Posts with the tag Cuba

The stain that is Guantanamo

Nazik — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:40:37 EST

Bush commented yesterday on the resignation of Cuban president Fidel Castro, promising that "the United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of democracy." The irony of his statement is brilliantly captured in Steve Bell's cartoon here.

Fidel Castro Steps Down

sekai.no.kakumei — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:21:55 EST

It’s official—Fidel Castro is no longer the president of Cuba. He stepped down Tuesday, after posting a letter to the state-run newspaper Granma. He cited “critical health condition” as his reason for stepping down. For those watching Castro the past few years, this reason shouldn’t come as a surprise. After having intestinal problems and subsequent treatment in 2006, Castro handed over much of his power to his brother Raúl.

Stupid White Man--Michael Moore

Jillian — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:04:14 EDT

The basis for E.H. Carr's international relations classic, The Twenty Years' Crisis: 1919-1939 An Introduction to International Relations, is based on the quest for equilibrium that must be maintained in order to achieve the most in the international arena. There is constant conflict between Utopian fantasy and cynical realism. It's a matter of the bureaucrat versus the intellectual. Both need to compromise.

What does this have to do with Michael Moore? Michael Moore makes good documentaries. His latest, Sicko, is the fourth-most successful documentary in history. However, because of the way he presents his materials it cannot be a useful tool to enact policy.

I discussed earlier the need for a balance between Utopianism and realism, but in convincing people of policy there's a need for good information, passion, but also restraint and good journalism. Michael Moore's goal should have been to convince people that were not already set on the idea of universal health care coverage. Instead he further polarized the situation. First, let's look at one of his choice of subjects: a single mother who volunteered to clean up after 9/11 who now needs an expensive inhaler each month that she can barely afford. By choosing her Moore set himself up to be charged with almost insulting manipulation. He took one of the greatest tragedies in American history and made it a central feature of his film. To further compound his error, he takes her on a boat to Cuba where they receive immediate medical attention and she receives the expensive inhaler for five cents. Once again, if he wanted to prove his point he could have taken her to any European country with socialized health care. Once again, he choose to have her treated in a country that is bitterly antagonistic to America. He can do better. The rest of his examples are far more indicative of the health care crisis in American than the 9/11 volunteers and less insulting to the viewer's intelligence.

If history is any indication, compromises need to be reached unless tyranny is to reign. If Moore had chosen to present Sicko in a less polarizing way, more would be done. As those who want a more just society, we need to behave respectfully to those who disagree with us and convince through solid argument and representative examples, not blatant manipulation.

The Time is Now for Universal Health Care

Eugene Resnick — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:53:28 EDT

Last night, at a theater in Washington DC, I saw Michael Moore's "Sicko". I left the theater with a sense of enthusiasm and passion for an issue that was dear to my heart but never was something I would write about. But now, this has changed.

It was an outrage to see the stories of these innocent people suffering under a system that doesn't want to care for people. Of course I knew that all these things were occurring but when they are placed with true-life stories it really struck a chord with me.

How is it that we, the United States of America, with all our glory and grandeur, all the hype about the land of the free and the home of the brave, all the stories of opportunity, equality, and justice under the law, all about community and how we all care about each other, all the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty and the words of Emma Lazarus uttering "Give me your tired, your weak, your huddle masses yearning to breath free," cannot provide decent health care for 1/6 of our population at all, and probably another 1/2 to 2/3 with insufficient health care? I dont understand how we think we are the best. Who are these 25-30% of the population who always poll in saying that we are on the right direction, or that we dont need universal health care? I just dont understand Americans. What is it about this country that says one things on the surface but does something completely different. Where are our family values? Family values of care, nurturance, community, and respect.

How is it that all of Western Europe and many Latin American countries offer free health care for all? For goodness sake, the country that we for decades have loathed, Cuba, has one of the best health care systems in the world! I dont understand how this is possible. We always talk about how its socialism, communism, state control, the terror! Our allies, Britain, France, all these nations offer free health care. As a consequence, they have a much higher life expectancy, they have lower rates of diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, obesity, cancer, etc etc etc etc. It is a cultural problem. Michael Moore was right. The problem is that in America, its all about me. In Europe, its all about us. This Jeffersonian ideal, which has been central to America for centuries, the American dream is individualism. Individualism is a good thing in a way. But we have taken it to a huge extreme. But where are the politicians answering the desires of the people. People in this country want universal health care - over 75%. Yet again I dont understand who those 25% are. The richest 1%, fine. The richest 5% fine. Corporate CEO's, stock holders, businessmen, executives, political officials, entrepreneurs, fine. But ladies and gentlemen, they do not encompass 25% of this country by any measure at all. Who are these people with an ideology that is completely against their own self-interest.

