My BBC Question

As I watched the BBC this morning, telling me how the Cuban government was renovating Havana to its former grandeur I contemplated how anyone could believe such a silly notion. By any objective measure Havana is architecturally in rapid decline. The modus operandi of Raul is to allow homes to crumble into the earth so the Cuban families have to move in with relatives in other dwellings. Then Raul renovates a small percentage to suit his tourist apartheid needs. I'm sure he'd love to fix every single building in Havana but he doesn't have the resources. He never will. Cuba is a communist country. This Utopian delusion has been tried the world over. The architecture looks the same...dreary and in rapid decline. Why doesn't the BBC see this?

I believe it is out of sheer ignorance on the part of the BBC reporters and producers driven by the human capacity to ignore what suits strongly held beliefs. Most people of the world are stumbling children who have not taken it upon themselves to grow the hell up! Unsaid by the masses is their desire to be cared for like when they were children and they always hope for a nice mommy and daddy government to bring home the bacon and cuddle them. Sadly, these kids in suits running around with microphones in front of cameras have no clue about economics. Since they have never contemplated even the most basic economic questions like where does wealth come from or how is wealth best distributed throughout an economy, they are easily manipulated.

This morning's BBC reporters, while perhaps very nice chaps, are undeniably ignorant about Cuba. Castro knows how easily people can be manipulated on an emotional level. Every BBC reporter in Cuba has a dossier on them that would choke a horse. Raul's agents are cajoling and finessing reporters as well as providing them with plenty of sex if that is effective in achieving compliance. Naturally this leads to blackmail as well. But never underestimate the sexiness of being next to power for many of these reporters. Finally, because they are thick about economics, Raul Castro blames everything on the US and the reporters don't have the enlightenment to dispute him nor the emotional maturity to insulate against Cuban government manipulation. So they can view crumbling buildings everywhere but see a couple being spruced up for their new tourist occupiers and see progress along with the naive belief that this failed economic system will one day triumph.


Then another BBC news story pops up on the tele' reminding me about the Cuban missile crisis anniversary. They showed the crumbling missile silos now overgrown with Cuban jungle. Naturally, they said the crisis ended when the US agreed to remove some of our missiles from Turkey. They never aired the well documented actual reason that Khrushchev quickly remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. Nikita knew Castro was crazy and blood thirsty. Fidel demanded the missiles be launched from the second they were installed on Cuban soil. He even tried to make up false assertions to spook the Soviets into pushing the button. Fortunately the USSR's KGB knew better and Khrushchev withdrew the missiles. The facts are all there boys and girls of the BBC if you would do your job. Check out what Khrushchev's son wrote on the topic as well as your poster boy Che. I guess it's easier to believe today's Cuban government "statistics," drink mojitos and smoke cigars than to work for a living.