In my many journeys back to Cuba, I too have taken note of the fact that TV Marti is unavailable on the island. I have never once seen it - due to the jamming. This is something widely known.
That said, I'd like to take a moment to urge you to suggest redeploying resources from a potential shuttering of TV Marti, to Radio Marti, which indeed does have an audience on the island.
With any luck, Radio Marti will transform into a more news-oriented station, forgoing the use of "in your face" propaganda. I don't believe we need comedy sketches to fight oppression in Cuba - all that's needed is fact and information from the outside world to help curtail the state censoring that occurs with all news inside Cuba.
Let's put these dollars to good use and keep developing Radio Marti as a source of real news for the people of Cuba. Knowledge and facts are two of the best tools in the fight against any dictatorship.
Please, press this issue - I see you've touched on it already in your statement.
Like anything associated with Congressman Delahunt is supposed to be about helping the Cuban people? C'mon Peters please stop play-acting that yours and his efforts are about anything but open accommodation with the Castro regime....
Again the debate is about the effectiveness of broadcasting propaganda abroad (and at home, in blatant violation of US law). Not a peep from anyone about whether we should be in the business of producing propaganda for countries we supposedly want to turn over a new leaf with? Not a word that the relevant international body has condemnded US actions.
If Cuba broadcast propaganda to the US, we would surely demand an end to it. In Cuba, they have serious national security concerns as well.
The new focus on "news" is a last ditch effort to save this boondoggle. Cubans do not lack news. They know what's going on the in world.
Cuba is waiting for a real sign that the policy of regime change has ended. Ending TV & Radio Marti would be a perfect, real first step.
"Cubans do not lack news. They know what's going on the in world."
Is that why Granma hasn't published a word about the current situation in Iran? The regime censors the news heavily, leftside. Everyone knows this - even the regime's apologistas.
We deserve to know what's happening in the rest of the world, using any internet portal we choose - whether it be pro-dictatorship or anti-dictatorship. It is up to us to choose those news outlets we see fit to consult, not the regime in Havana.
How long do we need to be kept from information concerning the rest of the world (aside from that coming from the national propaganda officials)? How long, leftside?
Regarding Cuba's national security issues - you're damn right there are security issues. There is no national security - only security for the Cuban officialdom. The rest of us are left to rot.
You have no right to tell us, to even insinuate, that we deserve to have our news censored and carefully crafted in a bid to reflect the party line - I repeat: no right. You're not even Cuban, and yet you see fit to dictate to us, as an outsider, what we should think, how we should live. Those choices, sir, are up to us. And some day, we'll have the ability to exercise those choices. And with any luck, those who helped to enforce the dictatorship's policies on us from afar, will be prevented from entering the national territory, as enemies of the people.
Anastasio makes good points. A well-funded Radio Marti staffed by respected professional journalists from across the Americas could accomplish much. For example, they could relay up-to-the-minute news from Iran by scanning the social networking sites from that country. Some of the air time could just be taken up by rebroadcasting BBC Spanish radio coverage.
Anastasio, the Cuban people can demand whatever they want. I doubt "news" produced and transmitted by the US Government is going to on that list. I would also wager that the average Cuban knows more about the reality of what is happening in Iran right now, than the lies we are being told in the US.
It is breathtaking, this assumption that the election was stolen being propagated by the "left" as much as the right - without one bit of actual proof (and despite respected pre-election polling that confirmed a 2:1 advantage for the incumbent).
Cuba, in fact, HAS reported on the issue - through Prensa Latina at least. Are you on the island? Because what gets published online is not all that gets published on the island (there is far more).
Also, I know that Telesur has reported heavily on the Iranian issue.
Meanwhile, we in the US get to read coverage that start like this, "You'll find no argument among the commentariat that last week's presidential election in Iran was rigged..."
For example, they could relay up-to-the-minute news from Iran by scanning the social networking sites from that country.
This is the type of nonsense that passes as "news" in the US these days. Lets broadcast what the young well-off in Iran have to say, but ignore the majority of the country. Cubans are not fooled.
