Inside Laura Pollán's house. Photo by Yoani Sanchez
In the same days when Laura Pollán lay dying in intensive care, Cuban television rebroadcast a dogmatic serial where they insulted the leader of the Ladies in White. Among the most notable signs of the Cuban government's pettiness is its failure to respect a political adversary, even when she is dying. A system that so wallows in the funeral rituals of its own, shows no consideration when the time comes to deal with the deaths of others. This lack of compassion compelled them to deploy a crude police operation outside Calixto Garcia Hospital last night, shuffling her body from ambulance to ambulance so that we wouldn't know to which morgue they were taking her. And, finally, they did not release even a short death notice in the national press. If honor honors, in this case denigration denigrates. They have lost a final chance to appear, at least, to have pity.
How do they feel now, all those women brought to scream insults in front of the door of 963 Neptune Street? What are they thinking right now, the members of the shock troops who shoved and beat Laura on September 24? Is there any remorse among the State Security officials who directed so many repudiation rallies against that peaceful lady in her sixties. Which of them will at least have the humility to mumble a condolence, to offer sympathy. Sadly, to all these questions the answer is still an infinite ideological rancor that doesn't know how to pay tribute to an opponent. Laura has gone -- has left us -- and they lost the opportunity to repair so many atrocities. They believed that by hanging degrading epithets on her, preventing her from leaving her house, accusing her of being a traitor, "stateless," they would prevent people from approaching her, from liking her. But in the dark hours of the morning, a funeral filled with friends and acquaintances rejected the effect of their demonization.
Laura is gone and now all the acts of hatred against her resonate even more grotesquely. Laura is gone and we are left with a country slowly waking up from a very old totalitarianism that doesn't even know how to say "I'm sorry." Laura is gone, to the sadness of her family, her Ladies in White and of every gladiolus that has grown and will ever grow over the length and breadth of this island. Laura is gone, Laura is no more, and there is not a single olive green uniform that looks clean in the face of the white radiance of her garments.
Yoani's blog, Generation Y, can be read here in English translation.
Translating Cuba is a new compilation blog with Yoani and other Cuban bloggers in English.
Yoani's new book in English, Havana Real, can be ordered here.
Follow Yoani Sanchez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/yoanifromcuba
Will the Cuban people ever have the courage to stand up to their despicable dictator, his family, and the atrocities they have to endure?
The only ones who can help themselves getting rid of the iron fist ruling over them is the Cuban people, but I'm not so sure if they have the will or the courage to stand up and fight their dictators, with the exception of a few brave voices such as that of Yoani. I hope they don't do to her what they are doing to the ladies in white.
It has been said in various Latin news circles, that what killed Laura Pollan was an injection of some kind. Apparently, this is a practice of the killer regime to silence their people. See an investigation from a reporter into that possibility that got nowhere. http://www.ddcuba.com/derechos-humanos/7599-quien-mato-laura-pollan
After Laura's death, another lady in white has also received a questionable injection and has fallen ill. They are requesting an international investigation into these ominous Castro regime practices.
Otra Dama de Blanco grave: http://amanecerenlahabana.blogspot.com/2011/10/utima-hora-otra-dama-de-blanco-grave.html
My prayers go to the good ladies in white, as well as the brave Yoani Sanchez.
Blaming Dengue? which should be long gone for "helping" a major Castro opponent
to leave this world.
The following article published in late 2006, makes a brief historical account about the dengue, and criticizes the hypocritical attitude of the Castro tyranny trying to hide the facts. From 2006 until today, the dengue has continued causing deaths in Cuba.
According to Castro the dengue was eradicated in Cuba, declaring victory in the military style campaign carried out for its eradication. That was a Pyrrhic victory of the Castroit regime. The Tyrant-Pinocchio nose keeps growing.
THE DENGUE EPIDEMIC IN CUBA
http://www.lanuevacuba.com/archivo/humberto-corzo-1eng.htm
Former chief of Cuba's military medical services is calling for international weapons inspections of a secret underground lab near Havana, where he says the government is creating biological warfare agents like the plague, botulism & yellow fever.
Roberto Ortega, a former army colonel who ran the military's medical services from 1984 to 1994, defected in 2003 and now lives in South Florida.
After living quietly for four years, this week Ortega went on Spanish-language media circuit to denounce what he claims is an advanced offensive biological warfare weapons program. He spoke Tuesday night at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies where one angry heckler stormed out accusing him of deliberately sowing fear among Cuban exiles.
''They can develop viruses, bacteria and dangerous sicknesses that are currently unknown and difficult to diagnose,'' Ortega told The Miami Herald. ``They don't need missiles or troops. They need four agents, like the people from al Qaeda or the Taliban, who contaminate water, air conditioning or heating systems.''
He said Cuba was ready to use the biological agents ''to blackmail the United States in case of an international incident'' such as the threat of a U.S. invasion.
The Cuban government has denied such programs exist.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1792958/posts