después, yo pensaba que todo le iría bien porque había regresado a trabajar. Así que, dos años después, cuando recibí la noticia que ella se había muerto, me dio un choque tremendo.  La tristeza que yo sentí no tiene comparación. Todavía pienso en ella mucho, y el 17 de julio me llena de pena porque fue en esa fecha que ella dejó este mundo para siempre.

Hoy la recuerdo aquí, la primera persona que me enseñó de Cuba, la mejor profesora de español, la persona que me inspiró a ser profesora de idiomas.  Ojalá que todos tengan la oportunidad de tener en la vida alguien como Rosario para darles inspiración, ánimo, respeto y amor, y doy gracias a Dios por haberla conocido.
 

Qué en Paz Descanse, Doctora Rosie.

Puesto que ella era mi profesora de español, no tiene sentido escribirle un tributo en inglés. But if you don't speak Spanish, for a slightly different English version, click HERE.

Help find a cure for breast cancer by donating to the

Susan G.Komen fund for Breast Cancer. 

If you have a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, wife or daughter, please direct them to this site to learn how to make early detctions-- it could save their lives- and mens' lives as well.

En Español.

Ayuda a encontrar la cura para este cáncer- haz click AQUI

Interview in Spanish with Jorge Ponce on Radio Mambi- Entrevista con Jorge Ponce en Radio Mambí

Jorge Ponce was kind enough to send me the text from his most recent interview, this one with Demetrio Pérez, Jr. on Radio Mambí. 

You can hear the interview by clicking this link.

Here is an excerpt:

"Castro asumió el poder en 1959. La expropiación de las propiedades Americanas sucedieron casi inmediatamente - que dio lugar a que los EE.UU. pusiera un embargo parcial en 1960, y un embargo total en 1961. En 1977, el Presidente Carter eliminό la prohibición de viajar a Cuba y gastar dólares en Cuba. En 1982, el Presidente Reagan volvió a establecer la prohibición de viajes, y prohibiό a los turistas Americanos gastar dinero en Cuba. La codificación del embargo se lleva a cabo a través del Cuban Democracy Act en 1992 (introducida por el congresista Robert Torricelli de New Jersey) y en 1996, la Ley Helms-Burton en 1996.  Estos dos leyes le dieron la autoridad exclusiva de tomar decisiones importantes sobre el embargo de Cuba al Congreso de los EE.UU – no al Presidente.  Después de la visita histórica del Papa Juan Pablo II a Cuba en 1998, el Presidente Clinton levantó la prohibición de vuelos directos a Cuba y permitió a los cubano-americanos a enviar remesas a sus familiares en Cuba. En 2000, el Presidente Clinton firmó la ley del Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act, lo que permitió la venta a Cuba de productos agrícolas y medicinas por razones humanitarias. Como resultado de esta ley, los EE.UU. en 2007 se convirtió en el mayor proveedor de alimentos de Cuba y su 6º socio comercial.
  
Varias observaciones se pueden hacer de este resumen histórico. En primer lugar, la culpa del embargo la tiene Cuba por expropiar las propiedades Americanas sin ofrecerles compensación adecuada. En segundo lugar, políticos Demócratas y Republicanos han adoptado una postura dura con relación al embargo. En tercer lugar, el momento más cercano a que el Gobierno Americano diera fin al embargo fue en 1977 bajo el Presidente Carter y en 1996 bajo el Presidente Clinton. Cuba no aprovechό estas oportunidades a consecuencia de mandar asesores militares a Etiopía en 1977 y por derribar dos aviones privados registrados en los EE.UU. cuando volaban en aguas internacionales en 1996. Y, por último, en una encuesta en 2007 del AP/Ipsos indicó que el 48% de los estadounidenses están a favor de la continuación del embargo, mientras un 40% están en contra."   

You can read the rest of the interview text HERE.

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy 232nd Birthday, America!  There are so many reasons that I am grateful to live in this great country that I could never list them all.  Many people don't give a second thought to this day, and that is a shame.

