Friday, December 06, 2013
In 1989 Miami Area Snubbed Nelson Mandela When He Came To Town. By Geniusofdespair
Local leaders of the Jewish and Cuban community snubbed Nelson Mandela when he came to town. As H.T. Smith says: Nelson Mandela said: "Your enemy is not necessarily my enemy" (The Cuban government provided assistance to Mandela's anti apartheid movement).
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I remember this well …
When Carter opened the floodgates for Cuba and the continual free ride every Cuban immigrant receives - stuck on stupid and under educated describes a good chunk of those protestors. Elian Gonzales was almost as embarrassing Nationally. This had to be one of my saddest days in Florida watching the horrendous behavior of this type of mob.
We remain - The Banana Republic of Florida due to the lack of assimilation and the profit of a select few Cuban American's profiting from the embargo, which is an even bigger joke.
Every now and then, in one's lifetime these giants among men step to the stage. They always transcend their personal circumstances, move the human condition forward, renew faith in the human spirit, and give hope to the world. Unlike JFK, and MLK, Mandela lived and endured to see the products of his handiwork. Rest in peace dear warrior, a job well done.
It was either this event or a subsequent one, but in 1990 I was in Capetown. It was 3 weeks after the unbanning and I was volunteering at an ANC aligned newspaper. It was part of a 3 month assignment at the invitation of the ANC.
One morning a young comrade arrived at the office of South newspaper with headline news on the wires of Miami's latest insult to Mandela and South Africa as a whole. (I remember it as being the affair at the Miami Beach Convention Center.) Knowing I came from Miami he asked loudly, but in good humor, "Do you live in a city run by morons?"
"Why yes", I replied.
"Stuck on Stupid and under educated" So much love in the world.....
"Comrade" term of endearment I suppose...
Mr. Mandela had his life experience and therefore his friends and enemies and I respect that. I also respect the fact that Cuban exiles many of whom were imprisoned (like Mr. Mandela) or had friends and family members executed (Mr. Mandela obviously avoided this one) without due process of law as well as having their property confiscated by the Castro Regime have beefs of their own and I respect that also.
Mandela if he had any sense of what the Cuban people were and are being put through would understand their feelings toward his "friend' Fidel Castro, if he didn't then I can't say that he learned much from his life experience.
Just to help you understand the breadth and scope of his work and his legacy to the world, get on the Internet and read today's newspapers around the world.
While Mr. Mandela himself escaped summary execution, it wasn't due to the lack of brutality of the apartheid regime, which killed many unarmed protestors (Sharpeville Massacre or Soweto, anyone?) on repeated occasions for several decades in addition to the brutality of the nation's founding at the hands of Dutch (Boer) immigrants.
Not wishing to compare or rank tragedies, but there is a degree of difference between suppression of civil liberties and lack of electoral choice (horrible) and overt brutality and daily mass shootings. The last time Cuba had that level of violence was during the Batista regime and the revolution and kangaroo court period of the early 60s. In South Africa it continued right up until his release from prison. 'Comrade' is a word, the Soviets didn't trademark it.
Both peoples have suffered extremes of violence and repression in their history. Killing is wrong, regardless of the nation-state in which it is done.
Just because you get your name in the paper doesn't make you smart or great.....this is not a direct reference to Mandela but a general observation.
Nelson Mandela stayed in South Africa and fought his enemies. He did not tuck his tail and flee to another country. He remained true to his native land and we joined him in the fight. Nelson Mandela left a legacy for the world. May he rest in PEACE.
He couldn't turn tail and run he was in jail for 27 Years.If he had rebelled against his darling friend Castro his fate would have been worse (Ask William Morgan or countless others who rebelled.... oh you can't ask him cause their DEAD).
Comparing Cuba 's Castro regime to South Africa's apartheid regime is comparing apples to peaches. Though totally unfair and somewhat brutal in its own right the South African regime still had some semblance of rule of law, Castro's Cuba had not even a smidgen, summary executions and kangaroo courts were the order of the day. So yes many got the hell out of dodge.
But there were uprisings apart from the bay of pigs (escambray http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_against_the_Bandits) by Cubans against the Castro regime. But due to the World intelligentsia's (including the Likes of Mandela and apparently a few (comemierdas) on this blog) lionizing murderers like Castro and Che Guevara. Cubans opposed to the regime have seen little worldwide support for the cause of freedom in Cuba.
Mandela on the the other hand received support not only from Castro but from others in the US and a worldwide embargo was placed on South Africa (I would argue rightfully so) until it abolished apartheid. Fortunately Mandela did not install a system similar to Castro's (to his credit).
To the last ANON. What caliber rifle did you carry in the fight?
The world will always remember Mr. Nelson Mandela's endurance and patience that brought the horrible apartheid to an end. I remember the treatment he received in Miami. It was disgraceful and embarrassing to the citizens even if we never admit it. The way it was reported in the Miami Herald made us look small and silly. The Miami Herald reported it correctly after twenty four years we still look silly treating this man who served 27 years in a prison. Just because he supported a friend who supported him in bad times.
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