Mariela Castro Espin, daughter of Cuban dictator Raul Castro and director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), used a visit to the U.S. to criticize American policy and endorse President Obama.
Last week, Castro received a U.S. visa for the first time in 10 years to attend the Latin American Studies Association Conference in San Francisco. This at a time when Cubans who speak up against the misery, hopelessness, and repression on the island are repeatedly jailed, harassed or, like dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, denied authorization to travel.
Castro called those who support preserving the Cuban embargo until there is real democracy on the island “a Cuban mafia” and a “small group of delinquents” with ‘no scruples.” Castro defended the rights of all Americans to travel to Cuba but said nothing about the onerous controls and denial of exit visas routinely practiced by the Cuban regime. Castro has also been an active spokesperson for the Cuban regime in challenging the legality of the conviction and imprisonment of five Cuban intelligence operatives in Florida in the late 1990s.
Castro was fulsome in praising her father and uncle Fidel’s regime: “The Revolution has grown in Cuba, and it’s been more than 50 years now. The Cuban people have been the victims of state terrorists, of the economic blockade against Cuba, campaigns to…misinform the world’s population about the power of a revolution.” She praised the “power of emancipation through socialism.” On the other hand, anyone opposed to the Castro regime she has denounced as a “despicable parasite” in “the pay of the U.S.” Yet who, asked Yoani Sanchez, has questioned Castro’s role as a “mercenary” of the Castro regime?
Let the Dictator shake his buttocks too.
In the first place, the fact that the daughter of Cuban dictator Raul Castro is the director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) is a reflection of what is going on in Cuba. Many thousands of homosexuals where in prison in concentration camps while Mariela Castro leaved in privilege.
I write with no anger in my heart and not desired of revenge, I am totally against any violence but the truth have to be spoken. To offer a speaking platform to a representative of the most methodic violator of human right is a cretin action of the President Obama administration. I consider President a good-hearted decent person but very naïve when it comes to Cuba. Yes we most engage Cuba but we most required reciprocity.
Cuba can release political prisoners and that looks like progress, but is of no significance because the Cuban Dictator can produce political prisoners any time he want. They knock your door in the middle of the night and you are a prisoner.
Cuba cannot produce much of anything. But the can produce a lot of prisoners.
The prime directive of the Dictator is to stay in power at all cost. And the Castro brother has shown to be very good at it. Do not offer the courtesy of a visa to a member of an oppressive Dictatorship without getting something on return. If the State Department wants to dance with the Cuban Dictator Let the Dictator shake his buttocks too.
Obama is favorable to control freaks. He's the top of his change for America from respecting the value of individualism to control freaks of the nation!!!! He needs 3rd world mentoring now more than ever because he and his freaks of the nation are losing! She can bash the U.S. all she wants when she can hide behind the biggest basher!
Just another freak nation imposing their freak ways onto us … who cares what this lady thinks?
We have free speech in this country Mariela Castro Espin exercised that right. We may not agree with her but she is free to speak her mind
at America's costs?
I wonder if I had the same privilege of a visa into Cuba…would I be 'free to speak my mind'?? If not, we should not grant them ANY freedom to speak their minds in OUR country AGAINST our country. Go home and stay there!
NOT in our country!
Her speech isn't free, she's highly paid by the American government corrupt!
NOT HERE! — Quid pro quo — Know what that means? — Same as "tit-for tat".
I'll explain:
People who do not recognize other peoples' most basic natural rights (like free speech) thereby forfeit their own! What principle could be simpler, I ask?
Again, censoring an encouraged 'opinion' – where is the 'free(dom) to speak my mind'?
Mariela is already brainwashed by the ruthless communist-socialistic government of Cuba! Why doesn't she go on the Internet and find the truth about her own country? If she is allowed to??? Also, Obama says nothing about her endorsement!!!! Well! Are we really surprised about Comrade Barack Obama?