Many Australian- Cuban
friendship societies must now be wondering about their future. For many years
such organisations have worked at raising funds to help Cuba survive the
ravages of the up-front US aggression. Cuba has suffered bombings, booby traps,
at least eleven attempts on the life of Fidel Castro, to say nothing of the murder
of a complete plane load of young Cubans returning to Cuba from a children’s sporting
event.
But recently, the United States
had begun to talk of easing tensions between the two sovereign nations. Cuba
was even taken off the list of countries the USA considered “Terrorist
supporting States”. When this is finally
legislated, it will mean countries such as Australia will be able to forward
money to Cuban projects through their local bank. American tourists were
preparing to flood into Cuba and share their good life.
Australians were recently
disgusted to learn, from their own bank, that they could still not send money
to Cuba because the American banks had been ordered to confiscate all funds
heading to Cuba. Australians were
shocked to learn that more than 40% of all Australian financial societies and
banks were controlled by the Bank of New York. Many Australians were puzzled to
wonder just who owned Australia.
However, US organisations are
still encouraged to send vast sums of money to Cuba. Unfortunately, that money
is not intended to help the Cuban population, or government.
According to a UK report on
this financial largesse, the US Committee on appropriations has just approved
the sum of US$30 million for “programmes to strengthen democracy and to strengthen
civil society in Cuba, of which no less than eight million will go to NED.”
NED is the National Endowment
for Democracy, a fund used by the US to undermine left-wing and socialist
governments and to support opposition groups by supposedly promoting
“democracy”.
Organisations such as the
Australia-Cuba Friendship Society are concerned by the weakening American
attitude to democratic values. That revolutionary nation split from Imperial
Britain with the demand that “All men are created Equal.” The USA fought for
justice and social cohesion. Things have changed. Instead of the “International
Helper”, the US now stomps around the world like the overweight, school bully.
But the bully is losing weight - the rest of the school has ganged-up against him.
In this turmoil, right-wing
organisations throughout the USA grow stronger – parallel to the entire US
economy sliding towards a ruinous depression. The once proud USA now barely
keeps its head above water, buoyed-up by the mostly-secret business selling weapons
of mass destruction. It was probably, ever so.
Australian soldiers on Gallipoli would have been shocked to learn that
most of the bombs and bullets raining down on them were sold to the Turks by
the Woolwich Arsenal in England. American soldiers are suffering the same fate.
But such is the environmental state of America with race hate, closed factories,
increasing violence, that Washington tries to distract the population with incessant
rhetoric about “patriotic” wars and the stress of overcrowded jails. America is
floundering in its own figurative and literal garbage. The days when the USA
led the world in economic and cultural values are all but gone. The USA is now
little more than a writhing wounded snake. Australians know, only too well,
that a wounded snake - is extremely dangerous.
There may well be a reader of
this blog who has had experience of training, or even domesticating, wounded
snakes. That person may even yet, have knowledge of how to cope with such
reptiles. If so, please send in your comments. Our situation is urgent. We have been
bitten so often, our situation is not only critical, but unstable. We need to urgently inoculate
against the venom of the writhing wounded-snake.
VIVA
VIVA
.