Louis --Hope you don't mind this addition to a
discussion you have officially retired from.
But, you are a long time activist (probably
including on this issue). I'm sure it was
purely accidental that your brilliant theoretical
analysis of Cuba's suffering under global
capitalism omitted any references to immediate
practical actions your readers could take.. Anyone
who wants to actually help relieve some of the
suffering of the Cuban people can do the
following:
Write President Clinton, Secretary of State
Albright and your Congressmember urging them to
support H.R. 1951 which would eliminate food and
medicine from the embargo against Cuba. The
supporters of this bill are also asking that
people on-line e-mail all the rest of the
Congress as well. A sample letter is at the end of
this post.
To get more details on this try the page on the
Cuban Humanitarian Relief act at
http://www.igc.apc.org/cubasoli/relifact.html
The above is a page on the Cuban Solidarity web
site.
http://www.igc.apc.org/cubasoli/
This contains links to a number of other sites --
at which those with time and money to donate can
find out about additional actions they can take.
All this stuff I'm passing on comes from there.
There is also a web site with an online petition
you can sign:
http://www.salam.org/activism/cuba.html
BTW http://www.salam.org/ though officially
devoted to the Palestinian cause is a great site
on Middle Eastern politics in general -- and as
the above example shows often devotes time to
humanitarian causes of all kinds.
For list members outside the U.S. -- writing to
Clinton and Albright still would not hurt.
Thanks
Gar Lipow
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Olympia, Washington
Sample Letter
Supporting H.R. 1951:
Dear Pres. Clinton, Secretary of State Albright
and Congressmember __
I am writing to wish to express my concern, and
displeasure, with the course of our policy on
Cuba.
Despite the claim that this policy of isolation
and embargo is intended to bring about democracy
in Cuba through a change in leadership, the
net result has been to greatly increase the
suffering of the Cuban people. Nowhere is this
result more evident than in the field of health
care.
(See the report published by the American
Association for World Health entitled "Denial of
Food and Medicine. The Impact of the U.S.
Embargo on Health and Nutrition in Cuba. March
1997.")
This embargo, unprecedented in its aim of
withholding food and medicine from a whole
population, is clearly rejected by all of the
civilized
world, leaving the United States government as
"odd man out."
The recent frenzy on the part of the Congress to
intensify even the harshest aspects of the
Helms-Burton Act, rather than softening those
provisions as promised to the European Union, only
thrusts the United States further into the role of
a global bully.
We urge you to begin to draw back from a path of
irreversible conflict, not only with our neighbor
nation, but with our chief allies, by
rescinding all restrictions on supplying/selling
food and medicine to Cuba. The passage of bill,
H.R. 1951 to exempt food and medicine from the
embargo will be a good first step to ending a
long, futile and cruel policy -- the embargo
itself.
Very truly yours,
After you have contacted YOUR representative send
an e-mail message to 250 other representatives
with known e-mail addresses. Click here to
access a current e-mail list for the 105th
Congress . Create your own mailing list and with
one key stroke you send your letter to these 250
representatives expressing your support for HR
1951.
