>from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >subject: Fidel Castro offers. Cambio Cubano pleads > > Castro ends '24-hour truce' > >HAVANA -- (EFE) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro said Sunday that >he offered the United States ''a 24-hour truce,'' but now ''life is >back to what it has been for the past 41 years'' without any progress >in bilateral relations. Castro had told reporters on the eve of the >Bay of Pigs invasion anniversary that Saturday would be "a day of >truce, maybe the only one in 41 years" between Cuba and the United >States. >"I meant to say that I did not want to make harsh criticisms of the >U.S. government, it did not seem appropriate at a time when it had >done something just," Castro said concerning the Saturday morning >operation that snatched Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives. >Castro said, however, that the United States "was the driving >force behind something that we are discussing, like the resolution" >approved last week by the U.N. Human Rights Commission against Cuba. > >Still in effect are the Cuban Adjustment Act, which benefits Cuban >immigrants, the Torricelli law, which reinforces the economic >embargo, as well as "the blockade, the economic war and the >harassment," Castro added. "I offered a 24-hour truce, although >yesterday we remembered an invasion that was organized in the United >States and of which we can talk a great deal but opted not to." > >Castro said he had changed the speech he had in mind after what >happened in Miami, adding that there was no intention of calling the >boy's case a ''victory." Asked whether Cuban-U.S. relations had >improved, Castro said, ''No, absolutely not." > >Contact Us Copyright 2000 Miami Herald Courtesy of: > >> The Law Office of Jose Pertierra > 1010 Vermont Avenue, NW #620 >> Washington, DC 20005 > 202 783 6666 >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ************** >sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Cambio Cubano Pleads for Moderation and Peaceful Change > Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit > >source - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Apr 24 16:06:52 2000 > >CUBANS WHO SEEK A PEACEFUL SOLUTION CONDEMN MANIPULTIONS OF CANF > "I INSIST THAT A DEMOCRATIC OPENING IN CUBA IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE" > >Statement by Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo on the Elian Gonzalez situation, >on behalf of Cubans who seek a peaceful solution. > >As painful as it may seem, we understand that the U.S. government was >forced to act with determination by those who have hidden behind the >Miami family in using them to defy the law. Once again, this case was >politicized by elements who constantly toy with the idea of starting >a confrontation between Cuba and the United States. > >It is our understanding that members of the Gonzealez family in >South Florida have been manipulated by some elements who, from the >beginning, were interested in using Eliean for their own political >marketing rather than the defense of his rights or his well-being. > >These factors are mainly headed by the Cuban American National >Foundation whose altruism in this case is, at least, questionable. It >was the CANF, years ago, in the voice of its late leader Jorge Mas >Canosa, the organization that asked President Bill Clinton to "have >no mercy, show no mercy in stopping this exodus, in stopping these >rafters form coming to America." > >The CANF is part of a group of frustrated individuals, with no ties >to the Cuban people on the island, whose disconnection from Cuban >reality has left them with an almost psychopathic desire for a >confrontational incident between our two countries. > >If, during the span of more than two decades, they had achieved -- >through their lobbying skills, financial muscle and threatening >tactics -- a virtual kidnaping of U.S. foreign policy, they were now >attempting to kidnap the law and the very ability of the government >to act on legal matters and domestic situations. The showdown in >Little Havana had to come to an end. > >We respect and understand Attorney General Janet Reno on her decision >to enter the house as an extreme measure and know, as thousands of >Cubans in Miami know, that the INS was forced to act in that manner >by the foolishness of those who briefly saw themselves above the law. >They misread the patience of the government, became emboldened and >acted in defiance. We congratulate Ms. Reno and the government on the >harmless result of this inevitable operation. Additionally, we >recognize the courage shown by President Clinton in acting regradless >of the many pressures from these elitist groups. > >It is important that the media and the U.S. government finally >understand that thousands of Miami Cubans have full comprehension of >the tragedy of Eliean Gonzealez, but these Cubans also understand the >opportunistic and callous behavior of a diverse