From: John Clancy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
subject: Granma news for Jan 11-12.Year 1961.USCongress. G77
© Copyright. 1996-2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GRANMA INTERNATIONAL/
ONLINE EDITION - January 11, 2001
FORTY YEARS AGO - 1961 begins in flames
BY GABRIEL MOLINA
THE crowded corner of Galiano and Neptuno Streets was burning like a
furnace on the night of December 31, 1960.
Firefighters, militia troops, soldiers, workers and members of the
population defied danger once again to prevent the flames from
extending to buildings adjoining the fashionable La Epoca store, one
of the five largest in the Cuban capital.
The Year of Education, 1961, was about to begin in flames, in the
physical as well as the figurative sense.
Some weeks later, on Cuban television, Reynold González, leader of a
group of saboteurs, confessed that the fire in La Epoca department
store at the end of the year had been started by Cuban CIA agents
acting under his instructions. They used live phosphorus and
gelignite supplied by U.S. intelligence officers in the guise of U.S.
embassy officials. It was part of a plot to provoke daily desertions
from the ranks of the people and seriously damage the country's
economy. In Washington it was also referred to as psychological
preparation for the projected Bay of Pigs invasion.
Three months previously, Cuban State Security agencies had collected
sufficient information to support Cuban Foreign Minister Raúl Roa's
exposé of an accelerated U.S. plan to invade Cuba, before the UN
General Assembly on October 7.
"A large number of exiles and adventurers are receiving special
training under the command of U.S. soldiers at the Helvetia Estate
located in El Palmar municipality adjoining the western departments
of Retalhuleu and Quetzaltenango [in Guatemala], recently acquired by
Roberto Alejos, brother of Carlos Alejos, the Guatemalan ambassador
to the United States, and members of an influential family with
palatial connections."
The report went on to state with amazing precision: "Within the
above-mentioned estate a concrete landing strip with subterranean
hangars has been built and a highway to the Pacific coast is under
construction* The Retalhuleu aerodrome has been rapidly redesigned by
U.S. engineers to facilitate the landing and takeoff of heavy and
jet-propelled aircraft* During August and September more than 100
U.S. aviators and military technicians have entered Guatemala as
tourists. Bomber aircraft with Cuban insignia have been seen at La
Aurora airport [in the Guatemalan capital]. It is public knowledge
that they have the double mission of attacking Cuba or simulating
Cuban aggression against Guatemala* "
The communiqué presented by Roa to Soviet Valerian Zorin, at that
time president of the UN Security Council, requested an urgent
meeting of that body, to "be informed of the document exposing U.S.
plans for direct military aggression within hours against the
government and people of Cuba."
Coinciding with the arson attack on La Epoca and not by chance, the
Uruguayan foreign minister announced that a "secret" U.S. government
report claiming that Cuba was constructing 17 Soviet rocket launching
pads, endangering peace in the Western hemisphere, was being
circulated among Latin American governments.
News agencies affirmed that Uruguay was considering the possibility
of breaking off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The day before, the Peruvian government had severed diplomatic ties
in the wake of a CIA-organized attack utilizing Cuban counter-
revolutionaries on the Cuban embassy in Lima, leading to the
discovery of documents-previously fabricated by the US. intelligence
services-on supposed Cuban financing of Peru's left-wing movements.
And prior to that, without much subterfuge, Guatemala had cut links.
There, open repression took the place of explanations.
For those reasons, the year began with a call from the Central
Organization of Cuban Trade Unions (CTC), convening the island's
three western provinces to a mass demonstration in Revolution Square,
still known as Civic Square at the time. "There is imminent danger of
a military attack on Cuba by U.S. imperialist troops," the message
read, adding: "More involved, more disciplined, more active than ever
in the workplace; and more involved, stronger and more resolute than
ever before in the militia* "
Fidel had headed a New Year's dinner with 10,000 teachers in the
former Columbia military camp, converted into Ciudad Libertad School
City, at whose entrance a splendid illuminated arch exhorted: "Teach
people to read and write!"
There,the leader of the Cuban Revolution commented on the Washington-
mounted farce made public in Uruguay and explained that the lie about
rocket launching pads was part of a plan devised by Allen Dulles and
the CIA to create an incident.
He announced that in the face of the danger, tens of thousands of
young people had marched to their posts with their anti-tank, anti-
aerial and mortar batteries and the Rebel Army was taking up
positions in special combat and artillery columns. Everyone was calm
and immutably determined to defend their native soil.
With the arson attack on La Epoca, the enemy was trying to create
the conditions for an invasion; however, it only succeeded in raising
an even higher flame: the people's fighting spirit.
