Cubano

Boatloads of prostitutes were sent to relieve their stress. Those women were prostitutes because women werent allowed to have jobs in those days except as maids or governesses and if they couldnt get a job like that and their husbands or families fell on hard times they often ended up in the streets. Much the same as in Afghanistan with the Taliban in control. Women whose husbands died werent allowed to work and had to beg on the streets. Prostitution wasnt and option because the religious police would have killed them.

Anyway what's your country's history Cubano? With all the conquerors throuhout history and revolutionaries how do you know your mother's ancestors werent concubines or (sex slaves)?

The early convicts who were given life in prison for stealing a loaf of bread when starving in those days carved the early towns and cities out of the bush with their primitive tools and bare hands. Without their slave labour this country wouldnt have got started. I like most Australians are proud of them and what they achieved under the boot of the British military and upper classes.

Obviously you arent an Australian as you have no understanding that Australians are proud of their history.

sharkfin:

As I said, please don't take offense. I merely present this version of Australian history as a counterpoint to Tim Anderson's no less offensive portrayal of Cuba. We all have slaves and kings in our ancestry. And, surely, Australians have created the greatest nation on earth ever peopled by convicts and prostitutes and proved all the eugenicists wrong. God bless Australia!

Tim Anderson is a lecturer at the School of Political Economy, Sydney University and is a member of the Committee of Management of AID/WATCH

Wow, this guy is a lecturer?
Cuba is free?

As someone who works with many Cuban's in South Florida, many of whom only recently arrived, this article is way off from what I have been told by people who live there.

Walter Durranty had the luck to die of old age before the crap he wrote could be waived in his face when the truth was known.

When Cuba is free, (it is not now, FYI) I hope they send this man the USEFULL IDIOT AWARD.

This person must have a tremendous ammount of education, that is the only way he could be so very very stupid.

Tim's article presents a strong case for the reassessment of Cuba as the villain of Latin America. He has produced a lot of statistics that back up his case. Instead of the old cold war rhetoric (lies, rubbish, propaganda etc) his critics would do well to question his facts not his motivation. We could all learn from someone who could contradict some of his information. It is useful to criticise him but only if you have someting other than unsubstantiated opinion.It only degrades the conversation to fill this space with invective and abuse. If you have researched the subject or given it much thought then give us the benefit of your efforts - for Tim or against.

The Cuba described in this article is not the one I visited several years ago. I think it only exists in this writers mind. Having traveled extensively in Mexico, often to rural locations far from paved roads and electricity I have to say that Mexico is far ahead of Cuba in any public health, social welfare sector that one chooses. clean pure safe drinking water is much more available to anyone in Mexico. Cuban household water treatment consists of 2 buckets and a block of fine sandstone with a basin carved in the top. the typical rural home in Cuba has a small cabinet where water is poured into the basin and it filters into the bucket below. this is not a 100 micron mesh filter, it is a rock. one small town we visited in Pinar Del Rio has a sewage collection system, but the treatment plant has not been operating " since the Russian left" so the collected , untreated sewage goes right into the local river. Which is where all of the people downstream get the water to filter thru the rock in their home. cuba is free to trade with Mexico ( and the rest of the world) My friends in Mexico say that Cuba does not produce anything they want or need so that is why there is no trade Next time you are in Cuba, try to buy some oranges. See if anyone will tell you what happened to the citrus groves in 1962 Oranges in Mexico are usually about five cents each from any one of numerous street vendors

I'm not going to comment on Mr. Anderson's lack of research for his Cuba arguments; others are already doing that.

But if Mr. Anderson was a serious journalist he would've never stated that "(for example, Puerto Ricans, who pay tax but have no representative in Congress)".

Very simple research would've taught Mr. Anderson that Puerto Ricans DO NOT pay federal taxes because they are NOT a state. Puerto Ricans only pay LOCAL TAXES to the government of Puerto Rico - NOT to the United States. And for many years before Clinton abolished it, the 936 Law allowed US companies to set up shop in Puerto Rico and be exempt of Federal Taxes as well.

Secondly they do have representation, one Resident Commissioner, who can make himself heard but has no vote.

Thirdly, when Puerto Ricans move to the US they can vote for the President, Senators and Representatives all they want, because they are now part of the Federal System, and pay Federal Taxes.

For the above reasons and the fact that Puerto Ricans ARE NOT a state, since they DO HAVE international representation for example in all sports competitions (Olympics, Panamerican, Baseball and Basketball Tournaments, etc.) and beauty pageants (Miss Universe, Miss World, but they do not participate in Miss USA), hence they don't have the same set up as any state because they are NOT.

The fact that Mr. Anderson was not even able to research such a simple fact (asking a Puerto Rican like me would do), casts a huge cloud of doubt as to the validity of anything else the article says. In my view, these is just his opinion, but this wasn't objectively researched.