andie nachgeborenen wrote:
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> You gonna speak up about this? Cause if you don't, you have no right to tut tut the Cubans, and if we don't, none of us will have any rights at all. If you don't, you're a traitor to the human race. I don't want to hear another fucking word from you about Cuba until I see the petition yoi've organized on behalf of "the Democratic Left" to get Jose Padilla in front of a judge with a lawyer representing him and some showing on probable cause. Just for starters.
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I believe you are angry.
I'm sort of sick.
I blew up off the top of my head when I first saw the Z petition, but when I saw the debate spiral on several lists, what began to sink in was how god damn divisive such a petition was.
There might be some justification if there were any reason to suppose that it would actually change anything for the better in Cuba (whatever that might mean) -- but since it sure as hell won't, it becomes merely personal indulgence on the part of those signing it. And it accomplishes absolutely nothing beyond creating a barnyard brawl among u.s. leftists who had just begun, it seemed to me, to be drawing together.
Horrors in the Mideast. The Patriot Act at home. Possible nuclear war in Korea.
And people who are almost sacred icons on the left start circulating a meaningless petition about the threat to enlightement values in Cuba.
I've been slipping into a depression anyhow for about 4 weeks. I blew up at a public meeting early in April -- something I haven't done in over 5 years. That was probably a signal that I was slipping a bit. I'm probably going to pull out of it quickly -- being retired and no grades to make out helps! -- and it's mild, but this sure as hell doesn't help.
Carrol