http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/ Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:36:03 -0500 MyBB http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1533 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:33:17 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1533 An American spy-catcher says Cuba has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210 agents.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Cuba's communist government has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to the levels that existed before the FBI rounded up more than a dozen members of the Cuban spy Wasp Network, according to a U.S. Army expert on Cuban intelligence.

Lt. Col. Chris Simmons, an Army counterintelligence officer, told The Miami Herald that within nine to 18 months of the network's 1998 dismantling, the number of Cuban agents and intelligence officers in the state was back up to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210.

''The loss of any one network doesn't compromise anything outside its own structure,'' said Simmons, noting that Cuba's spies appear to operate within compartmentalized cells not directly connected to each other.

Simmons' statement marks the first time a U.S. official has detailed the number of Cuban spies in Florida in recent years. He also outlined the spies' likely targets, including Cuban exile groups and U.S. military installations.

The Cuban government's diplomatic mission in Washington did not take a question on the issue because the press officer's voice mail was full. He did not reply to an e-mail message either.

Judy Orihuela, an FBI Miami spokeswoman, declined to comment on the matter.

But Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, said Simmons' claim is ''within the realm of the possible in the nebulous world'' of intelligence.

''The Cuban government is interested in anything that deals with the security of Cuban leaders,'' Suchlicki said. ``They want to know what exile organizations are doing, and they're interested in U.S. activities and getting information and if they can steal technical data that they can then pass along to the Chinese, the Iranians or the Venezuelans.''

Simmons, a career counterintelligence expert, was in South Florida for interviews with local media -- part of an effort to publicize the book he is writing with Ana Margarita Martinez, former wife of Wasp Network spy Juan Pablo Roque.

Roque eluded arrest because he fled to Cuba the day before a Cuban MiG shot down two small unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes Feb. 24, 1996.

Simmons and Martinez said the manuscript will be delivered to publishers next year but may not be published until 2010.

They said the book, whose working title is The Spy's Wife: Beyond Betrayal, will chronicle Martinez's relationship with Roque and the then-secret spy ring that surrounded her -- without her knowledge.

Simmons, who writes a periodic column for The Miami Herald's op-ed section, said he has been monitoring spies around the world since 1986 when he became a counterintelligence officer.

In the 1990s he ran Army counterespionage investigations in the United States and then switched to the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA, doing Latin America counterintelligence.

Shortly after the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, Simmons became chief of Latin America for counterintelligence analysis at DIA specializing on Cuba. He retired from DIA recently and is now back at Army counterintelligence.

While at DIA, Simmons played a role in helping to catch Ana Belen Montes, perhaps Cuba's most significant mole within the U.S. armed forces. Montes, who was a Cuban spy for years, became the U.S. government's top intelligence analyst on Cuba at DIA.

A DOWNSIZED FORCE

Simmons said that when he first started monitoring Cuban spies, Havana's agents and officers in Florida numbered about 300.

But the loss of Soviet subsidies when the Cold War ended in the early 1990s forced Havana to ''downsize'' its spy force. Part of the downsizing, he said, involved laying off redundant agents assigned to monitor Cuban exile organizations -- among other targets.

'They likely said to themselves `Do we have seven agents reporting on Alpha 66 when we can probably do it with four now?' '' Simmons said. ``All right, shed the others.''

Simmons said Havana has not much varied espionage objectives since the Wasp Network setback.

Five members were convicted in 2001 by a Miami federal jury and five others pleaded guilty earlier. At least four others, including Martinez's ex-husband, escaped back to Cuba.

Since then, Cuba has spearheaded an international campaign aimed at persuading the United States to release the convicted men, known widely as the Cuban Five.

Cuba's espionage targets include Cuban exile groups and individuals who might pose a threat to the Cuban regime and U.S. military installations from where an attack on Cuba might be launched or whose activities might be of interest to allied foreign intelligence services.

DEFENDING THE REGIME

''Cuba [is] very focused on what they need to defend the regime and what they need to acquire from the United States in the role as an intelligence trafficker,'' Simmons said. ``So, the way they've configured their operation is anywhere there is a Cuban exile population, there will be a presence. New York, New Jersey, Florida, southwest California and you add in U.S. military operations. The major bases they are concerned with are overwhelmingly in the Southeast.''

In Florida, Simmons said, Cuban spies monitor military installations from Key West to Tampa to Jacksonville while agents in the Miami area track key Cuban exile organizations and individuals. He said that of the estimated 210 spies statewide, about two-thirds are in South Florida.

Tactics described by Simmons are similar to those employed by the Wasp Network. Evidence uncovered by the FBI showed network agents had orders to spy on the Cuban American National Foundation, Brothers to the Rescue and Democracy Movement as well as the Boca Chica naval air station near Key West and the U.S. Southern Command in the Miami area.]]> An American spy-catcher says Cuba has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210 agents.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Cuba's communist government has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to the levels that existed before the FBI rounded up more than a dozen members of the Cuban spy Wasp Network, according to a U.S. Army expert on Cuban intelligence.

Lt. Col. Chris Simmons, an Army counterintelligence officer, told The Miami Herald that within nine to 18 months of the network's 1998 dismantling, the number of Cuban agents and intelligence officers in the state was back up to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210.

''The loss of any one network doesn't compromise anything outside its own structure,'' said Simmons, noting that Cuba's spies appear to operate within compartmentalized cells not directly connected to each other.

Simmons' statement marks the first time a U.S. official has detailed the number of Cuban spies in Florida in recent years. He also outlined the spies' likely targets, including Cuban exile groups and U.S. military installations.

The Cuban government's diplomatic mission in Washington did not take a question on the issue because the press officer's voice mail was full. He did not reply to an e-mail message either.

Judy Orihuela, an FBI Miami spokeswoman, declined to comment on the matter.

But Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, said Simmons' claim is ''within the realm of the possible in the nebulous world'' of intelligence.

''The Cuban government is interested in anything that deals with the security of Cuban leaders,'' Suchlicki said. ``They want to know what exile organizations are doing, and they're interested in U.S. activities and getting information and if they can steal technical data that they can then pass along to the Chinese, the Iranians or the Venezuelans.''

Simmons, a career counterintelligence expert, was in South Florida for interviews with local media -- part of an effort to publicize the book he is writing with Ana Margarita Martinez, former wife of Wasp Network spy Juan Pablo Roque.

