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   From: pedro1940@progression.net   
      
   Castro's Cuba - Interview with Author Humberto Fontova   
      
   Ryan Mauro - 8/15/2005   
   Humberto Fontova was born in Havana, Cuba in 1954, arrived with his family   
   in New Orleans in 1961 while his father was held as a political prisoner. He   
   is the author of "The Helldiver's Rodeo" (chosen by the Publisher's Weekly   
   as their Book of the Week in August 2001), "The Hellpig Hunt", and "Fidel:   
   Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant." Mr. Fontova has a Master's Degree in Latin   
   American Studies. Before becoming a writer, Fontova was a business analyst   
   for ten years for Dun & Bradstreet. He is currently a columnist for   
   Newsmax.com.   
      
      
   RM: Humberto, how has the situation with Fidel Castro changed over the past   
   decade or so?   
      
   HF: The better for Castro and his toadies--the worse for Cuba. He just   
   signed on with two new sugar-daddies, Venezuela and China. Chavez' subsidies   
   to Cuba totaled $1.3 billion last year in free oil. It amounts to 80,000   
   barrels daily now. Not all is refined in Cuba, which doesn't have the   
   capacity for refining that amount of crude oil. Castro's gov. actually   
   RESELLS some of this crude, mostly in South & Central America for hard cash.   
   Castro's honorarium to his chum Chavez comes in the form of military and   
   security "advisors." Mainstream media calls these "doctors and teachers."   
   China just "re-scheduled" (probably forgave) the billions in debt Castro   
   owned them from the 90's and signed several deals to extract Nickel from   
   Cuba. (Cuba's Nickel rich) I need not tell you what type of production   
   Nickel is essential for. Apparently China wants it badly. Just last month   
   Castro gave a speech where he crowed gleefully about his regime's new lease   
   on life. "Cuba is rising from the ashes like a Phoenix!" he gushed. "We   
   don't need the U.S. ! We don't need Europe!"   
      
   Sadly, nowadays he's right.   
      
   RM: Cuba appears isolated and weak. Why should the United States pay any   
   attention to the rogue state?   
      
   HF: "Isolated and weak?" Please see above. Also, Iran just extended him   
   millions in credit. He's still the toast and acclaim of the Third World, as   
   evidenced by his tumultuous reception at the anti-Globalization Conference   
   in Havana recently. Now he's in Uruguay, again showered with accolades.   
   Anti-Americanism does that some people--idiots and scoundrels mainly.   
      
   RM: Is there any evidence that Cuba is any sort of WMD or terrorist threat?   
      
   HF: John Bolton, Ken Alibek, Manuel Cereijo, Carlos Wotzkow all suspect he   
   has WMD. And we all know that when he definitely had them in oct 1962, he   
   brought the world to the very precipice of nuclear armageddon. Fortunately   
   the Butcher of Budapest snatched his toys in the nick of time. Weapons by   
   themselves don't worry me. It's the people who have them in their reach that   
   should worry us. As the NRA (I'm a member) says. "WMDs don't kill   
   people--people kill people." And the people still in control in Cuba have   
   shown time and again that, given the right circumstances, they'll use them.   
   "If the missiles had stayed" Che Guevara told the London Daily Worker in   
   Nov. 1962. "We would have used them against the very heart of the U.S.   
   including New York." In Angola Castro's forces repeatedly used Sarin gas   
   against UNITA.   
      
   RM: How likely is it that democracy will emerge in Cuba once Fidel Castro   
   dies?   
      
   HF: Very unlikely. Raul will simply become de-jure ruler of Cuba, instead of   
   just de-facto as he is today. Raul runs Cuba's military who own and run   
   Cuba's tourist and export industries. Some say he's been really running Cuba   
   for the past ten years, with Fidel as figurehead loudmouth. Raul will   
   probably open the economy a bit, like China in the early 80's. and keep the   
   clamps on politically So genuine democracy? Forget it.   
      
   RM: What can the United States do to promote freedom in Cuba that is not   
   being done?   
      
   HF: Not much. except tighten the embargo, so-called. The U.S was Cuba's   
   sixth biggest trading partner last year. Out of 228 nations, Cuba is the   
   U.S.' 25th biggest trading partner. In 1957 when it was billed a   
   "playground" for American tourists, Cuba hosted 278,000 American tourists   
   (incidently, a higher number of Cubans actually vacationed in the U.S. that   
   year. We had a playground too) Last year, 220,000 Americans Cubans traveld   
   to Cuba, not to mention 2 million Europeans and Canadians. All these   
   proceeds land strainght in the pockets of Cuba's military--the guys with the   
   guns. "Lifting the travel ban would be a great gift to Fidel and Raul" said   
   recent Cuban defector Alcibiades Hidalgo, who was Raul Castro's Chief of   
   Staff. He should know.   
      
   RM: In your last Newsmax.com article, you wrote about an alliance between   
   Iran and Cuba. What does it matter if Cuba teams up with Iran, considering   
   Cuba apparently has little or no nuclear technology to offer?   
      
   HF: The Nuclear technology going in the opposite direction. Cuba built Iran   
   a bio-tec plant. Iran might reciprocate with favors. Last year Cuba blocked   
   radio-free- Iran broadcasts from the U.S. using devices in it's Bejucal   
   facility--technology Cuba acquired from China.   
      
   RM: How come the scene in Cuba appears to have been so quiet over the past   
   50 years?   
      
   HF: "Appears" is the key word here. And it's because Castro is a master   
   worldwide media manipulator. One of the most ferocious civil wars fought in   
   this hemisphere was actually fought by Cuban freedom-fighters against   
   Fidel's army and it's Soviet advisors. The war lasted from 1959-1966. Raul   
   Castro himself said his army was up against 179 "counterrevolutionary   
   bands." La Guerra Olvidada'"my friend Enrique Encinosa calls it in his book   
   by the same name. Alas, as always, these anti-Communist freedom-fighters   
   fought alone. The Kennedy-Krushcev swindle pulled the rug out from under   
   them. They were slaughtered, much like the Hungarians earlier. No "dauntless   
   crusaders for the truth" (as Columbia journalism schools labels its   
   graduates,) were around to report on THIS war, none to "embed" themselves,   
   etc.--as they had in droves when Castro's "guerrillas"(petty crooks, bored   
   adolescents and winos playing army on week-ends) were in the hills and   
   "fighting" (mostly bribing) Batista's forces. See:   
   http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/2/14/174602.shtml   
      
   RM: Why does such a large portion of Hollywood defend Castro?   
      
   HF: He personifies Anti-Americanism. He's been it's symbol for half a   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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