“A Transition Plan for the United States"...sounds lie a good plan to me, I enjoy roadmaps!

“A Transition Plan for the United States

Carolina Cositore

A comment by Venezuelan writer Roberto Hernandez Montoya, in response to the US throwing millions of tax dollars into a plan to force its "transition to democracy in Cuba", to wit the US and the world would be better served by a transition to democracy in its own country "scratched behind my ears" as a friend would say, or really hit the nail on the head.” Click to read more….

I really think that Cubans have some great ideas and the national government seems to be doing some positive things. When I look at Fox News or CNN, read the Washington Post or get information from most other US based news sources, I get a slanted view of Cuba. In looking at Prensa Latina and other sources I get another side to the story (yes, there are usually more than two) and who is to know which is right. This is one of the main reasons that I want to visit Cuba to see it for myself and be able to reach my own conclusions about this mysterious island so close to the US which still seems so far away. To me Cuba is a land of intrigue, contrast and promise and I hope to get there while Fidel is still in power.

There are some other interesting articles that I found at Prensa Latina a few weeks back and wanted to share now. The first, is titled “Two Ways of Getting a College Education” and it starts off by saying: “Cuban students have the privilege of having access to university careers whatever their social standing, they must simply have the aptitude and knowledge required by the specific field chosen.” The rest is just as intriguing as this first paragraph.

The second article tells of how Oliver Stone, famed US film director, says that the US is always at war. The articles starts off: “US film director Oliver Stone said Monday that his country is living a state of permanent war and President George W. Bush took a wrong turn after 9/11.”

Finally, I don’t think I have previously mentioned on this blog about Pastors for Peace, a US based organization. “Pastors for Peace is a special ministry of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, and was created in 1988 to pioneer the delivery of humanitarian aid to Latin America and the Carribean.” My dad and I heard a talk given as part of the “Cuba Caravan” that was heading to Cuba last June. It was neat to meet with people that have been on the caravan before and others going for the first time to deliver aid to Cuba. The interesting thing is that the delivery of aid is not the real mission of Pastors for Peace but rather one of the by products of the work they do to raise the attention of people, especially in the US, about Cuba and the way in which the US Government is treating Cuba and its people. They know that they alone can not bring in all that Cuba needs but can raise Cuba’s profile and the plight of its people who are handcuffed in many ways by the US Embargo. The great thing about Cuba and another thing that intrigues me about it is that despite the embargo Cuba is flourishing in many respects and has learned to be much more crafty and self sufficient than the US for example. One short term goal is go be on the next caravan this next June with my dad if we can make it work. I think that the solidarity, camaraderie and inspiration from a trip like this would be great and would be a good way to meet Cuba.

On a less militant note I will be going to see the Afro Cuban All Stars this Saturday night with a friend who graduated from Principia College some years ahead of me. Her sister who followed her (black South African) along with another South African (white) were co-Presidents at Principia in the early 90’s, I believe just before Mandela was released or at least before he was President. Many of you have probably heard of the documentary Buena Vista Social Club which included many of the same musicians that make up the Afro Cuban All Stars. You also might have heard of another group from Cuba called Orishas which was formed in France and has more of a hip-hop/rap feel to it. You might have heard some of Orishas music in the cheesy (sorry Amy, Fiona et al.) film “Dirty Dancing Havana Nights”. I would recommend any and all of the music from these various groups/films.

Don’t forget or underestimate the little guys….

In trying to think stay politically correct and sensitive on this 11^th of September, 2006, I have decided to avoid (for the most part) the topic on the minds of many today. Instead, I will focus on a place that has captivated me for many years and which I hope to visit sometime in the next year, assuming I can afford it and the situation between Cuba and the US does not deteriorate any further. The pressure I feel is to visit before Fidel Castro dies or is killed to see Cuba in as “authentic” a state as is possible. Before McDonald's and other corporate goons are able to move in I want to go and see Cuba for myself. I am tired of the biased news we get in the US on the situation and the Cuban immigrant community especially in Miami greatly influences US foreign policy towards Cuba much like the Jewish lobby does towards the Mid-East.

In striving to be a beacon for news and information that you might not get from the usual sources you rely upon I want to share about an important event taking place this week in Cuba which you may not have heard about. The Fourteenth Non-Aligned Movement Summit is taking place in Havana this week. The summit brings together 116 countries from around the world including 53 from Africa, 38 from Asia, 24 from Latin America and 1 from Europe plus representatives from other countries that are not yet members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM). Some of what is being discussed in Cuba has ties to what we will be discussing at the World Social Forum when I go to Nairobi in late January. The “little people” as many seem to view the world poor mainly living in underdeveloped countries have a very big stake to play in how our world is run and their voices should not be forgotten.

Visit the Non-Aligned Movement site or read related articles at Prensa Latina which is a Latin American information agency based in Cuba. I find that this site has some good alternative news to that which you find at other sources and like Aljazeera.net provides "another side to the story” which is a good thing to have. I will write more later on Cuba as I have come across many other interesting articles that I wish to share.