Saturday, May 28, 2011

CIA in Cuba

Been what, over 50 years now? 

"Castro foe faces trial in hotel bombings" January 11, 2011|Associated Press

DORAL, Fla. — A Cuban exile and former CIA operative will go on trial this week in federal court in Austin, Texas, on charges stemming from the bombing of Havana hotels a decade ago that killed an Italian tourist.   

No such thing as a "former" anything when it comes to that crowd.

For some Cuban exiles, avowed militant Luis Posada Carriles is a patriot who has long battled a fearsome oppressor, Fidel Castro.  

And not a terrorist.

To his foes, Posada is a dangerous force responsible for the hotel bombings, assassination attempts on Castro, and one of the deadliest airliner explosions prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

For others, the 82-year-old is simply a harmless relic living out his twilight, but he remains a lightning rod in much of Latin America....

See: Operation Mockingbird

Mocking you, America.

Publicly, Posada has remained defiant. “If Castro came through the door, I’d kill him, not because I hate him but because I’d kill a cockroach too,’’ he said during a series of interviews from the Florida home where he has stayed since he was released on bail in 2007.

Didn't Bush say something about harboring terrorists is terrorist?

Privately, the fear of a long prison sentence has weighed heavily....   

Awww, the poor guy.  

Then again, I would expect sympathy from the CIA paper.

Cuba contends Posada hired two men to carry out the hotel attacks as part of a plot to hurt tourism on the communist island. US prosecutors have filed detailed FBI documents linking Posada to the bombings.   

Ever hear of the Cuban Five, readers? 

Or these things?

"the United States government has a long history of using biological and chemical warfare against the Caribbean island nation. In 1961-62, the CIA’s infamous “Operation Mongoose” sought to cause sickness among sugar cane workers by spreading chemicals on the cane fields.

After that “success,” the U.S. moved on to introduce African swine fever to Cuba in 1971. This was the first outbreak of swine fever in the Western Hemisphere. As a result of the epidemic, Cuba was forced to slaughter the entire pig population (some 500,000 animals), eliminating the supply of pork, a staple of the Cuban diet. When Cuban government spokesmen first accused Washington of unleashing the biological attack, U.S. officials dismissed this with a wave of the hand. However, six years later, following the post-Watergate Congressional investigations of skullduggery by U.S. intelligence agencies, a New York paper reported that a “U.S. intelligence source” told the paper that  “he was given the virus in a sealed, unmarked container at a U.S. Army base and CIA training ground in Panama with instructions to turn it over to the anti-Castro group” (“CIA Link to Cuban Pig Virus Reported,” Newsday, 10 January 1977). The article explained in detail how the virus was transferred from Fort Gulick to Cuba.

A decade later, the U.S. introduced a virulent strain of dengue fever in Cuba, as a result of which 273,000 people on the island came down with the illness and 158 died, including 101 children. An article in Covert Action (Summer 1982) detailed U.S. experiments with dengue fever at the Army’s Fort Detrick chemical/biological warfare center and its research into the Aedes aegypti mosquito which delivers it. The article noted that only Cuba of all the Caribbean countries was affected, and concluded that “the dengue epidemic could have been a covert U.S. operation.” Two years later, a leader of the Omega 7 gusano (Cuban counterrevolutionary) terrorist group, Eduardo Victor Arocena Pérez, admitted (in a Manhattan trial in which he was convicted of murdering an attaché of the Cuban Mission to the UN) that one of their groups had a mission to “carry some germs to introduce them in Cuba to be used against the Soviets and against the Cuban economy, to begin what was called chemical war” just before simultaneous outbreaks of hemorrhagic dengue fever, hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, tobacco mold, sugar cane fungus and a new outbreak of African swine fever (Covert Action, Fall 1984).


These are only a few of the most spectacular and best documented cases of U.S. biological warfare against Cuba. James Banford in his book Body of Secrets (Doubleday, 2001) revealed that while the Pentagon was refining plans for a biological strike on Cuba, in “Operation Northwoods” the U.S. military developed plans to fake incidents to cause popular outrage. These included shooting people on American streets, sinking refugee boats on the high seas and blowing up a U.S. ship in Guantánamo....

--MORE--"  

Related: Globe Spits on Kennedy Graves  

Yes, blame Bobby for Mongoose in a limited hangout and omit the Northwoods plan that JFK reacted to in horror. 

Why do you think JFK went down the road that he did? The great man saw what was out there, and I can't really type much more about that now because my eyes are watering up.

The trial also could underscore what critics consider the lax treatment Posada has received compared to others accused of orchestrating terrorist acts outside the United States, and it will likely antagonize some of Miami’s politically powerful Cuban-Americans....   

Well, you know, when they are OUR TERRORISTS they are FREEDOM FIGHTERS or some such nonsense.

--more--"

Like this guy:

"Orlando Bosch, at 84; Cuban exile was charged in 1976 plane bombing" April 29, 2011|Associated Press

MIAMI — Orlando Bosch, a Cuban exile acquitted in Venezuela in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner, died in Miami. He was 84....

