Cuban Doctors Manage to Defect Via Venezuela

Why would they defect? According to the BBC, Cuba is a paradise.

"MIAMI – Around 500 Cuban doctors have defected to the United States while serving on aid missions in Venezuela, according to members of Cuban exile groups in Miami."

Cuba: "Communism is a failure"

He should know.

Raul Castro pushes Cubans to rethink socialism

Curious headline as the report doesn't seem to back that up.

"It is important that the meetings are characterized by absolute freedom of criteria, the sincerity of participants and respect for differing opinions".

Sounds great!

"The discussion guide, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, makes clear that questioning the communist-ruled island's one-party political system established after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, or calling for a restoration of capitalism, are off limits."

Oops.

Obama renews Cuba trade embargo

Where's the left's outrage?

Cuba pushes its 'medical diplomacy'

And the BBC pushes Cuba's propaganda.

"In recent years this medical aid has grown significantly, becoming a central part of Cuba's international relations.

Cuba trains overseas medical students, sends tens of thousands of doctors abroad and has rapid response disaster assistance teams. These were sent to both China and Pakistan after their devastating earthquakes. "

What do those doctors do once they get outside Cuba? Defect.

""From the moment I got there, I thought of it -- leaving," Perez, 36, said in an interview in Bogota, where about 40 Cuban physicians and other medical professionals are living after fleeing from Venezuela. "

If Cuba is such a great place as the BBC wants us to believe, why do so many Cuban's want to leave and risk their lives doing it?

And just what are those "international relations" the BBC alludes to?

"Cuba has dispatched more than 20,000 doctors, as well as thousands of other specialists such as sports trainers and therapists, to Venezuela. Chavez's government has paid for the service by providing Cuba with nearly 100,000 barrels of oil a day, filling the void left by the Soviet Union, Havana's longtime benefactor during the Cold War. "

Hugo Chávez plot against Cuba's Castros

This seems to have slipped under the radar over the weekend.

"In this endeavor, they recruited—or were recruited by—Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, who in turn tried to enlist the support of other Latin American leaders, starting with Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic, who refused to get involved."

And here's an eye opener.

"Their reasons for wishing to unseat Rául were mainly turf and power, but they also feared that the leader was beginning to feel threatened by the reaction of the Cuban people to excessive economic and social deprivation, and after his brother's demise would be unable to control the flow of events."

But hey, according to the left wing media, led by the far left BBC, Cuba is a paradise.

Cuba - Slowly shedding communism?

The BBC won't like that.

Cuba lifts curbs on mobile phones

Curbs?

"Cuba's rate of cell phone usage remains among the lowest in Latin America. "

Gee, now why would that be Auntie?

"However, the new service must be paid for in foreign currency, which will restrict access to wealthier Cubans. "

So no change then? And about that foreign currency.

"...the general public to sign prepaid contracts in Cuban Convertible Pesos, which are geared toward tourists and foreigners and worth 24 times the regular pesos Cuban state employees are paid in."

And who knows how many times that normal Cuban's are paid in.

CUBA RUINED

Tim Blair notes.

Cyber-Rebels in Cuba Defy State’s Limits

Not quite the picture of paradise the BBC paint.

This is interesting.

"The video of Mr. Alarcón’s clash with students was leaked to the BBC and CNN, giving the world a rare glimpse of the discontent among the young with the system. His answers to the questions seemed evasive. Asked about the ban on travel, Mr. Alarcón suggested that if everyone who wished to were allowed to travel, there would not be enough airspace for the planes."

I don't recall seeing anything like that on the BBC. It's also interesting that Mr. Alarcon admits that most would leave Cuba given the chance.

Cuba signs human rights pledges

Let's see them match deeds with words before we celebrate.

Castro’s Cuba was no place for a socialist like me

Reality bites.

Compare this to the glowing picture of Cuba painted by the BBC.

More from the Economist. Note this:

"Many Cubans still praise their free health and education services. But they add that these are of deteriorating quality. Schools have been hit by the loss of teachers to tourism jobs (and by a decision to halve class sizes to 15). Their replacements are ill-trained student teachers. Hospital buildings are dilapidated, while medicine and equipment are often in short supply. Next to the shabby maternity hospital in Havana stands a trim, freshly painted eye hospital—used mainly for Latin American patients flown in by Venezuela for cataract operations. This is a propaganda success for Mr Castro and Mr Chávez, but breeds resentment among Cubans."

Cuba - BBC's Justin Webb not towing the party line

Writing on his blog, Justin says "this is the best commentary" he's seen on the Cuban situation. Mmm. Wonder what's in the article Justin is so excited with? This is from just the second paragraph:

"One dictator, Fidel Castro, handed over the reins to another dictator, brother Raul."

Steady there Justin, the BBC's policy is that PRESIDENT Castro is a great leader.

"But a neat, news-free transition may be wishful thinking. There's half a century of frustration pent up in Cuba."...

"The Cubans who would be living in Florida if they could far outnumber the 125,000 who came in 1980 with the Mariel boatlift."

Justin must have missed the BBC's policy stance on Cuba - it's a paradise we should all be so lucky to live in.

And all that's just in the first four paragraphs! Oh, it gets better.