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER DECIDES TO BREAK OFF RELATIONS WITH CUBA
The second anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution was
commemorated on January 2 in an atmosphere of tension and joy.
Although the Cuban people had been warned to prepare for direct
aggression from the United States throughout virtually the whole of
the previous year, popular support for the revolutionary government
increased rather than diminished. The profoundest structural changes
in Latin American history had taken place during those two years. The
Agrarian Reform and Urban Reform Acts, the nationalization of U.S.
agricultural, industrial and service companies and of Cuban industry
and big business, among other measures, together with the dissolution
of Batista's army, complemented the destruction of the bourgeoisie's
economic and military apparatus, as Karl Marx had written.
The expansion of jobs and wages, social advances and the benefits
resulting from popular measures linked with Cubans' traditional
cheerful nature to spark an explosion of joy that the threats failed
to dampen.
For that reason, the characteristics of the celebration for the
second anniversary were tight unity around Fidel and a display of the
nascent revolutionary military power.
People were anxious to demonstrate their support for the Revolution
and to have an overall view of the armaments of the different sectors
in training.
Fidel set in motion a tireless activity to strengthen awareness of
the need for an accelerated self-defense. The men's and women's
militia battalions, where young people took on the potentially most
combative positions, had been formed.
Several hundreds of thousands of people erupted into acclamations
when Major of the Revolution Juan Almeida, head of the Rebel Army,
led off the parade in a jeep at the head of four Rebel Army special
combat columns, before joining the leaders on the rostrum.
The columns were followed by bazooka companies, 120mm mortar and
anti-aircraft batteries, anti-tank cannons and heavy artillery.
Nothing like it had ever been seen in the country. Never before had
the people greeted armaments so enthusiastically. And the atmosphere
reached its highest point when the crowd shouted out as one: "The
tanks are coming!"
A seemingly endless, powerful file of heavy and medium T-34 tanks
rolled into the square with the mechanical sound of their tracks
rising above the acclamations. That afternoon, the sound of the
advancing tanks was musical harmony in people's ears.
The atmosphere remained electric. After the tanks came the members of
the Brigades of Working Youth, known as Five Peaks after they scaled
the Turquino Peak in the Sierra Maestra, grasping their light
bazookas with martial bearing.
The Cubans were able to witness the fruits of the recent months of
rapid but painstaking training. First came the voluntary teachers
armed with submachine guns, followed by women's combat battalions
from the Revolutionary National Militia carrying automatic rifles,
and the men's with Czech submachine guns or rifles, their decided and
martial gait coming as a joyful surprise. Other battalions continued
filing across the square with bazookas, 81mm and 120mm mortars, anti-
tank weapons and anti-aircraft guns which had already become popular
known as "four mouths" among the youthful artillery forces, which
would have a brilliant role in the future. A rhythmical, bantering
and victorious song was born among the cheering mass of men and
women:
WITH RIFLES, CANNONS, SHOTGUNS, CUBA IS RESPECTED!
It was no secret to anybody that the U.S. government had not merely
refused to sell arms to Cuba. It had not merely put pressure on the
Western European governments not to sell arms to Cuba. It had gone to
the extreme of sowing mourning and desolation among Cuban dock
workers, French sailors and people in the locality who rushed to help
when La Coubre steamer, loaded with armaments from Belgium, was blown
up by the CIA in February 1960 to prevent Cuba from obtaining weapons
with which to defend itself.
Everyone knew that first in secret and then openly, Fidel, Raúl and
other Cuban leaders had acquired armaments from the socialist
countries, principally the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, which
would turn any aggression against the island into a difficult
undertaking.
Simply, those were moments that were lived to the full. In one of
those contradictions, danger presented the opportunity to feel a
tremendous and multifaceted joie de vivre.
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© Copyright. 1996-2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GRANMA INTERNATIONAL/
ONLINE EDITION
********
Granma news for Jan 11,12
January 11, 2001
Black members of Congress still challenge Florida elections
* Attempt to prevent Bush's election from becoming official fails due
to lack of support from any senator -BY GABRIEL MOLINA
TWENTY Democratic members from the Congressional Black Caucus
attempted to prevent the election of Republican George W. Bush as
president of the United States from becoming official. Failing to
achieve their objective, the Congress members left the legislative
session in protest, to register their anger at what they believe to
be racial discrimination in the electoral process.
In an unprecedented move during the January 6 session of Congress,
Black Caucus members attempted to block the certification of
Florida's 25 electoral votes for Bush. Spokespersons from the group
alleged during the session that there was widespread abuse in Florida
on election day, including an orchestrated attempt to deny minority
voters access to the polls, according to the Notimex news agency.
