Checking the Horoscope on Cuba Policy
The Miami Herald Thursday, March 3rd, 2008
By Frank Calzon
Everyday I check my Horoscope to know whether U.S. Cuba policy is about to change. The Horoscope is often more accurate than the news being generated by the coalition of Washington advocacy groups, “think tanks” and organizations promoting “better relations” with the Castros’ Regime. It is appalling how frequently their clamor for change in U.S. Cuba policy ignores the savagery of Cuba’s unchanging regime that systematically denies basic human rights, kills and imprisons its political opponents, and continues to support anti-American violence around the world. More about that later.
Readers should know, that I am executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba, which sends to the island radios, books, pencils, pens, laptops, duplicating machines to Cuba trying to break the Castro brothers’ monopoly on information and to promote democracy, a rule of law and a peaceful transition to a free-market economy. That program is financed by a grant from the US Agency for International Development. On the other hand we can’t possibly match the spending the pro-Castro lobby is devoting to the support of policy changes that would prop up the Castro brothers.
The Center, however, made the news last week when a former employee working at the White House resigned. As reported by the Associated Press, “an aide to President Bush has resigned because of accusations concerning his misuse of grant money from the U.S. Agency for International Development.” The story quote White House spokesman Scott Stanzel saying that “[Felipe] Sixto took that step after learning his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba, was prepared to bring legal action against him.”
I want the readers of The Miami Herald to know that in late January, we discovered some problems, initiated an internal audit within two hours of our discovery, and alerted the U.S. Agency for International Development, as regulations require. We look forward to the government’s investigation in order, as I told The Washington Post “to get to the bottom of it.”
Sixto left the Center for a Free Cuba last summer. I am confident on the basis of the available information that no other past or present employee at the Center is involved. I am disappointed and dismayed at the turn of events, and as Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz Balart put it in their statement, am also “deeply disturbed by any allegations of misuse of taxpayers’ funds.” We at the Center join them in urging the Administration to “move thoroughly and swiftly in investigating all the facts in this matter.”
I appreciate the messages and calls of support received as news spread. None of us can allow this nightmare to deter us from our work to restore democracy to Cuba. Some will attempt to turn this misfortune into their own political advantage. The Castros’ lobby will rejoice. Yet, anonymous predictions of change, whether attributed to bureaucrats, insiders in the administration or politicos on the campaign trail are almost always self-serving.
Years ago how much the United States was spending to support democracy movements in Poland and other Eastern Europe countries, was not publicly discussed. The numbers were classified.
The courage of people in Eastern Europe was the most important factor in defeating communism there, but undeniably international solidarity and U.S. support played important roles, as the former presidents of Poland and Czechoslovakia, Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel, repeatedly have attested.
Then, as in Cuba now, human rights were important U.S. interests and policy concerns. Today it is no secret that the Center for a Free Cuba has received money from U.S. government agencies to help promote democracy in Cuba. We report these expenditures but, by law, we cannot expend a penny of those government funds to suggest, promote or defend U.S. Cuba policy within the United States. When we do defend U.S. policy, whatever expenses we incur are paid by money raised from private contributors.
That raises a question: How much is being spent today in Washington to change U.S. policy toward Cuba, to lift trade sanctions unilaterally and with no agreement to hold elections, release political prisoners, or even acknowledge human rights? Who finances the pro-Castro, anti-embargo lobby?
I think it’s time to answer those questions in the news pages and on the public airways. I also think that it’s time to relegate anonymous “predictions” of Cuba-policy changes to the Horoscope and amusement pages where they properly belong.
