…an island on the net without a bearded dictator
From our Bureau of Wretched Excess in Brainwashing
A few days ago, we reported on an indoctrination session held in Havana for young visitors from the U.S. and other nations
Well, here they are, all 150 of them.
According to their own description of the purpose of this trip, these youngsters went to Cuba “to participate in a meeting with different sectors of Cuban society and learn about the impact of the US blockade and experiences in building socialism.”
Communist Cuba celebrated May Day four days late, coinciding with the birthday of Karl Marx, the man behind the ideology that destroyed Cuba and murdered over 100 million people worldwide.
Via Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter:
Karl Marx in his own words at 205: Nothing to celebrate, much to remember and condemn
Anti-Semite, racist, advocate of terrorism, and genocide honored in Cuba and in Germany.
The Castro regime finally celebrated May Day, four days late, on Friday, but Cuban workers have nothing to rejoice about. In Cuba, there are no legal independent unions, and workers do not have the right to strike or bargain collectively. 72% of Cubans live in poverty, defined by the World Bank as a daily income of less than $1.90.
Prior to Cuba’s 1959 communist revolution, that was supposed to empower workers, but stripped them of their rights and agency, Cuban trade unions over a half century had achieved much for their members, and Cuban society at large.
Labor legislation passed in 1938 guaranteed workers’ rights such as the minimum wage, pensions that assumed a constitutional character; and the creation of the Central of Workers of Cuba Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC in Spanish) on January 28, 1939. All of the above made trade unionism an important factor in Cuban civil society.
In Cuba, the socialist project begun by revolutionary hero and former president Fidel Castro is teetering on the verge of failure. The nation is sinking deeper into crisis, with many people’s daily lives marred by shortages of food, medicine and electricity.
The European Union has been one of the most important enablers of the communist Castro dictatorship, providing cover, support, and funding to maintain the oppressive regime in power. Sweden wants to change that.
Sweden turns on Cuban military dictatorship, supports revision of EU cooperation agreement with regime
The Swedish government is supporting a revision of the so-called Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the European Union (EU) and the Cuban regime, a move that could deeply impact the Caribbean military dictatorship.
In a response to a letter about the agreement from deputy Björn Söder, Swedish Minister of Foreign Trade Johan Forssell indicated “there are reasons” to review the EU’s policy towards Cuba.
“The government is concerned about the continuing negative events in Cuba and the repressive actions of the Cuban state. It can be said that the PDCA agreement has been provisionally applied for just over five years and our government’s assessment is that there are reasons for a review of the EU engagement policy and the PDCA agreement, including EU aid to Cuba,” Forssell said.
Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, Coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), described the pronouncement of the Swedish government as “historic.”
Today we celebrate “Cinco de Mayo” in Dallas, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Your favorite Mexican restaurant will be all dressed up and ready to serve a delicious round of nachos, enchiladas and beer. “It sells a lot of beer” as my Filipino friend who owns a Mexican restaurant likes to boast. He doesn’t really know anything about “Cinco de Mayo” but the sound of the register makes him happy. So, what’s the big deal about “Cinco de Mayo”? Why is everyone so happy and festive?
Allan Wall, who lived in Mexico, wrote a good summary for those of us who are not Mexican or studied Mexican history in school. Here it is so read it before your beer & nachos:
From our Bureau of 21st Century Neocolonialism with some assistance from our Bureau of Pacts Between Devils
Czar Vlad the Invader’s adviser has just signed a pact with Castro, Inc. that will allow Grand Putinia to colonize Cuba.
Get ready for a steady flow of Russian “investors” to the island whose sole intent is to take over Cuba’s economy.
Russians have already taken over one sugar mill, and at that location Cubans have been barred from taking part in its repairs or operation. This sugar mill gives us a sneak peek of things to come.
Castro, Inc.’s Ministry of Truth has revealed that the priority sectors of mutual interest are energy, tourism, food production, civil aviation infrastructure, the sugar agro-industry and mining. As you can plainly see, nothing has been left out of this list.
Juan Diego Rodriguez reports in 14yMedio from Havana via Translating Cuba:
It was to be expected that the streets of Havana would be empty on May 1 after the Cuban government canceled the “austere” events that had been planned. What was surprising is that the sun was shining brightly throughout almost the entire Island, when the reason given for the suspension was that Sunday’s weather would continue.
The good weather raised suspicions, such that the “challenge” to upload a photo of the “sunny morning” from “your spot” spread on social media like wildfire. With the hashtag #yonodesfiloel1demayo [I don’t march on May 1], the message was started by Amelia Calzadilla, the English linguist who gained notoriety after posting several videos in which she denounced the struggles experienced by a mother to raise her children in Cuba. Several other Cubans joined her including journalist Diasniurka Salcedo and newscaster Yunior Morales.
At the same time, the regime boasts in the official media about receiving “more than a thousand invited guests from different countries” for this International Workers’ Day. According to Prensa Latina, some of them participated on the 26th and 27th in a “scientific workshop” to discuss topics such as “histories, theory and methods for the study of work and workers” or “experiences and challenges” of social movements in America.
From our Bureau of Socialist Compassion and Social Justice with some assistance from our Bureau of Dream Holidays and Private Loans in Socialist Latrine American Totalitarian Hellholes
Ay! This story puts a new wrinkle in the Dream-Holiday-in Cuba-Gone-Wrong theme. But the core element remains the same. A tourist was foolish enough to believe that Cubans would be honest and that she could obtain justice from a Cuban court after she realized that the 60,000 euros she lent some Cubans would never be paid back.
One can almost hear what was being said inside the minds of the Cubans involved in this scheme, both the borrowers and the judge. “Hey, why should she get her money back? If our government is allowed to default on loans, this means all Cubans should also be allowed to do the same. After all, isn’t the glorious Revolution identical with the Cuban people? Fidel said so, all the time, so it must be true.”
Monkey see, monkey do. Borrowers and courts in Cuba mimic the behavior of their esteemed leaders. Poor Austrian tourist. She thought Cuba was just like Austria, where defaulting on loans is a crime.
