http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cuba-news/ en-us Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:49:21 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285634/posts Ousted President Manuel Zelaya has vowed to return to Honduras on Sunday, despite being threatened with arrest. In a speech on the regional TV channel, Telesur, Mr. Zelaya said he woul arrive along with several other presidents. Mr. Zelaya, who was forced out by the military on Sunday, criticised the leaders of the interim government and described them as traitors. The Organization of American States is holding an extraordinary session and is expected to vote to suspend Honduras. "I am organising my return to Honduras....This is the return of the president elected by the soverign will of the people," he... BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285634/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:49:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283053/posts It has been interesting watching the response to the Honduran military's recent ousting its nation's president, Manuel Zelaya.  Barack Obama called the action "not legal" and Hillary Clinton said that the arrest of Zelaya should be condemned.  Most interesting, perhaps, is that taking this position places them shoulder to shoulder with Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega and Venezuelan's roaring mouse, Hugo Chavez, who is threatening military action against Honduras.  Now, some would say this is an eclectic group - others would say, not so much - regardless, what has gotten them so upset?  Let's start with what they say.  They are... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283053/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 05:42:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283014/posts WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday strongly condemned the ouster of Honduras’s president as an illegal coup that set a “terrible precedent” for the region, as the country’s new government defied international calls to return the toppled president to power and clashed with thousands of protesters. “We do not want to go back to a dark past,” Mr. Obama said, in which military coups override elections. “We always want to stand with democracy,” he added. The crisis in Honduras, where members of the country’s military abruptly awakened President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday and forced him out of the country in... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283014/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 03:55:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282973/posts Meeting in urgent session in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, the Organization of American States (OAS) issued a demand that Honduran President Manuel Zelaya be restored to power, calling his ouster earlier that day "an unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order." The OAS Permanent Council proclaimed that it would not recognize any government resulting from that "coup d'état." Pretty strong stuff--but too little, too late. Manuel Zelaya began his four-year term as president of the Central American Republic of Honduras in January 2006. The harsh fact is that most of his countrymen regarded Zelaya as a capricious blowhard who was too... Forbes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282973/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 02:45:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281810/posts In condemning the removal of Honduran President Mel Zelayaya by the Honduran military, Pesident Obama stands shoulder to shoulder with the Fidel Castro and his thug epigones Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega. Zelaya sought to conduct an illegal referendum to extend his rule. The Honduran military has sought to enforce the rule of law by providing for Zelaya's departure from the scene. Mary Anastasia Grady explains: Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States,... Powerline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281810/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:46:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281730/posts In condemning the removal of Honduran President Mel Zelayaya by the Honduran military, Pesident Obama stands shoulder to shoulder with the Fidel Castro and his thug epigones Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega. Zelaya sought to conduct an illegal referendum to extend his rule. The Honduran military has sought to enforce the rule of law by providing for Zelaya's departure from the scene. Mary Anastasia Grady explains: Powerline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281730/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:14:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279745/posts Iran's growing influence in Latin America is a "potential risk" to the region, the newly-appointed head of the US Southern Command, General Douglas Fraser has warned. Fraser, who on Thursday takes charge of US military operations in 31 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, expressed "real concern" about the Islamic Republic's links with "extremist organizations" in the region. "The real concern is not a nation-to-nation interaction, it is the connection that Iran has with extremist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and the potential risk that that could bring to this region," Fraser told journalists ahead of taking up the... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279745/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:48:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277944/posts Defense: The former presidential candidate argues the U.S. should stop and board the North Korean ship if we know it carries banned cargo. Some say it would be an act of war. So is firing missiles at Hawaii.Some say it would be an act of war. So was the naval blockade of Cuba in October 1962 in a confrontation with an infinitely more dangerous foe. Sometimes it's just necessary to exert military pressure to call someone's bluff and nip a growing threat in the bud. The U.S. Navy is tracking a North Korean ship under new U.N. resolution 1874 that... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277944/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:13:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276773/posts People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is glorifying the murderous legacy of communist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara with a sexy, semi-nude photo of his granddaughter dressed in his iconic style. Lydia Guevara, 24, will appear in a new PETA advertisement wearing camouflage pants, a beret and a bandolier made of carrots, instead of bullets, asking others to "join the vegetarian revolution." Miss Guevara lives in the United States, but this ad will be targeted toward audiences in South America. PETA spokesman Michael McGraw has told the press that the campaign is "an homage of sorts to her late... