Reflections by comrade Fidel

STELLA CALLONI

Her book Operation Condor denounces a number of atrocious crimes recently committed by the United States against the Latin American peoples. It is a basic text to understand the true meaning of the Yankee imperialism. It is the most objective and detailed denunciation I’ve read to this day, written with great style and eloquence. She offers an impressive list of outstanding figures, both military and civilian, vilely murdered inside and outside their respective countries, including such prestigious personalities as the Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Chilean Generals Schneider and Prats, presidents of other nations, and the conspiracy in Chile which led to the death of Salvador Allende and the establishment of a fascist government. There were U.S. Presidents directly involved, like Nixon, Reagan and Bush, sr. Stella is known in our country for that work.

But it was the paper presented by the Argentinean author to the International Conference “Revolution and Intervention in Latin America”, recently held in Caracas, that drew our attention to her again. She sent a copy of the paper to us in Cuba.

She refers to a silent invasion in many areas: disinformation as a weapon, the neocolonization of Latin America, the “backyard” as the “strategic reserve” of the empire, operative counterinsurgency, the “soft” blows, the informatics intoxication, the actions of leftist groups in coordination with the extreme right putschist sectors; the powerful enemy deliberately assaulting the soul of the peoples, their culture and identity; advanced colonialists and belated colonialisms.

The author reminds us of the brutal invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989, preceded by a disinformation campaign which in this case made roads into progressive and leftist sectors. She recalls the manipulation by the media of the reasons advanced by the United States to invade the small nation of little more than two million inhabitants, --a country divided by a colonial enclave sustained there by the hegemonic power since the first years of the past century-- and to the still puzzling reaction of Latin America which paralyzed before that incredible and flimsy excuse. She says that it is ignored until today that thousands of people died there. “Panama was the Guernica of Latin America.”

Then she points out that the United Nations was a “paper presence in all those conflicts.”

Al-Qaeda, spawned by the monster itself, is the typical example of an enemy located by the hegemonic power where it needs it to justify its actions, the same way that throughout history it has produced enemies and attacks to favor its domination plans. The pretext of the National Security of the United States as a justification for its crimes preceded the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Thus she goes on raising irrefutable arguments and proofs. Her paper presents a short summary in no more than 20 pages. She expresses sincere admiration for the revolutionary processes in Cuba and Venezuela and their courageous struggle in the vicinity of the neocolonial metropolis.

The meaning of that struggle can be understood just by recalling some words said by George W. Bush, a President with only 58 more days to complete his term as leader of the empire.

While the crisis is battering the world, he stated at the APEC summit in Lima that:

“Over the decades, the free market system has proved the most efficient way...

“The third great force for economic growth in this region is the limitless potential of free peoples [...] any government that is honest with its people […] will have a partner in the United States of America.

“…our partners can be confident that the compassion agenda of the United States of America will continue.

“We shall continue to inspire the world.

“God bless you.”

Only an incurable cynic could make such statements. And while he said that in Lima, news kept coming in from the United States on the seriousness of the crisis and the rising unemployment. The car industry companies urgently asked for a share of the $700 billion allocated to tackle the most severe crisis in scores of years. It has been said that the bankruptcy of only one of the big enterprises in that sector would leave two and a half million workers unemployed. These are skyrocketing sums of money and of people affected in the country pretending to be a market beacon.

The elections in Venezuela today are complex due to the situation created by the rainfall, the number of polling stations, the high number of registered voters in each of these, the use of the media and the great amount of money used by the oligarchy and the imperialists to bewilder the voters. But the Bolivarian government acts with dignity as it cares about the damages caused by the excessive rains while fighting with the firmness and determination inspired by the just causes.

Whatever the results of the elections at the regional and local levels, it will not be easy to put out the flames of the Revolution.

We believe in the truths said by Calloni as much as we distrust the cynical lies said by Bush.

Fidel Castro Ruz

November 23, 2008

11:36 a.m.