Roque eluded arrest because he fled to Cuba the day before a Cuban MiG shot down two small unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes Feb. 24, 1996.

Simmons and Martinez said the manuscript will be delivered to publishers next year but may not be published until 2010.

They said the book, whose working title is The Spy's Wife: Beyond Betrayal, will chronicle Martinez's relationship with Roque and the then-secret spy ring that surrounded her -- without her knowledge.

Simmons, who writes a periodic column for The Miami Herald's op-ed section, said he has been monitoring spies around the world since 1986 when he became a counterintelligence officer.

In the 1990s he ran Army counterespionage investigations in the United States and then switched to the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA, doing Latin America counterintelligence.

Shortly after the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, Simmons became chief of Latin America for counterintelligence analysis at DIA specializing on Cuba. He retired from DIA recently and is now back at Army counterintelligence.

While at DIA, Simmons played a role in helping to catch Ana Belen Montes, perhaps Cuba's most significant mole within the U.S. armed forces. Montes, who was a Cuban spy for years, became the U.S. government's top intelligence analyst on Cuba at DIA.

A DOWNSIZED FORCE

Simmons said that when he first started monitoring Cuban spies, Havana's agents and officers in Florida numbered about 300.

But the loss of Soviet subsidies when the Cold War ended in the early 1990s forced Havana to ''downsize'' its spy force. Part of the downsizing, he said, involved laying off redundant agents assigned to monitor Cuban exile organizations -- among other targets.

'They likely said to themselves `Do we have seven agents reporting on Alpha 66 when we can probably do it with four now?' '' Simmons said. ``All right, shed the others.''

Simmons said Havana has not much varied espionage objectives since the Wasp Network setback.

Five members were convicted in 2001 by a Miami federal jury and five others pleaded guilty earlier. At least four others, including Martinez's ex-husband, escaped back to Cuba.

Since then, Cuba has spearheaded an international campaign aimed at persuading the United States to release the convicted men, known widely as the Cuban Five.

Cuba's espionage targets include Cuban exile groups and individuals who might pose a threat to the Cuban regime and U.S. military installations from where an attack on Cuba might be launched or whose activities might be of interest to allied foreign intelligence services.

DEFENDING THE REGIME

''Cuba [is] very focused on what they need to defend the regime and what they need to acquire from the United States in the role as an intelligence trafficker,'' Simmons said. ``So, the way they've configured their operation is anywhere there is a Cuban exile population, there will be a presence. New York, New Jersey, Florida, southwest California and you add in U.S. military operations. The major bases they are concerned with are overwhelmingly in the Southeast.''

In Florida, Simmons said, Cuban spies monitor military installations from Key West to Tampa to Jacksonville while agents in the Miami area track key Cuban exile organizations and individuals. He said that of the estimated 210 spies statewide, about two-thirds are in South Florida.

Tactics described by Simmons are similar to those employed by the Wasp Network. Evidence uncovered by the FBI showed network agents had orders to spy on the Cuban American National Foundation, Brothers to the Rescue and Democracy Movement as well as the Boca Chica naval air station near Key West and the U.S. Southern Command in the Miami area.]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1532 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:33:15 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1532 An American spy-catcher says Cuba has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210 agents.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Cuba's communist government has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to the levels that existed before the FBI rounded up more than a dozen members of the Cuban spy Wasp Network, according to a U.S. Army expert on Cuban intelligence.

Lt. Col. Chris Simmons, an Army counterintelligence officer, told The Miami Herald that within nine to 18 months of the network's 1998 dismantling, the number of Cuban agents and intelligence officers in the state was back up to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210.

''The loss of any one network doesn't compromise anything outside its own structure,'' said Simmons, noting that Cuba's spies appear to operate within compartmentalized cells not directly connected to each other.

Simmons' statement marks the first time a U.S. official has detailed the number of Cuban spies in Florida in recent years. He also outlined the spies' likely targets, including Cuban exile groups and U.S. military installations.

The Cuban government's diplomatic mission in Washington did not take a question on the issue because the press officer's voice mail was full. He did not reply to an e-mail message either.

Judy Orihuela, an FBI Miami spokeswoman, declined to comment on the matter.

But Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, said Simmons' claim is ''within the realm of the possible in the nebulous world'' of intelligence.

''The Cuban government is interested in anything that deals with the security of Cuban leaders,'' Suchlicki said. ``They want to know what exile organizations are doing, and they're interested in U.S. activities and getting information and if they can steal technical data that they can then pass along to the Chinese, the Iranians or the Venezuelans.''

Simmons, a career counterintelligence expert, was in South Florida for interviews with local media -- part of an effort to publicize the book he is writing with Ana Margarita Martinez, former wife of Wasp Network spy Juan Pablo Roque.

Roque eluded arrest because he fled to Cuba the day before a Cuban MiG shot down two small unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes Feb. 24, 1996.

Simmons and Martinez said the manuscript will be delivered to publishers next year but may not be published until 2010.

They said the book, whose working title is The Spy's Wife: Beyond Betrayal, will chronicle Martinez's relationship with Roque and the then-secret spy ring that surrounded her -- without her knowledge.

Simmons, who writes a periodic column for The Miami Herald's op-ed section, said he has been monitoring spies around the world since 1986 when he became a counterintelligence officer.

In the 1990s he ran Army counterespionage investigations in the United States and then switched to the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA, doing Latin America counterintelligence.

Shortly after the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, Simmons became chief of Latin America for counterintelligence analysis at DIA specializing on Cuba. He retired from DIA recently and is now back at Army counterintelligence.

While at DIA, Simmons played a role in helping to catch Ana Belen Montes, perhaps Cuba's most significant mole within the U.S. armed forces. Montes, who was a Cuban spy for years, became the U.S. government's top intelligence analyst on Cuba at DIA.

A DOWNSIZED FORCE

Simmons said that when he first started monitoring Cuban spies, Havana's agents and officers in Florida numbered about 300.

But the loss of Soviet subsidies when the Cold War ended in the early 1990s forced Havana to ''downsize'' its spy force. Part of the downsizing, he said, involved laying off redundant agents assigned to monitor Cuban exile organizations -- among other targets.

