Cuba cuts jobs to embrace market economy, but still holds 4 di$$idents

The cowardly apologist PL is still in denial about:

1. His abusive website being axed last week
2. The fact that Amnesty International has refused to even call for
the release of most of those he calls "political prisoners" in Cuba
3. His own posting which said most of them would not even be seen as
"political prisoners" (his bosses can't be too pleased!)
4. Reports from Amnesty International and the UN which prove his
beloved embargo is indeed a form of genocide.

In each case, the cowardly apologist can only snip and run, mindlessly
repeating word-for-word his already failed lies and rationalizations
as he runs away in terror.

Really, Mr. Lobbyist, if this is the best you can do, and you have
nothing new and relevant to add, do not expect a reply from me on
these matters.


On Mar 7, 6:38 pm, PL <pl.nos...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[snipping portions of PL's posting already debunked here, or just too
lame to bother with]

You just had your abusive website axed(snip)

Nope.
Just your lie.
Not my website, not "axed".


Already debunked here. Again, see: "PL's cheap, imitation cubafaq site
axed for violation of terms of service?"
https://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.cuba/msg/ea9380d0f04ff06b?hl=en

"cubafaq.wordpress.com is no longer available. This blog has been
archived(snip)

Not mine and "archived": the standard "404" page.

[snip]

Nothing "standard" about: "This blog has been archived or suspended
for a violation of our Terms of Service."

Time to come clean on this and many other issues, Mr. Lobbyist.

Wildly inflated. There now only 4 so-called "prisoners of conscience" by Amnesty International's definition. And in all likelihood, they will be released within a few days or weeks. (snip)

Nope.
Can you count?

I can count.

Good.

So can Amnesty International. And they say only 4 so-
called "prisoners of conscience." And even that number is too high. (See links below.) (snip)

Post the link, Dan and everyone will that these amnesty international is
only referring to the political prisoners that they have adopted
prisoners of conscience

See the quote from YOUR OWN POSTING below.

which speaks of hundreds of political prisoners you mean?

Which speaks of most who would "NOT NORMALLY BE SEEN AS POLITICAL
PRISONERS."


Two different concepts and you are as usual just trying to confuse people..

In fact: underestimated.

   From PL's posting last July:

Sanchez's commission counts 167 people(snip)

Including violent offenders that even Amnesty International have
refused to adopt as "prisoners of conscience.

(snip)

What the cowardly apologist PL snippe(snip)replied to and duly


What the cowardly apologist PL keeps snipping (from HIS OWN
POSTING!):

Sanchez's commission counts 167 people jailed for political or socio-
political reasons, including the 52 that the government has pledged to
free as part of a July 7 agreement with the Roman Catholic Church.

Fifteen already have been sent to Spain and the rest are due to go
free in the next few months.

That would leave Sanchez's list - which is frequently cited by
international agencies, journalists and politicians - with 115 names.
But an Associated Press analysis shows that some of those would NOT
NORMALLY BE SEEN AS POLITICAL PRISONERS. Ten people Sanchez includes
are already out of jail on conditional parole, and one has completed
his sentence. Of the remaining 104, about half were convicted of
terrorism, hijacking or other violent crimes, and four are former
military or intelligence agents convicted of espionage or revealing
state secrets.

Gerardo Ducos, a London-based Amnesty International researcher
specializing in the Caribbean, said his agency would never describe
many on Sanchez's list as "prisoners of conscience."

"We describe a prisoner of conscience as somebody who goes to jail for
their beliefs or for exercising peacefully - and that is a key
component - their rights for freedom of expression," Ducos said.
Sanchez's list includes "people brought to trial for terrorism,
espionage and those who tried, or actually succeeded, in blowing up
hotels," he added. "We certainly would not call for their release or
describe them as prisoners of conscience."
Source: "Number of political prisoners in Cuba still murky"
https://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.cuba/msg/efd89de36703005a?hl=en

Also see:

"What Prisoners of Conscience?"
https://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.cuba/msg/9fe37a8e69c4f132?hl=enfe37a8e69c4f132

"$20M allocation for, ahem... promoting "democracy" in Cuba"
https://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.cuba/browse_frm/thread/71e28e3d348888a0/67f035e2f0a10dae?hl=enCf035e2f0a10dae

Your lie that only those political prisoners adopted by Amnesty
International are "political prisoners" is exposed.

[snip]

I can see that you like to call them "political prisoners" for
propaganda purposes. Your own posting, however, said most would "NOT
NORMALLY BE SEEN AS POLITICAL PRISONERS." And, as the Amnesty rep
said, "We certainly would not call for their release or describe them
as prisoners of conscience." Deal with it, Mr. Lobbyist.

What Dan claimed on his website (the misquote):

No "misquote," Mr. Lobbyist. Just the inconvenient truth for you.

