News from Havana
In Search of Peace
with Cindy Sheehan
After a slightly hairy flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Havana, Cuba, Col. Ann Wright, Medea Benjamin, Adele Welty (Son, Timmy was a firefighter who was killed in the line of duty on 9/11—and she is a member of 9-11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows), Tiffany Burns and I arrived safely and got immediately down to business.
First of all, I have to say right away that the U.S. embargo of Cuba should end—it is antiquated and hypocritical. Cuba is a Communist country and the human rights issues may not be perfect, but China is a Communist country also, that has an atrocious record on human right’s issues. Secondly, BushCo is committing egregious human rights violations right here on Cuban soil, also. Perhaps re-opening relations could shine a spotlight on human rights violations from Washington DC to Havana.
In my opinion, lifting the embargo could only benefit both countries. I would love for as many Americans as possible to visit Cuba and meet the beautiful, wonderful people who live here and an influx of American dollars due to tourism could only help the people of Cuba. There already are many Americans visiting here illegally, one family we met on the plane said they were coming just to say: “up yours” to BushCo. I also do not believe that in a “free country” like ours that our right to travel wherever we like should be impeded.
I was asked if I was worried about being in the country “illegally.” Actually, I am not as worried about that as I am about our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who are hated and targeted because of Bloody George the Torturer’s inhumane sanctioning of the horrific treatment of prisoners in such places as Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. I am not as worried about being in Cuba illegally as I am about the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan who are caught in the cross hairs of American imperialism which is ruining their countries and killing and maiming their populations.
Our group expanded yesterday to include Asif Iqbal who was illegally detained and harshly treated in Guantanamo and Matt Crosswhite who filmed The Road to Guantanamo. Soon we will be joined by the mother and brother of a current detainee.
We travel to Guantanamo tomorrow to begin our march for peace and humanity and to demand that the U.S. give each and every inmate his due process, treat them humanely, whether it is to release them or have them properly incarcerated if found guilty (by a criminal court, not a kangaroo court) and then close down the gulag of Guantanamo.
Our country should be above such inhumanity. Most people would be sick at heart if we discovered that dogs were being treated so horribly—these are human beings, not animals.
Every American who realizes that violence only spreads violence and torture only spawns hatred should stand up on January 11th in solidarity with our contingent in Cuba to call for an immediate closure of Guantanamo and for the restoration of habeas corpus that was stolen from us by the 109th Congress (yes, folks, many Democrats voted “yea” on that one, too!)
En La Paz y Amor!