Mr. Bosch and fellow militant Luis Posada Carriles were both accused in connection with the 1976 bombing that killed all 73 people aboard a flight that had hopscotched the Caribbean, bound for Cuba.

Venezuelan authorities had arrested Mr. Bosch and held him for 11 years, alleging he was behind the attack plotted there. They failed twice to convict him and finally freed him to return to the United States. The US government then held Mr. Bosch for three years in a Miami jail as an “undesirable alien’’ and released a report linking him to right-wing terrorist groups suspected in some 50 bombings in Miami, New York, and Latin America.  

They were only working for the agency.

Posada escaped from prison after his acquittal by a military court, while awaiting retrial.  

Who released him?

Adriana Bosch said she wanted her husband to be remembered not for the accusations he had faced, but as a great father, husband, and medical doctor by training who had spent much of his life fighting for the liberation of Cuba from communism.

“He was very loving and very giving,’’ said Karen Bosch, his daughter. She added, “I never considered him a violent man, growing up with him, and I don’t relate him to any violence.’’

Daughter in denial.

Federal attorneys told a judge in 1990 that they had tried to deport Mr. Bosch to 31 countries but all refused him entry. Cuba wanted him returned there to stand trial, but the US government refused that request.  

Yeah, it is OKAY for US to refuse to hand over TERRORISTS, but woe to you if we request them and you do not hand them over!!

And NEVER MIND that ALL TERRORISM -- I'm sorry to say it, but it's true -- is INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CREATED, FUNDED, and DIRECTED!  It is one of the HORRIBLE TRUTHS you LEARN once you BREAK OUT of the AmeriKan media box.

Mr. Bosch was released in 1990, thanks in part to a very public campaign on his behalf by US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Miami.

“He was a freedom fighter for Cuba and passed away without seeing his beloved homeland free of the Castro dictatorship,’’ Ros-Lehtinen said Wednesday.

Others cast Mr. Bosch in a different light.

“Orlando Bosch lived a life of unrepentant terrorist violence,’’ said Peter Kornbluh, head of the independent National Security Archives’ Cuba project. “The verdict of history, rendered by formerly secret CIA and FBI intelligence reports and court records is that he was a mass murderer masquerading as a freedom fighter.’’

Well, one man's garbage is another man's treasure, right?

A Cuban state-run website, Cubadebate, reported the death of Mr. Bosch in a story Wednesday that called him a terrorist. It was illustrated with an unflattering photo.  

As if the AmeriKan media had a leg to stand on there.

--more--"

Unrest in Turmoil, f***er!

And they got another one!!

"Cuba seeks 20 years in jail for US citizen; Contractor says he was helping Jews on island" February 05, 2011|Paul Haven, Associated Press

HAVANA —  The US government and his family say Alan Gross was distributing communications equipment to the island’s Jewish community. They have long called for him to be released or at least brought to trial....

The United States reacted strongly, denouncing the decision and asserting that Gross should be freed immediately....

Gloria Berbena, a spokeswoman for the US Interests Section in Havana, said: “His imprisonment without charges for more than a year is contrary to all international human rights obligations. . . . He should be home with his family now.’’

This is the SAME COUNTRY that maintains the TORTURE CHAMBER of Guantanamo on the ISLAND, right?

The US-based lawyer for Gross, Peter J. Kahn, said the stiff charges show that Gross is a pawn “caught in the middle of a long-standing political dispute between Cuba and the United States.’’

****************

Kahn said in a prepared statement that he hoped US and Cuban officials could resolve the matter through diplomatic channels.

Gross’s wife, Judy, has appealed for her husband’s release on humanitarian grounds, saying that he has lost 90 pounds while in custody and that she was shocked by his appearance when she visited him last summer.

The couple’s oldest daughter has also been diagnosed with breast cancer since her father was detained.

The US Interests Section in Havana had no comment yesterday, and a spokesman for the State Department could not be reached.

But the decision to seek such a long jail term is certain to be a major setback for US-Cuban relations, which had seemed to be improving only a few weeks ago.

US officials have said repeatedly that any meaningful progress on core issues like the 48-year-trade embargo would be impossible while Gross remains in custody....   

This is BECOMING GROSS, readers!  

The U.S. government's head is buried so far up Zionist ass it is ridiculous.  

And the CIA?  They are either working with Mossad or are now a branch office.

And the press, of course, is not much better.

Gross was working for a firm contracted by the US Agency for International Development when he was arrested on Dec. 3, 2009, and sent to Havana’s high-security Villa Marista prison. The project Gross worked with was part of a $40 million-a-year USAID program to promote democracy and political change on the island.  

That's where YOUR TAX MONEY is off to as YOU FACE SOCIAL PROGRAM SLASHING, AmeriKa.  Is EMPIRE EVER EXPENSIVE, huh?   

And couldn't that type of activity be seen by some as an attempt at regime change?  

Btw, it is a WELL-KNOWN FACT out in the WORLD that AID = CIA!

US officials have defended the program and said they will never give up pushing for democracy and openness in Cuba. Detractors of the Cuba project have criticized it as ineffective and counterproductive.  

