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Related: About this forumThe Cuban Five Case at 15 Years - an interview with Danny Glover
The Cuban Five Case at 15 Years - an interview with Danny Glover
The hypocrisy of the U.S. “war on terror” jumps out in how Cuban-exile terrorists are protected in Miami as U.S. officials hunt down Islamic terrorists across the globe. The U.S. even imprisoned five Cuban spies who sought to disrupt terror attacks being planned in Miami, as Dennis J Bernstein and Danny Glover discuss.
more ... http://www.freethefive.org/updates/USMedia/USMDanny91713.htm
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Judi Lynn
(160,555 posts)Miami NPR affiliate spikes spy-book author interview to not upset Cuban exiles
@MarcACaputo
It's tough to top Juan Tamayo's story today story about a Miami radio station's self-censorship of a Canadian author. It evokes so many passions and speaks so much about living here: spies, fear of angry Cuban exiles, crime, justice.
But it's also a tale of journalism and the abdication of it by WLRN (an NPR affiliate and Miami Herald news partner) for canceling discussion of What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five, which attacks the Miami trial of the now-convicted spies.
WLRN's Joseph Cooper, executive producer of Topical Currents, believes the five are Cuban agents. Cooper's probably right. But author Stephen Kimber, apparently, is "presupposing the innocence of the Cuban Five,” Cooper said.
Cooper basically says he canceled the interview because he didn't want to upset the Cuban-American exile community, which likely then wouldn't donate money: “In my fiduciary capacity I have a responsibility to the community and WLRN and I made the decision after very careful consideration... For this community, it just seemed a little too much.”
More:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/09/miami-npr-affiliate-spikes-spy-book-author-interview-to-not-upset-cuban-exiles.html#storylink=cpy
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Mika
(17,751 posts)He referred to the couple of us, who supported ending the embargo/travel sanctions on Cuba, on a panel discussion on WLRN's local show Topical Currents, as "Castro supporters".
Needless to say, it was way over the top, got us soundly jeered by the crowd, endangered our lives and livelihoods, and I had my car vandalized in the station's "secured" parking lot.
He's an asshat and a half.
Judi Lynn
(160,555 posts)They know, when they are in their element, every dirty insult they throw at the pro-Cuban people people will energize the lunatic fringe with whom they wallow.
It seems when a crowd does something to a person they view as their enemy, no one will be harmed besides the outsider.
I, like you, recall the protests outside the Los Van Van concert when "exiles" threw frozen canned Cokes, D-cell batteries, rocks, and baggies of human excrement at concert goers. (I can't remember if you were there or not, but I know you know all about it, of course.)
They carry their victims off and the hate party continues!
You are one courageous man to deliberate go to a debate among these fiendish hardliners. That takes real nerves of steel!
He IS one and a half asshat, at least!
Mika
(17,751 posts)Although, the lunatic fringe is getting smaller. The new generation is more pragmatic about it all, thankfully.
Thanks for the comment. 
Mika
(17,751 posts)NEWS FLASH: Here is the response from WRLN to all the opposition they heard to their decision not to interview Stephen Kimber. Note that taking action does pay off!
So, from WLRN:
As a result, we want to apologize to our South Florida listeners for the decision made this week by Joseph Cooper, the host of WLRN’s “Topical Currents” show, to cancel an interview with the author of a controversial new book on the so-called Cuban Five, the Cuban spies who were convicted of espionage charges here in 2001. The book argues that the Cubans are innocent, a claim that Mr. Cooper deemed too “incendiary” for this community to hear – a judgment that I and the rest of WLRN’s management strongly disagree with. Mr. Cooper’s decision, in fact, was was made without our knowledge, and it in no way reflects – in fact, it blatantly contradicts – who we are and what we do as South Florida’s source for public radio news and discussion.
It also belies the recent launch of WLRN’s efforts to provide our listeners with more coverage of Latin American news and issues, and that includes more open forums on Cuba policy.
We want to do more than express a mea culpa, however. We want to make this right. As a result, WLRN’s news division (to which Mr. Cooper does not belong) will be interviewing Stephen Kimber, the author of What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five, this Friday on its weekly Florida Roundup show. We will accord Mr. Kimber his say, but we will also ask him our own hard questions about his claims. Just as important, joining the show will an expert to rebut those claims – and that person will also be asked hard questions about the Cuban Five episode.
WLRN values the trust of its listeners above all else, and we promise to work even harder after this week’s controversy to deserve it.
John Labonia
General Manager, WLRN
You can listen to WLRN's radio shows here ... http://wlrn.org/radio
Just click on the "Listen" link.
Judi Lynn
(160,555 posts)Thank you, Mika. Never expected this could happen. Wow. n/t
Judi Lynn
(160,555 posts)Last edited Thu Sep 19, 2013, 04:40 PM - Edit history (2)
Cuban Five: Justice or Injustice draws 200
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Posted by: Joe Libertelli
Cuban Five: Justice or Injustice?
(To See all event photos, click HERE: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/udc-dcsl/sets/72157635510484071/ )
On September 13, 2013 nearly 200 gathered in the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law Moot Court Room for a panel discussion entitled The Cuban Five: Justice or Injustice that headlined actor/activist Danny Glover. Moderated by School of Law Professor Crisarla Houston, the panel included Gloria La Riva, Coordinator of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five; Richard Klugh, trial and appellate attorney for The Five; Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the Civil Justice Fund; and Eugene Puryear, a Howard University undergraduate, author and activist. School of Law alumni director Joe Libertelli and law student Jino Ray made brief welcoming remarks. In attendance were numerous law students, law alumni, faculty and staff, as well as University Board Chair Elaine Crider, among others.
Ms. La Riva started off the panel by providing historical context, describing the modern history of US/Cuban relations from the late 50s onward, beginning with the Batista regime and its overthrow by Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. She described how many Cubans opposed to the revolution settled in Miami, Florida and detailed a few of the numerous illegal and violent efforts by them, often aided and abetted by the US government, to disrupt and overthrow the Cuban government.
Mr. Klugh described some of the more recent history of violence against Cuba in the 1990s which led to the efforts of The Five to infiltrate and investigate the groups planning this violence and highlighted the irony of their jailing for their efforts to thwart illegal violence. Their prosecution, he maintained, was the only one in American jurisprudential history to proceed with charges of conspiracy to commit espionage against defendants who were never accused of even attempting an act of espionage.
Mr. Glover spoke with eloquence and passion about the injustice of The Five’s incarceration and of his own longstanding relationship with the men and his ongoing visits to them in prison. He exhorted those in attendance to join together to fight for justice and argued that the current halt to what appeared to be an impending war against Syria came about in large part as a result of people organizing and speaking out.
More:
http://www.law.udc.edu/news/139441/Cuban-Five-Justice-or-Injustice-draws-200.htm
