Secretary Kerry’s Praise of Cuba’s Ebola Role Trumps Response by State’s Spokesperson

[Mika]

Secretary Kerry’s Praise of Cuba’s Ebola Role Trumps Response by State’s Spokesperson

Today, Secretary of State John Kerry praised Cuba for its leadership in mobilizing against the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

His brief but warm “shout-out” stands in marked contrast to comments by a State Department spokesperson, whose studied reluctance to say anything about Cuba’s role comes through loudly and clearly in the transcript of her press corps briefing just two days before.

For over a month, Cuba’s active response to the outbreak has been receiving global praise. Even the Washington Post, not a fan of the “Castro Government,” published a piece – “In the medical response to Ebola, Cuba is punching far above its weight” – contrasting Cuba with an international community “accused of dragging its feet.”

Yet, in its official comments, the U.S. State Department has largely overlooked Cuba’s response to the Ebola crisis. This exchange shows how difficult it was for reporters to squeeze out anything positive from Jen Psaki, the Department’s spokesperson, about Cuba’s role: ...

Rest of story here --> http://www.democracyinamericas.org/blog-post/sarah-stephens-secretary-kerrys-praise-of-cubas-ebola-role-trumps-response-by-states-spokesperson/

[blm]

1. Wake up State Dept - Hillary is no longer you're boss.

.

[Judi Lynn]

2. So good the author highlights this under-discussed point regarding US seduction of Cuban docs.

From the article you posted, Mika:

We can be grateful for small, gracious steps. Still, as Greg Grandin observes in his article for The Nation, the U.S. ought to be providing greater support, and not undermining, Cuba’s medical internationalism, given its role as a global leader in responses to natural disasters and health crises.

As we have discussed for some time, Mr. Grandin singles out the U.S. Medical Professionals Parole Program, started by President Bush but continued by President Obama, whose goal is to lure Cuban doctors away from their international postings by offering them special provisions for U.S. visas were they to defect.

“It would be interesting to know,” he writes, “if U.S. diplomats in Sierra Leone are dangling the plums of U.S.-level salaries in front of the Cubans, or if they are willing to put the program on hold and let them fight the disease.”

So medical students in the U.S. have to pay out the wazoo for their education, and if they must get loans, the US government makes certain they pay a fortune getting the aid they need to get their degrees. Meanwhile, in Cuba, the Cuban government and the people pay for EVERYONE'S education, the Cuban medical students get all their training and experience in Cuba, working to improve the well-being of the Cuban people, then the US sends agents to snag them in their positions in other countries and offers them very lucrative positions working in the US, while US medical students here have to pay out their asses to get to the same place.

Sound fair? NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. But it's a kick in the teeth to the Cuban government and the Cuban people for not overthrowing the leaders the U.S. hates.

Great learning John Kerry had a lapse in State Department nastiness, and properly acknowledged the work Cuban doctors do every day.

Thank you, Mika.