Reply #7: You know what you're talking about.

[Judi Lynn]

This describes the scam:

It's 1982: ....President Reagan declares that what this country ought to do is give away money to private organizations promoting democracy abroad. A year later, Jorge Mas suggests the idea to his favorite Democrat in Congress, Dante Fascell, now the powerful chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Fascell introduces a bill creating the National Endowment for Democracy. Fascell successfully guides the controversial N.E.D. bill through a field of heavy fire and becomes the first chairman of its board of directors. The law creating the Endowment specifically prohibits the use of any portion of the Federal grant for "lobbying or propaganda which is directed at influencing public policy decisions of the Government of the United States." One of the first grants of the National Endowment for Democracy goes to the Cuban American National Foundation. In 1988, John Nichols, a professor at Penn State, studies N.E.D. documents and discovers that the Foundation has received a total of $390,000 in Federal funds from the Endowment. He also discovers that the amount is almost identical to the amount that Jorge Mas's Free Cuba PAC has reported in contributions and distributed to politicians helping the Foundation push anti-Castro legislation. What goes around comes around: In 1991, the National Endowment for Democracy gave a record $462,132 to seven anti-Cuba projects, a 257 percent increase over its 1990 funding. It brings the total to over $1 million of taxpayers' money funneled through the N.E.D. for projects or persons connected with the Cuban American National Foundation. The N.E.D.'s president is Carl Gershman, former aide to Jeane Kirkpatrick when she was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Kirkpatrick, who has been a keynote speaker at Cuban American National Foundation functions, is a friend and onetime business associate of Jorge Mas.
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http://cuban-exile.com/doc_051-075/doc0063.html

Here's an article which describes what happened to former U.S. Interests Section Head, Wayne S. Smith, after he discussed this nasty money laundering cycle on PBS, which has been discussed by many other people prior to the PBS prgram. CANF head, and Miami Cuban "exile" self-appointed leader, Jorge Mas Canosa took Smith to court on a "slander" charge in Miami.
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/98-3NRfall98/Nichols_SLAPP.html

The article points out that wealthy corporations can use the threat of legal battles which can bankrupt people as the tool to stiffle dissent or free speech, as well. The man spoke the truth which anyone could see, but Mas got it tried in Miami, the town he "owned" and got his payoff.

8/1/92 8/31/92 Americas Watch publishes its first human rights report on a domestic U.S. situation--"the issue of freedom of expression in Miami's Cuban exile community." The report, "Dangerous Dialogue," documents the "violence and intimidation of dissident political voices in the Cuban American community in Miami. CANF is singled out for criticism for its efforts to suppress voices of dissent in Miami, through repeated efforts to close museums, and verbal assaults on newspapers, radio stations, and individuals with whom the Foundation disagrees. The report points out the U.S. government is supporting these activities by funding CANF through NED and Radio Marti. Among its recommendations are that "the National Endowment for Democracy should take steps to assure that its grant funds are not being used to support the suppression of freedom of expression," and that USIA "should take similar steps with respect to Radio Marti." (AW)
(snip)

I have to include the statement from Canosa which shows exactly just what kind of power this "exile" tyrant imagined his group has in this country:

7/1/94 7/31/94 The Miami Herald reprints an interview with Jorge Mas Canosa from the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Mas Canosa was asked by El Pais whether he believed Americans would take over Cuba if Fidel Castro fell. The Herald quoted Mas Canosa as saying, in part, "They haven't even been able to take over Miami! If we have kicked them out of here, how could they possibly take over our own country?" (MH, 7/28/94; WP, 7/28/94)
(snip)

http://cuban-exile.com/doc_126-150/doc0146b.htm