When we achieve freedom as a people, leftside, I can't wait to submit your personal information to an elected government. I hope you've already visited Cuba before, because after the change, you can kiss it goodbye. We don't want you. We don't need you. We don't like your kind. You are a mediocrity in the world of oppressive thugs. The vestiges of Fidel's last jerkoff session.
I will never understand why there are people on this Earth who enjoy subjugating their fellow man. It is inconceivable to me.
Granma did not publish today any news about Iran online today either on their website or in the PDF images of the printed edition.It is not clear why the Cuban government chose not to publish any news on Iran in its newspaper of record but it didn't. There is no reason to believe that the stories published in Granma online are not the ones published in the actual printed editions in Cuba. Prensa Latina is not directly available to most Cubans because it is a newswire organization feeding other news outlets. Therefore it can be concluded that any information on Iran's political turmoil has not reached the Cuban population through official means as of this morning. On the other hand Granma had an interesting article on desertification and an extensive article on the control of highways and street traffic in Santiago de Cuba.
I was not asked about the internet, but here is what (no friend of Cuba) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said about what they found out about the issue (as reported in the Miami Herald):
On a monthlong assignment to Cuba, the French journalist hopped from Internet cafe to cafe on a hunt: determine to what extent the government censored the Net.
The results were surprising: her report, released Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, says Internet cafes at hotels and the post office allowed mostly unfettered access to Web sites, even those considered "subversive." But prices were excessive and security warnings popped up when the names of well-known Cuban dissidents appeared on the screen.
"I was surprised I could visit all Web sites," the journalist - who used the pseudonym of Claire Voeux to write the report so she would be able to return to Cuba - said in a telephone interview from France. .... But even Reporters Without Borders was surprised to learn that the Cuban government does not block Web sites it considers hostile, such as The Miami Herald's. Only once during her monthlong stay did Voeux find a site - a Mexican page about a post-Castro Cuba - blocked.
So, getting back to the original point, no news sites were reported as being blocked. I would imagine sites funded by the US Government might be an exception, but even that was not reported.
leftside, it is amazing how you try to finish arguments with anecdotal information. The RWB report is just that, one report, and you extrapolate an entire generalization from it: the Castro regime doesn't censor websites. Give us a break...
Peters walks down the Malecon asking people in his yanqui accent if people have seen TV Marti. Absolutely not, they assure him, they would NEVER consider watching such counter-revolutionary drivel. Peters is satisfied no one in Cuba can watch TV Marti. So he considers it his duty to tell the U.S. Congress...
The only purpose of TV Marti is to have a video venue to communicate with the Cuban people in case the regime implodes. If the US government's policy is based on the assumption that the Cuban regime is stable and permanent, then TV and Radio Marti have no reason to exist. But if the regime is weak, and prone to instability, do not complain when 2 million Cubans show up in Miami asking for a plate of food and water because no one told them that the US aid was on the way, and all they had to do was wait for it to arrive in a manner of hours.
At least you are original Vecino. You admit we want R/TV Marti in order to assert our influence - but only after the regime falls - of course. Then you seem to state that the Cuban regime is weak, against all evidence. Then you (apparently without irony) say that Cubans should feel safe in knowing that the US Government will swoop in, within a "manner (sic) of hours" and be able to feed the entire population. Never mind that we showed we can not even feed a population massed in an designated emergency area (New Orleans superdome and convention center) for days...
Let's add Peters to that list of personae non gratae in a free Cuba. Unlike a nutcase like leftside, Peters is smart enough to know this is a despicable regime that systematically violates the human rights of the Cuban people. But he won't say it because he knows he will lose his access to Cuba, and there goes his grant money and his trips to Cuba to take his Brownie camera specials of the exotic natives and walk the Malecon at night to...what, Peters? So many Cuban women willing to sell their bodies for a few grubby tourist dollars and so little time....
TV and Radio Marti have the purpose of advancing US foreign policy objectives. That those objectives can be served by provididng information to the Cuban people that is not sanctioned by the Cuban government is an issue that should be debated by those who have US interests at heart not the Cuban government's.