'They likely said to themselves `Do we have seven agents reporting on Alpha 66 when we can probably do it with four now?' '' Simmons said. ``All right, shed the others.''

Simmons said Havana has not much varied espionage objectives since the Wasp Network setback.

Five members were convicted in 2001 by a Miami federal jury and five others pleaded guilty earlier. At least four others, including Martinez's ex-husband, escaped back to Cuba.

Since then, Cuba has spearheaded an international campaign aimed at persuading the United States to release the convicted men, known widely as the Cuban Five.

Cuba's espionage targets include Cuban exile groups and individuals who might pose a threat to the Cuban regime and U.S. military installations from where an attack on Cuba might be launched or whose activities might be of interest to allied foreign intelligence services.

DEFENDING THE REGIME

''Cuba [is] very focused on what they need to defend the regime and what they need to acquire from the United States in the role as an intelligence trafficker,'' Simmons said. ``So, the way they've configured their operation is anywhere there is a Cuban exile population, there will be a presence. New York, New Jersey, Florida, southwest California and you add in U.S. military operations. The major bases they are concerned with are overwhelmingly in the Southeast.''

In Florida, Simmons said, Cuban spies monitor military installations from Key West to Tampa to Jacksonville while agents in the Miami area track key Cuban exile organizations and individuals. He said that of the estimated 210 spies statewide, about two-thirds are in South Florida.

Tactics described by Simmons are similar to those employed by the Wasp Network. Evidence uncovered by the FBI showed network agents had orders to spy on the Cuban American National Foundation, Brothers to the Rescue and Democracy Movement as well as the Boca Chica naval air station near Key West and the U.S. Southern Command in the Miami area.]]> An American spy-catcher says Cuba has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210 agents.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Cuba's communist government has rebuilt its network of spies in Florida to the levels that existed before the FBI rounded up more than a dozen members of the Cuban spy Wasp Network, according to a U.S. Army expert on Cuban intelligence.

Lt. Col. Chris Simmons, an Army counterintelligence officer, told The Miami Herald that within nine to 18 months of the network's 1998 dismantling, the number of Cuban agents and intelligence officers in the state was back up to pre-Wasp Network levels -- or about 210.

''The loss of any one network doesn't compromise anything outside its own structure,'' said Simmons, noting that Cuba's spies appear to operate within compartmentalized cells not directly connected to each other.

Simmons' statement marks the first time a U.S. official has detailed the number of Cuban spies in Florida in recent years. He also outlined the spies' likely targets, including Cuban exile groups and U.S. military installations.

The Cuban government's diplomatic mission in Washington did not take a question on the issue because the press officer's voice mail was full. He did not reply to an e-mail message either.

Judy Orihuela, an FBI Miami spokeswoman, declined to comment on the matter.

But Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, said Simmons' claim is ''within the realm of the possible in the nebulous world'' of intelligence.

''The Cuban government is interested in anything that deals with the security of Cuban leaders,'' Suchlicki said. ``They want to know what exile organizations are doing, and they're interested in U.S. activities and getting information and if they can steal technical data that they can then pass along to the Chinese, the Iranians or the Venezuelans.''

Simmons, a career counterintelligence expert, was in South Florida for interviews with local media -- part of an effort to publicize the book he is writing with Ana Margarita Martinez, former wife of Wasp Network spy Juan Pablo Roque.

Roque eluded arrest because he fled to Cuba the day before a Cuban MiG shot down two small unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes Feb. 24, 1996.

Simmons and Martinez said the manuscript will be delivered to publishers next year but may not be published until 2010.

They said the book, whose working title is The Spy's Wife: Beyond Betrayal, will chronicle Martinez's relationship with Roque and the then-secret spy ring that surrounded her -- without her knowledge.

Simmons, who writes a periodic column for The Miami Herald's op-ed section, said he has been monitoring spies around the world since 1986 when he became a counterintelligence officer.

In the 1990s he ran Army counterespionage investigations in the United States and then switched to the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA, doing Latin America counterintelligence.

Shortly after the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, Simmons became chief of Latin America for counterintelligence analysis at DIA specializing on Cuba. He retired from DIA recently and is now back at Army counterintelligence.

While at DIA, Simmons played a role in helping to catch Ana Belen Montes, perhaps Cuba's most significant mole within the U.S. armed forces. Montes, who was a Cuban spy for years, became the U.S. government's top intelligence analyst on Cuba at DIA.

A DOWNSIZED FORCE

Simmons said that when he first started monitoring Cuban spies, Havana's agents and officers in Florida numbered about 300.

But the loss of Soviet subsidies when the Cold War ended in the early 1990s forced Havana to ''downsize'' its spy force. Part of the downsizing, he said, involved laying off redundant agents assigned to monitor Cuban exile organizations -- among other targets.

'They likely said to themselves `Do we have seven agents reporting on Alpha 66 when we can probably do it with four now?' '' Simmons said. ``All right, shed the others.''

Simmons said Havana has not much varied espionage objectives since the Wasp Network setback.

Five members were convicted in 2001 by a Miami federal jury and five others pleaded guilty earlier. At least four others, including Martinez's ex-husband, escaped back to Cuba.

Since then, Cuba has spearheaded an international campaign aimed at persuading the United States to release the convicted men, known widely as the Cuban Five.

Cuba's espionage targets include Cuban exile groups and individuals who might pose a threat to the Cuban regime and U.S. military installations from where an attack on Cuba might be launched or whose activities might be of interest to allied foreign intelligence services.

DEFENDING THE REGIME

''Cuba [is] very focused on what they need to defend the regime and what they need to acquire from the United States in the role as an intelligence trafficker,'' Simmons said. ``So, the way they've configured their operation is anywhere there is a Cuban exile population, there will be a presence. New York, New Jersey, Florida, southwest California and you add in U.S. military operations. The major bases they are concerned with are overwhelmingly in the Southeast.''

In Florida, Simmons said, Cuban spies monitor military installations from Key West to Tampa to Jacksonville while agents in the Miami area track key Cuban exile organizations and individuals. He said that of the estimated 210 spies statewide, about two-thirds are in South Florida.

