[lbo-talk] Re: Lbo-talk digest, Vol 1 #345 - 10 msgs

[BradHatch]

> --__--__--
>
> Message: 1
> From: "Nathan Newman" <nathanne at nathannewman.org>
> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Re: Cuba Petition
> Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 19:06:01 -0400
> Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "BradHatch" <bradhatch3 at earthlink.net>
> >I'm also curious as to why so many on the left want to buy into the
> >rightwings distorted view of human rights. Is Cuba's human rights record
so
> >much worse than the other countries in the region? Why put so much
scrutiny
> >into the jailing of every dissident in Cuba when Columbia has the worst
> >record of murdered journalists and Union organizers? Or overlooking
Mexicos
> >human rights record in Chiapis?
>
> First, what are you talking about? Human rights activists and unions have
> been screaming about the murder of Columbian unionists as one of their top
> issues for a number of years.  And Chiapas has been a top item among left
> activists since 1994.   Cuba is not worse in jailing so many dissidents
than
> Columbia, but it should be condemned just as we condemn the murder of
> Columbian unionists.
>
> -- Nathan Newman
>
>

But Nathan, my point is that the human rights records of these other
countries hardly get the attention they deserve by  our government and the
mainstream media while every human rights offense in Cuba is scrutinized and
treated as if it's so unusual. And like just about everyone else on this
list I to think the Cuban regime does deserve some critisism but not without
pointing out the regional and historical context of these human rights
abuses. I'd like to ask you the other participants of this list who have
more knowlege of Cuban history than I do, if you think human rights in Cuba
are worse than they were under the US backed Batista regime?  Also, are
these abuses worse than in other countries in the region that are under US
control politically and economically? And if the answer to these questions
is no, then I would think it's hypocritical to be signing a petition
condeming a regime whose human rights record is much better than those in
the region under US hegemen.