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6 CubaNews v July-August 20

years in prison before his release. The impact of U.S. pro-democracy funds

has been very negative, Leiva claimed, be-cause it gives Cuban authorities an excuse to

jail dissidents. Ive always opposed Americanmoney for supposed dissidents. There areother ways to help families of prisoners.

Under Cuban law, its illegal for Cubans toaccept money or material aimed at undermin-ing the socialist government. Some critics call

the law unnecessarily harsh, yet supporters ofthe Castro regime are unapologetic.What right does someone else have to

change a foreign government? asks ReinaldoTaladri, a Cuban journalist who appears regu-larly on state-run TV. How is it that no oneasks if its legal? A government could be verybad, but does the United States have the rightto change it? Why not launch troops againstSaudi Arabia? Why Cuba?

Unfortunately, Taladri said, mainstreammedia continually tries to convince Americansthat Cuba is bad, bad, bad. He points to pop-ular culture for an example just trace thehistory of James Bond films and youll findfive featuring bad guys in Cuba.

Americans are told everything is bad inCuba, Taladri continued, but in 51 years, nota single bullet has been fired from Cubatoward the United States. No one here hasdone anything against the United States.

American officials say they say theyre onlytrying to help Cubans improve their lives,enjoy greater basic freedoms and hasten thetransition to democracy.

Toward that end, U.S. taxpayers will havespent $113 million between 2007 and 2011 a conservative estimate that doesnt take intoaccount other Cuba programs run by the CIA,Pentagon, Treasury, Coast Guard, HomelandSecurity and other federal agencies.

Cubas top dissidents debate value of U.S. assistanceBY TRACEY EATON

Cuban dissidents are divided over therole the U.S. government ought to playnow and in Cubas transition to the post-

Castro era.

Vladimiro Rocas suggestion? Ignore theCuban government. Thats the only thing thethe government would not be able to stand.

Roca, a dissident leader and former jetfighter pilot, believes Cuban officials use theU.S. trade embargo as a scapegoat for thecountrys problems.

Hardline U.S. policies toward Cuba helpthe socialist government keep up the gameof David versus Goliath, he said. End theembargo and Cuban officials will have no oneto blame for the countrys ragged economyand other ills.

Hctor Palacios, a dissident leader and for-mer political prisoner, agreed. The Cuban

government wouldnt be able to survive if theembargo were lifted. Lift the embargo and therevolution will collapse five days later.

Government supporters vehemently dis-agree with that view. Even some dissidentsdoubt that lifting the embargo and allowing

Americans to travel freely to Cuba will triggera Western-style democracy on the island.

Oswaldo Pay, who leads the Varela Project a petition drive aimed at creating greaterpolitical and economic freedom within Cuba argued that the American people arefriends of Cuba. And the proximity of theUnited States ensures it will remain part ofthe Cuban reality.

Pay does not believe, however, that its theduty of tourists, the U.S. government or Am-erican businesses to bring change to Cuba.

Tourists drinking daiquiris in Havana arentgoing to create change; it is incumbent uponCubans to solve their problems and push forgreater economic freedom, Pay says.

Elizardo Snchez, who leads a human-rights organization in Havana, believes theUnited States ought to start acting as if it hadnormal relations with Cuba in order to ensurethat it has some influence in the future.

But hes not so sure that spending millionsof dollars on pro-democracy programs willhelp. You dont win the freedom of a people

with money, he said. The destiny of thatmoney is a great mystery to me.

DISSIDENTS DISAGREE ON USE OF USAID FUNDS

Martha Beatriz Roque, a dissident leaderfor the past 21 years, counters that financialaid from abroad is precisely whats needed.Dissidents who lose their jobs with state-runemployers due to their political beliefs needeconomic support, Roque said. One musteat. People cant live on politics alone.

Getting together and writing documentscalling for political change wont convince oth-ers that freedom is necessary, Roque toldCubaNews. Dissidents need to act. They needto get out and spread the work of their cause.

And that takes money especially in a coun-try like Cuba where costs for locals are high.

Miriam Leiva is sorry if she doesnt seemgrateful for U.S. aid aimed at helping dissi-dents. But its difficult to give thanks when

this money leads to us being jailed, sheexplained. Authorities arrested her husband,Oscar Espinosa Chepe, in March 2003 onaccusations of accepting money from the U.S.Interests Section in Havana. Chepe spent two

REPORT FROM HAVANA

TRACEYEATON

Cuba is the only non-democratically eleed government in the Western Hemispheand one of the most politically represscountries in the world, says the State Depament. In view of these challenges, U.S. ass

tance for Cuba aims to empower Cuban csociety to advocate for greater democrafreedoms and respect for human dignity.

MARCHING FOR DEMOCRACY

So is U.S. aid to Cuba helping to builddemocracy? Has the more than $100 millin State Department funds had an impact?

Odalys Zurma Gonzalez, 45, isnt su where all the money has gone, but shgrateful that Washington supports Cubas dsident movement. She said shes an inpendent journalist and learned to write storand gather information while taking a fimonth-long journalism course at the U

Interests Section in 2009.They had very good teachers, she saadding that the course was free.

Gonzalez claims she doesnt receive cafrom Uncle Sam. Were not paid, nor are mercenaries, nor on the payroll of a foreigovernment. She is, however, a memberLas Damas de Apoyo, a support group for LDamas de Blanco, or Ladies in White.

Las Damas de Blanco is made up mostly wives and other relatives of 75 dissidenjournalists, human rights activists jailed ding a crackdown in March 2003. Since thethe group has marched on Sundays in Havato demand the release of their loved ones.

Gonzlez said she joined Las Damas Apoyo to demand political change and frdom for the prisoners. I think its a jcause. We simply want the government respect basic human rights.

Cuban officials claim U.S. government ocials and U.S.-funded private contractors hahelped finance Las Damas marchers.

We werent born yesterday, said a senCuban official who spoke on condition anonymity. We have been seeing this for

years. We know how American officials wonow and how theyve worked in the past.

Yet hardly any of those millions of SDepartment dollars ever reach Cuba, the ocial said. Its insignificant, really.

Just the other day, the U.S. governmannounced that yet another contract was for grabs. The bid is worth $3.5 million fopro-democracy program in Cuba.

Its a profound lack of respect that one gernment publishes in this way its intentionoverthrow another government, the Cubofficial said. What would happen if someoannounced a $3.5 million bid to topple tUnited States? What do they expect?q

Elizardo Snchez with a map of Cubas prisons.

Tracey Eaton, a freelance writer based in Augustine, Fla., is working on a series of storabout U.S. pro-democracy programs in CuHe traveled to the island in July with assistanfrom the Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C