“‘I would like to make an appeal to the world’s conscience,’ Paya said. ‘It seems like there is a lot of indifference about the reality of human rights in Cuba.’” Another important article about Cuba, in the Washington Post. Note the emphasis on the 75 dissidents arrested in the crackdown of spring 2003. This issue […]
The director of the National Library of Cuba has been e-mailing me fairly regularly (the messages are forwarded through an American librarian). I have been preparing responses to his messages, but have not rushed to publish because I wanted to get my citations correct (and frankly, because I have been busy with managing my running-dog […]
Arthur Miller, “A Visit with Castro.” The Nation: January 12, 2004 Miller reports on a visit to Cuba, in which Castro is “a handsome old clock that no longer tells the time correctly and bongs haphazardly in the middle of the night, disturbing the house.” Joan Smith & Adolfo Fernandez Sainz, “Writers in prison: The […]
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0405/hentoff.php “It is hard for me to believe that the majority of rank-and-file librarians agree with the spinelessness of their governing council, which couldn’t bring itself to ask the luminous Fidel Castro to let these people go. … I now publicly renounce the Immroth Award and demand that the American Library Association remove me from […]
See: Carrying Fidel’s water, http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/nhentoff.htm This is pretty much how it went down at ALA Midwinter, although I hope we can later see the transcripts and look more closely at the discussion. In all fairness to my association, our internal discussion about Cuba has long been co-opted by the more extreme voices on the right, […]
Sandy Berman, who was honored in absentia at ALA’s January, 2004 midwinter meeting in San Diego, wrote this after the conference: “If any SRRTer [member of the Social Responsibilities Roundtable] truly believes that opposing the Draconian 2003 crackdown on Cuban dissidents and demanding both their release from prison and return of all confiscated materials fully […]
The Campaign for Peace and Democracy has two excellent statements about Cuba on its Web site to add to your collection of sensible critiques of the policies of both the United States and Cuba. These statements strike exactly the right balance, neither forgiving of ludicrous, jingoistic U.S. policies or unsparing of the spring 2003 crackdown […]
This is a short, readable discussion about human rights in Cuba, from Human Rights Watch. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2003/12/31/cuba7002.htm Bookmark to:
Nat Hentoff’s response to “ALA AND CUBA: who’s afraid of Nat Hentoff” FROM Library Journal Academic newswire. Jan. 22, 2004 The letter that follows my comments below was republished with Mr. Hentoff’s permission and encouragement. Nat, good for you! This morning I was spending thought and prayer on this issue, trying to decide how to […]
I am posting this message verbatim. I have a lot to say about it, but I thought it would be worth putting it out there for you to read “as-is.” Well, I’ll make this one comment–the U.S. embargo didn’t “cause” the arrest of the Cuban dissidents. That’s “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” logic, and it […]