Oswaldo Payá

Comment from Leyda Wagner
Time: February 7, 2007, 7:56 pm

Yo no soy Cubana. Lo que veo aqui en el exilio es el constante fastidio de los Representantes Diaz-Balart e Ileana R-Lethinen de asumir que todos los Cubanos exiliados quieren restricciones entre sus familias y aconsejan al Pres. Bush a imponer estas. Mi marido tiene un hijo en Cuba y necesita que nosotros le ayudemos. Tambien tiene un hermano que lo operaron de la cabeza (tumor) y ya no puede trabajar (maestro de arte). Tiene una pequena pension que no le da para comer, esposa y dos hijos. Antes la gente ni se quejaba de nada que hacia la extrema derecha pero despues de Elian por lo menos ahora oimos en la radio diferentes opiniones. Cuando llegue a Miami me preguntaba “porque todos piensan igual?”, aprendi mas tarde que eran que tenian miedo. Me pregunte a mi misma, tenian miedo en Cuba y se vinieron para aca, y ahora tienen miedo aqui de la extrema derecha porque una vez que le da con una persona la arruinan. Que gente mala! Y eso es lo que quieren para Cuba cuando Fidel se muera? Gente despota igual que el. Se parecen mucho, hasta en el hablar (radio).

Gracias por dejarme opinar.
L

Comment from antonio freire
Time: February 8, 2007, 6:55 pm

Como Cubano exilado que aunque me hice ciudadano americano hace 35 años no olvido la patria donde naci y tengo recuerdos muy claros de las humillaciones que yo y mi familia pasamos en Cuba, me dirijo a Ud. y a los miembros de ese prestigioso grupo para felicitarlos y expresarles mis respetos y admiracion. Yo se lo que es ser oposicionista en Cuba. Las humillaciones, los maltratos, y las traiciones, pero estoy convencido como que Dios existe, que Ustedes y nosotros lograremos ver una Cuba libre y democratrica. Reciba mis mas sinceros saludos.

Su admirador y seguidor
Antonio Freire.

Comment from Jose Medina
Time: February 11, 2007, 12:02 am

A good example of how this denial mechanism works can be best seen when you confront an “exile” with anything positive on Cuba. When you tell a recalcitrant, for example, that the education and health system of Cuba is one of the best in the world, they will bitterly deny it. They of course will give you all kind of petty personal experiences, which to them validates their point. However when you hit them hard with facts from UN studies and investigation, which demonstrate your points they will pass it off by making outrageous comments like: the UN is run by communists.
One must remember that for them these are not necessarily lies but is part of the denial system, part of their “truth” system.
Some of the most recalcitrant beliefs based on this mechanism that they adhere to include:
1) yesterday’s Cuba was a paradise - they get angry when I ask them, why then was there a revolution
2) Back in 59 Fidel Castro fooled everyone - they are the only ones that have the truth
3) You have to be Cuban to know the problem - this is often used against people from other countries making positive comments on Cuba. It is a way of silencing the opposition. You are not Cuban, a Cuban radio announcer once told me - I have a birth certificate to prove it
5) You are a communist - to them, this is their most potent weapon. I know for I often used it when I was a recalcitrant. Everyone who they disagree with is a communist. Even Rockefeller who epitomizes capitalism has been branded a communist for having visited Cuba recently in an effort to negotiate possible future trade.
6) That the health, education system of Cuba is rotten, it is only a facade. To the recalcitrant Miami exiles everyone is being fooled by the Cuban govt. on health, education and other issues, the UN and even the CIA (for they also publish stats on Cuba )
7) That Fidel is the only embargo on Cuba - when I tell them that if this true then why doesn’t the US end it so that Castro cannot use it as an excuse, they get confused and they start their ranting.
8) People “flee” from Cuba to gain liberty - most of them I would venture to guess 99% leave because of the economic crisis and because Washington stimulates their illegal migration by giving them special privileges (Cuban Adjustment Act).
9) children in Cuba suffer - this was a common theme during the Elian saga. Cuba where there are no homeless children and no child labor.
10) Communism doesn’t work - they get hysterical when I ask them with over 200 million people, in Latin America, homeless, poor and illiterates, 20 million of them children living and working on the streets, is capitalism that much better?
11) There is apartheid in tourism - before Cuba lost trade with the Socialist bloc, tourism was exclusively Cuban. Cubans were able to stay in hotels. Once Cuba lost it’s trade they had to open it to international tourism. This has caused some ill feeling among Cubans on the island but the majority of the Cuban people understand that the revenue from tourism goes toward their social programs
12) the Cubans do not support the revolution - when I ask them why the people attend the marches in support of the revolution, they tell me that they are forced to march. When I ask them why I see so many determined and happy faces in these marches, they get angry. That the marches are forced of course is utterly false. But remember think of their denial mechanism. It’s easier to see it this way