Tactics described by Simmons are similar to those employed by the Wasp Network. Evidence uncovered by the FBI showed network agents had orders to spy on the Cuban American National Foundation, Brothers to the Rescue and Democracy Movement as well as the Boca Chica naval air station near Key West and the U.S. Southern Command in the Miami area.]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1531 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:12:30 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1531 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1530 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:01:54 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1530
'Officially condoned military misconduct falling well short of a war crime may support a claim to refugee protection,' judge writes.

Jul 04, 2008 05:32 PM

Canada's refugee board has been ordered to take another look at an American deserter's failed bid for asylum in an unprecedented court ruling that could affect scores of other U.S. soldiers who have refused to fight in Iraq.

In Friday's decision, which came as Americans celebrated Independence Day, the Federal Court found the Immigration and Refugee Board made mistakes in turning down Joshua Key's claim for asylum.

"It's quite a statement," Key, 30, told The Canadian Press from his home in Saskatchewan.

"It makes us feel good – probably everybody within this whole process."

A married father of four, Key served as a combat engineer for eight months in Iraq 2003. He said American soldiers committed savage acts against civilians and routinely killed innocent people.

While the board deemed him credible, it nixed his claim for refugee status on the grounds he was not required to systematically commit war crimes even if he had to violate the Geneva Conventions.

Federal Court Justice Robert Barnes disagreed with that analysis.

"Officially condoned military misconduct falling well short of a war crime may support a claim to refugee protection," Barnes wrote.

Military action that "systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates" either combatants or non-combatants could provide such support, he said.

Lee Zaslofsky, of the War Resisters Support Campaign, was ecstatic on learning of Friday's ruling.

"Oh my God, that's wonderful," said Zaslofsky, who came to Canada from the U.S. in the 1970s to avoid the Vietnam War draft.

"Oh wow. Oh wow. That's big. That affects all cases."

Key, a native of Oklahoma, fled to Canada after deserting during a leave in November 2003. Punishing him for following his conscience would be unjust, he said.

"You're treated unfairly just for not wanting to go kill innocent people."

In turning down several similar asylum claims, the refugee board has consistently held that the United States is a democracy, which affords deserters due judicial process.

However, the court said the board should hear evidence on whether deserters can rely on the American government to treat them fairly.

"State protection has been a very prominent issue that we have felt has just simply not been given the kind of attention it requires," Zaslofsky said.

"It doesn't appear feasible for people like Joshua Key and the other war resisters to rely on state protection that people would normally be able to rely on – even in a democracy like the United States."

Key's lawyer, Jeffry House, said the ruling expands a soldier's right to refuse military service.

"It's a huge victory for numerous soldiers who are here and maybe others who are thinking of coming here," House said.

New Democrat politician Olivia Chow called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rethink his government's policy of excluding American war dodgers.

"Rather than wasting time and money for people to go through that whole refugee process, the Federal Court has spoken out loud and clear," Chow said.

Parliament, she noted, has also passed a resolution calling for deserters to be allowed to stay in Canada.

The resolution also urges a stay of deportation proceedings against soldiers such as Corey Glass, who is due to be removed from Canada next week.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Diane Finley said they were reviewing the court decision.]]>
'Officially condoned military misconduct falling well short of a war crime may support a claim to refugee protection,' judge writes.

Jul 04, 2008 05:32 PM

Canada's refugee board has been ordered to take another look at an American deserter's failed bid for asylum in an unprecedented court ruling that could affect scores of other U.S. soldiers who have refused to fight in Iraq.

In Friday's decision, which came as Americans celebrated Independence Day, the Federal Court found the Immigration and Refugee Board made mistakes in turning down Joshua Key's claim for asylum.

"It's quite a statement," Key, 30, told The Canadian Press from his home in Saskatchewan.

"It makes us feel good – probably everybody within this whole process."

A married father of four, Key served as a combat engineer for eight months in Iraq 2003. He said American soldiers committed savage acts against civilians and routinely killed innocent people.

While the board deemed him credible, it nixed his claim for refugee status on the grounds he was not required to systematically commit war crimes even if he had to violate the Geneva Conventions.

Federal Court Justice Robert Barnes disagreed with that analysis.

"Officially condoned military misconduct falling well short of a war crime may support a claim to refugee protection," Barnes wrote.

Military action that "systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates" either combatants or non-combatants could provide such support, he said.

Lee Zaslofsky, of the War Resisters Support Campaign, was ecstatic on learning of Friday's ruling.

"Oh my God, that's wonderful," said Zaslofsky, who came to Canada from the U.S. in the 1970s to avoid the Vietnam War draft.

"Oh wow. Oh wow. That's big. That affects all cases."

Key, a native of Oklahoma, fled to Canada after deserting during a leave in November 2003. Punishing him for following his conscience would be unjust, he said.

"You're treated unfairly just for not wanting to go kill innocent people."

In turning down several similar asylum claims, the refugee board has consistently held that the United States is a democracy, which affords deserters due judicial process.

However, the court said the board should hear evidence on whether deserters can rely on the American government to treat them fairly.

"State protection has been a very prominent issue that we have felt has just simply not been given the kind of attention it requires," Zaslofsky said.

"It doesn't appear feasible for people like Joshua Key and the other war resisters to rely on state protection that people would normally be able to rely on – even in a democracy like the United States."

Key's lawyer, Jeffry House, said the ruling expands a soldier's right to refuse military service.

"It's a huge victory for numerous soldiers who are here and maybe others who are thinking of coming here," House said.

New Democrat politician Olivia Chow called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rethink his government's policy of excluding American war dodgers.

"Rather than wasting time and money for people to go through that whole refugee process, the Federal Court has spoken out loud and clear," Chow said.

Parliament, she noted, has also passed a resolution calling for deserters to be allowed to stay in Canada.

The resolution also urges a stay of deportation proceedings against soldiers such as Corey Glass, who is due to be removed from Canada next week.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Diane Finley said they were reviewing the court decision.]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1529 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:25:03 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1529
Cuban Law will be allow in the US soon :icon_rolleyes:]]>
Cuban Law will be allow in the US soon :icon_rolleyes:]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1528 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:44:19 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1528 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1527 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:22:29 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1527
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIbnRwP8P...re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5haPdmXV...re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSShYr0gq...re=related]]>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIbnRwP8P...re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5haPdmXV...re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSShYr0gq...re=related]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1526 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:13:28 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1526 By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Numerous Activists Arrested, Including Former Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience


Miami. Directorio Democrático Cubano. 3 July 2008. Numerous pro-democracy and human rights activists from different regions of Cuba have been arrested in an operation launched by the Castro regime beginning on the night of Wednesday July, 2.