"Today, for the first time, Amnesty International has explicitly
denounced the US embargo on Cuba in humanitarian terms, and made clear
its support for the immediate and unconditional lifting of these cruel
sanctions"http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQ215.html
now moved to:http://www3.sympatico.ca/danchristienses/CubaFAQ215.html

[snip]

You just couldn't help promoting your beloved Final Solution one more
time, eh, Mr. Lobbyist? When will you learn?

The cowardly apologist PL would actually have readers believe that
Amnesty International actually supports his beloved embargo. Yes, he
really is THAT stupid, and THAT desperate! Sadly for him and all his
fellow embargo-Nazis, Amnesty has repeatedly condemned these cruel and
inhumane sanctions and called for them to be lifted immediately and
unconditionally:

"The US government is acting CONTRARY to the Charter of the United
Nations by restricting the direct import of medicine and medical
equipment and supplies, and by imposing those restrictions on
companies operating in third countries."

“The RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE EMBARGO help to deprive Cuba of vital
access to medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food,
chemical water treatment and electricity.”

"The US embargo against Cuba is IMMORAL and should be lifted. It’s
preventing millions of Cubans from benefiting from vital medicines and
medical equipment essential for their health."

"Amnesty International calls on the US Congress to take, WITHOUT
FURTHER DELAY, the necessary steps towards lifting the economic,
financial and trade embargo against Cuba."

(For links, etc. see footnotes.)

Watch now as the cowardly apologist PL snips this reply and runs away
in terror, mindlessly repeating word-for-word his already failed lies
and rationalizations, each repeatedly exposed and debunked here. (Most
recently, see "Amnesty International slams US embargo... AGAIN!" at:
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.cuba/browse_frm/thread/98fc46eed826e79b/64c519418e0ca6c6?hl=en&q=#64c519418e0ca6c6

Time to be a man for once, Mr. Lobbyist. Time to finally stand up for
what you REALLY believe. And we both know it has absolutely NOTHING to
do with "democracy" and "human rights," don't we?

Dan
Visit my CUBA: Issues & Answers website at its new home:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/danchristienses/CubaFAQ.html
(The original CubaFAQ website. Don't be fooled by PL's cheap
imitations at WordPress or wherever else he may be hiding now.)

PS: As an antidote to each of PL's venomous personal attacks here, and
to his lies and evasions on everything from his lobbying exploits to
the international condemnation of his beloved embargo, see: "PL's same
tired old lies and evasions EXPOSED" at
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.cuba/msg/36c96cf26743ccca?hl=en

**************
Footnotes (which the cowardly apologist PL always snips and refuses to
address)

The facts as documented in reports recently released by Amnesty
International (my emphasis):

March 2009

"Amnesty International urges the US government to lift the nearly five-
decade long economic and trade embargo against Cuba as it is
detrimental to the fulfillment of the economic and social rights of
the Cuban people. It OBSTRUCTS AND CONSTRAINS efforts by the Cuban
government to purchase essential medicines, medical equipment and
supplies, food and agricultural products, construction materials and
access to new technologies.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/002/2009/en/e7b1efe4-27f4-4b2c-9a39-23c88749e39e/amr250022009en.html

September 2009

"The US embargo against Cuba is IMMORAL and should be lifted. It’s
preventing millions of Cubans from benefiting from vital medicines and
medical equipment essential for their health."

"Because of the US embargo, Cuba faces SEVERE RESTRICTIONS in
importing medicines, medical equipment or technologies from the USA or
from any US company abroad. The sanctions also limit other imports to
the island and restrict travel and the transfer of money."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/president-obama-should-take-lead-lifting-embargo-against-cuba-20090902

"Amnesty International calls on the US Congress to take, WITHOUT
FURTHER DELAY, the necessary steps towards lifting the economic,
financial and trade embargo against Cuba...

"The US government is acting CONTRARY to the Charter of the United
Nations by restricting the direct import of medicine and medical
equipment and supplies, and by imposing those restrictions on
companies operating in third countries."

"The UN General Assembly has repeatedly CONDEMNED the US embargo as
contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
On 29 October 2008 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution
reiterating for the 17th time its call on the USA to end its embargo
against Cuba. That resolution was adopted with 185 votes in favour,
three against and two abstentions. The Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights has also reiterated its position regarding “the impact of
such sanctions on the human rights of the Cuban people and, therefore,
INSISTS THAT THE EMBARGO BE LIFTED.”

[Follow-up: In November 2009, with the exceptions of only the USA,
Israel and a handful of tiny, US island-colonies in the South Pacific,
representatives of EVERY nation on the planet voted at the UN General
Assembly to condemn these cruel and inhumane sanctions.]

[Follow-up: On October 26, 2010 the UN General Assembly voted
overwhelmingly again to condemn the US embargo. Only Israel voted with
the US against the resolution. Israel trades freely with Cuba, so even
this single vote cannot be seen as support for these cruel and
inhumane sanctions. On this the US is truly isolated in the world. The
only abstentions were the tiny US-island colonies in the South
Pacific: Palau (pop. 20,000), Micronesia (pop. 110,000) and the
Marshall Islands (pop. 60,000).]

