The Cuban 'Katrina'

IBD Editorials ^ | September 18, 2008

[Kaslin]

Cuba: Fidel Castro rejected two U.S. aid offers following major hurricanes. After lecturing us about "dignity," he then revealed his real game: to extract U.S. policy concessions and cash by using suffering as a wedge.

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nstead of accepting $5 million in no-strings U.S. aid as the island reels from terrible hurricanes, Castro used the disasters as an opportunity to demand a suspension of the U.S. trade embargo, while doing nothing to lighten his dictatorship.

Pretty nervy. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, on a visit to IBD this week, called the two hurricanes that blew through earlier this month "Cuba's Katrina" and described the thankless task of trying to offer Cuba help.

Cuban-born Gutierrez is co-chair of the U.S. Commission for a Free Cuba. Assessing the damage from afar, he said the communist island needed help. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike left "a scorched earth," according to Yoani Sanchez, who posted photographs of the devastation on her desdecuba.com/generaciony blog.

"The helplessness of the citizen before these catastrophes of weather is crushing," she wrote. "The state distribution structure cannot overcome the indolence and poor organization it demonstrates in other economic activities."

[AmericanMade1776]

How can anyone know what Fidel Castro said, or if he is still alive? Put Fidel on Live TV and let him address his grievances. Not going to happen, because I am pretty sure that Fidel is 1. Either not alive. or 2. on life support and about to die.

[AmericanMade1776]

Or if Fidel is still alive, but almost dead, he probably doesn’t care if anyone else in Cuba remains alive, as he is that kind of Dictator.

[Chode]

they shouldn't need one penny of ours since the RUSSIANS have sent them billions of rubles in disaster aid... ohh wait, they didn't??? never mind.

[TigersEye]

Why aren’t Michael Moore, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte down there helping out? /s