The culprit is this whole idea of big government vs small government. Republicans and conservatives have done a good job of scaring people away from the idea of an efficient government for and by the people. They have deliberately constructed a message that says, we want to get elected to make government smaller, so that it doesnt interfere in your lives. Its all a deception unfortunately. During the Hillary Clinton health care reform crisis of the 1990s, Republicans charged she wanted to socialize medicine. Whats next, they asked? A command economy and a hammer and sickle replacing the stars on the American flag? Fear won. Yet it is 2007 and we are the only industrialized nation with no universal health care plan.

I will digress and say for a moment that our lack of a universal health care system directly impacts every aspect of society. Its plain and simple. Because of this broken system, our people die, spend large sums of money on medicines, and create a pill-popping culture. Have a headache? Go to CVS. Have a soar throat? Go to CVS. OVer the counter medications are the new American candies. Europeans, Latin Americans and Asians dont nearly consume as much medicine as we do. Think about it. No universal health care = no doctor to see because you cant afford one = over the counter medication alternative with no prescription necessary = more money for drug companies. Why do we have grossely obese people in the millions in this country. That is downright disgusting and we are completely to blame. Look at our diets. Look at our eating habits and working habits. Its a deeper cultural problem not just a systemic one.

How do we find it acceptable that people do not have money for treatment and die? What kind of country is this? Shame on this country. Universal health care should be a right not a privilege. A country is better off if the people are healthy and strong, we all know that, so why dont we take care of our most needed. Is it a racial issue? I doubt it considering most of the people in Moore's movie were white. Then what is the problem? It is completely disgusting that we don't provide adequate health care for 9/11 workers. These people and many like them should be at political speeches, conventions, debates, and on primetime news telling their stories and educating the public on this issue. It is a pressing issue. They should be put on stage at the Democratic National Convention next year to tell their stories. Unbelievable. How can we let someone die of cancer because their insurance company denied them money for chemotherapy. How is that not murder? Where is the "pro-life" in that? Republicans talk so much about being "pro-life" and that "every life is unique and special." Why don't they actually adhere to that stance? Ridiculous.

By looking at Britain, we can see that the government cares about the health and well-being of its citizens. Why dont we? Why do we let drug companies do this? Who are these people voting for Republicans and some Democrats who continue to pander to these companies?Who are these people? I can assure you they dont know a thing about the issue. We are the most depressed country in the West. No wonder the drug companies want to keep it that way. I am surprised our collective body hasnt grown immune to these drugs already. Drugs should not be nearly as expensive as they are in this country yet we allow it.

Thank goodness we have reached a political consensus in this country where all the Democrats agree on this issue. The Republicans will go down in defeat on this issue yet why do people still vote for people like this? How, I just dont understand. I really want to know who those 30% opposition faction is in every poll.

Are people opposed to using their taxdollars to fund other people's health care? Dont they understand that it works both ways. You pay into the system a fraction, but you get back a huge reward. Same goes for free education.

It is time we have a universal health care plan. Lets actually join the rest of the highly industrialized world and live up to our status as a superpower.

Terrorist-Freeing Friday

niralshah — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:06:58 EDT

As the first generation of Cuban exiles is passing leadership onto the next, with the Cold War fading out of recent memory, and the prospect of Castro's imminent death, hope for a more sane Cuba policy has begun to poke its head out from beneath the red-baiting, electoral cowardice we've come to know and love. The perennial "sanctions on Cuba are idiotic, counterproductive to democratization, and inhumane" re-assertment of obvious fact might actually gain some traction.

But no. As if to reaffirm its fucked-up priorities in the most blatant, middle-finger to the concept of justice sort of way, the Bush administration has enabled Luis Posada Carriles to walk out of prison. Carriles is a violently anti-Castro paramilitary who parlayed his CIA training into a central role in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner, which killed 73 people. While potentially innocent people remain deprived of legal recourse in Guantanamo, the Bush administration's refusal to extradite or aggressively prosecute Carriles for political sensitivity reasons has let a murderer walk out on bail.

Earlier today, for lack of compelling reason for continued detention, an appeals court allowed the release of Carriles.