Casa Cubana

FOR US, THE WORST THING IS TO FIND OURSELVES ABANDONED BY OUR CONTINENT

Few things in the Cuban present ordeal are as hurtful as the official conduct of Spain, our mother country. Also repugnant is the behavior of some Spaniards who are very selfish and have a poor understanding; these Spaniards have helped the Cuban regime (not the Cuban people) which has oppressed the Cuban people with blood and poverty.

The governments of many brother countries have behaved very similarly to Spain with respect to Cuba. Disregarding the Cuban people, these brother countries have helped the Castro regime for two reasons: With the purpose of hurting us the Cuban people, and to hurt the United States somehow, at least by ridiculing them for their Cuban embargo.

1. This behavior is espoused by a number of "brother" governments, first by neighbors, and Mexico in the first place. Yes, Mexico, which is a political shame because it is a nation which serves only one class of people: the people in the political party which has taken over power and has sequestered the nation for more than half a century.

2. In second place is Colombia, a nation with no illiterates and possibly the richest of all America due to its natural resources. It has a magnificent population, but it has a drive for wealth which has led it to be a major international social danger.

3. In third place is Venezuela, which accompanied them until recently while governed by the morally unfit Carlos Andres Perez.

However, the truth of the matter is that most of the damage to Cuba and to itself has been done by the United States. This, in spite of the evident truths regarding the Cuban-American present. The United States has not taken an appropriate route to benefit all those concerned.

The truth about the attitude of the United States is the fact that they do not face what is threatening us and themselves. This darkens and creates doubts about our future and that of America. More importantly, it causes a lot of continental disorientation and it hurts themselves. The United States could avoid this situation if they would show respect for our solidarity friendship which has existed for several centuries between us. This is so according to profuse and telling testimonies in the history of our nations. This historical testimony disqualifies the dark vision of the more recent North American governments toward Cuba. But this darkness, which is almost blinding, possibly may be overcome by a ray of light which already illuminates both the US Congress and US Senate. This will be a very beneficial continental light in several critical aspects relating to the changes that are breeding for the 21st Century.

A number of years back the Cuban people, sons of a nation which was not yet a nation, saw it fit to support the North American independence effort. Let's say that we dragged King of Spain Charles III into that effort, even though he was very fearful of it because it would pose a bad example for Central and South America which were under his colonial domination. He took that step due to the efforts of a Cuban, Juan Miralles, who was named personal representative of the Marquis de la Torre, Governor of the Island of Cuba. Juan Miralles went before the Philadelphia Congress and was close to General George Washington.

It was Miralles that formed troops under Spanish command (not North American command). The troops were totally Cuban and batallions of mulatto and negro free men from Havana, Cubans offered their lives at the battles of Mobile, Pensacola and Florida. These battles were fought for the freedom of the United States under General Jose M. Cajigal, born in Santiago de Cuba city. Due to the promotion and triumph of these battles, a spirit for the war of independence of the United States developed in Cuba. This spirit HELPED WASHINGTON AT A VERY CRITICAL MOMENT OF THE WAR to receive funds. The funds were COLLECTED BY THE LADIES OF HAVANA, CUBA and included cash and jewelry. The value of the funds, estimated in today's equivalent, was $25 MILLION DOLLARS, which were sent to Washington for his troops [at Valley Forge].

This deed was inspired by Miralles because he developed the conditions so that King Charles III would honor the Family Pact signed with France with its declaration of war to England, a very serious compromise toward that purpose.

But let's remember, because the manner in which the money was collected in Havana, Cuba for General Washington means a lot for today's North American. Because it seems to us that President Clinton, and some of his assessors, and the gentlemen at the Pentagon who with some Russian colleagues examined the Cuban case and determined that the Cuban people should remain under Castro, never knew or have forgotten that the Cuban ladies who collected the money in Havana which Washington needed [at Valley Forge] said that it was for the purpose that "THE AMERICAN CHILDREN WON'T BE BORN SLAVES", Whose slaves? England's.

The objective was accomplished by those ladies. But today, and that's the sad part, the children of North American women are failing us in their reciprocating the benefit which they received and they enjoy today thanks to the Cuban ladies.

Then, can the US shrug its shoulders, look with relative indifference at the Cuban situation? In view of the history of both of our peoples, especially before the moral canons of ethics which are absolutely mandatory because they are imposed by our neighboring situation: It cannot. Furthermore, I believe that the attitude that the Executive of this nation takes regarding the Cuban situation is not only hurting us, but it hurts itself. And then it is hurting itself in an irreparable manner.

But we must say one thing: the only parties who are responsible for the misfortune of Cuba are ourselves. And whatever misfortune Cuba suffers, the only responsible parties, the only ones who will suffer the consequences, are its children. The situation is repairable. It does not matter what magnitude the threat is. Thus we will again be, in essence, the Cubans that we once were. Quoting Marti's words, whole Cubans, and not the half-humans that we appear to be, carrying the baton of an officer in our backpack even though we are only enlisted men.

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English translation by Lillian Martinez de Simmons.

Source: "Casa Cubana - Nuestra Cuba, La de Ayer y la de Hoy, Y cual podria ser la de Manana" by Tulio Diaz Rivera, 4271 NW 4th St., Miami, FL 33126.

Other chapters in the same book:

I. Algunos aspectos de la crisis cubana y las experiencias que pueden sernos provechosas a la sufrida por el pueblo aleman despues de la segunda guerra mundial.

II. Cuestiones a examinar en relacion con la reprivatizacion de inmuebles y negocios.

Copyright © 1997, Lillian Martinez
Revised -- 1/29/97; 8/5/05
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