"The situation in Cuba resembles that of East Germany." Cuba is East Gemrany! Wow! Remember now, this is the best commentary Justin's seen on Cuba.

Shlaes goes on to give Bush's father a great deal of credit for the handling of the East German situation and says Bush is following his father.

"There's evidence that the current president is already following the first part of his father's strategy. That's why Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has been telling reporters that the trade embargo on Cuba still stands. Negroponte isn't pleasing Democrats, but his position makes sense. "

Presumedly then Justin aggees with that.

To be fair to Justin, he's been living the US for a long time now and not in the far left wing BBC bubble. That might help to explain Justin's enlightenment.

Cuba - "vast majority of the Cuban people supported" Castro

That's what this left wing nut says.

"Fidel Castro will go down in history as the man who defied the world's greatest superpower for almost half a century. He could only do so because the vast majority of the Cuban people supported him in that fundamental objective. That is not going to change."

Ok, so according to this left wingnut the "vast majority of Cuban people supported" Castro against America. Brian, don't you left wing nuts ever get tired of being on the wrong side of history? It would be interesting to hear him explain why, when given the chance, 125,000 Cubans fled to that same America. In other words, given the opportunity to side with Castro and defy America or, risk their lives in rickety boats in shark invested waters and get the hell out of Cuba, as many as could beat feat to - America!

Time to take off the tin foil hat there Brian.
Harry's Place has more.

Cuba - Fidel Castro announces retirement

Aww, don't you just love the grandfatherly photograph the BBC use for the Communist dictator?

And you've got to love this bit.

"Has outlasted nine American presidents"

Funny how dictators outlast democratically elected presidents, especially American ones who can only serve 8 years consecutively.

But this is just the begnning of the BBC's praise for this ruthless Communist dictator. "Castro: Profile of the great survivor" That's how the BBC sees this Communist dictator who imprisons and tortures anyone who disagrees with him.

"Fidel Castro, who has announced he is stepping down as Cuba's president, has run the country for so long that nearly three-quarters of its people have known no other leader.

Although the US has tried hard to get rid of him, President Castro outlasted no fewer than nine American presidents during his 47-year rule."

Cuban's have "known no other leader" because he won't let them. Dictators have a funny way of keeping it that way.

Castro isn't the only terrorist getting praise from the BBC.

"Cuba's new rulers - who included the legendary Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara - promised to give the land back to the people and to defend the rights of the poor. "

Update via Biased BBC

Here's the caption for picture number 11 here.

"But Fidel Castro retained enough public support to become one of the world's longest-serving leaders."

Tyrants have a way of doing that. Reminds me of how Saddam got 100% during one of his "elections" - before they hanged him.

Good ole Communist loving BBC.

CIA whistle-blower dies in Cuba

That's what the BBC call him.

"He caused outrage by naming former colleagues in a book called Inside the Company: CIA Diary. "

It's one thing to expose, whistle-blow if you will, things that might be illegal. It's treason when you name your country's undercover agents.

One has to wonder, if you accept some peoples assertion that Plame was "outed", why Richard Armitage, the State Deparment official who "outed" her, was never charged with treason; a fact that the special prosecutor knew before he charged anybody with anything. But I digress.

"Philip Agee did not survive surgery for perforated ulcers, his wife said. "

Oops. So much for the BBC's love of Cuba's vaunted medical care. Michael Moore call your office.

Cuba is a great place

That's what the BBC thinks.

Speaking of his being thrown out for not being more pro Cuban, Stephen Gibbs shows his bias towards Cuba.

"As the news spread that I was on my way out, my Cuban neighbours congratulated me on what they saw as a promotion. Sadly, and often inaccurately, many Cubans assume that anyone who is leaving the island is going on to better things. "

Yeah, Cuba is such a paradise people are risking death to get out. But according to Gibbs, Cuba is a such a great place why would anyone want to leave, even though he just told us this:

"Cuba is a place where almost all consumer items are prohibitively expensive, or, more likely, not available. And scarcity breeds desire.

Most Cubans, and plenty of foreigners living on the island, spend the majority of their time not thinking about the country's future, or transitional governments, or the health of Fidel Castro, but on rather more mundane things. Like how to find a square meal, a fridge that works, or an electric fan. "

But since the place is run by a Communist dictator the BBC just loves the place.

Cuba - Travel ban threat for Cuba boxers

So they won't defect. But according to the BBC Cuba is a wonderful place.

83 Cuban migrants detained off Mexican coast

According to the BBC Cuba is a paradise. So why are so many leaving?

Cuba - More Cubans leaving

But the BBC keeps reassuring us that Cuba is such a wonderful place. So why do so many Cubans want out?

"So far this fiscal year, 2,819 Cubans have made it ashore in Florida, compared with 3,076 in all of last year, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Zachary Mann."

With 5 months left in the year, they'll break last years record.

"The number of Cubans intercepted in the Florida Straits are still below -- but likely to exceed -- last year's 2,810, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

That was the highest number since the 1994 exodus when the Coast Guard picked up more than 35,000 people floating off Cuba in all kinds of rafts when Castro opened the doors briefly."

Remember this next time the BBC puts out a rosy picture of Cuba.