This as they CLOSE IT DOWN HERE!!!

While Gross says he was working with the 1,500-strong Jewish community, leaders of the island’s two main Jewish groups have told the Associated Press they had nothing to do with him.  

Ooooooooh! So he WAS UNDER COVER!

--more--" 

Related: Cubans Holding CIA Spy


Wanna trial, right?

"Guilty verdict for US contractor

HAVANA — A Cuban court yesterday found US contractor Alan Gross guilty of crimes against the state and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The court said prosecutors had proved their case that Gross, 61, a Maryland native, was working on a “subversive’’ program paid for by the United States that aimed to bring down the revolution. He was arrested in December 2009 while working on a USAID backed democracy-building project. The US government and Gross’s family say he was working to improve Internet access for the island’s Jewish community (AP)."

Okay, you got your damn trial and verdict, AmeriKa.

"Carter visits Cuba amid USAID flap" March 29, 2011|Associated Press

HAVANA — President Carter arrived in Cuba yesterday to discuss economic policies and ways to improve Washington-Havana relations, which are more tense than usual over the imprisonment of a US contractor on the island.

Sending in the big guns, 'eh?

The former president met in the afternoon with leaders of Cuba’s Jewish community, but did not say whether he brought up the case of Alan Gross.... 

Geez! They REALLY HAVE to PAY HOMAGE no matter WHERE THEY GO!

Emerging from Havana’s Temple Beth Shalom, Carter did not take questions from reporters, but said there would be a news conference tomorrow....

I'm shocked Jews live in Cuba. I guess Castro can't be all bad, huh?

Gross was arrested while working for Development Alternatives Inc. of Bethesda, Md., on a democracy-building project supported by USAID.

Working for DAI, huh?  

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Jewish leaders here have denied working with Gross....

Yeah,. he stinks of CIA.

--more--"

"Carter exits Cuba without US detainee" March 31, 2011|Associated Press

HAVANA — President Jimmy Carter met with a jailed American contractor before leaving Cuba yesterday but said Cuban leaders had made it clear they do not plan to release him.  

Jimmy failed agin.

The news disappointed supporters of Alan Gross....   

Hey, it always disappoints me.

Gross’s 26-year-old daughter and elderly mother are both suffering from cancer.  

Oh, now the MOTHER is sick, too? 

Does the FULL-BLASTED PROPAGANDA for SYMPATHY get ANY MORE DISGUSTING?

It reminds of a situation comedy. Is that who is writing your stuff  for you these days, newspapers?

Carter also met with revolutionary icon Fidel Castro yesterday....

“We welcomed each other as old friends,’’ Carter said of the meeting with the 84-year-old former Cuban leader. He said Fidel Castro “seems to be in good health.’’

--more--"

Okay, now who would you believe, former President Carter or the AmeriKan media?

"Familar faces picked as Cuba’s leaders; Raul Castro replaces brother atop ruling party" April 20, 2011|By Paul Haven, Associated Press

HAVANA — Cuba’s Communist Party stuck yesterday with a slate of silver-haired icons of the revolution to spearhead a last-ditch effort to save the island’s sputtering economy — surprising those who took to heart declarations by Raul and Fidel Castro that it was time to give way to a new generation of leaders....

Three somewhat younger politicians were named to lesser roles in the leadership council, but it remained dominated by men who came of age before television, let alone the Internet.

Fidel Castro made a surprise appearance, to thunderous applause from delegates, many of whom could be seen crying as he was helped to his place on stage by a young aide, then stood at attention during Cuba’s national anthem.

Wearing a blue track suit over a checked shirt, the 84-year-old revolutionary leader looked unsteady on his feet as he clutched the aide’s arm, and at times slumped in his chair....  

He's 84!  Cut him a frikkin' break!

--more--"  

And you know who I am believing, right?

Back to the party:

"In the morning, Cuba looked back, with fighter jets, gleaming olive tanks and hundreds of thousands of marchers chanting in fervor yesterday over the failed invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs 50 years ago, still a celebrated triumph here.

Yeah, they repelled the CIA, and that was the first inkling JFK got about how dangerous those bastards were. 

In the afternoon, President Raul Castro looked to the future, swearing allegiance to socialism while bowing to the cold realities of this country’s crippled economy. He called for the elimination of monthly ration books that most Cubans use to buy goods and for continued expansion of private enterprise. He cajoled his compatriots to shake off inertia and embrace an “updating’’ of the Cuban model. He even proposed, after he and his brother Fidel have ruled Cuba for 52 years, that the president and other politicians — including himself — be limited to two five-year terms. Depending on how the counting is done, that could put him out of the job in 2018, when he will be 86. Castro gave assurances that socialism would prevail and promised Cubans continued free access to health and education (New York Times)."

Say what?

Oh, I lost the title and the link?  What's wrong with me?

"Cuba economic, leadership changes OK’d" April 19, 2011|Associated Press

HAVANA — Communist Party delegates gave their blessing to a sweeping slate of economic changes designed to breathe life and a bit of free-market spirit into Cuba’s moribund economy....

--more--" 

Also see: Castro lauds brother’s economic policy