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(Part Two)
Tuesday March 18th marked the fifth
anniversary of the arrests of more than 70 quislings, the
ringleaders of imperialism's fifth column in Cuba who, paid
by the U.S. government, violate the laws of the land and
share the opinion that this dark corner of the world should
be swept off the map. On this date, a Department of State
spokesperson described the event as the “Black Spring”, a
term having racist overtones. We could call it “White
Spring”. Darkness does not exist in space, only in the
mind. What a huge difference between the methods used by the
government of the United States and those used by Cuba! Not
one of the mercenaries was tortured or deprived of lawyer or
trial, even if it was of a summary nature, provided by the
law in the case of danger of aggression; they have the right
to receive visits, access to family facilities as well as
the other legal prerogatives of all prisoners; and if at any
time their health seriously requires it, they are released
without the demands of imperialism and its allies having
absolutely anything to do with it. We urge the United
States to do with its prison population as we have done here
in Cuba. The Revolution demands respect for sovereignty,
not pardon.
On Wednesday March 19th, as we commemorate
five years of the stupid war unleashed in Iraq, Bush grabs
hold of any Bin Laden declaration, either fictitious or
real, even though in the case of the latter no date is
supplied as to when it was made, nor are they able to assure
us that it was his voice. They shall investigate it, so
they promise. Nobody ever took so much advantage of such
materials to shape the opinions of the citizens of the
United States and of many other countries in the world that
have similar cultures and beliefs, in order to justify the
brutal and genocidal wars that are so needed by
imperialism. He keeps on uttering and repeating, time after
time, certain selected words and phrases. The people and
institutions referred to, without exception, find themselves
obliged to respond, whether the declarations are true or
not. Just observe how, year after year, from day one, Bush
keeps on milking the events of September 11th.
From the Bucharest conference, Bush will move on to
that of NATO, and from there he will pole vault over to
Croatia, which had disputes with Serbia, and whose President
was tried and convicted by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Kosovo affair. Did he really die a natural
death in prison? What kind of peace will be attained from
such odd twists and turns?
Hans Blix from Sweden, who headed the UN team of
inspectors, who diligently searched for weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq and who shares many of the ideas and
lies of the empire's sinister philosophy, wrote the
following on the occasion of the fifth anniversary: “The
invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a tragedy - for Iraq, for the
US, for the UN, for truth and human dignity. They could not
succeed in eliminating WMDs because they did not exist. Nor
could they succeed in the declared aim to eliminate al-Qaida
operators, because they were not in Iraq. They came later,
attracted by the occupants.”
The Association of Muslim Ulemas, the supreme religious
Sunnite authority in Iraq, made the following statement on
the occasion of the fifth anniversary: “The occupier has
entered our lands by force and he is not going to leave
unless we use force. Any call made by politicians who
acquiesce to working under the umbrella of occupation ought
to be considered an invitation to surrender and
capitulation. The occupation forces have turned Iraq into
the world’s most dangerous zone. The era of occupation will
soon end.”
United States Vice-President Dick Cheney, without
recovering from his exhausting meeting in Afghanistan with
Karzai, had conversations yesterday, on Friday, and today,
on Saturday, with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in order to
get his cooperation and that of OPEP for oil supplies and
pay with devaluated dollars. In truth, there can be no war
without oil, or oil without war.
On the Latin American scene, the Ecuadorian high
command declared that the bombs used in the attack on Raúl
Reyes’ camp were GBU-2/B Paveways, weighing more than 500
pounds, and with exact targeting precision thanks to
advanced technology. There were 10 such bombs and they left
craters 2.80 metres in diameter and 1.80 metres deep.
In Western Europe, Sarkozy, whose honeymoon with the
French electorate finished a few days ago, was impatiently
awaiting McCain and his entourage of pro-Israeli Republican
senators. McCain urged him to join the NATO mechanisms,
defended the Iraq War and forcefully lambasted China.
Meanwhile, Hillary and Obama are bleeding from attacks by
the right, the left and the centre. This is the perfect
insane asylum. The candidates for the presidency of the
United States are discussing sure war vs. probable war.
Today, on Easter, we also get Bush’s radio broadcast.
What is he thinking? A message which, brief as it is, only
needs a few paragraphs or phrases to be quoted in order to
catch its drift:
“This is the most important holiday in the Christian
faith. And during this special and holy time each year,
millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that
transcended the grave and redeemed the world.
“Easter beckons us homeward. This [...] is an occasion
to reflect on the things that matter most in life: the love
of family, the laughter of friends, and the peace that comes
from being in the place you call home..."
“America is blessed with the world’s greatest military,
made up of men and women who fulfil their responsibilities…”
“On Easter, we remember especially those who have given
their lives for the cause of freedom. These […] have lived
out the words of the Gospel: ‘Greater love has no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’…”
“Each year, millions of Americans take time to feed the
hungry and clothe the needy and care for the widow and the
orphan…millions across the world remember the gift that took
away death’s sting and opened the door to eternal life…”
“Thank you for listening.”
Bush might think that God will give him a prize for
speeding along the day of the Apocalypse and the Last
Judgement, after which he will seat him at His right, in the
place of honour. Then perhaps he will abandon the odious
gestures that accompany his speeches, so that he can dwell
under the same roof as those souls of the human beings he
exterminated with his war against terrorism, the great
majority of them being small children, teenagers and young
people, women and the elderly, all those who should never be
held to blame.
The Old Testament speaks of archangels who were
transformed into the enemies of God by their ambition and
who were sent to Hell. It is difficult to lose the idea
that in Bush’s head, there lurk the genes of some of those
archangels.
Today is Saturday. It is a slow day for political
news. Reporters are resting.
Fidel Castro Ruz
March 22, 2008
5:19 p.m. |
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