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There was a time when, if you said that liberals suffer from Communism envy, they would deny it. Is that still true? Perhaps not, as to the Squad, two members of which were among a delegation that made a more or less secret trip to Cuba:
A delegation of the U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus traveled to Cuba last week in a trip that has not previously been disclosed by the legislators nor reported in Cuban state media.
The group of about a dozen people was led by Democratic U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal of the state of Washington and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. It included a congressional staffer from the office of California Rep. Barbara Lee’s office, sources with knowledge of the trip told the Miami Herald.
Jayapal and Omar, members of the informal left-wing group of lawmakers known as “the squad,” did not reply to emails and messages seeking comment. Lee’s office also did not reply to a request for comment.
After the Herald published this story, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, comprising more than 100 lawmakers and chaired by Jayapal, confirmed the trip.
Odd. No press releases, no Cuban state media trumpeting the support it is getting from American liberals. So what was up with the visit?
“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” said a Caucus spokesperson.
Oh. Okay. But the Squad is not in favor of human rights, so it would be interesting to know what the discussion was about:
Jayapal and Omar have been vocal critics of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and have supported bills to normalize relations with the island’s communist government. They were among the 40 Democrats who voted against a symbolic resolution supporting peaceful demonstrators who protested against the Cuban government in July 2021 and “calling for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.”
Well, they don’t want arbitrarily detained American citizens released either, so I guess that is consistent. All in all, the story is a valuable reminder that, while the rest of the world has given up on Communism, it still has a certain cachet with American liberals.
Josef Stalin died on this day in 1953. In his sleep; so, like Lenin, Mao and Castro, and unlike Hitler, Mussolini and Ceausescu, he never paid a price for his crimes. The Victims of Communism remember:
Stalin died on this day in 1953.
He left behind a legacy of terror, famine, and mass murder.
Remember the victims. pic.twitter.com/HUBBYUZMwh
— Victims of Communism (@VoCommunism) March 5, 2024
Stalin ranks second only to Mao among history’s worst mass murderers. Those who knew him best understood how evil he was: his wife committed suicide and his daughter defected to America. Stalin’s malignant legacy lives on, as Russia has never fully emerged from his dark shadow. It is unfortunate that he wasn’t strung up like Mussolini or shot like Ceausescu. At this point, all we can do is revile him.
As John noted recently, members of “The Squad” recently snuck off to Cuba, a one-party Communist dictatorship and massive violator of human rights. The woke Democrats seem unaware of films and books that document the repressions of the Stalinist regime. Consider, for example, Improper Conduct, by Cuban cinematographer Nestor Almendros, who in 1979 won an Oscar for Days of Heaven.
Improper Conduct shows how Fidel Castro tossed homosexuals into forced labor camps, which were rather inclusive. As New York Times film critic Vincent Canby noted, “Playwrights, doctors, poets and painters as well as more ordinary folk such as tour guides and hairdressers, spent time in one or more of the country’s forced-labor camps.” Consider also 8-A, a documentary by Cuban exile Orlando Jimenez Leal.
When Gen. Arnaldo Ochoa returned from Africa, Castro spotted a potential rival and staged a show trial for Ochoa and fellow officers. 8-A showcases the actual trial, in which Castro appears, and adds a dramatization of the executions.
In Heroes are Grazing In My Garden, Cuban poet Heberto Padilla exposes the repression of writers and intellectuals, along with the general privations of the people. For example, diabetics sell samples of their urine, so others can get extra rations of milk and meat. In Against All Hope, Armando Valladares documents Castro’s torture of political prisoners. Consider also Paul Hollander’s Political Pilgrims, which recalls glowing accounts of the Cuban regime by foreigners.
“Fidel sits on the side of a tank rumbling into Havana on New Year’s day,” wrote New Left icon Abbie Hoffman (Steal this Book). “He laughs joyously and pinches a few rumps… Fidel lets the gun drop to the ground, slaps his thigh and stands erect. He is like a mighty penis coming to life, and when he is tall and straight, the crowd immediately is transformed.”
For novelist Norman Mailer, Castro was “the first and greatest hero to appear in the world since the Second World War.” For Angela Davis, Communist Party USA candidate for vice-president in 1980 and 1984, “Fidel was their leader, but most of all he was also their brother in the largest sense of the word.” In reality, the white Stalinist plunged the nation into sub-Haiti levels of poverty, and thousands fled on anything that would float.
