By C. ben. David
In reply to Jomo Thomas’ February 15 piece “Ungratefulness is worse than witchcraft”, I assert that he once again fails to address the horrific conditions under which ordinary Cubans have had to live since the 1959 revolution, an illegal rebellion that saw the overthrow of a democratic government by a fascist Marxist regime led by Fidel Castro.
Thomas makes no mention, for example, that this revolution has forced at least one million Cubans, one-tenth of the island’s population, to flee their beloved homeland because of economic strangulation and political oppression.
Those left behind have always suffered from food shortages and rationing, poverty level incomes, the arbitrary confiscation of their property, the inability to form opposition political parties, poor medical treatment, constant surveillance, and many other adversities, none of which have anything to do with the American trade embargo because Cuba has always had trade and diplomatic access to most countries of the world, many of whom, like Russia and China, have supported the country with huge amounts of aid during times of extreme but self-imposed economic deprivation.
Yes, today, “The Cuban people are being starved to death” but, as always, at the hands of their very own leaders who enjoy lives of sumptuous but idle luxury.
And yes, Cuba is among the many Caribbean “shit hole countries”, not because Donald Trump has said so, but because their leaders have ruled their people only to meet their own rapacious and power-hungry goals.
All Donald Trump wants is to restore the freedom and dignity of the mass of the Cuban people, a desire shared by most exiles and their descendants living in the diaspora.
Jomo Thomas cares not a twit about this desire by the Cuban people and their freedom-loving supporters for social, economic, and political emancipation. Instead, he greedily focuses mostly on the aid Cuba has given to us over the decades, ignoring the fact that this aid has come on the back of the hard-working efforts of the Cuban people themselves.
These efforts even include the rock bottom wages paid to those physicians forcibly dispatched to countries like our own, most of their gross earnings repatriated to the Cuban regime which uses these “profits” to further exploit their very own people.
Yes, Jomo Thomas is correct to assert that, “The world has changed and is changing for the worse”, but blindly and zealously ignores the worst change for Cuba came in 1959 when an arguably corrupt government was replaced by an even more corrupt one, a communist reign of terror that the Cuban people continue to suffer under.
Please, President Trump, set the Cuban people free!
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This is almost the greatest hogwash I’ve ever encountered from one who wants to speak for the Cubans without being a Cuban. This is the height of ignorance, selfishness, and idiosyncrasy. I have toilet paper, which you seem to need, to clean your bottom with.
Your ad hominem attack makes your reply worthless and useless. Google “Cuba poverty” for the proof why.
WHAT THE HELL…! …PLIGHT OF CUBANS: …A RATIONALIZED VIEW
This appears a ‘Rationalized View’ not just of the author’s opinion, but also of existing conditions and experiences of the ‘Cuban Population.’
None shall ignore the effects of (i) ‘The Embargo since the 1959 Revolution’ and devastating impact the ’67-year-long period of ‘Strangulation’ on the lives of every man, won and child.
Not arguing with anyone, as all ideas shall contend, but people never flee from ‘Living that speaks to ‘…LUXURY,’ but from living conditions that speak to ‘…POVERTY AND SHEEER MISERY.’
The author, ‘C. Ben David’ has clearly sought to put into perspective and bring some enlightenment to all and sundry- the ‘Intelligent: Dull: and Ignorant.’
Thanks ‘CBD.’
C.Ben-David is a moron to the highest degree. This layou hypocrite needs an audience yo be relevant. As a senior citizen he has ample time to burn.
If you boast that the United States has the right to impose an embargo on Cuba, yet you’ve never been to Cuba or know nothing about the living conditions there, then you have no right to speak. Cuba is a beautiful country, and its people, except for maybe Marco Rubio and a few selfish individuals, along with the U.S. administration, which goes around invading Haiti, Panama, Grenada, Nicaragua, Chile, and Cuba simply because they won’t allow American corporations to exploit them. And proclaim manifest destiny, and no one should object to this; you are nothing more than a sorry, ignorant wannabe trying to be relevant.
C.Ben-David is not to be taken seriously nor his wife an ex bank employee. No better the beef no better the barrel, they allowed spew utter nonsense. Was his prediction for the last general election accurate? You be the judge.
Some people want Cuba to be colonized by the USA. The same thing they did in Haiti, among others. This is so unfair. It’s no wonder that some people never get to be decision-makers and never amount to anything.
No wonder you get your information from Google. F-
I have no respect for that imbecile that uses the alias, C.Ben-David. From.all accounts his predictions are never accurate, so does his spouse an ex banker. He tows the convenient lines when it matters most to him. What a man who up until the last election predicted that the NDP will never see the reins of power again. He is surely picking his wounds now.
It is often said that one can use statistics to mislead and that is what C.Ben-David has perfectly done. He has ignored the main contributors o the reasons why the Cuban economy has suffered for decades.
The USA embargo for decades imposed on the Cuban regime ia akin to a noose around the neck of the victim. My own research reveals that the the Embargo itself drains billions of dollars from the Cuban economy for years.
The embargo ptrvents the Cuban from buying basic medicine at full. Recently, the oil embargo prevents factories from running at full capacity. Tourism is similarly impacted. Those are what pessimist like C.Ben-David would never be able to see.
C.Ben-David should better pay attention to his family who is said to be disfunctional at best before he tries to put his noose in Cuba ‘s internal affairs.
The author ignores the suffering of the Cuban people and attributed it to the manner in which the system is structured. If it was not for the battle of Cuito Carnivale , apartheid would still hold sway in South Africa.
C.BEN-DAVID a supporter of the apartheid regime in South Africa will never mention the hurdles the Cuban regime had to overcome just to provide the basic necessities of life in Cuba.
Unlike C.Ben-David, I will mention here some of the sacrifice that the Cuban people made in making the world a better place. In the medical field,Cuba is not a follower but a leader in assisting many government in the third world.
Our own diagnostic centre in Georgetown is a perfect example. Cuba had to suffer decades of military aggression directed at it by the American regime. The indignity of the illegal occupation of the Cuban territory of Guantanamo which is use for all kinds of military aggression is ignored by C.Ben-David as justifiable.
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Well said, C Ben- David you are obviously well informed about the CUBAN regimes crimes against the Cuban people, unlike your deluded critics. The highly-touted “Medical Brigades” was a sophisticated form of SLAVERY carried on by the Cuba with the help of the corrupt leaders of the host nations, including CARICOM. Their salaries were always sent to Cuba, before a tiny portion( far less than half) was return to the doctors and nurses. They could not have their families along side them for fear of them escaping. And people want to defend this diabolical system. What folly!