Odds and ends
- The Herald reports on the changing activities of Cuban bloggers; as Reynaldo Escobar put it, “Some people have been doing actions that go beyond the click and the keyboard and try to exercise the rights of a free person.” And the State Department issued a statement that “strongly deplores the assault on bloggers Yoani Sanchez, Orlando Luis Pardo, and Claudia Cadelo.”
- Reuters: The Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Light Industry issue orders to state enterprises to take “extreme measures” to cut energy consumption in order to avoid the need for scheduled power blackouts.
what's up with this yoani story; she keeps changing it all the time. either show us proof you got beat up (first it was the face, then it was the bum) or stfu. looks like just another lie against cuba, nice lady that.
ReplyDeleteand she's the one desperate for attention, how come she hasn't put pictures of her assault? there's a hell of a lot more to this story that appears. she may be crossing the line
Reynaldo Escobar, Yoani Sanchez' husband, has called out to Agent "Rodney" to attend a verbal duel next Friday, November 20th. Agent "Rodney" is the person who the bloggers have identified as the one in charge of Yoani's detention. The place is going to be the corner of 23 and G in Havana. Penultimos Dias has the information and a link to Reynaldo Escobar's blog. He mentions that November 20th is the anniversary of the opening of the Nuremberg trials, and that the 13th was not selected because of the bad omen. Witnesses are welcome.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous November 12, 2009 10:17 AM,
There has been quite a few interviews of Yoani Sanchez both on TV. Penultimos Dias is a good place to locate them. The bloggers have been consistent in their recounting of the events. There has been some variations in third party reporting of the stories.
As far as the fact that "she may be crossing the line", it is recommended that you read her post about blaming the victim.
Vecino de NF
Yes, Anon 10:17, suspicions are growing that this "Yoani" character is actually a CIA operative. Her hulking presence and her rippling biceps prove that she put in many hours at the "Company's" gym at Langley. She is just aching to confront helpless members of the secret police who just happen to hanging around her apartment, 24 hours per day.
ReplyDelete"Justice thunders condemnation,
a better world's in birth!"
Yes, I am tired of this arrogant Yoani person making baseless and totally unfounded accusations against selfless public servants who are dedicated to defending their Fatherland against Imperialist aggression in the form of "innocent" blogs. I mean, if anybody had *legitimate* complaints against the revolutionary Authorities, surely we would read about it in Granma, right Lefty?
ReplyDeleteVan a vender langostas en Cuba?
ReplyDeleteY a que precio...por la libreta?
Challenging security agents to a "duel" on a corner??!! Come on. Does anyone really think this is anything other than another cheap publicity ploy for Yoani, intended to keep the "story" going??
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of this quote from Raul last year's July 26th speech:
We do not deny their (critics of the Government) right to expression, provided they do it with respect for the law... But if anyone intends to put pressure motivated by their wishes to be in the limelight or by ambition, demagoguery, opportunism, simulation, arrogance or any other human weakness of a similar nature, we must face them resolutely, avoiding offense but calling a spade a spade.”
And the US Government "strongly deploring" the "assault" is beyond the pale. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consistently cite police abuse and brutality as one of the biggest human rights violations facing poor and minority communities in US. According to a study carried out by the Justice Department, 13% of Americans in major metropolitan areas reported being victims of police brutality IN THE LAST YEAR!! How many of those cases were reported on by AP, Reuters and all the major US dailes - as Yoani's encounter was? More than 300 people have been killed using electic taser weapons. KILLED! Has Obama said one word about the murder of Americans by police using weapons that are banned in most of the rest of the world??
International police guidelines call for using force as a last resort, when verbal coercion does not work. Yoani basically admits the Cuban (trying everything to get her in the car before calling their superiors). Force is meant to be proportional to the offense. There is no indication from Yoani or anyone else that the force used was arbitrary or excessive. She says force was used to get her in the car and to let go of a piece of paper she stole from the officers. Without knowing the full story, I don't think any jury would convict a police officer for trying to get back their stolen property.
I can't tell whether that last post was really leftside or a parody of leftside.
ReplyDeletechingon