group of pseudo- >leaders who are intent on changing the Cuban situation only by >destructive means. > >A peaceful solution to the Cuban drama is possible and necessary. >Those of us who seek such solution have had to face the wrath of some >of the same minuscule groups that now can not let go of Eliean >Gonzealez seeingin him the perfect flag they need for their >demagoguery. We call on all Cuban exiles to reflect honestly and in a >fashion deeper than the over- sentimentalizing that has distinguished >this case. > >I have met with President Fidel Castro and discussed the possibility >of a democratic transition. As a former leader of the Revolution who >later opposed it and paid 22 years in prison, I am regarded as a >political adversary, not as an enemy. I insist that a democratic >opening in Cuba is entirely possible. > >It is my wish that the Cuban government will opt for a subtle >treatment of the conclusion of this Eliean saga and desist of any >further exploitation of an innocent child. It would be improper, >tasteless and useless for the Cuban government to try to use him as a >flag in an attempt to hide behind it the enormous failings of the >Cuban system or the urgent needs for change that exist in Cuba today. > >It is time for the paternal rights of Juan Miguel Gonzealez to be >recognized promptly. Furthermore, it is time that we recognize the >moral responsibility we all share in front of thousands and thousands >of Cuban children, just like Eliean, who are victims of obsolete >policies such as the U.S. embargo. It is time to find ways to put an >end to that embargo of the island; and also to find the proper >political climate in Cuba so that the embargo imposed by the Cuban >government on some precious personal freedoms can be lifted. > >To conclude, let me add that thousands of Miami Cubans do not feel >they are represented by a vociferous minority that controls some of >the local media. There is an evident divorce between these self- >appointed leaders and a silent majority that travels to the island >for family visits and constantly defies rhetoric by showing >generosity to those relatives left behind. This should send a clear >message to Washington. The time for change is here. > >Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, President Cambio Cubano > >Miami, Fl April 23, 2000 > >================================================================= > NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems > Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us > 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 > http://www.blythe.org e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >============== >nytcari-04.24.00-16:32:20-5706 " JC > > ************ >sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-From_: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Apr 25 2000 >Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: "Karen Lee Wald" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Dear Friends > > The return of Eli�n Gonzales to his father was long overdue, as > remains his return with his father to their home in Cuba. And > so yesterday's events were gratifying to millions of people in > the U.S.A (and certainly to millions of Cubans). > > But at the same time, the response by the right wing of the > Cuban American community and by right wing members of the our > own government -- From Tom DeLay to Trent Lott to Rudolph > Giuliani--while not surprising, is--at very least--galling. > > At most, it takes some already well earned career records for > hypocrisy to the new height of just plain "not all there." > > Isn't it something more than irony that the very same members of > Congress who have, for years, tightened immigration policy, > militarized the US border and led the charge over the past > decade to spend billions in tax dollars to equip not just the > INS but police agencies in communities all over the country with > military weaponry are now the ones screaming for a congressional > investigation into "why this raid took place?" > > Have these people ever seen a "normal" INS raid under the rules > that they themselves have written? Have they ever seen the way > SWAT teams treat families in low income neighborhoods in the > course of a raid? Have they ever once stood up in the House or > Senate in front of the podium, CNN, God and Everybody to make > one of their shrill fist-pounding pen-pointing diatribes to > argue for psychologists to be on hand to help the tens of > thousands children who each month are routinely subjected to > watching police or INS agents break into their homes, and force > mom and dad into a van, or force Grandma and Mommy to lay face > down on the living room carpet while men in black ninja get ups > point sub-machine guns with some screaming "Do not move or I > will shoot you!" and others screaming, "Get down on the floor! > Move!!" just slightly louder? > > While only a malcontent would complain about an unexpected > conversion