NBC has been promoting the hell out the fact that Brian Williams was hosting tonight’s newscast from Havana.
First we got a “no news” news story about the NAM conference from Andrea Mitchell, who by the way, has a face made for radio.
Then they did a story about human smugglers and how it’s a booming and lucrative business to bring loads of Cubans to the US on “go fast” boats. The culprits, south Florida Cubans, of course, and the families who pay to have their relatives smuggled out of the worker’s paradise. No mention or even a thought as to how these smuggling vessels get into and out of a militarized country that claims that it’s constantly vigilant of a U.S. invasion. No mention or speculation as to why people are literally dying to get out of Cuba. Weak.
Then finally a puff piece mentioning the incongruous “ironies” of Cuba: the old cars, the new tourist hotels, the veterans of the Cuban revolution that “castro has hired” as parking attendants, the trombone player playing “My Way” at the “beach”, and and a beer can inflatable that would not be out of place at a NASCAR event. Williams closed the report by saying that these were just some of the adventures they had had in Cuba or at least as much as they were able to film before being stopped by “security guards.”
NBC should be embarrassed that they sent their anchor to Cuba with a camera crew and could not come up with anything more substantive this tripe. For the record Brian, the trombone player was on El Malecon, not the beach and those security guards aren’t rent-a-cops like we ave at the local strip shopping mall, they are agents of castro’s repressive state security apparatus.
No story on the opposition and how they are persecuted. No story about the censorship and how there’s no free press in Cuba. No story about the political prisoners. No story about the government organized mobs that conduct acts of repudiation against those deemed counter-revolutionary.
Nowwonder most people couldn’t point out Cuba (or any other country) on a map. The networks are leading the way in the dumbing down of America.
Well, at least we weren’t subjected to a story about Cuba’s health and education achievements.
Should we be surprised?
There goes the respect I had for one of the few journalist I considered objective!
Amazing, MSNBC has the so-called story in print and shares the concern that some people being smuggled pose a national security concern. And Iran,Venezuela, and Cuba as well as many other rogue countries meeting 90 miles away doesn’t? I guess they missed the part about how many of the countries at the meeting want to bring America to her knees. Gee, that castro is a swell guy! The MSM will someday pay when they have their socialist way and no longer have the freedom to speak.
Did Brian Williams mention that Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez called today for a Cuban referendum on democracy?
Gutierrez said the referendum, allowing Cubans to vote for either democracy or the police state, could be run and supervised by the Organization of American States.
Assuming the Cubans picked democracy, the referendum would be followed up by free elections.
Frank,
The OAS is a worthless, corrupt institution comprised of 35 countries from the Americas and the Caribbean. Though Cuba was expelled from the OAS in 1962 all these countries, with the exception of the United States (which has an embargo against Cuba) have trade relations with Cuba.
For the past Forty Seven years these 34 countries -not to mention Europe, the Middle East and Asia- have invested large amounts of capital (and loans) in Cuba. It is estimated that Cuba owes billions of dollars to these countries. To Mexico alone it owes 1 billion. Does anyone out there really believe it’s in these countries’ best interest to oust the castro brothers? Not on your life! They know once the castros are out so is their hope of recouping their loses. They’ll be lucky if they get a dime!
None of these countries have cared about the human rights violations in Cuba these past 47 years. They have played by the dictator’s rules (in order to line their pockets) and turned a blind eye to Cuban’s suffering. These countries and their God damn “double standards” have helped castro and his minions run Cuba to the ground. Not one word, EVER have any of these so called “presidents” said in Cuban’s defense. NOW we are supposed to TRUST them? Not in this lifetime!
I have nothing but contempt for each and every one of these ELECTED leaders. If it weren’t for them castro wouldn’t have lasted this long. I HOPE that Mr. Carlos Gutierrez’s proposed referendum in Cuba – overseen by the OAS – doesn’t have the blessings of the White House. The only other thing left to really screw us over is for Jimmy Carter and his Center to Promote “Communism” to validate it. Look what happened in Venezuela.
Having said all that… It doesn’t take a large IQ to understand that a referendum in Cuba will never work as long as the castros’ regime is in place. Unless, of course, that is what the United States want.
I didn’t realize the OAS was as unreliable as many of our other world institutions. I should have guessed.
Nevertheless, I have the feeling this particular referendum, even run by the OAS, would work.
No one on Earth would believe the outcome if it showed the Cubans wanted to continue living under a police state. And imagine the reaction of the Cuban people. Even Raul wouldn’t be able to control that.
Awesome post, Henry, this is brilliant media criticism that really resounds.
Frank,
A referendum in Cuba is not as simple as that. One has to keep in mind that if a plebiscite/referendum work in a democratic country, in Cuba is a whole other story. For the last 47 years the Cuban people have been conditioned (much like Pavlov’s dog) to answer ONLY to the government’s call. During all those years the Cuban people have been executed, incarcerated, tortured and forced to live under one of the most repressive systems known to men while the world looked on and cheered, applauded and overall drooled over “the ever so charismatic fidel.”
Included among the drooling crowd is the Church (every denomination, but most specifically the Catholic church) which the people of Cuba DON’T trust. Case in point, on the 8th of August, Cardinal Jaime Ortega celebrated a mass in Havana’s Cathedral to pray for the health of fidel castro and for “those that lead the government of Cuba.” Cardinal Ortega went as far as to say that the “Church in Cuba” opposes “any outside intervention that might disrupt the tranquility of the Cuban people” and that it will “never (he was very emphatic about this) accept it no matter how MINIMAL that disruption might be.” Huh? By the way, there were masses given simultaneously throughout the island… So, whose side do you think the church will align itself to? Don’t you think they will try to SWAY the people’s vote? In Chile and Venezuela (countries that have had plebiscite/referendums) the church was on the side of the people not the government. Unfortunately for Venezuela there was fraud done by the government, but that’s another story…
In order to hold a plebiscite/referendum in Cuba one first need to launch a campaign to inform the people about the proposed issue. How can that be successfully accomplished? Cuba has ONLY one newspaper, a rag called Granma; one TV station, and several radio stations, but they all sprout the same communist propaganda. Then again, from 15-20 hours the people of Cuba don’t have ANY electricity (except for the charismatic leader, his minions and the tourists). How will the Cuban people be informed? There is no internet, no fax machines, no cable TV, few telephones, no cell phones (except for the charismatic leader, his minions and tourists) …Word of mouth perhaps? I hardly think so.
The repression in Cuba so intense and the people’s fear is so great that I don’t believe people will discuss this plebiscite/referendum with family or friends…much less on the streets with strangers. Do you believe for ONE SECOND that the Cuban people are going to feel safe discussing this issue (much less voting on it) even with the OAS or the U.N. promising their protection? That same OAS and U.N. that have been cheerleading castro’s revolution for 47 years? What do you think?
The Cuban people will be more concerned with what happens after the ballots are cast and the results are in… What will happen after all those “illustrious delegates” finish drinking their Mojito’s and enjoying the latest show at Tropicana… What will happen to them after all the bags are packed and everyone is gone… Who will be there to protect them?