the Ladies in White

[Friday]

Thought some of you would be interested in this.  Also, note reason #1,237,398 why U.S. foreign policy sucks.   

Despite Worldwide Apathy, Cuban Dissident Group Perseveres

Although the European Parliament awarded its 2005 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Ladies in White--relatives of 75 Cuban journalists, librarians, and activists imprisoned by the Castro regime in 2003--the group has received relatively little worldwide recognition for its work to keep the plight of Cuba's prisoners of conscience in the public eye. Still, the Ladies in White march in Havana every Sunday, despite continued harassment by thugs backed by Fidel and Raul Castro.

Independent Institute Senior Fellow Alvaro Vargas Llosa spoke recently with the Ladies in White, who explained to him that their imprisoned relatives are persevering despite horrendous prison conditions. Also, the group criticized the European Union's recent decision to lift its "timid" political sanctions against Cuba, even though those sanctions "merely limited diplomatic contacts and instructed the European embassies in Havana to invite dissidents to their events," writes Vargas Llosa. Economist and former political prisoner Oscar Espinosa Chepe, who joined the Ladies in White in its Web conference with Vargas Llosa and others, also argued that Raul Castro's announcement of economic reforms was a sham, as government authorities have imposed an estimated 50,000 fines and closed dozens of clandestine factories.

Why has the Castro brothers' backlash against dissidents and entrepreneurs received little international attention? One answer is knee-jerk anti-Americanism. "Many governments, international organizations and intellectuals tend to equate supporting Cuban human rights causes with supporting U.S. foreign policy and therefore shun Cuba's victims," writes Vargas Llosa. Despite the international apathy or antipathy, however, the Ladies in White and groups like it may become the "moral reserve" that will play a crucial leadership role when the Castro regime ends--just as the activist group Charter 77 played a moral leadership role when communist rule collapsed in Czechoslovakia.

"The Ladies in White," by Alvaro Vargas Llosa (7/30/08) Spanish translation

[K. Darien Freeheart]

"Foreign relations" between nations states is an emotional quagmire for me. I'm glad to see that there are people being civilly disobedient, that makes me smile a little inside. Just about every other aspect of this blurb is conflicting to me. In some ways, I almost ENVY the Cubans for their totalitarian regime. Not that I'd like to see anyone subject to that, but the Cuban people aren't exactly confused as to the nature of government there. They pretty much know that government sucks, is brutal and violent and that to live their lives as they want, they must oppose it.

While in most "western" nations government people are just as brutal (though they have more powerful toys) but they've actually got the majority of the population inflicted with Stockholm syndrome. I'm hesitant to criticize either the US Government people or the other government people - while I would love to see the fall of totalitarian Cuba, I'm more afraid they might adopt a fascist government like everywhere else and claim "things are better".

[J’raxis 270145]

"Foreign relations" between nations states is an emotional quagmire for me. I'm glad to see that there are people being civilly disobedient, that makes me smile a little inside. Just about every other aspect of this blurb is conflicting to me. In some ways, I almost ENVY the Cubans for their totalitarian regime. Not that I'd like to see anyone subject to that, but the Cuban people aren't exactly confused as to the nature of government there. They pretty much know that government sucks, is brutal and violent and that to live their lives as they want, they must oppose it.

While in most "western" nations government people are just as brutal (though they have more powerful toys) but they've actually got the majority of the population inflicted with Stockholm syndrome. I'm hesitant to criticize either the US Government people or the other government people - while I would love to see the fall of totalitarian Cuba, I'm more afraid they might adopt a fascist government like everywhere else and claim "things are better".

I think this has a lot to do with the diffusion of responsibility for evil in democratic republics. Cuba is essentially a monarchy—people know exactly who is responsible for all the bad things inherent in their system, and thus it can be articulated and directed. Such is not true in our system: The minority opposed to any given evil blame the majority who supported it, and say "while that's just how democracy works." Any given member of the majority will say "well, others supported it, too." And the rulers blame "the people" for making them implement said evil. "Just doing what we were told." And around it goes, and no one knows who to blame or where to start to fix it, so nothing happens.