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276773/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:48:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276033/posts PETA: Murder boys but not flies! Posted: June 20, 2009 By Humberto Fontova "Human beings often don't think before they act," laments PETA while explaining their reaction to President Obama's unthinking fly "execution." "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals." Close on the heels of their consciousness-raising campaign for fly compassion, PETA has launched a vegetarian campaign using Che Guevara's 24 year-old granddaughter, Lydia, dolled up in commie beret and topless, though strategically covered by twin bandoliers of carrots. "Join the Vegetarian Revolution!" reads the campaign's slogan, which will debut in Argentina (no... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276033/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:11:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275866/posts The fate of three of nine foreigners abducted in Yemen last week is known — their bodies were found, shot execution style. The whereabouts of the other six — including three children under the age of 6 — remain a mystery. But terrorism experts say their abductors and killers are almost certainly not a mystery. They say the crimes bear the mark of Al Qaeda, and they fear they are the handiwork of the international terror organization's No. 2 man in the Arabian Peninsula: Said Ali al-Shihri, an Islamic extremist who once was in American custody — but who was... FOX News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275866/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:34:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275203/posts Forget the mission of Cuba to the OAS or the moves by the Obama Administration to have a constructive dialogue with Cuba. Let’s face it, change needs to come from the people on the island. To see that change, we need to focus on the grassroots. Like a breath of fresh air, things are shifting within Cuba. Non-violent civic movements are gaining attention and influence both on and off the island. Hope is being restored for the ever so desperate youth. With acclaim both on and off the island most people think of Yoani Sanchez as the guiding light for... The Voice magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275203/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:41:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274893/posts NEW YORK – The granddaughter of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara is at the forefront of another revolution — for vegetarianism. Lydia Guevara poses semi-nude in a PETA campaign that tells viewers to "join the vegetarian revolution," said PETA spokesman Michael McGraw. The print campaign is expected to debut in October in magazines and posters, McGraw said. It will be launched first in Argentina, where Che Guevara was born, and then internationally. PETA approached the 24-year-old in recent months after finding out she was a vegetarian, AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274893/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:07:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274380/posts The arrest of Walter Kendall Myers and his wife demonstrates the extent to which the Cuban Intelligence Service has penetrated and manipulated American academic institutions. Myers...worked as instructor and chairman for West European Studies at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute. Myers received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. The same institution in 1988 awarded a master's degree to Ana Belen Montes, the key Pentagon intelligence analyst on Cuba pleaded guilty to working for Cuban intelligence...Cuban intelligence has targeted American colleges and universities for nearly half a century. The FBI debriefed DGI Capt.... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274380/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:08:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273379/posts The man who duped Fidel Castro's son Antonio into thinking he was carrying on a six-month online virtual affair with a Colombian beauty told ABC News the young Castro bragged about his life of international travel, easy access to money and hob-nobbing with world leaders and celebrities. Luis Dominguez, a 46-year-old Cuban activist from Miami, said that posing as "Claudia Valencia," a 20-something brunette beauty from Cartagena, Colombia, he engaged in an online flirtation with Antonio "Tony" Castro Soto del Valle. "Claudia" and Castro exchanged e-mails, Internet chats, and at one point even used streaming live Web video to communicate. ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273379/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:25:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271880/posts Kendall Myers, 72, who appeared in federal court in Washington on Wednesday charged with spying for Havana for nearly 30 years, had a fascination with Northern Ireland. The Daily Telegraph has established that as well as seeking the envoy's post, which carried the rank of ambassador, Mr Myers travelled to the British Isles and met British and Irish officials, senior Northern Ireland politicians and intelligence officers. .... "Anything this guy could have found from his European responsibilities he might have funnelled to the Cubans for them to sell off," said John Bolton, a former top State Department official in the... telegraph.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271880/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:23:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270661/posts Walter Kendall Myers, the State Department analyst accused of spying for Havana for 30 years, made me lose my innocence soon after I started working at the department in late 2006. I learned because of him that...there is a substratum of officials whose personal ideology permits them to tolerate the unforgivable... This epiphany came because of remarks Mr. Myers made to an audience at Johns Hopkins University...about our closest ally, the United Kingdom. Mr. Myers' comments were indiscreet, contemptible and may have even broken the law. They should by all rights have gotten Mr. Myers fired and earned him rebuke...Instead,... