Cuba News

There's quite a bit this AM, and I'm in a hurry, so I'll have to brief it.

AP is out with a story of college students and a drive to petition the government to allow colleges and universities independence from state control and free speech. Despite having collected 5,000 signatures, they don't plan to submit them yet. See, they're afraid of being expelled.

From the Sidney Herald Leader, an article on how wrong-headed Bush's policy is. According to Sanchez, the author, further restriction on cultural exchanges is in the works. Response, she says, has been swift, supported by none other than Danny Glover and Sean Penn. Perhaps if "artists" did not serve as apologists and propaganda tools for a brutally oppressive regime, this restriction would be unwarranted. As it is.... There is a connected story that has so ignited my wrath that I'll post later.

And, of course, the usual statistical shenanigans from the castro government with the announcement that Cuba expects 10 percent growth this year. If it's anything like last year's purported growth of 12.6 percent, it will be yet another example of true voodoo economics. Read it here.

Stay tuned for more later.