The USA drums are beating and Cuba is now in its crosshairs. First, some quick history. Cuba was colonized by Spain and by the late 1800, rebels were challenging this colonial rule. The USA had completed Manifest Destiny and acquired Alaska and Hawaii, one by purchase, the other by force at the behest of the Dole Corporation to grow pineapples, and was looking for new acquisitions and conquests. Using the pretext of coming to Cuba to assist the rebels, but actually to prevent them from achieving their goals of independence, socialism and land reform, the USA sent the battleship Maine to Havana, blew it up in Havana harbor and blamed Spain. And so began the Spanish American War. After a few months of fighting, the victorious USA acquired Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam and took control of Cuba’s governance, selecting leaders supportive of USA imperialism. Aka–no socialism and land reform for you, Cuba. In 1959, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara overthrew the last USA puppet, Batista, and took control of Cuba on 1/1/1959.
Since that time, the USA has overly and covertly challenged Cuban independence, its Communist regime and nationalization of resources that dispossessed USA nationals of resources and commerce. The 60+ year USA blockade of the island nation sanctions trading partners and recently took over the government Venezuela, its sole supplier of fuel. In the last few weeks, the USA has accused Cuba of obtaining weaponized drones that could reach Miami and has indicted its former president Raul Castro for the 1996 shoot down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes over their airspace.
VoR welcomed Shafeah M’Balia into the studio to talk about her trips to Cuba, the current state of the country weakened after the 60+ years of blockade, sanctions, and loss of oil. Shafeah urged us to register for and watch an upcoming June 1 webinar about Cuba at The Communiversity at https://thecommuniversitysouth.org. VoR will keep our listeners and visitors to our FB page informed about efforts in the Savannah area come together to support Cuba, especially to donate mutual aid, especially medical aid, to be taken to Cuba.
- 12:00pm Finding Happiness Episode 43 by Robert Pawlicki on FInding Happiness