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270661/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:22:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269729/posts Where Else Are the Castro Spies? by Humberto Fontova Last week, the FBI arrested a well-born State Department intelligence analyst and his wife for conspiracy to commit espionage for the Castro regime. David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security, described the case against Walter “Kendall” Myers and his wife Gwendolyn as “incredibly serious,” and Secretary of State Clinton called it an “outrageous violation,” while ordering a top-to-bottom review of the State Department's security procedures. “Cuban spies can be especially difficult to catch,” lament U.S. intelligence officials, “because the Cuban government specializes in recruiting ''true believers'' rather than agents who... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269729/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:13:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269669/posts A magistrate judge denied bail yesterday to a retired State Department analyst and his wife who are accused of spying for Cuba, saying that there is a "very strong" case against them and that the couple would be tempted to flee. The judge also noted that Walter Kendall Myers, 72, and his wife, Gwendolyn, 71, had marked on their calendar a yacht trip to the Caribbean in November with no return date... "To put it bluntly, the government's case seems at this point insuperable," wrote U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola... Myers and his wife were arrested last week and... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269669/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:11:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267675/posts National Security: Amid all the neighborly talk about new U.S. efforts to engage Cuba, the arrest of a State Department official as a Cuban spy ought to be a wake-up call about the intentions of the Castro dictatorship.Last Friday, federal agents arrested Walter Kendall Myers, 72, and his wife Gwendolyn, 71, as unregistered Cuban agents. The Feds said the pair had been spying for Cuba since 1979 and, like other agents in service to the Castro regime, didn't do it for money, but out of sympathy for communism and a loathing of the United States. For that, they stole not... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267675/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 01:49:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267126/posts If you haven't seen this item before, blame your national media (although Fox had it). Gateway Pundit reproduced this dispatch from Reuters: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday that he and Cuban ally Fidel Castro risk being more conservative than U.S. President Barack Obama as Washington prepares to take control of General Motors Corp. During one of Chavez's customary lectures on the "curse" of capitalism and the bonanzas of socialism, the Venezuelan leader made reference to GM's bankruptcy filing.... "Hey, Obama has just nationalized nothing more and nothing less than General Motors. Comrade Obama! Fidel, careful or we are... NewBusters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267126/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 13:46:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266740/posts MIAMI – Bernard Leon Barker, one of the five Watergate burglars whose break-in led to America's biggest political scandal, died Friday in suburban Miami. He was 92. The Cuban-born former CIA operative who also participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion died at his home after being taken to the Veteran's Administration Medical Center the night before, said his stepdaughter, Kelly Andrad. He appeared to have died from complications of lung cancer, and he had also suffered from heart problems. Barker was one of five men who broke into the Watergate building in Washington on June 17, 1972. A piece... Yahoo - AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266740/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jun 2009 19:29:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266577/posts He was a courtly State Department intelligence analyst from a prominent family who loved to sail and peruse the London Review of Books. Occasionally, he would voice frustration with U.S. policies, but to his liberal neighbors in Northwest D.C. it was nothing out of the ordinary. "We were all appalled by the Bush years," one said. What Walter Kendall Myers kept hidden, according to documents unsealed in court Friday, was a deep and long-standing anger toward his country, an anger that allegedly made him willing to spy for Cuba for three decades. "I have become so bitter these past few... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266577/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jun 2009 12:35:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266439/posts Fidel Castro called the case of two Americans accused of spying for Cuba "strange" Saturday and questioned whether the timing of their arrests was politically motivated. In an essay read by a newscaster on state television, the former Cuban leader noted that the retired Washington couple were taken into custody just 24 hours after the Organization of American States voted to lift a decades-old suspension of Cuba's membership in that group. Though the U.S. ultimately supported the OAS vote Wednesday, the administration of President Barack Obama initially wanted to see more democratic reforms on the communist island before Cuba was... AP via Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266439/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jun 2009 02:08:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266383/posts Hunting spies is difficult, but Cuban spies are notoriously hard to detect, former senior intelligence officials said a day after an American husband and wife were indicted on charges of spying for Cuba. Walter Kendall Myers and his wife Gwendolyn of Washington were arrested Thursday after a three-year investigation that began before Myers' retirement from the State Department in 2007. They had been spying for Havana for 30 years, according to the U.S. government. Investigations like this typically take years to come together because they usually turn on small pieces of information, and Cuban spies often leave few traces. Cuban... AP via Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266383/posts#comment Sat, 6 Jun 2009 23:16:07 GMT