Kweisi Mfume, president of the powerful National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), fiercely criticized the
Justice Department for Attorney General Janet Reno's lukewarm
response to the request for a formal investigation into the avalanche
of complaints received in Florida on the question of voters' rights.
Mfume likewise strongly censured Gore, who never uttered a word
concerning the intimidation on the part of Florida police that were
denounced by black voters on election day.
Eminent civil rights leader Julian Bond, president of the NAACP's
executive board, said that he felt extremely concerned, having hoped
that the Democrats would behave a bit better in the post-electoral
season.
The ceremony making Bush's election official was presided over by the
vice president and former Democratic candidate Al Gore, who was
defeated by Bush in the November 7 presidential elections, described
as the tightest fought and most controversial in U.S. history.
The Black Caucus' objections were rejected by Gore in his position as
president of the Senate and the joint session of Congress. The
technical reason was that although the objections had been signed by
at least one representative, they did not carry the signature of any
senator.
According to U.S. law, if a minimum of one senator and one
representative object to the electoral results, the House and the
Senate have to meet in separate sessions to discuss the matter. Given
the outcome, Bush will assume the presidency on January 20.
DeWayne Wickham, a columnist with USA Today newspaper, had affirmed
in advance that the Supreme Court would pronounce in favor of Bush.
He noted a steadily growing conviction among African Americans that
Bush has trampled over their interests and Al Gore has done nothing
to defend them.
Wickham wrote that African Americans are angered by their candidate
Gore's silence, but are really furious over Bush's campaign to block
a recount of the ballots of thousands of Florida residents, a large
number of whom are African-Americans.
Reverend Jesse Jackson took the lead at that time, focusing his
criticism on the efforts of Jeb Bush, George W.'s brother and
governor of Florida, to prevent a recount that could favor Gore.
The African Americans' essential claim is that in Volusia, Broward,
Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, they voted overwhelmingly for
Gore and their votes were disproportionately rejected. One third of
the close to 23,000 disqualified ballots in those counties were
concentrated in areas with high black populations, according to an
analysis by the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. The daily stated that
almost 18,000 of those votes would probably have been for Gore, who
trailed Bush in the certified Florida count by only 537 votes.
However, at the national level, Gore had an advantage in excess of
500,000 popular votes.
Vice President Gore opened the joint session of Congress on January 6
in his position as president of the Senate, and legislators from each
state read out loud the electoral results for the presidency and vice
presidency of the United States. Gore turned over the vice
presidency to Republican Richard Cheney, vice president-elect, and
authorized his rival's victory in the race for the White House.
After a legal battle between the two parties, Gore conceded victory
to Bush on December 13, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a
manual recount of thousands of disputed votes in the state of
Florida.
Thus, the Republican candidate was certified the winner of the
controversial electoral battle for Florida, 537 votes ahead of Gore,
giving Bush the 25 electoral votes that he needed to triumph.
In order to win the U.S. presidency a candidate needs 270 electoral
votes, which are the majority of the 538 electoral votes from all the
50 states of the Union, plus the District of Columbia. Under the U.S.
electoral college system, the number of electoral votes consist of
the number of senators (each state has two), plus the number of
members in the House of Representatives, determined by the national
census.
In the wake of irregularities in these latest presidential elections,
some Democratic members of Congress have demanded the abolition of
the electoral college system, arguing that it is obsolete and unfair,
and that the popular vote should be the determining factor.
In real terms, the whole electoral system needs to be changed given,
for example, the fact that huge sums are raised as campaign funds for
all offices, including that of the president, causing the candidates
to make commitments to private interests that fulfill once in office.
The 2000 general elections established a new record, running into
the billions of dollars, for campaign spending.
********
Granma news for January 12, 2001
Cuba to coordinate Group of 77 agency
GENEVA, January 12 (PL).- The members of the Geneva Chapter of the
Group of 77 have designated Cuba as this year's president of that
organization representing developing countries, according to official
sources.
As head of the Group of 77, Cuba will pursue the objective of
coordinating the activities of those nations and representing them in
various multilateral negotiations.
The ambassador of Iran, which headed the Group of 77 last year and
proposed Cuba's candidacy, expressed the feeling of that body as a
whole, commenting that he foresees favorable results stemming from
Cuba's leadership of the 133 developing states belonging to that
organization.
The diplomat recalled that Cuba had worked arduously for Third World
unity and that it recently hosted the 1st South Summit.
Ambassador Iván Mora, permanent alternate representative to the UN
agencies headquartered in Geneva and other institutions in
Switzerland, assumed the presidency on Cuba's behalf.
© Copyright. 1996-2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GRANMA INTERNATIONAL/
ONLINE EDITION " JC
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