As far as the US response to Katrina, it should be pointed out that although there were many fatalities and casualties none were the result of hunger or thirst. The eventual response to the Katrina disaster is amazing considering the scope of the damage.
Every US administration since President Johnson's have stated pretty clearly that it does not serve US interests to have a massive surge in immigration from any US neighbor. That TV and Radio Marti could help manage this in the event of civil unrest in Cuba is something that it's usually not discussed. The reality is that the Cuban population would face a famine in the event of political turmoil because there are no food reserves in private hands. The only country that would be in a position to extend basic humanitarian aid in an expeditious manner is the US. This may not happend tomorrow but if it happens that's what Cuba and the US will be facing.
TV and Radio Marti have the purpose of advancing US foreign policy objectives.
I thought it was only to help Cubans in an food crisis?? Glad you are more honest. But no country has the right to use another country's airwaves for their own purposes. Would we accept Cuba using our airwaves?
If your or US interest lies in preventing a migration crisis, why don't we stop trying to cause it through our regime change and strangulation policies? We can always broadcast during an true emergency.
The eventual response to the Katrina disaster is amazing considering the scope of the damage.
Come on... calling the response to Katrina amazing is not credible. What is amazing is the (prevention and) results Cuba gets spending far, far less money.
Come on Vecino. There is all the difference in the world between shortwave signals that affect nothing and those from the US that interfere with normal AM/FM/VHF transmissions.
Phil,
ReplyDeleteIn my many journeys back to Cuba, I too have taken note of the fact that TV Marti is unavailable on the island. I have never once seen it - due to the jamming. This is something widely known.
That said, I'd like to take a moment to urge you to suggest redeploying resources from a potential shuttering of TV Marti, to Radio Marti, which indeed does have an audience on the island.
With any luck, Radio Marti will transform into a more news-oriented station, forgoing the use of "in your face" propaganda. I don't believe we need comedy sketches to fight oppression in Cuba - all that's needed is fact and information from the outside world to help curtail the state censoring that occurs with all news inside Cuba.
Let's put these dollars to good use and keep developing Radio Marti as a source of real news for the people of Cuba. Knowledge and facts are two of the best tools in the fight against any dictatorship.
Please, press this issue - I see you've touched on it already in your statement.
Thank you,
-Anatasio
another dreary apologia....
ReplyDeleteLike anything associated with Congressman Delahunt is supposed to be about helping the Cuban people? C'mon Peters please stop play-acting that yours and his efforts are about anything but open accommodation with the Castro regime....
Again the debate is about the effectiveness of broadcasting propaganda abroad (and at home, in blatant violation of US law). Not a peep from anyone about whether we should be in the business of producing propaganda for countries we supposedly want to turn over a new leaf with? Not a word that the relevant international body has condemnded US actions.
ReplyDeleteIf Cuba broadcast propaganda to the US, we would surely demand an end to it. In Cuba, they have serious national security concerns as well.
The new focus on "news" is a last ditch effort to save this boondoggle. Cubans do not lack news. They know what's going on the in world.
Cuba is waiting for a real sign that the policy of regime change has ended. Ending TV & Radio Marti would be a perfect, real first step.
"Cubans do not lack news. They know what's going on the in world."
ReplyDeleteIs that why Granma hasn't published a word about the current situation in Iran? The regime censors the news heavily, leftside. Everyone knows this - even the regime's apologistas.
We deserve to know what's happening in the rest of the world, using any internet portal we choose - whether it be pro-dictatorship or anti-dictatorship. It is up to us to choose those news outlets we see fit to consult, not the regime in Havana.
How long do we need to be kept from information concerning the rest of the world (aside from that coming from the national propaganda officials)? How long, leftside?
Regarding Cuba's national security issues - you're damn right there are security issues. There is no national security - only security for the Cuban officialdom. The rest of us are left to rot.