The activists, including former political prisoners like Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and former Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience like Francisco Chaviano González, René Montes de Oca Martijas and Leonardo Bruzón Ávila are under arrest and their whereabouts are unknown, or are being held under house arrest, according to reports by Cuban activists Juan Carlos González Leiva from the Cuban Human Rights Rapporteur Council and Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello from Agenda for the Transition.



These instances of repression are taking place after the publication of a communique from the regime’s Foreign Ministry announcing punitive measures against peaceful opposition activists under the pretext of the activists’ contacts with United States diplomats in Havana.



More information concerning additional arrests is expected in the following hours.





The activists who are under arrest and whose whereabouts are unknown are:

Francisco Chaviano González (Havana)

René Montes de Oca Martijas (Havana)

Leonardo Bruzón Ávila (Havana)

Carlos Cordero Páez (Havana)

Julio César López Rodríguez (Havana)

Emilio Leyva Pérez (Havana)

Maiky Martorell Mayáns (Las Tunas)

Francisco Blanco Sanabria (Cienfiuegos)

Juan Carlos Hernández Hernández (Santiago de Cuba)



The activists arrested and forcibly deported from Havana by State Security forces are:

Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” (Placetas)

Iris Pérez Aguilera (Placetas)

Alejandro Tur Valladares (Cienfuegos)



Activists detained in Havana and released:

José Díaz Silva (Havana)



Activists detained under house arrest:

Blas Fortún Martínez (Placetas)

Gabriel Martínez Martínez (Placetas)

Elia Moreno Rodríguez (Placetas)

Amado Ruiz Moreno (Placetas)

The home of Roberto de Miranda is currently surrounded by State Security Forces (Havana)



Activists warned and threatened by State Security:

Benito Ortega Suárez (Matanzas)

Guillermo Pérez Yera (Manicaragua)

Eliécer Consuegra Rivas (Holguín)

Maria Antonia Hidalgo Mir (Holguín)

José Félix Rodríguez Rodríguez (Pinar del Río)]]> By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Numerous Activists Arrested, Including Former Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience


Miami. Directorio Democrático Cubano. 3 July 2008. Numerous pro-democracy and human rights activists from different regions of Cuba have been arrested in an operation launched by the Castro regime beginning on the night of Wednesday July, 2.



The activists, including former political prisoners like Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and former Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience like Francisco Chaviano González, René Montes de Oca Martijas and Leonardo Bruzón Ávila are under arrest and their whereabouts are unknown, or are being held under house arrest, according to reports by Cuban activists Juan Carlos González Leiva from the Cuban Human Rights Rapporteur Council and Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello from Agenda for the Transition.



These instances of repression are taking place after the publication of a communique from the regime’s Foreign Ministry announcing punitive measures against peaceful opposition activists under the pretext of the activists’ contacts with United States diplomats in Havana.



More information concerning additional arrests is expected in the following hours.





The activists who are under arrest and whose whereabouts are unknown are:

Francisco Chaviano González (Havana)

René Montes de Oca Martijas (Havana)

Leonardo Bruzón Ávila (Havana)

Carlos Cordero Páez (Havana)

Julio César López Rodríguez (Havana)

Emilio Leyva Pérez (Havana)

Maiky Martorell Mayáns (Las Tunas)

Francisco Blanco Sanabria (Cienfiuegos)

Juan Carlos Hernández Hernández (Santiago de Cuba)



The activists arrested and forcibly deported from Havana by State Security forces are:

Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” (Placetas)

Iris Pérez Aguilera (Placetas)

Alejandro Tur Valladares (Cienfuegos)



Activists detained in Havana and released:

José Díaz Silva (Havana)



Activists detained under house arrest:

Blas Fortún Martínez (Placetas)

Gabriel Martínez Martínez (Placetas)

Elia Moreno Rodríguez (Placetas)

Amado Ruiz Moreno (Placetas)

The home of Roberto de Miranda is currently surrounded by State Security Forces (Havana)



Activists warned and threatened by State Security:

Benito Ortega Suárez (Matanzas)

Guillermo Pérez Yera (Manicaragua)

Eliécer Consuegra Rivas (Holguín)

Maria Antonia Hidalgo Mir (Holguín)

José Félix Rodríguez Rodríguez (Pinar del Río)]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1525 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:52:58 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1525
Also Miramar is undergoing a renovation boom and people have some expectation that they will be able to sell to foreigners. I've heard nothing else about that.]]>
Also Miramar is undergoing a renovation boom and people have some expectation that they will be able to sell to foreigners. I've heard nothing else about that.]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1523 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:33:11 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1523 on the sand and picked it up.

Suddenly, a female Genie rose from the bottle and with a smile said,
'Master, may I grant you one wish?'

Osama responded, 'You ignorant, unworthy Daughter-of- a-flea-bitten
camel! Don't you know who I am? I don't need any common woman giving me
anything.'

The shocked Genie said, 'Please, I must grant you a wish or I will be
returned to that bottle forever.'

Osama thought a moment, then grumbled about the impertinence of the
woman and said: 'Very well, I want to awaken with three American women
in my bed in the morning. So just do it and be off with you.'

The annoyed Genie said, 'So be it!' and disappeared.

The next morning Bin Laden woke up in bed with Lorena Bobbitt, Tonya
Harding, and Hillary Clinton at his side. His penis was gone, his knees
were broken, and he had no health insurance.:bf::bf:]]> on the sand and picked it up.

Suddenly, a female Genie rose from the bottle and with a smile said,
'Master, may I grant you one wish?'

Osama responded, 'You ignorant, unworthy Daughter-of- a-flea-bitten
camel! Don't you know who I am? I don't need any common woman giving me
anything.'

The shocked Genie said, 'Please, I must grant you a wish or I will be
returned to that bottle forever.'

Osama thought a moment, then grumbled about the impertinence of the
woman and said: 'Very well, I want to awaken with three American women
in my bed in the morning. So just do it and be off with you.'

The annoyed Genie said, 'So be it!' and disappeared.