to the human race, one does wonder, "Where, > precisely, has Tom DeLay been keeping himself?" (Just as one > wonders where Trent Lott has been getting his hair cut, but we > digress). > > Those who have been involved in the immigrant right, human > rights and labor movements have been around to see the INS that > these people created for years. We've seen it for year before > this one day that it has done a single Good Act, which Trent > Lott has chosen to discover moral outrage (for, predictably, all > the wrong reasons). > > The below appeal from Michael Moore illustrates the point: A > eight hard working people making minimum wage try to unionize, > and their boss calls the INS in response. The National Labor > Relations Board may agree that it was a violation of labor law > to have them deported, but that doesn't stop the INS from > deporting them anyway. This is a common tactic of employers in > union organizing drives in the United States (They haven't been > deported yet, though, which is why you should read Michael > Moore's letter: They need our help). > > Precisely where has Rudy Giuliani *been* for the decades that > this has been going on? Somewhere else? And where was Miami's > Mayor Joe Corallo when, just months ago, the INS sent back a > boatload of 400 Haitian refugees, fleeing a country with one of > the lowest five standards of living and a close tie for the most > violent repression and highest infant mortality rate on the > planet? Where, indeed, has been the Mayor and others in the > right wing of the Miami Cuban American community for the years > that Haitians have been treated like criminals upon reaching > U.S. shores, with children forcibly separated from parents in > INS detention facilities? Should the Haitians be wondering, > "Was it something we said?" > > Did Jos� Basulto and the Cuban American right make it a part of > their cause to demand that Haitian refugees--or Dominicans, or > Mexicans, or El Salvadorans or Jamaicans--enjoy the same amnesty > from deportation that Cubans receive once they reach the shores > of the U.S.? Have they offered a response to the Miami-Dade > NAACP's questions as to whether racism might have something to > do with their penchant for double standards? > > In a word, "No." > > So let's celebrate a day when we all played a role in > encouraging the U.S. government to do the right thing, and let's > make sure that Eli�n's and his father's ordeal ends with their > being permitted to return to their home and with the U.S.'s > embargo of their island being lifted. > > **And let's also do what Michael Moore asks and write to Janet > Reno and the INS Direct on behalf of the six women and two men > who should not be deported for trying to unionize. Let them > know that people think they did the right thing yesterday in > returning Elian to his father, and that there's no better time > than now to start making doing the right thing a habit. > > In Solidarity, > > Dana Simon > > > Project USA/Cuba InfoMed web site: > http//www.igc.org/cubasoli > ______________________________________________ > Letter from Michael Moore follows: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > April 20, 2000 > > Dear Friends, > > I need your help in preventing an injustice that is about to > occur. > > I am writing to you from Minneapolis where I am shooting a > segment for "The Awful Truth" which begins next month on Bravo. > This Tuesday, April 25, the Immigration and Naturalization > Service (INS) will hold a hearing here as part of their attempt > to deport eight Mexican workers. Their crime? They tried to > organize a union where they worked, at the Holiday Inn Express > in downtown Minneapolis. The employees voted - and the union > won. Shortly after their victory, Holiday Inn called the INS > and turned them in. > > The INS agents raided the Holiday Inn, and arrested and > handcuffed these 6 women and 2 men. They then took them to a > detention center far outside of Minneapolis and were not > allowed to call a lawyer for a week. > > When they were finally released (still wearing their Holiday > Inn maid's uniforms) they got a lawyer and filed a number of > complaints against Holiday Inn of Minneapolis with the National > Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity > Commission. > > Both federal agencies ruled in favor of the Mexican illegal > aliens. The law prohibits retaliating against any employee who > attempts to organize a union or discriminating against anyone > because of their ethnic background. It was the first time that > the EEOC had ruled in favor of undocumented workers. > > Yet, even though Holiday Inn broke the law and was ordered to > pay fines and restitution, the INS continues their efforts to > ship the housekeepers back to Mexico. > > These eight individuals - Rosa Albino, Evertina Albino, Reyna > Albino, Estella Albino, Francilla Albino, Bulfrano Albino, > Norma Del Toro, Bruna Alvarez, and Amado Flores -- are truly > the working poor. They