You have no right to tell us, to even insinuate, that we deserve to have our news censored and carefully crafted in a bid to reflect the party line - I repeat: no right. You're not even Cuban, and yet you see fit to dictate to us, as an outsider, what we should think, how we should live. Those choices, sir, are up to us. And some day, we'll have the ability to exercise those choices. And with any luck, those who helped to enforce the dictatorship's policies on us from afar, will be prevented from entering the national territory, as enemies of the people.
-Anatasio
Anastasio makes good points. A well-funded Radio Marti staffed by respected professional journalists from across the Americas could accomplish much. For example, they could relay up-to-the-minute news from Iran by scanning the social networking sites from that country. Some of the air time could just be taken up by rebroadcasting BBC Spanish radio coverage.
ReplyDeleteAnastasio, the Cuban people can demand whatever they want. I doubt "news" produced and transmitted by the US Government is going to on that list. I would also wager that the average Cuban knows more about the reality of what is happening in Iran right now, than the lies we are being told in the US.
ReplyDeleteIt is breathtaking, this assumption that the election was stolen being propagated by the "left" as much as the right - without one bit of actual proof (and despite respected pre-election polling that confirmed a 2:1 advantage for the incumbent).
Cuba, in fact, HAS reported on the issue - through Prensa Latina at least. Are you on the island? Because what gets published online is not all that gets published on the island (there is far more).
"Because what gets published online is not all that gets published on the island (there is far more)."
ReplyDeleteIt's actually the other way around.
Also, I know that Telesur has reported heavily on the Iranian issue.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, we in the US get to read coverage that start like this, "You'll find no argument among the commentariat that last week's presidential election in Iran was rigged..."
For example, they could relay up-to-the-minute news from Iran by scanning the social networking sites from that country.
ReplyDeleteThis is the type of nonsense that passes as "news" in the US these days. Lets broadcast what the young well-off in Iran have to say, but ignore the majority of the country. Cubans are not fooled.
leftside,
ReplyDeleteyou have failed to answer the question.
Why should we have our internet sites censored in Cuba?
I'm still waiting for an answer.
When we achieve freedom as a people, leftside, I can't wait to submit your personal information to an elected government. I hope you've already visited Cuba before, because after the change, you can kiss it goodbye. We don't want you. We don't need you. We don't like your kind. You are a mediocrity in the world of oppressive thugs. The vestiges of Fidel's last jerkoff session.
ReplyDeleteI will never understand why there are people on this Earth who enjoy subjugating their fellow man. It is inconceivable to me.
Leftside,
ReplyDeleteGranma did not publish today any news about Iran online today either on their website or in the PDF images of the printed edition.It is not clear why the Cuban government chose not to publish any news on Iran in its newspaper of record but it didn't. There is no reason to believe that the stories published in Granma online are not the ones published in the actual printed editions in Cuba. Prensa Latina is not directly available to most Cubans because it is a newswire organization feeding other news outlets. Therefore it can be concluded that any information on Iran's political turmoil has not reached the Cuban population through official means as of this morning. On the other hand Granma had an interesting article on desertification and an extensive article on the control of highways and street traffic in Santiago de Cuba.
Vecino de NF
I was not asked about the internet, but here is what (no friend of Cuba) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said about what they found out about the issue (as reported in the Miami Herald):
ReplyDeleteOn a monthlong assignment to Cuba, the French journalist hopped from Internet cafe to cafe on a hunt: determine to what extent the government censored the Net.
The results were surprising: her report, released Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, says Internet cafes at hotels and the post office allowed mostly unfettered access to Web sites, even those considered "subversive." But prices were excessive and security warnings popped up when the names of well-known Cuban dissidents appeared on the screen.
"I was surprised I could visit all Web sites," the journalist - who used the pseudonym of Claire Voeux to write the report so she would be able to return to Cuba - said in a telephone interview from France.
....
But even Reporters Without Borders was surprised to learn that the Cuban government does not block Web sites it considers hostile, such as The Miami Herald's. Only once during her monthlong stay did Voeux find a site - a Mexican page about a post-Castro Cuba - blocked.