The next morning Bin Laden woke up in bed with Lorena Bobbitt, Tonya
Harding, and Hillary Clinton at his side. His penis was gone, his knees
were broken, and he had no health insurance.:bf::bf:]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1522 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:59:17 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1522
I am heading back to La Isla in a few weeks and was wondering if anyone knows any sites where their are road maps of cuba available. I mean digital pics of maps or digital road maps so i can store them on my cellphone and consult them when i get lost (I love getting lost and i also love finding my way back). I hate pulling out a massive paper map.... it looks so damn touristy. Save the trees! Smoke the bush!

Thanks in advance & Cheers,

Funky1]]>
I am heading back to La Isla in a few weeks and was wondering if anyone knows any sites where their are road maps of cuba available. I mean digital pics of maps or digital road maps so i can store them on my cellphone and consult them when i get lost (I love getting lost and i also love finding my way back). I hate pulling out a massive paper map.... it looks so damn touristy. Save the trees! Smoke the bush!

Thanks in advance & Cheers,

Funky1]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1521 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:00:11 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1521
rant over

=========================================

Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat



By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:15 PM on 01st July 2008

A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.

Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community.

The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine.

The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert.

Dundee councillor Mohammed Asif said: 'My concern was that it's not welcomed by all communities, with the dog on the cards.

'It was probably a waste of resources going to these communities.

'They (the police) should have understood. Since then, the police have explained that it was an oversight on their part, and that if they'd seen it was going to cause upset they wouldn't have done it.'

Councillor Asif, who is a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board, said that the force had a diversity adviser and was generally very aware of such issues.

He raised the matter with Mr Vine at a meeting of the board.

The chief constable said he was unaware of the concerns and that the force had not sought to cause any upset but added he would look into the matter.

Councillor Asif said: 'People who have shops just won't put up the postcard. But the police have said to me that it was simply an oversight and they did not seek to offend or upset.'

Cards featuring police dog-in-training Rebel have been distributed to communities throughout the area to advertise the single number point of contact for non-emergency calls to the police.

Rebel has proved a popular recruit for Tayside Police after coming through the very first Lothian and Borders Police dog-breeding programme in February.

One of seven German Shepherd pups born in early December, he has now completed his course of inoculations, and is free to venture out onto the streets of Tayside.

A spokesman for Tayside Police said: 'Trainee police dog Rebel has proved extremely popular with children and adults since being introduced to the public, aged six weeks old, as Tayside Police's newest canine recruit.

'His incredible world-wide popularity - he has attracted record visitor numbers to our website - led us to believe Rebel could play a starring role in the promotion of our non-emergency number.

'We did not seek advice from the force's diversity adviser prior to publishing and distributing the postcards. That was an oversight and we apologise for any offence caused.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-hat.html#]]>
rant over

=========================================

Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat



By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:15 PM on 01st July 2008

A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.

Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community.

The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine.

The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert.

Dundee councillor Mohammed Asif said: 'My concern was that it's not welcomed by all communities, with the dog on the cards.

'It was probably a waste of resources going to these communities.

'They (the police) should have understood. Since then, the police have explained that it was an oversight on their part, and that if they'd seen it was going to cause upset they wouldn't have done it.'

Councillor Asif, who is a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board, said that the force had a diversity adviser and was generally very aware of such issues.

He raised the matter with Mr Vine at a meeting of the board.

The chief constable said he was unaware of the concerns and that the force had not sought to cause any upset but added he would look into the matter.

Councillor Asif said: 'People who have shops just won't put up the postcard. But the police have said to me that it was simply an oversight and they did not seek to offend or upset.'

Cards featuring police dog-in-training Rebel have been distributed to communities throughout the area to advertise the single number point of contact for non-emergency calls to the police.

Rebel has proved a popular recruit for Tayside Police after coming through the very first Lothian and Borders Police dog-breeding programme in February.

One of seven German Shepherd pups born in early December, he has now completed his course of inoculations, and is free to venture out onto the streets of Tayside.

A spokesman for Tayside Police said: 'Trainee police dog Rebel has proved extremely popular with children and adults since being introduced to the public, aged six weeks old, as Tayside Police's newest canine recruit.

'His incredible world-wide popularity - he has attracted record visitor numbers to our website - led us to believe Rebel could play a starring role in the promotion of our non-emergency number.

'We did not seek advice from the force's diversity adviser prior to publishing and distributing the postcards. That was an oversight and we apologise for any offence caused.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-hat.html#]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1520 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:56:49 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1520 http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?sectio...id=6237821

===================================================

Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response

Eyewitness News
KINGS COUNTY



(WABC) -- New York City hospital officials promised reforms at a Brooklyn psychiatric ward where surveillance footage captured a woman falling from her chair, writhing on the floor and dying as workers watched without helping for an hour.

Esmin Green, 49, had been waiting in the emergency room at the city-owned Kings County Hospital Center for nearly 24 hours when she toppled from her seat at 5:32 a.m. on June 19, falling face down on the floor.

She was dead by 6:35, when someone on the medical staff, flagged down by a person in the waiting room, finally approached, nudged Green with her foot, and gently prodded her shoulder, as if to wake her. The staffer then left and returned with someone wearing a white lab coat who examined her and summoned help.
Until the staffer's appearance, Green's collapse barely caused a ripple. Other patients waiting a few feet away didn't react. Security guards and a member of the hospital's staff appeared to notice her prone body at least three times, but made no visible attempt to see if she needed help.

One guard didn't even leave his chair, rolling it around a corner to stare at the body, then rolling away a few moments later.

Green, a Jamaican-born woman who had been involuntarily committed the previous morning and had waited overnight for a bed, stopped moving about half an hour after she collapsed.

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which runs the hospital, said six people have been fired as a result of the incident, including security personnel and members of the medical staff.

The psychiatric unit at Kings County Hospital had already been a subject of complaints by advocates for the mentally ill.

A state agency, the New York State Mental Hygiene Legal Service, and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit a year ago, calling the psychiatric center "a chamber of filth, decay, indifference and danger."

Both sides in the dispute went before a federal judge Tuesday to jointly file papers in which the hospital system agreed to a series of reforms. Under the agreement, patients in the waiting room will now be checked every 15 minutes.
Over the next four months, the hospital will attempt to shorten the median waiting time to around 10 hours. A judge is scheduled to sign off on the agreement Wednesday.

