Giving Them the Rope to Hang Themselves

Radley Balko | May 5, 2008

Cato's Juan Carlos Hidalgo explains a possible nefarious motive behind Raoul Castro's recent reforms in Cuba.

(Update: Link fixed.)

Comments

|5.5.08 @ 10:34AM|#

I think the link is wrong, though still interesting.

|5.5.08 @ 10:39AM|#

I still don't think the link is fixed, despite your assurance that it is.

|5.5.08 @ 10:41AM|#

I stand corrected. Also, it's quite possible that that is exactly what Castro is doing. Slimy bastard.

BakedPenguin|5.5.08 @ 10:43AM|#

There's also this podcast, by the same guy.

The article reminds me of the Chinese "Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom" program. They allowed criticism of the government in art and journalism for about a year or so - then they knew exactly who to crack down on.

Episiarch|5.5.08 @ 10:43AM|#

The Marines at Gitmo should open the gates and do a gun sale, $1 per weapon + ammo. Non-Cuban-government employees only.

Jorgen|5.5.08 @ 10:46AM|#

You know you live in a hellhole when having the income necessary to purchase a cellphone is near proof of illegal activity.

Neu Mejican|5.5.08 @ 10:55AM|#

Reminds me vaguely of some of the provisions in the patriot act.

And, of course, the lack of corroboration makes me skeptical of the veracity of the claims...not that I would put it past the Cuban government...just seems you should always take second-hand "this guy claims" stories with a grain of salt.

Possible motive, sure.

Verified motive, not yet.

BakedPenguin|5.5.08 @ 10:59AM|#

Even if Hidalgo's right about their plan, this could backfire. They might find out so many people are involved in "illegal" activity that arresting them all would be impossible. I suspect they'd resort to WoD tactics then - a few showy arrests annouced in the news to scare people into submission.

|5.5.08 @ 11:12AM|#

From the article:
the fact that something is no longer prohibited doesn't mean that you can do it.

If that wasn't so sadly true, it would be hilarious.

|5.5.08 @ 11:15AM|#

Cuba has universal health care!!! What about that? Quit hatin'.

Michael Moore|5.5.08 @ 11:19AM|#

He's right, you know...

Castro District|5.5.08 @ 11:27AM|#

I wonder why people around here are so willing to believe any narrative presented to them about the nefarious motives of the Cuban government, while spending significant intellectual capital nitpicking details of the veracity of claims coming from (fill in your favorite moderate to left organization)...

Cuban Capitalist|5.5.08 @ 11:37AM|#

I hope they don't find my Che Guevara t-shirt factory. I'm making a killing on those damn things...

|5.5.08 @ 11:38AM|#

I wonder why people around here are so willing to believe any narrative presented to them about the nefarious motives of the Cuban government...

Because they're totalitarian scumbags? Also, re-read the comments, paying attention this time. You'll see comments that include qualifiers such as "possible". As a matter of fact, that one reoccurs several times.

Guy Montag|5.5.08 @ 11:42AM|#

I hope they don't find my Che Guevara t-shirt factory. I'm making a killing on those damn things...

Or the watches with "Revolution" on the sweep-second hand.

Castro District|5.5.08 @ 11:46AM|#

Bakedpenguin,

Your comment provides appropriate hedges. Not too many others. Although I do see a "quite possible."

Castro District|5.5.08 @ 11:49AM|#

Bakedpenguin,

Of course, I was mainly aiming my comment at the fact that this was posted with no corroboration. It was more of a criticism of Radley posting without corroboration than the people commenting.

|5.5.08 @ 12:07PM|#

The "where's your corroboration?" rhetoric seems like a fairly common dodge for Castro apologists. But independent verification is difficult in a country where investigative journalism is considered counterrevolutionary, and whatever the Cuba government says about the matter is surely just as reliable as the claim that Cuba has no political prisoners.

Guy Montag|5.5.08 @ 12:23PM|#

HA,

Ambassador Andrew Young, during the Carter Administration, claimed that we had political prisoners too!

He had difficulty in naming any when asked and I am not sure if any were freed at the time. However, that administration did a "good" job of booting Iranian students from the USA and stopping protests in front of the White House.

Naga Sadow|5.5.08 @ 12:33PM|#

It's a good story . . . it would make an even better story if it were true. Sorry, to good to be true.

Guy Montag|5.5.08 @ 12:43PM|#

NS,

Which story? The only thing on here that looks suspect is that stuff from Castro District.

Guy Montag|5.5.08 @ 1:03PM|#

Correction: attempted to boot Iranian students from the USA. At the time it seemed like a real effort, but they did go through some of the motions:

Late in November of 1979, Carter began action to expel Iranian students who were living in the United States illegally.

|5.5.08 @ 2:53PM|#

"The 'where's your corroboration?' rhetoric seems like a fairly common dodge for Castro apologists."

And the "verification is difficult in a country where [x,y,z occurs]" is a favorite ambiguity radical Miami Cubans use to make stuff up.

That puts us back to square one.

Ultimately, if you're running an illegal business, whether its booze in 1920's Chicago or Butter in 2008 Cuba, its best not to be conspicuous throwing around cash.

Guy Montag|5.5.08 @ 3:28PM|#

Ultimately, if you're running an illegal business, whether its booze in 1920's Chicago or Butter in 2008 Cuba, its best not to be conspicuous throwing around cash.

But that is how you get the hot chicks!

Castro District|5.5.08 @ 7:13PM|#

Lamar,

But that assumes that those Miami Cubans would have some sort of motivation to lie...

What could that motivation be if they aren't communists?

[/sarcasm]

|5.6.08 @ 2:04PM|#

Cracking down on black markets in Cuba is a good thing from the anti-Communist perspective.

Socialist true believers might believe black markets are what is bringing the economy down, but most people know that black markets are critical parts of the economy. Shutting down the black market in Cuba will probably make life even less tolerable, and make things even more difficult for the government.

|5.6.08 @ 2:08PM|#

I wonder why people around here are so willing to believe any narrative presented to them about the nefarious motives of the Cuban government, while spending significant intellectual capital nitpicking details of the veracity of claims coming from (fill in your favorite moderate to left organization)...

It doesn't matter. When the Communist regime in Cuba finally collapses, and when the undeniable truth about Communist atrocities comes out, folks like you will pretend you never liked Castro in the first place... Much like sympathizers of Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc., pretended they never liked those people after they lost power.