STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Sopranos fanatics, this one is for you. Tony Soprano's autographed Suburban is available for purchase on eBayTM. James Gandolfini has personally signed the vehicle. Find this and over 800 other Sopranos items for sale on eBay. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear All: I just received this from the head of the Cuban Peace movement. Please circulate widely and protest this travesty of justice in any way you can---letters/calls to government leaders and editors, demonstrations, articles for alternative media, etc. Karen Talbot ICPJ Dear friends: We have known that the big press of that country has not published the message to the United States people written and signed by our five countrymen, in prison today in Miami, stating that they have unjustly been charged. The coarse fakes weaved by Miami mafia, found echo in the extreme right of the United States, and it takes advantage to continue the aggressive and coarse escalade against our country. We consider necessary that this message reaches many honest citizens who are unaware of such developments that have on purpose been silenced. I attached copy of the message in order for you, according to your possibilities, to make it reach the largest possible amount of friends. We would like to know, when you can, the result of your always-successful arrangements. Fraternally, Orlando Fundora López MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We are five loyal Cubans, who for 33 months and five days have endured a severe imprisonment in the jails of a nation where hostility against our own is obvious with its authorities. Then, after a long and infamous trial directed by manifestly political objectives, methods and procedures and overwhelmed by a real deluge of maliciously concocted propaganda, we have decided to address the American people to let them know the truth, that we are the victims of a terrible injustice. We have been accused of endangering the security of the United States and indicted on numerous charges, including crimes such as conspiracy to commit murder that could not, and cannot, be proven for they are false but for which we could be sentenced to dozens of years of imprisonment and even to life sentences. A body of Miami jurors, and this explains it al!, declared us guilty of al! charges. But we are just Cuban patriots and it was never our intent to cause any harm to neither the values nor the integrity of the American people. 0ur tiny nation, that has heroically survived four decades of aggressions and threats to its national security, of subversive plans, sabotages and destabilization, has every right to defend itself from its enemies who keep using the U. 5. territory to plan, organize and finance terrorist actions breaking your own laws in the process. Our country is also entitled to peace, respect for its sovereignty and for our most sacred interests. In the four years that we have spent in this country, we have never stopped wondering why is it that our two peoples cannot uve in peace a,id how is it possible that the mean interests of the extreme right, including terrorist groups and organizations made up by Cuban Amencans, can strain relations between two peoples that are 'so close geagraphically and that could easily maintain relations based on respect and equality. ln our prison stay we have had the time fo reflect on our behavior in this country and we can say, without the shadow of a doubt, that neither with our attitude nor our actions have we in any waj' interfered with, or jeopardized the secunity of, the American people. What we have certainly done is contribute fo exposing terrorist plans and actions against our people, thus preventing the death of innocent Cubans and Amencans. Why is it necessary for Cuban patniots fo stay away from their lo ved ones and postpone an otherwise joy ful life with their families and people fo discharge the honorable duty of protecting their homeland? Why are the U.S. authorities tolerant with these terrorists who act against our country? Why don't they investigate or take action against the terronist plans denounced by Cuba on try fo prevent the numerous attempts against the life of our lea ders? Why is it that the pro fessed authors of these and other terrorist actions are sf111 loase ~n South Florida as was clearly established during the tría!? Who trained them and who are allowing them fo carry out their plans? Who are those really endangening the security of the United States of America? They are the terrorist groups made up by Cuban Americans and their política! and economic mentors in America who are gnawing away at the credibility of thís country, giving this nation an appearance of ruthlessness and misleading its institutions fo an inconsistent, prejudiced and erra tic behavior. They are the same individuals who forestal! a serious and sensitiva approach fo Cuba related issues. Such groups and their mentors have joined in a coordinated dnive fo bring about con flict between our twa countries. To that end, they keep promoting with both the legislativa and the executive branches of government increasingly aggressive measures against Cuba. They want fo continua fo update a Ion g-standing histary of invasians, sabota ges, bioíogical aggressions and other similar actions, while sparing no effort fo create -situations that might lead fo incidenfs of grave canse quences fo bofh aun peoples. The result of such aggressions againsf Cuba is that 3478 peaple were killed and 2099 were maimed befween 1959 and 1999, notwifhstanding veiy cas fly material losses. Yet, they persisf in thair propaganda campaigns offening fha American people a distorfed image of Cuba and trying fo prevent wifh different pretaxts, laws and regulations fhat Amenicans travel fneely fo Cuba tb know fir~t hand the real situation fhere. Likewise, they set every abs fade fa coopera fian in aneas of common interest such as ille gal migra fian and drug-trafficking thaf bnings so much pain fo fha American people. Al! this is compounded by constanf requests fon ever higher and fresh amounts of money from fha government, thus affecting the American taxpayer~ simpIy fa finance their actions against Cuba. The enormaus amaunts of money thaf keep pouning info radio and TV broadcastings, as well as fo financing their subjects on fha island, take away resources fhat could befter be used fo cope with social problems afflicfing Amencans. Thene are recent examp!es of these groups' clout and pressunes on the Miami community, its gavernmenf agencies and even ifs judicial sysfem. It would be in the best interest of the American people fo get nid of the bad influence of such extremists and tarro nisfs that cause so much damage fo fha United Sta fas by breaking its own laws. ~A./é haya nevar done anything fon maney. We have always lived modestly and acted humbly, living up fo fha sacrificas of aun own people. We haya always bean moved by a sfrang sentiment of human solidarity, lave for aun homeland and confenlpf for fhat which gaas against fha dignity of fha human person. Tha defendants in this tría! are in no way repentant of what we haya done fo defend aun cauntny. We declare aurselves non guilf y and simp!y fake comforf in fha fact that we haya honorad aun duty fo our people and aun homaland. Our lavad ones understand fha dapth of fha ideas that guide us and thay wiIl take pnide in aun sacrificas for Humanity in this strugg/a against tanronism and fon fha independence of Cuba. René Gonzalaz Ramón Labañino Fernando Gonzalez Liad Antonio Guerrero Garando Hernández June 17, 2001 ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