The tape of the incident has also been turned over to prosecutors.
Green's medical records raised the possibility that someone might have tried to cover up the circumstances of the death.

One notation said that at 6 a.m., she was "awake, up and about" and had just used the restroom. Another said that at 6:20 a.m., she was sitting quietly in the waiting room, and had a normal blood pressure. During both of those times, Green was either in her death throes or already dead.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was disgusted by the tape, and that the actions of the hospital staff were unacceptable.

"I think what they said is, 'Oh well, people sleep on the floor all the time, and I didn't pay any attention,"' he said. "They shouldn't be sleeping on the floor ... and you should pay attention."

HHC's president, Alan Aviles, said in a statement that he was shocked and distressed by the situation and promised a thorough investigation.
Details of the death were disclosed by the hospital on June 20, but the case largely remained unnoticed until the video became public.

According to the lawsuit, patients at the hospital, "are subjected to overcrowded and squalid conditions often accompanied by physical abuse and unnecessary and punitive injections of mind-altering drugs."

"From the moment a person steps through the doors," it added, "she is stripped of her freedom and dignity and literally forced to fight for the essentials of life."
The suit was especially critical of the hospital's emergency ward, saying it is so poorly staffed that patients are often marooned there for days while they wait to be evaluated.

Sometimes the unit runs out of chairs, according to the lawsuit, forcing people to wait on foam mats or on the waiting room floor. The suit also claims that bathrooms are filthy and filled with flies, and that patients who complain too loudly are sometimes handcuffed, beaten or injected with psychotropic drugs.
Robert Cohen, a Manhattan attorney who is representing the legal service for free, said those changes should only be a start for the beleaguered hospital.
"This woman did not die because there are a few bad apples on the staff," he said. "There is a culture of indifference to patients."

The office of the city's medical examiner said it was still trying to determine why Green died. She had been brought to the hospital suffering from agitation and psychosis, city officials said.

The city has agreed to fly her body home to her family in Jamaica for burial.]]> http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?sectio...id=6237821

===================================================

Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response

Eyewitness News
KINGS COUNTY



(WABC) -- New York City hospital officials promised reforms at a Brooklyn psychiatric ward where surveillance footage captured a woman falling from her chair, writhing on the floor and dying as workers watched without helping for an hour.

Esmin Green, 49, had been waiting in the emergency room at the city-owned Kings County Hospital Center for nearly 24 hours when she toppled from her seat at 5:32 a.m. on June 19, falling face down on the floor.

She was dead by 6:35, when someone on the medical staff, flagged down by a person in the waiting room, finally approached, nudged Green with her foot, and gently prodded her shoulder, as if to wake her. The staffer then left and returned with someone wearing a white lab coat who examined her and summoned help.
Until the staffer's appearance, Green's collapse barely caused a ripple. Other patients waiting a few feet away didn't react. Security guards and a member of the hospital's staff appeared to notice her prone body at least three times, but made no visible attempt to see if she needed help.

One guard didn't even leave his chair, rolling it around a corner to stare at the body, then rolling away a few moments later.

Green, a Jamaican-born woman who had been involuntarily committed the previous morning and had waited overnight for a bed, stopped moving about half an hour after she collapsed.

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which runs the hospital, said six people have been fired as a result of the incident, including security personnel and members of the medical staff.

The psychiatric unit at Kings County Hospital had already been a subject of complaints by advocates for the mentally ill.

A state agency, the New York State Mental Hygiene Legal Service, and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit a year ago, calling the psychiatric center "a chamber of filth, decay, indifference and danger."

Both sides in the dispute went before a federal judge Tuesday to jointly file papers in which the hospital system agreed to a series of reforms. Under the agreement, patients in the waiting room will now be checked every 15 minutes.
Over the next four months, the hospital will attempt to shorten the median waiting time to around 10 hours. A judge is scheduled to sign off on the agreement Wednesday.

The tape of the incident has also been turned over to prosecutors.
Green's medical records raised the possibility that someone might have tried to cover up the circumstances of the death.

One notation said that at 6 a.m., she was "awake, up and about" and had just used the restroom. Another said that at 6:20 a.m., she was sitting quietly in the waiting room, and had a normal blood pressure. During both of those times, Green was either in her death throes or already dead.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was disgusted by the tape, and that the actions of the hospital staff were unacceptable.

"I think what they said is, 'Oh well, people sleep on the floor all the time, and I didn't pay any attention,"' he said. "They shouldn't be sleeping on the floor ... and you should pay attention."

HHC's president, Alan Aviles, said in a statement that he was shocked and distressed by the situation and promised a thorough investigation.
Details of the death were disclosed by the hospital on June 20, but the case largely remained unnoticed until the video became public.

According to the lawsuit, patients at the hospital, "are subjected to overcrowded and squalid conditions often accompanied by physical abuse and unnecessary and punitive injections of mind-altering drugs."

"From the moment a person steps through the doors," it added, "she is stripped of her freedom and dignity and literally forced to fight for the essentials of life."
The suit was especially critical of the hospital's emergency ward, saying it is so poorly staffed that patients are often marooned there for days while they wait to be evaluated.

Sometimes the unit runs out of chairs, according to the lawsuit, forcing people to wait on foam mats or on the waiting room floor. The suit also claims that bathrooms are filthy and filled with flies, and that patients who complain too loudly are sometimes handcuffed, beaten or injected with psychotropic drugs.
Robert Cohen, a Manhattan attorney who is representing the legal service for free, said those changes should only be a start for the beleaguered hospital.
"This woman did not die because there are a few bad apples on the staff," he said. "There is a culture of indifference to patients."

The office of the city's medical examiner said it was still trying to determine why Green died. She had been brought to the hospital suffering from agitation and psychosis, city officials said.

