Cuba today, Brazil update, Ecuador, Venezuela and other Latin America stories

Guests:  Fausta Rodriguez Wertz, the edtitor of Fausta’s Blog…..plus Orestes Matacena, filmmaker and Cuban American activist……we will hear Orestes’ reaction to President Obama’s trip to Cuba as well as efforts to increase travel to the island………Fausta will update us on the impeachment proceedings in Brazil and the deterioration of Brazilian politics…..Venezuela the land of shortages and more shortages……Ecuador and the aftermath of the earthquake…..Puerto Rico and bankruptcy..…and other stories of the week………..click to listen:

Cuba today with Joao Cerqueira (author) & Orestes Matacena (filmmaker)

Joao Cerqueira is from Portugal and the author of “The Tragedy of Fidel Castro”, a satire about the Cuban dictator.  Joao took an interest in Cuba years ago and now recognizes that it is a corrupt dictatorship.  This is a view that you don’t often get in the US media.

Orestes Matachena is a Cuban-American filmmaker and a good friend of Babalu.

Please listen and hear Joao talk about Cuba.

 

Cuba today: “Los Castros no quieren cambio”

(This is my new Cuba post over at American Thinker)

We’ve seen this movie many times before.  It starts with a country giving Cuba a line of credit or going around the US embargo.  It is followed by high expectations that Cuba will change once Cubans in the island greet foreign tourists or Spaniards build hotels.

However, the movie always ends the same way: Cuba can’t pay the loans and Cubans are still living in a repressive state.

We’ve seen that movie several times since the collapse of the Soviet Union in ’92. Just ask all of the countries who’ve had to reschedule their loans to Cuba or just forgive old ones.

This is why I’ve supported the US embargo.

I have not seen any evidence that lifting the embargo will bring democracy to Cuba or help the Cuban people.  On the contrary, lifting the embargo will simply bail out the communist state and put more dollars in the Castro family accounts.

Our policy should be very clear and simple:

First, no talks at any level until Cuba releases Mr. Allan Gross unconditionally.  Simply hand him over to the Red Cross so that he can be reunited with his family. No meeting or talks until that happens first;

Second, the world should demand a democratic transition in Cuba. No more “wishful thinking” about reforms that don’t really reform or “expectations” of change that never comes.

This is the moment for the US to draw the line and say “enough” in Cuba.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.