are the people who clean up after us. > They break their backs for minimum wage -- cleaning bathrooms, > changing sheets, and dealing with the mess people leave behind. > > It is the kind of work none of us want to do. And because the > boomers decided to have less children, there are not enough > young people around to take the low-paying jobs, so many > businesses have decided to look the other way and hire Mexicans > and others to do the shift work. Companies across America love > illegal aliens - until they get uppity and ask for a few more > cents. Then a call is placed and the ax of the INS comes down > swiftly. > > These eight Mexican citizens have been in the United States > from four to ten years. Some have had children born here. The > INS cynically says the kids can stay - they're considered > American citizens - but the parents have to go. > > The INS has to be stopped. > > I have met these eight good people. They are the kind of people > you hope to live next to - decent, honest, hard-working, > selfless. They seek no favors, they pay their taxes, and > they've been in no trouble with the law. > > Yes, they came here illegally. I am not condoning this, but I > ask you to please consider that none of us would be here today > if it wasn't for the fact that our grandparents, great- > grandparents, or some family ancestor came to America as an > immigrant. Except for Native Americans and African-Americans, > every single one of us is here today because of a relative who > got to America by "hook or crook." How can any of us justify > slamming the door behind us - "Okay, we're in! Everybody else, > stay away!" > > In shooting this story I have traveled to Atlanta to meet with > a vice-president of Holiday Inn. It turns out that Holiday Inn > is a foreigner, too. It is owned by the British - Bass Ale, to > be specific. I asked the British v.p. who the hell did he think > he and his other British executives were -- coming to our > country, making millions, and trying to deport eight other > immigrants who had also come here (to make five bucks an > hour)? > > Then I went to Washington, D.C. to meet with a top official at > the INS. No, I said, I am not here to talk about young Elian. I > want you to let these eight Mexican workers stay in the U.S. I > told him the INS had violated the law by responding to a call > from an employer who was trying to use the INS to retaliate > against employees trying to organize a union. The man looked as > if he wished I had asked him about Elian Gonzales. He said he > wouldn't comment except to say that the hearing on the 25th > will determine whether the eight stay or go, that the INS does > consider certain "contributions to society" that illegal aliens > make in determining whether they get to stay, and that the INS > does listen to the comments of other citizens. > > So that, my friends, is what we have to do - today. These eight > people have made a significant contribution to us. They have > risked everything by standing up for what they thought was > right and trying to improve the working conditions and > economic status of the AMERICANS who were their co-workers. In > other words, they did what WE should be doing. When it comes to > this -- that it takes a group of poor Mexican immigrants to > show us how to do the virtually impossible by organizing a > union for minimum wage workers - well, I feel embarrassed, > ashamed, and damned determined to see that they get to stay. > They deserve our thanks, not deportation. Our country is a > better place because they are here. > > Please e-mail INS chief Doris Meissner and her boss, Attorney > General Janet Reno at <a href="[EMAIL PROTECTED]" [EMAIL PROTECTED] and > tell them you believe these eight workers should be allowed to > stay. You can all call Doris Meissner at 202-514-1900 or fax > her at 202-307-9911 (Reno can be called at 202-616-2777; fax > 202-514-5331). > > Thank you for doing this. I know many of you are busy today > with Holy Thursday, Passover and the upcoming Easter weekend. > > I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by turning > around and extending our hand through the door to America that > our families got to go through. Moses led one of the largest > groups of illegals through a desert after the state ordered the > slaying of every first-born male amongst the aliens. > > Lets allow Rosa, Evertina, Reyna, Estella, Francilla, Bulfrano, > Norma, Bruna, and Amado to pass over, too. > > Yours, > Michael Moore > <a > href="http://www.michaelmoore.com" http://www.michaelmoore.com > <a href="[EMAIL PROTECTED]" > > These individuals have not been allowed to work for the past > six months. If you would like to make a contribution to help > them personally, you may send a check to: > > Holy Rosary Solidarity Fund 2424 18th Avenue South > Minneapolis, MN 55404 > >* 100% of your contributions will go directly to these workers." JC > > > > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