The city has agreed to fly her body home to her family in Jamaica for burial.]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1519 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:48:43 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1519 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1518 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:57:10 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1518 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1517 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:51:43 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1517
Just what is this guy ?:icon_rolleyes:]]>
Just what is this guy ?:icon_rolleyes:]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1515 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:20:27 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1515

Ak]]>

Ak]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1514 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:24:44 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1514 The restaurant management refused and asked for payment in CUC or Dollars, when they refused , the police were called and they were arrested.
Such acts are now taking place all over the Island and more to follow.

http://cubasincadenas.invisionzone.com/i...ntry616858]]> The restaurant management refused and asked for payment in CUC or Dollars, when they refused , the police were called and they were arrested.
Such acts are now taking place all over the Island and more to follow.

http://cubasincadenas.invisionzone.com/i...ntry616858]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1513 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:46:40 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1513

Hay definiciones, consignas y formas de llamar las cosas que siguen usándose por puro automatismo, aunque en la realidad poco quede que justifique esos apelativos. Se sigue hablando de una igualdad social que no logro encontrar por ninguna parte, de una soberanía que contrasta con nuestra dependencia real de los mercados extranjeros y de una ideología que no asoma sus principios en medio de este “seudo-capitalismo de Estado”.
There are definitions,and consignments and ways to call things that are being continued to be used just by sheer automatic rhetoric.
Although in reality not much is left to justify such rhetoric. The continuation of speaking about an equality which has not being found ever in any place, of a sovereignty which contrasted with our real dependence of foreign markets and of an ideology that doesn't show its principles in the middle of this pseudo State capitalism.


Podremos seguir con el mismo cartel sobre la puerta, pero eso no hará que la realidad se parezca a lo que en él se anuncia. Por ejemplo -en la foto de arriba- un árbol creció y tapó parte de la numantina opción “Socialismo o muerte”. La vida terminó por ridiculizar la extrema elección que nos proponía ese slogan. Unas gruesas ramas con hojas verdes cubrieron la mención a “la pelona”, y crearon una disyuntiva diferente a aquella que nos gritaban desde la tribuna, en los años más duros del Período Especial.

We can continue to hang the same signs over the door, but that won't make the reality to be even close to what is being advertised.
For an example the picture shown a tree grew and covered the sign which read socialism or death ,Life ridiculed the extreme election such slogan proposed to us.
Some thick branches with green leafs the mention to La pelona(The Bald headed) and it created a minute difference in what was being yelled at us from the pulpit in the hardest years of the special period.

Un pequeño retoño amenaza con tapar también la palabra “socialismo”. ¿No será ya el momento de cambiar el cartel?

Another small branch threatens to Cover the word Socialism, ? Could it be time to change that sign?]]>

Hay definiciones, consignas y formas de llamar las cosas que siguen usándose por puro automatismo, aunque en la realidad poco quede que justifique esos apelativos. Se sigue hablando de una igualdad social que no logro encontrar por ninguna parte, de una soberanía que contrasta con nuestra dependencia real de los mercados extranjeros y de una ideología que no asoma sus principios en medio de este “seudo-capitalismo de Estado”.
There are definitions,and consignments and ways to call things that are being continued to be used just by sheer automatic rhetoric.
Although in reality not much is left to justify such rhetoric. The continuation of speaking about an equality which has not being found ever in any place, of a sovereignty which contrasted with our real dependence of foreign markets and of an ideology that doesn't show its principles in the middle of this pseudo State capitalism.


Podremos seguir con el mismo cartel sobre la puerta, pero eso no hará que la realidad se parezca a lo que en él se anuncia. Por ejemplo -en la foto de arriba- un árbol creció y tapó parte de la numantina opción “Socialismo o muerte”. La vida terminó por ridiculizar la extrema elección que nos proponía ese slogan. Unas gruesas ramas con hojas verdes cubrieron la mención a “la pelona”, y crearon una disyuntiva diferente a aquella que nos gritaban desde la tribuna, en los años más duros del Período Especial.

We can continue to hang the same signs over the door, but that won't make the reality to be even close to what is being advertised.
For an example the picture shown a tree grew and covered the sign which read socialism or death ,Life ridiculed the extreme election such slogan proposed to us.
Some thick branches with green leafs the mention to La pelona(The Bald headed) and it created a minute difference in what was being yelled at us from the pulpit in the hardest years of the special period.

Un pequeño retoño amenaza con tapar también la palabra “socialismo”. ¿No será ya el momento de cambiar el cartel?

Another small branch threatens to Cover the word Socialism, ? Could it be time to change that sign?]]> http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1512 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:40:50 -0500 http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1512 Here's an old joke to lighten up your day:

Peter came to the Lord and said, 'I have to talk to you. We have some Cubans up here who are causing problems. They won't play the Harps instead, it's Flute music all day, mojo sauce is all over the place, they are making guayaberas from their robes, they have domino tables in the cafeteria, and they're wearing baseball caps instead of halos. They refuse to stop making Cuban coffee on the heaven's stairs and some of them are walking around with just one wing.'
The Lord said, 'Cubans are Cubans, Peter. Heaven is home to all my
children. If you want to know about real problems, ask the Devil.'

Peter calls - the Devil answers the phone. 'Hello? Damn...hold on a
minute.'

The Devil returns to the phone, 'O.K., I'm back. What can I do for you?'

Peter replies 'I just want to know what kind of problems you're having
with the Cubans down there.'

The Devil again says 'Hold on, Hold on........' The Devil comes back to the phone .....'Man, I don't believe this.....Hold on.'

This time the Devil is gone 15 minutes! He returns and says.....

'I'm sorry Peter, I can't talk right now. Those damn Cubans have put out the fire, and are trying to install air conditioning!']]> Here's an old joke to lighten up your day:

Peter came to the Lord and said, 'I have to talk to you. We have some Cubans up here who are causing problems. They won't play the Harps instead, it's Flute music all day, mojo sauce is all over the place, they are making guayaberas from their robes, they have domino tables in the cafeteria, and they're wearing baseball caps instead of halos. They refuse to stop making Cuban coffee on the heaven's stairs and some of them are walking around with just one wing.'
The Lord said, 'Cubans are Cubans, Peter. Heaven is home to all my
children. If you want to know about real problems, ask the Devil.'

Peter calls - the Devil answers the phone. 'Hello? Damn...hold on a
minute.'

The Devil returns to the phone, 'O.K., I'm back. What can I do for you?'

Peter replies 'I just want to know what kind of problems you're having
with the Cubans down there.'

The Devil again says 'Hold on, Hold on........' The Devil comes back to the phone .....'Man, I don't believe this.....Hold on.'

This time the Devil is gone 15 minutes! He returns and says.....

'I'm sorry Peter, I can't talk right now. Those damn Cubans have put out the fire, and are trying to install air conditioning!']]>