If you are unsure what really happened 232 years ago, click here for a quick lesson.

Take a minute to remember how many people fought to get our independence and all the people who work to ensure our freedoms today. Take a moment to think about all the freedom we have, the basis of everything we have as Americans- freedom of speech, of religion, of press.  Freedom to date who we want, to marry who we want, to live where we want, to shop in millions of store, to buy millions of things, to have as many children as we want, to travel throughout the country and outside of the country... Freedom to make websites condeming the president, freedom to protest the war or the president or unfair labor practices... Freedom to vote, freedom to wear as many or as few clothes as we want, freedom to own a home or many, freedom to change our jobs, freedom to choose which doctors we want to see, freedom to use the internet, freedom to own affordable cellphones, freedom to pursue any career we want and freedom to make our dreams come true. 

Our government is not perfect-- no government is.  But ours is pretty damned good, because that is how our founding fathers set it up, and we are indebted to them for their foresight and their brilliance to set our country up as they did.  We may not like a particular president, we may not like certain laws, but not only are we free to speak out against the president or protest those laws, but we are free to leave the country if we don't want to be here anymore.  Many Hollywood people said they would do just that when President Bush was elected in 2000, but they are still here.  Why?  Because where else could they live the idyllic life that they have made for themselves thanks to America?  Nowhere, that's where, and that's why they are still here. 

Below is a photo that I took of a past July 4th fireworks display.  It was the only shot that came out like this and I think it is the coolest photo I have ever taken.

Happy Independence Day!

0bama's Plan to Tax the Hell Out of Us

If for some wacky reason you are contemplating voting for 0bama, and that is your right, make sure you know what it is you are voting for- HIGHER TAXES.  If your household makes more than $250,000, you will be considered rich and get walloped on April 15th.  Think about that for a family with three kids, as many couples I know have...  Two incomes. A mortgage. Two car payments. Five mouths to feed. Three college educations to save for. While it's not poverty level by any stretch of the imagination, it also is not "wealthy" when you consider what the truly rich people earn (you know, athletes, singers, actors, rappers, CEO's, etc.) which is in the millions, annually.  Yet a fraction of that- $250K- is to be considered rich?  And I didn't even pain the scenario of owning a small business, which is what Mike Pancier covered in this excerpt.  Read on...

From Mike Pancier at Babalublog:

"It is no secret; Obama has said it himself. He is going to hike the income tax something fierce. With him simply doing nothing, the tax rates are going to rise to 1994 levels and then he wants to whack even more households with income over $ 250K. All the narrow-minded short-sided liberals love this "soak the rich" concept. But it is moronic and will hurt not the rich but small businesses. You see folks. Small business are the bread and butter of the US Economy. Most small business are S-Corps. The S-Corp. income passes through onto your personal income tax return as a K-1. So even if you didn't take everything out of the corporation because say you want to invest in growth and the future, the individual taxpayer will be taxed on that income. Thus it is very easy to reach that $ 250K threshold. And frankly, to say that $250K is rich is perverse. Those in this bracket already have all exemptions and deductions phased out. So you are literally getting taxed up the ying yang. Moreover, if you live in states like California and New York, coupled with the state income tax, as reported in the WSJ today, your tax rates will be akin to those in France as high as 60%.

All I know is under a Barack "Taxman" Administration assuming all things equal, my taxes will go up by $8K a year. So in 4 years, these wankers will suck out at least $ 32K out of my pocket of my hard work. Unlike Obama who lives off of book royalties probably drives a Benz and sends his kids to expensive private schools, I have to work. I work my ass off. I'm not friggin rich. Yet these constipated liberals think that by giving me the royal screw in the tune of $ 32K in 4 years is going to make the country and me better off? So if I work harder, I'm going to get whacked by the government even more. I could use that money for my retirement or to purchase goods and services (which helps the economy Mcfly). But Obama and his liberal lackey neo-socialists think they know better than me in how I should spend and use my hard earned money."

You can read more HERE.  Folks, we are gonna get screwed.