From: Frank Scofi <fscofi@igc.apc.org>
Subject: BUSH ON CUBA, VISITING NJ
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 19:23:11 GMT

EXCERPTS FROM BUSH SPEECH TO GROUP OF 4000 SUPPORTERS IN GARFIELD,
NEW JERSEY

FROM THE BERGEN RECORD, LARGEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN CONGRESSMAN
ROBERT TORRICELLI'S (Author Cuba Democracy Act) DISTRICT

July 22, 1992 Front Page

"WOOING N.J."
"BUSH SAYS HIS WORK ISN'T DONE"

By Paul J. Hendrie

   If a picture is worth a thousand words, the scene for
President's Bush's 12 minute speech in Garfield on Tuesday spoke
volumes about the message he hopes will revive his sagging election
campaign.  
.................................................................
.................................................................
    (Bush) "Our work is not finished", said Bush. "One of the
reasons I want your support for four more years is to complete the
job of freedom."
     "The Castro dictatorship is on its last legs. Within the next
four years, I will be the first American President to set foot on
free and democratic Cuba," Bush said to the delight of his strongly
anti-communist audience.
.................................................................
.................................................................
REST OF ARTICLE MERELY GOES ON TO MENTION REMARKS MADE BY PEOPLE
AFTER RALLY.


SOME OF MY PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AFTER RETURNING FROM CUBA:


       On Sunday I returned from a three week visit to Cuba, in
which I was first part of a group of Cuban Americans who were
visiting their families (I thus had the opportunity to see first
hand the homes and living conditions in the "special period")
Things are very tough, food, gasoline, soap, transportation, but at
the same time there is an incredible will to resist. I also got the
impression that people know that the government is doing everything
possible to make the special period end as soon as possible. This
doesn't mean that people don't complain, and they do about service,
about distribution, you name it. The statistics on food production
(potatoes, corn, etc) are amazing although still not enough to make
up for past Socialist bloc exports. Remember that 85% of all
imports were from the socialist bloc and Cuba must now replace all
that trade. No other country in the world could be instituting such
radical changes unless people understood completely the rationale
and meaning. Any other country there would be rioting in the
streets, witness venezuela.                                       
                                                                  
      Someone made a very good point to me, "They said look back at
when Fidel was at the Ibero-American Summit in Brazil, he and our
government was the bad boy there, 'democracy' was sweeping Latin
America, the new free market, neo-liberal ideology  said Cuba was
falling into the dust bin of history, but what has happened as we
have instituted measures to cope with the greatest economic crisis
in our countries history? Food riots in Venezuela (an oil rich
country), possible impeachment of the Brazilian president, a coup
in Peru, a coup in Haiti, and Fidel at the Rio Summit gets the
biggest ovation of any World President. What does that say?"      
                                                                  
             The amount of construction at the tourist sights is
amazing, (Cuban and joint ventures) I stayed at a five star hotel
in Varadero to see what the service is like and who are the
tourists there. I also had the opportunity to study Spanish in the
morning  at the University of Havana and do research on the effects
of the special period on the health care system in the afternoon
and evening visiting hospitals and speaking with many Cuban
doctors. The biotechnology and medical advances as well as deal
signing with foreign countries is very impressive, especially the
outlook for the new cholesterol lowering drug PPG. The greatest
problem is and will continue to be oil. Cuba has less than half the
oil that was originally running the country prior to the fall of
the socialist bloc. With half this amount, they have to prioritize
its use to keep the tourist industry running, keep agricultural
production at its max, keep the nickel industry expanding, etc,
etc, etc. 

I came back more committed than ever to do whatever is necessary to
end this criminal blockade. The Cuban people our more committed
than ever to maintaining its socialist system, its principles. I
thought how easy in these hard times it would have been for Cuba to
vote with the United States in support of the Gulf War, to drop the
issue of Puerto Rican Independence, but that is not the nature of
the revolution. The special period may last one or two years, but
the call is for resistance despite these times being harder than
the early days of the Revolution, and the Cubans admit this. I feel
that the Cubans can resist, it will be very hard, but their
sovereignty, their independence, and their form of socialism (now
austerity with equity) is they feel worth fighting for. Ask any
Cuban, disenchanted youth or young communist league member,
prostitute or Central Committee Party member what they think of
returning to Capitalism, or what they think of Torricelli or Mas
Canosa, and they will tell you, "yes our socialist system needs
some changes, but we will never return to a capitalist system where
health, education and food are commodities. And at the mention of
Torricelli's or Mas Canosa"s name, they will say it and spit on the
ground.

Will the Cubans make it????? That depends on alot of things. Will
they continue to be able to integrate their socialist economy into
the capitalist world thus continuing to sign deals with foreign
companies? U.S. State Department pressure has alot to do with that.
Will the U.S. continue to make the blockade tighter and tighter?
What will be the effect of the passage of Torricelli's Bill? What
will be a Clinton's presidency policy towards Cuba? He supports
Torricelli's Bill, but is it just more slick Willie rhetoric? WHAT
MUCH OF IT COMES DOWN TO IS THAT OUR SOLIDARITY AND THE SOLIDARITY
OF THE REST OF THE WORLD (GROWING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN MEXICO,
BRAZIL, venezuela, EUROPE, CUBA IS NOT ALONE) IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN EVER. WE MUST CONTINUE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON WHAT IS REALLY THE
REALITY IN CUBA. WE MUST CONTINUE PRESSURING CONGRESS TO DEFEAT
BLOCKADE TIGHTENING LEGISLATION AND PUSH FOR LEGISLATION LIKE THE
WEISS BILL AS WELL AS ORGANIZING DELEGATIONS TO LET CONGRESS KNOW
THERE IS A CONSTITUENCY OUT THERE THAT WANTS AN ALTERNATIVE CUBA
POLICY. WE MUST SUPPORT PROJECTS LIKE THE PASTORS FOR PEACE CARAVAN
WHICH LEGALLY CALLS INTO QUESTION THE BLOCKADE. WE MUST CONTINUE TO
BUILD ORGANIZATIONS AND STRENGTHEN THE NATIONAL NETWORK ON CUBA. WE
MUST VISIT CUBA AND BRING BACK EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS. CONTINUE
WRITING ARTICLES AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PEOPLE READING THIS
KNOW THE WORK. SOME OF THIS WORK IS AT TIMES BORING AND SOMETIMES
WE ASK OURSELVES (FOR INSTANCE AFTER BEING VERBALLY INSULTED AND
ABUSED BY TORRICELLI OR ONE OF HIS AIDES "DID THAT REALLY
ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING?" BUT THE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE.

VIVA CUBA LIBRE!!

                                       In Solidarity,



                                       Frank Scofi
                                       fscofi
                                       US Hands Off Cuba - NJ
                                       201-947-2053



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