What the Cubans say about the L.A. rebellion

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also exploits and discriminates against the poor, be prisoners pure and simple. And this is the government they black, white, or immigrants of any ethnic group. that intends to incriminate Cuba for "human rights It is the explosion of a system that applies the same violations"? How can this barbarity be explained?

•..Barely a week ago, the sham prophet, George pitiless neo-liberal model it prescribes for our counBush, went to Miami in search of the Cuban vote, tries to citizens and workers with the least resources, leaders of such a system claim in order, to make themand proceeded to proclaim the imperial edict that Cuba creating in both cases a situation in which the brunt selves into a universal paradigm, to decide how other would no doubt explode in the 1990s. As he read that of the effects of unemployment, reduced public spend- nations of the world should be organized and govverdict, it was actually he who was sitting on a time ing and economic recession is borne by the poorest emed? bomb that hours later would begin exploding in Los sectors of society.

Racial violence is in the very origins of a country real human rights can the United States truly boast of burning down, the hero of the Gulf War now has to that, in the words of Marti, signed its Constitution on when events like this occur? recognize the short-sightedness that led him to ignore the backs of slaves.

...This system promotes deceptive notions and those in the former-Soviet Union, who are now frantiwhile Cuba celebrated on May 1 a day of revolution- scales of values, sayings, for example, that "Hispan- cally imitating the United States in everything, think ary glory that expressed the will of a whole nation to ics" are more active and prosperous than Blacks, when about this facet of the U.S. "model." Those in Russia it would be more accurate to speak of Latin American particularly, who seem to believe that by simply reinSo while those condemned by Bush were showing and Caribbean peoples, many of whom are Black or stating primitive capitalism and turning the country off their splendid political and moral hearth, the mixed-race such as Jamaicans and Haitians, and suffer over to the new bourgeoisie ... the miracle of abunAmerican paradise was the scene of a moment of par- fierce discrimination.

The United States, the most opulent of capitalist the back for a fistful of dollars to later reveal their true underline that this also occurred in a country whose countries, has its own internal Third World, which it identity as ridiculous merchants. Over there, May Day government tries to dictate the type of society and treats with the same cruelty and brutality as a country this year became a day of protest against hunger, cordemocracy Cuba should have; that maintains a crimi- located far beyond its borders. In this case, George ruption and injustice. Do they think it would be just nal economic blockade; that allows the Bush's vocation for repressing even U.S. citizens is as easy to order the Tamanskaya and Kantemirovskaya counterrevolutionaries and anti-Cuban terrorists to do particularly significant. He did not wait to see whether troops into repressive action if the desperate populaas it chooses; that wages a high-intensity propaganda the police and National Guard could take care of the tion were to take to the streets? and broadcast war against us; that harasses us in all situation before calling in the army's regular troops possible ways and even threatens military interven- under the command of Colin Powell, head of the Joint conflicts that insist on a heedless and opportunistic ton —a possibility it has never renounced—to impose Chiefs of Staff, including units with experience in adoration of the U.S. model should gaze into the mir...When the disturbances subsided, the preliminary solved within a system of that nature. came to light in the last few days, when U.S. televi- figures were 58 dead and more than 2300 wounded, sion showed successive scenes of the brutal beating 220 of whom were in critical condition. These figures States, was also a lesson for the weaklings within and given to Black youth Rodney King by four policemen are way above the number of U.S. casualties in Oper- for those who, without going as far as actual betrayal, over a year ago, in which they clubbed him 56 times ation Desert Storm, and reveal the ferocity of the are nevertheless burdened by a lack of faith, discourin little under a minute and a half, and of the jury's repression.

with applause by the audience of policemen and the dures, following no other law than that of war and olutionary spirit, if any of them still bonestly joyful embraces of the accused and their ostentatious brute force, which the government in Washington believed that there is another course for our country It is well known that this same government, its sovereignty-the revolution and socialism at any obedience to important U.S. power sectors. The fate officials and the ideologues of the U.S. system are the price; if any misled soul still thought difficulties of four police officers was the least of the issue. But same people who are hypocritically criticizing Cuba could be sidestepped by giving in and making concesto condemn the police just because an amateur hap- for being "intolerant" and sending to court-with sions, or through strange attempts to create a kind of pened to capture on videotape images revealing its every guarantee and without prejudicing their physical Frankenstein that would bring together the benefits of habitual brutality was unbearable; it would have or moral integrity-the counterrevolutionary elements socialism and the supposed efficiency of developed meant condemning police violence, and therefore the who play the United States' game within Cuba and capitalism—a capitalism that certain armchair combreak our laws; and properly punishing the terrorists mentators think is perfect and free of contraThere has been talk of an explosion of violence, but trained in Florida, right under the FBI's nose, to plant dictions-these events should be enough to bring violence is a permanent condition of U.S. society that bombs, murder people and set fires in Cuba.

There is social and racial violence. There is criminal ers taken over the last few days in the United States what could happen to Cuba if it were to fall back into were doing nothing more than protesting the acquittal U.S. hands. That is the model that would await us.

...It is the explosion of the social contradictions of the four police officers, and neither broke any laws That would be our freedom. That would be our justice accumulated by a society that is racist, yes, but that nor displayed unruliness. They are, therefore, political and our dignity...

SOCIALIST ACTION JUNE 1992 7 Panama and the Gulf War. applies to the citizens it considers to be disruptive.

agement and confusion.

It is curious to see the prompt and brutal procethem back to their senses.

According to U.S. sources, bundreds of the prisonSS Furthermore, what kind of moral authority can the What freedom, what justice, what equality and what It would certainly be interesting to find out what dance will take place. Those who stabbed socialism in All the countries with senous national and ethnic ror of Los Angeles. These problems can never be This May Day, both in Cuba and in the United •..As for those who are hypercritical or weak in revthat doesn't involve resistance and defense of our These events in the United States tell us once again