So, getting back to the original point, no news sites were reported as being blocked. I would imagine sites funded by the US Government might be an exception, but even that was not reported.
leftside, it is amazing how you try to finish arguments with anecdotal information. The RWB report is just that, one report, and you extrapolate an entire generalization from it: the Castro regime doesn't censor websites. Give us a break...
ReplyDeletePeters walks down the Malecon asking people in his yanqui accent if people have seen TV Marti. Absolutely not, they assure him, they would NEVER consider watching such counter-revolutionary drivel. Peters is satisfied no one in Cuba can watch TV Marti. So he considers it his duty to tell the U.S. Congress...
ReplyDeleteThe only purpose of TV Marti is to have a video venue to communicate with the Cuban people in case the regime implodes. If the US government's policy is based on the assumption that the Cuban regime is stable and permanent, then TV and Radio Marti have no reason to exist. But if the regime is weak, and prone to instability, do not complain when 2 million Cubans show up in Miami asking for a plate of food and water because no one told them that the US aid was on the way, and all they had to do was wait for it to arrive in a manner of hours.
ReplyDeleteVecino de NF
At least you are original Vecino. You admit we want R/TV Marti in order to assert our influence - but only after the regime falls - of course. Then you seem to state that the Cuban regime is weak, against all evidence. Then you (apparently without irony) say that Cubans should feel safe in knowing that the US Government will swoop in, within a "manner (sic) of hours" and be able to feed the entire population. Never mind that we showed we can not even feed a population massed in an designated emergency area (New Orleans superdome and convention center) for days...
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:15,
ReplyDeleteLet's add Peters to that list of personae non gratae in a free Cuba. Unlike a nutcase like leftside, Peters is smart enough to know this is a despicable regime that systematically violates the human rights of the Cuban people. But he won't say it because he knows he will lose his access to Cuba, and there goes his grant money and his trips to Cuba to take his Brownie camera specials of the exotic natives and walk the Malecon at night to...what, Peters? So many Cuban women willing to sell their bodies for a few grubby tourist dollars and so little time....
Leftside,
ReplyDeleteTV and Radio Marti have the purpose of advancing US foreign policy objectives. That those objectives can be served by provididng information to the Cuban people that is not sanctioned by the Cuban government is an issue that should be debated by those who have US interests at heart not the Cuban government's.
As far as the US response to Katrina, it should be pointed out that although there were many fatalities and casualties none were the result of hunger or thirst. The eventual response to the Katrina disaster is amazing considering the scope of the damage.
Every US administration since President Johnson's have stated pretty clearly that it does not serve US interests to have a massive surge in immigration from any US neighbor. That TV and Radio Marti could help manage this in the event of civil unrest in Cuba is something that it's usually not discussed. The reality is that the Cuban population would face a famine in the event of political turmoil because there are no food reserves in private hands. The only country that would be in a position to extend basic humanitarian aid in an expeditious manner is the US. This may not happend tomorrow but if it happens that's what Cuba and the US will be facing.
Vecino de NF
TV and Radio Marti have the purpose of advancing US foreign policy objectives.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was only to help Cubans in an food crisis?? Glad you are more honest. But no country has the right to use another country's airwaves for their own purposes. Would we accept Cuba using our airwaves?
If your or US interest lies in preventing a migration crisis, why don't we stop trying to cause it through our regime change and strangulation policies? We can always broadcast during an true emergency.
The eventual response to the Katrina disaster is amazing considering the scope of the damage.
Come on... calling the response to Katrina amazing is not credible. What is amazing is the (prevention and) results Cuba gets spending far, far less money.
Leftside,
ReplyDeleteHonesty has alwasys being my hallmark. BTW Cuba broadcasts into US airwaves. How do you think that the Myers got their instructions?
Vecino de NF
Come on Vecino. There is all the difference in the world between shortwave signals that affect nothing and those from the US that interfere with normal AM/FM/VHF transmissions.
ReplyDeleteLeftside,
ReplyDeleteJust nitpicking! I couldn't resist. By the way honesty may be my hallmark, but obviously spelling and grammar are not!
Vecino de NF
To Leftside and other friends of the left.
ReplyDeleteGET A LIFE.