"[E]xports of food and agricultural products to Cuba remain regulated
by the Department of Commerce and require a licence for export or re-
export. The export of medicines and medical supplies continues to be
SEVERELY LIMITED....

“The RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE EMBARGO help to deprive Cuba of vital
access to medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food,
chemical water treatment and electricity.”

"The provision of health care has suffered from the LIMITATIONS AND
RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE EMBARGO on the procurement of basic and
specialized medical equipment and chemical components needed for the
production of generic medicines....

"Cuba was UNABLE TO IMPORT nutritional products destined for children
and for consumption at schools, hospitals and day care centres. This
had an adverse effect on the health and nutritional status of the
population.

"Children’s health was also put at risk by a decision from syringe
suppliers to CANCEL an order for 3 million disposable syringes by
UNICEF’s Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization when it became
known that the units were destined for the implementation of the
programme in Cuba.

"The number of children suffering from heart conditions who are
waiting for appropriate treatment at a pediatric hospital has
increased after Cuba was unable to buy from the US-based companies the
necessary medical equipment for their treatment. The companies
allegedly refused to negotiate with Cuba because of the RESTRICTIONS
SET BY THE US EMBARGO.

"LACK OF ACCESS to products manufactured by United States companies
such as St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific and Amplatzer prevents the
provision of proper care to seriously ill patients who need a
pacemaker, St. Jude prosthetic valves or septal occluders, forcing
their treatment with alternative, riskier surgical techniques.

"It has been IMPOSSIBLE TO PURCHASE a positron emission tomography/
computerized tomography (PET/CT) scanner, a state-of-the-art piece of
medical equipment needed for treatment that is made by only three
manufacturers worldwide, all unauthorized to negotiate with Cuba."

The impact of economic sanctions on health and health services is not
limited to difficulties in the supply of medicine. Health and health
services depend on functioning water and sanitation infrastructure, on
electricity and other functioning equipment such as X-ray facilities
or refrigerators to store vaccines. The financial burden and
commercial barriers have led to shortages or intermittent availability
of drugs, medicines, equipment and spare parts. It has also hindered
the renovation of hospitals, clinics and care centres for the elderly.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/007/2009/en/51469f8b-73f8-47a2-a5bd-f839adf50488/amr250072009eng.pdf
(PDF format)

September 2010

"[The US embargo's is] negatively affecting Cubans’ access to
medicines and medical technologies and endangering the health of
millions. United Nations agencies and programs operating in Cuba, such
as UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA, have reported that the US embargo has
undermined the implementation of programs aimed at improving the
living conditions of Cubans."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/015/2010/en/cbd3149a-da47-4044-a28f-40f33b7bda28/amr250152010en.html

From other sources:

"[US Congressional] House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Collin
Peterson and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar joined members of the National
Farmers Union (NFU) this week to call for passage of the Travel
Restriction and Export Enhancement Act. It would boost U.S.
agriculture by easing restrictions on the sale of homegrown food and
commodities to Cuba....

"The U.S. International Trade Commission estimated that U.S. exports
to Cuba could increase by nearly $500 million a year if provisions in
this legislation were enacted. In addition to the National Farmers
Union, the bill is supported by a broad coalition of national business
and agriculture industry groups."

Source: "Peterson, Klobuchar call for increased U.S. food and
commodity exports to Cuba," Echo Press, September 18, 2010
http://http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/78097/group/homepage/

Note that Article 2c of the UN Genocide Convention states that the
crime of genocide includes, among other things, "deliberately
inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about
its physical destruction in whole or in part."

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/genocide.htm

Again, as Amnesty International has reported, “The restrictions
imposed by the embargo help to deprive Cuba of vital access to
medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food, chemical water
treatment and electricity.” These are deliberate acts, the only
purpose of which can be to bring about the physical destruction of the
Cuban people in whole or in part. These cruel sanctions can,
therefore, even be seen as a form of genocide under international law!
Makes you proud, don't it, America?

Also, according to at least one US expert, in addition to blocking
essential imports, the US embargo is also a major impediment to the
development of agriculture and food production in Cuba:

"William A. Messina Jr., of the University of Florida's Agriculture
Science Institute, said that the communist island 'has such good soil
and it represents a challenge of such magnitude that, with the END OF
THE EMBARGO, the agricultural market impact on the continent would be
larger that of the Free Trade Treaty [North American Free Trade
Agreement].'''

Source: "Cuba's agriculture shows promise," Miami Herald, Sept. 9,
2009
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1258504.html

Contrary to PL's self-serving lies and rationalizations then, no
amount of US exports (or anything else) can possibly let his political
masters off the hook for deliberately depriving Cubans of "vital
access to medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food,
chemical water treatment and electricity” and impeding the
development of food production. Morally and legally, this is genocide.
.

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