Let me say two things about the movie Godfather II and Cuba:
1) It's a great movie; and,
2) It does not tell you the truth about the night Batista left.
Yes, Batista fled Cuba in the wee hours of January 1, 1959. It happened as most Cubans were celebrating the New Year or sleeping. There were no Americans rushing to their boats or rebels ready to blow themselves up.
How do I know this? I was a boy but my parents remember the events of that night rather well. They were on the phone for hours talking with friends and listening to the radio (and TV) about Batista's departure.
I bring this to your attention because of Senator Leahy's rather obnoxious remarks about Cuban Americans. This is from our friends at Capitol Hill Cubans:
"Positive change in Cuba will take time. But it will come not as a result of stubborn nostalgia by a vociferous few for the Batista years, but by visiting Cuba, listening to the Cuban people, and engaging with them."
This mindset is the reason why Senator Leahy sees no problemignoring Cuban dissidents or peddling favors for a Cuban spyconvicted for the murder of Americans.
Leahy is still fighting the 1959 Revolution, regurgitating Castro's propaganda and whitewashing its behavior.
Ironically, all three Cuban-American Senator's families (Cruz, Menendez and Rubio) fled the Batista dictatorship, prior to being betrayed by the Castro dictatorship.
The fact is Cuban-Americans simply want to see their homeland and brethren free.
But Leahy prefers to ignorantly stereotype and insult our community.
Sadly, this is one of the main architects of Obama's new Cuba policy.
Senator Leahy's is beyond stupid and ignorant. It is an
insult to the thousands who fought Batista and then broke with the Castro
dictatorship when he turned communist.
Again, let me tell you about my parents. They opposed Batista from the moment that he overthrew an elected government in 1953. They cheered when President Eisenhower cut the military assistance to Batista in 1958. My parents were hopeful that the arrival of Castro would put Cuba back on the path to elections and the 1940 Constitution.
Yes, our family opposes this arrangement with Cuba. We are not nostalgic for anything. We want to see human rights and the rule of law in Cuba.
Shame on Senator Leahy and remember this post the next time you watch Godfather II.
P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday July 29: A word about "Che merchandise" & US-Latin America stories of the week.... http://t.co/HCHuSCxD69
— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 29, 2015
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