Rosa María Payá on "Pan con Podcast" interviewed in depth by Chef Michael Beltrán, including the Castro regime's blocking of humanitarian aid

Setting the record straight from the perspective of a new generation.

Rosa María Payá interviewed on Pan con Podcast

Back in June had an article published in Dade magazine on the revolutionary program being advanced today in the United States, and its dangerous history. Today, learned that the same magazine and its podcast, Pan con Podcast, conducted an extensive interview with Cuban pro-democracy activist Rosa María Payá Acevedo.

This is good timing because the Castro regime is pushing its victim narrative again, while hiding its brutal nature. They are complaining because the United States is cutting off currency flows to the Cuban military that is currently in Venezuela, playing a repressive role. In order to push back rather than end the military's involvement in profiting off remittance transfers by Cubans to their families in the island. They are doubling down and shutting down all the Western Union's across the country.

This should not be surprise when one considers that tons of humanitarian aide donated by the Cuban diaspora that arrived in Cuba in August 2020 has still not been released to the Cubans that desperately need this humanitarian assistance. Rosa María Payá Acevedo back in May 2020, together with the CubaDecide initiative, the Pan American Foundation for Democracy,and the City of Miami coordinated efforts for this drive to help Cubans on the island.

More than three months have passed and the communist dictatorship continues to deny this help to Cubans. Please listen to this full interview and share it with others.

The Facts About Humanitarian Aide to Cuba

"You’re entitled to your own opinions. You’re not entitled to your own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Ana Cecilia ship arrives in Cuba

International news media are reporting that: "Cuba receives first US shipment in 50 years" but that is not true. The State Department reported in 2008 that:

The American people are the largest providers of humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, and Cuba's top supplier of food. In 2007, the American people provided $240.5 million in private humanitarian assistance in the form of gift parcels filled with food and other basic necessities ($179.4 million), non-agricultural humanitarian donations ($20.6 million), and medical donations ($40.5 million). The United States Government also authorized $3.65 billion in sales of agricultural products ($3.621 billion) and sales of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals ($20.6 million). 

 Miami Cuban exiles have firsthand experience on how the Castro regime responds to humanitarian aide shipments. Back in October of 1996 Cuban exiles donated 72,000 pounds of rice, beans and powdered milk that was shipped to Cuba aboard a 707 cargo plane from Miami International Airport on October 27, 1996 to provide aide following Hurricane Lily's destructive path across the island. The aide arrived but regime officials refused to allow its distribution for days and days the relief supplies sat in Havana warehouses while Cubans went without. The aide was finally delivered on November 4, 1996 but 10% of it was not delivered because the regime objected to messages on the aide boxes such as: "exilio (exile) and Por Cuba, el amor todo lo puede (For Cuba, love conquers all)."

In 2006 when hurricanes Ike and Gustav slammed into Cuba causing extensive damage it was the Cuban dictatorship that turned down offers of  humanitarian assistance from the United States despite calls from the American government for the regime to reconsider its decision. 

Finally, the claim that this is the first shipment from the United States in 50 years fails to mention that since 2001 over $3.5 billion dollars worth of agricultural products have been shipped to Cuba by American companies. The real story is whether or not the humanitarian aide will reach Cubans or be confiscated by the dictatorship and be redirected elsewhere or resold.

The goal of this exercise in self-deception is seen in the following head line: "US aid ship in Cuba: Ending the embargo?" Ships have brought humanitarian assistance from the United States for years. The claim now is that since a ship brought a shipment from Miami to Cuba that this is some sort of great change. In reality it is much ado about nothing which sums up the accomplishments of the anti-sanctions lobby on Cuba. This is because the dictatorship has demonstrated its intransigence for democratic reforms and has gone back and forth over the past 30 years on so-called economic reforms.

Massive Earthquake in Haiti: Time for Solidarity with the Haitian People

In Solidarity with our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man." - Francis Cardinal Spellman (1946)

Massive Earthquake Jolts Haiti

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti 10 miles southwest of the capital of Port au Prince at 4:53 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday, Jan. 12. More detailed information available here.

The initial quake was followed by two aftershocks.

Reliable damage and casualty estimates are unavailable at this time. CRS staffers in Baltimore have been in touch with Haiti staff. CRS/Haiti reports that those who remained at the office after 4 p.m. are safe. The condition of other CRS staff is unknown at this time (7:30 p.m. Eastern).

CRS/Haiti reports that cell phone use is unavailable. They communicated with Baltimore via land line. They reported that the CRS office building is still standing, but others, including one near the office, had collapsed. They reported that clouds of dust and smoke surround the city of Port au Prince. Before the phone connection was lost they characterized the situation as choatic, and feared many dead in what they called “a major hit … a direct hit.”

A tsunami watch was issued for Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and nearby islands.

CRS will continue to update with information as it becomes available. Our prayers and thoughts are with the people of Haiti and all CRS/Haiti staff and their loved ones.

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