BAY OF PIGS REVIVED

BAY OF PIGS REVIVED

(Kyle Blaser, Jacob Bercovitch, Richard Jackson)

(William Eckhardt, Adolfo Rivero Caro, J.A. Sierra, Hugh Thomas)

(Louis A. Perez Jr. Dr. Ridgely Muhammad, Michael Doyle, McClatchy News)

(Anne Branscomb, John T. Woolley, Peters Gerhard, Daniel Metcalfe, Frazer Chronicle)

Are you ready for a little history lesson…..I hope so, because if you were expecting some easy, cheesy subject that you could read while consuming milk and Christmas cookies…..stop right here, flip on your television and watch your favorite Tru-TV episode of (Worlds Dumbest) cause this blog will require every bit of attention that you can muster.

Today’s blog revolves around the Obama administration’s failure to open CIA documents regarding the fiasco that was called The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba back on April 17, 1961. The attempt was a CIA sponsored effort by a paramilitary group, Brigade 2506, a counter-revolutionary military group, trained and funded by the United States governments’ Central Intelligence Agency. Brigade 2506 fronted the armed wing of the Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF), which intended to overthrow the revolutionary left wing government of Fidel Castro.

Launched from Guatemala, the invading force was defeated within three days by the Cuban armed forces, under the direct command of the Prime Minister, Fidel Castro. Castro and his band of freedom fighters had overthrown the United States supported Cuban dictator, and President Gulgencio Batista in a revolutionary war from 1949 to 1959.

THERE’S ALWAYS BEHIND THE SCENES ACTIVITY WITH THE UNITED STATES

Since the end of the World War II, the United States has always seemed to have ulterior motives to each and every act that has been taken…..to hell with the humanitarian claims, BITE ME, when the reason given for a military action, or some intelligent led coup is to spread freedom, under a Democracy, attitudes and atmosphere.

Cuba is a perfect example of American greed gone wild after 1934, with the abrogation of the Platt Amendment, which was an amendment to the military appropriations bill, that forbade the annexation of Cuba by the United States government. After the Platt Act went defunct, American companies and the Mafia, through the corporation of the Batista administration, completely took over the sugar cane industry and begin the construction of hotels, gambling casinos, and the employment of Cuban civilians in the cane fields, and the hotels as well.

The people in the sugar cane fields and mills worked for slave labor wages, and the people who worked in the hotels and casinos, especially the women, were taken advantage of in the vilest of manner. Low pay, long hours, and prostitution were the jobs that Cubans filled, not necessarily in that order.

Gambling in Cuba by the 1940’s was a multi-million dollar enterprise, play run well over a million dollars every single night of the year, with no bet limits. People like mobsters Meyer Lansky, Santo (Louis Santo) Trafficante, Thomas Jefferson McGinty, Joseph (Joe Rivers) Silesi and actors like George Raft either bought into the casino business, or were silent partners.

 

Fidel Castro and his freedom fighters, although not perfect, were a far better alternative than Fulgenico Batista and his administration of thugs, pimps and murderers. It was no wonder that when push came to shove, Castro chose a brand of Socialism as opposed to the brand of Capitalism that Castro had grown up with during his formative years.

Castro after taking control of Cuba on January 1, 1959, threw out most of the hotel-casino operators and all of the American industry right down to the toilet paper manufacturer. However it wasn’t long before the Castro regime realized what a cash cow gambling had become to Cuba, and how the very survival of the country was dependent on the revenue.

Consequently because of the knowledge of the industry, people like Meyer Lansky and Santos Trafficante and their minion were allowed back into the country basically for the purpose of teaching the Cubans how the gambling industry ran.

“Our revolution is endangering all American possessions in Latin America; we are telling these countries to make their own revolution.” Che Guevara, 1962.

In 1959 Castro traveled to the United States to explain his revolution. He said “I know what the world thinks of us, we are communists, and of course I have said very clearly that we are not Communists…..very clear.

Initially after Castro’s victory hundreds of Batista-era agents, policemen and soldiers were rounded up, and put on trial for human rights abuses, war crimes, murder and torture. Most were convicted by revolutionary tribunals of political crimes, and were executed by firing squad, while others received long prison sentences.

In many cases large sugar cane growers or land owners called Collonos (land owners), were mostly white or foreigners. There were two types of Collonos, those that owned their land outright, or those who rented and worked large tracts of land.

It wasn’t very long after Castro took power that he set about changing the entire complexion of the agriculture of the country; in many cases gone were the white large land owners as well as all foreigners. Those Collonos who rented property usually continued an arrangement, but the arrangement was with the Castro government.

AS THE WORM TURNS

After Castro aligned himself with Nikita Khrushchev, Russia and Communism in 1959, the Collonos, some Batista sympathizers, and a whole bunch of American business owners who’d been left out in the cold by Castro’s actions were ready, willing, but not able to face Castro in military action. In addition to the land owners, and businessmen, there were thousands of native Cubans who felt that they had lost their homeland through no fault of their own.

Cuba was not always dipped in almost unbearable poverty, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce analysis in 1956, Cuba was “the most heavily capitalized country in Latin America.” There was a network of railroads and highways that blanketed the country.” There were also numerous well-equipped ports.

Life expectancy was 58.8 years, the death rate was 6.4 per 1,000 and infant mortality was 37.6 per 1,000, among the most favorable in Latin America. The top causes of death in Cuba were decidedly “modern,” cardiovascular, and malignant tumors. Citizens in other Latin American countries succumbed to diseases of poverty, such as digestive-system complications, infancy-related illnesses and respiratory disorders.

The sanctions imposed on Cuba by the United States were directly related to that 90 mile threat off the cost of the United States attitude. Also involved with the reasoning process of the U.S. Government was the distant drums of U.S. industry, and the amount of money that they had lost when Castro came to full power after January 1, 1959.

The Bay of Pigs invasion was most probably inevitable, but the reasons were less understood, it wasn’t ever really about a Communist scare, it was all about revenge…..and regaining what had been lost. Business people that were involved, the organized crime element, and those refugees that had to relocate to Florida all sat on the sidelines rooting and hoping for American success.

UNDERESTIMATED

The U.S. started a string of military blunders that has continued right up to December of 2013, and it’s based on underestimating a perceived enemy. A lesser judgment mistake has continued from almost the exact same time…..is the U.S.’s inability to determine their foe from their friendlies.

The payments for these almost “learning disabilities” have been monumental, by now thousands of dead, billions and billions of wasted money, and our standing on the world stage significantly decreased. Government who operates in the dark is destined to make some colossal mistakes…..most of which will come out at some date.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIC) is basically a joke…..did you ever hear of redaction? Information that is 50 and more years old, still protected…..give me a break…..Obama isn’t as bad as Bush…..he’s worse, worse because he promised to clean up the Federal Government’s act. Way to go Prez!

HAVE A NICE DAY!