The Buying of "Democracy" Agents in Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

Weekend Edition
May 24 / 25, 2008
The Politics of Unequal Exchange

The Buying of "Democracy" Agents in Cuba
By NELSON P. VALDÉS


"The populace may hiss me, but when I go home and think of my money, I applaud myself. "

Horace (c. 25 BC)

"Unequal exchange, as practiced by the conquerors with the natives purchasing gold with mirrors, marbles and European trinkets, must cease."

Fidel Castro, 1998

In fiscal year 2008-2009 the United States government has budgeted $45,000,000 to finance the opposition against the revolutionary government in Cuba. The money is used to fund rightwing exile organizations, eastern European rightwing politicians involved with Cuba and money oriented "civil society" promoters. Some of the money ends up in Cuba. The details of such counterrevolutionary program is little known by the world. The Cubans within the island who receive the so-called "assistance" claim to be involved in promoting "civil society" and "democracy." They maintain that what they are doing is not subversive. The official line from the United States government is that the money it supplies has a humanitarian intent. The recipients, however, are agents of a foreign power if we follow US law definitions. <1> It is unknown how much money the United States government is really spending to bring an end to the revolutionary government in Havana. <2>

The videos, photos, documents and phone conversation logs transmitted over the Mesa Redonda TV program in Havana during three consecutive days (May 19, 20, 21) disclosed some of the mechanisms used to provide money payments to dissidents via Marta Beatriz Roque, a sort of dissident paymaster/accountant in Havana. She describes herself in her emails to rightwing exiles and US officials, as Tia McPato (as in the Disney character - Aunt Scrooge McDuck. )

The money provided to the "dissidents" seem to be mere peanuts, when compared to the total amount of money appropriated by the US Congress. Indeed, it is obvious, that the "dissidents" provide the "cover" for the real entrepreneurs in Florida to enrich themselves. One can very well assume that if the US AID grants a lump sum of, say, $5 million to a Miami "democracy promotion organization" and then the organization puts the money in a bank to get yearly earnings - the earnings might be sufficient to finance the "dissidents". Miami, of course, will keep the lion's share of the grant. And the "grant" will be renewed the following years. Both Republicans and Democrats in the Congress approve of a "foreign aid" that ends up in Coral Gables and the Florida keys.

In a sense, the "dissidents" in the island face all the political and economic costs but receive very little of the financial benefits - when compared to exile “donors.” Granted, a monthly payment of $200-1,500 US dollars is certainly 100 times what the average Cuban earns. Yet, the island "dissidents" thank the exile "donors" abroad when in fact; the exile entrepreneurs should be thanking the "dissidents." Or, to put it differently, the "dissidents" are the proletarians while the Miami hustlers are the bourgeois employers.

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/valdes05242008.html

[magbana]

1. Judi, this is great. Thanks so much for posting it. Will file it away

and share with others.

[Judi Lynn]

2. I'd never thought about it far enough but it's easy to see that once they're on the U.S. payroll,

they MUST keep participating in acts which get foreign coverage so the paymasters in Miami see they are doing their job, and keep their money flowing.

Unbelievable.

They won't give it up willingly because they are making many times as much money as ordinary Cuban citizens.

Someone should have put the brakes on this scam long, long ago. They are simply living off the U.S. taxpayers, and we have nothing to say about it, just as we have nothing we can do about the provisions and attractions of the Cuban Adjustment Act which pays Cubans to immigrate by giving them a long list of benfits never extended to ANY other national group, and they are fully protected by law once the arrive in the U.S. It's the mirror image of what happens to other illegals.

Filthy business.