Cuba Si

I admit it; I am a lover of Cuba. It is not so much for its universal healthcare, free college tuition, or  99.67% literacy rate. All are accomplishments achieved despite 67 years of US military attacks, assassination plots and crushing blockades. It is not so much for its doctors that it sends to needy nations around the world. Or the courage that the Cuban people, who through all these years still demand their freedom and national sovereignty.

No, I love Cuba because they had their revolution against US supported dictatorships and never looked back. Instead of being run by thoughtless billionaires, Cuba has directed its efforts to the betterment of its people. The nation is an egalitarian dream come true. 

Cuba, only 90 miles away from our precious jewels of unlimited greed, born again lunatics, and golf courses for international grifters, is especially dangerous. If the people of the United States ever realized how corrupt our system really is, Trump's new ballroom might become the setting for a gilded age national guillotine. 

"Government of the people, by the people, and for the people," a quote from Abraham Lincoln's famous speech, is a reality in Cuba. There is no billionaire class on the island, nor any right wing Bible thumpers. And Cuba's crooks end up in jail rather than in the presidency. 

No, Cuba is not perfect. But compared to the hopelessly corrupt government we have now in our country, it is a haven of justice and humanity. 

Fred Nagel

 

Death Star in the Middle East

There we go again. Slaughtering civilians in a country that presents absolutely no danger to our ourselves, our military bases, or our international hegemony. It is hard not to think about what a bully our nation has become. We obey no international rules about killing women and children, or destroying any number of hospitals and colleges. We are the Death Star home of Darth Vader, that ominous murderer of peace on earth. 

For people like me who always cheer for the underdog, disliking one's own country has become inescapable. I think about those 20,000 children killed by US bombs and drones. Or about the hundreds of reporters assassinated. I think about how racist and criminally insane our one true friend in the world really is. The people of the earth understand what we have become. In fact we have been coming to that conclusion ourselves. 

Can we disarm Israel, and end its 75 years of Palestinian extermination? Would that be enough to regain our basic humanity? Would our grandchildren forgive us when pictures of starving children came up in their Social Studies books? Will their beloved nation ultimately do the right thing? Or will we as a people join the dark side, and take our place with the monsters of the Death Star?

We can start with shaming any member of Congress who takes Israeli bribes. How about Pat Ryan, who talks about human rights but received a quarter of a million in Death Star funds last year?