Two Exploding Cigars for Castro

I direct your attention to two interesting items concerning Cuba that I encountered today, either or both of which might explode in Fidel Castro's face.

First, Dick Morris (via Jewish World Review) discusses a proposal about how we should dispose of Luis Posada Carriles, an airline bomber Castro and his ally, Hugo "El Loco" Chavez would have us extradite to Cuba. Though not as funny as my proposal, it would have among its merits the fact that it might show the world what a hypocrite Castro really is concerning terrorism.

From Rick Hahn, a former FBI agent who is working on a book about the FALN (the Hispanic terrorist group) comes a great idea, one that would achieve justice, relieve President Bush (and his brother, for that matter) of a political headache and benefit the War on Terror. He proposes that we swap Posada for three wanted terrorists who are now hiding in Cuba: William Morales, Joanne Chesimard and Victor Manuel Gerena.

And if Castro refuses? We've called his bluff, and we can always resort to Plan B: Send Posada to Gitmo! (Well, okay, Morris didn't say that, but he should have!)

The second item is a news story (via RealClear Politics) about a ten-point proposal for democratic reform in Cuba that came out of the recent rally of dissidents there. The article does not list the ten points, although what does come through in the article sounds like a mixed bag. Of course, the real news is that this rally occurred at all.

Participants also called for the openness in the one-party system, the abolition of the death penalty and economic reforms. In a strongly worded statement, the resolution proclaimed Cuba's government as a ''Stalinist'' model that constitutes a ``totalitarian and essentially anti-democratic regime.''

The resolution further demanded the return to the ''democratic traditions'' of the country, ''pluralism for political parties, programs, political ideologies and candidates'' and called for the recognition of exiles ``as members of the Cuban nation.''

On the death penalty, the resolution denounced all applications of the death penalty from the ''summary executions'' that began on Jan. 1, 1959 (when Castro took power) to those carried out in March 2003 against three Cuban men who tried to hijack a boat to flee the island.

The resolution also blamed the country's economic woes on policies adopted by a government for which ''politics are more important than the economy.'' The resolution stated that increased foreign investment was crucial to sustain development, increase purchasing power and move exports. It also said that government's recent policy of distributing rice and cookware to Cubans rendered the population dependent and impoverished and enabled the government to ``manipulate the masses.''

The document also called on the government to show it is serious about cooperating on the global war on terror by expelling members of ETA, a Basque guerrilla group, ''and any other foreign terrorists who have found refuge'' in Cuba, including U.S. fugitives.

The government also should publicly apologize to families of those killed during the sinking of the 13 de Marzo tugboat in 1994 and the Brothers to the Rescue pilots shot down by Cuban MiGs in 1996, the resolution stated.

How does that last paragraph grab you?

Oh? You don't say, Fidel? Sinking tugboats loaded with civilians is somehow better than downing civilian aircraft? And your regime downing civilian aircraft is also different? And that difference is what? Oh! It's different because you ordered it done, isn't it? Of course! Posada's real crime is that he's just some bourgeois, private terrorist rather than a government employee!

But I digress. What will it be, Fidel? Glasnost and a slow loss of power, or keeping your seat on the powderkeg?

This second story is good news. I am cautiously optimistic.

-- CAV