As Saul Bellow explained, a great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. The Squad is either ignorant of the record or, like Angela Davis, fully approves of the Cuba’s Stalinist regime. As Cubans might note, in 2021, Squad members Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar were among 40 Democrats who voted against a resolution supporting peaceful demonstrators protesting against the Cuban government.
Via InstaPundit, I learn that Karl Marx died on this day in 1883. I concur with Glenn Reynolds’ suggestion that March 14 should therefore be a holiday:
Marx performed the difficult feat of being wrong about everything. Most people are right about some things and wrong about others; the law of averages sets in. But if you are an ideologue, like Marx, and if your ideology is stupid, you can be wrong across the board. Marx’s historical analyses were either recycled conventional wisdom or wildly off the mark. He knew nothing about economics, which is why his labor theory of value–the lynchpin of his entire philosophy–is absurd. (Even Marx recognized that; he never finished the key section of Capital, leaving that inglorious task to Engels.) And he pontificated endlessly about workers and the means of production, without even once, as far as is known, setting foot in a factory.
Marx survives in historical memory for two reasons. First, hardly anyone has actually read Capital or his lesser works. Even a person of moderate intelligence could hardly do so without recognizing their foolishness. Second, Marx’s philosophy has served as a pretext for sadists to seize control of governments around the globe. Which is exactly what Marx intended.
Marx was a bad man, equally so in his private and public lives. He should be remembered only as an exemplar of how much damage a single-minded and hate-filled man can do.
The governments of South Korea and Japan confirmed on Tuesday that communist North Korea fired a projectile believed to be carrying a "hypersonic warhead" and potentially capable of striking the American island of Guam.
The post North Korea Tests Missile Believed Capable of Hitting Japan, Guam appeared first on Breitbart.
The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist organization announced this weekend the creation of a unit within the group to carry out criminal activities across four Colombian regions.
The post Colombia’s FARC Terrorists Boast of Youth Recruitment Boom — 8 Years After ‘Peace Deal’ appeared first on Breitbart.
President Joe Biden held a phone call on Tuesday with China's genocidal dictator Xi Jinping in which the American leftist leader reportedly emphasized his distaste for a "new Cold War" or "conflict" with the Chinese Communist Party and assured Xi he would not pursue economic "decoupling."
The post Biden Assures Xi Jinping He Opposes ‘Decoupling,’ Wants ‘China to Succeed’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Tuesday, paving the way for a meeting between the top Communist Party leader and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and arriving in between expected visits from American officials Janet Yellen and Antony Blinken.
The post Russia Sends Top Diplomat to China Between Yellen, Blinken Visits appeared first on Breitbart.
Chinese dictator Xi Jinping hosted former President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou, declaring that Taiwan is not a separate entity from China.
The post ‘No Force Can Separate Us’: Xi Jinping Lays Claim to Taiwan in Meeting with Ex-President appeared first on Breitbart.
A court in Ho Chi Minh City rushed on Thursday to sentence real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, one of the richest women in the world, to death for her part in a $12.5 billion fraud case.
The post Female Vietnamese Real Estate Tycoon Sentenced to Death in $12 Billion Fraud Case appeared first on Breitbart.
Experts, including two former diplomats representing America at the United Nations, warned Congress in a hearing on Wednesday that China is amassing power within the U.N. structure to "blunt criticism, shut out and stigmatize Taiwan, plug its Belt and Road Initiative, and dilute norms that might be used to hold it accountable."
The post Experts to Congress: China Is Hijacking Key U.N. Agencies to Advance Communist Agenda appeared first on Breitbart.
The bloodiest man in the history of "the most deadly idea ever conceived in the history of the world," communist mass murderer Mao Zedong, "embraced evil in all respects" – and successor Xi Jinping is faithfully following in his footsteps, acclaimed scholar Steven W. Mosher affirms in his new book, The Devil and Communist China: From Mao Down to Xi.
The post Exclusive – China Expert Steven Mosher: Xi Jinping a ‘Son of Mao’s Spirit’ Leading a War Against the Free World that China Is Winning appeared first on Breitbart.
Chinese cheap goods e-marketplace Temu "encouraged" suppliers to use Chinese cotton in their products despite the vast majority of that cotton being produced in occupied East Turkistan, the technology news site The Information alleged in a report published on Thursday, apparently disregarding the risk of using materials tainted by slave labor.
The post Report: Temu Encouraged Suppliers to Use Chinese Cotton, Ignoring Slavery Risk appeared first on Breitbart.
President Joe Biden held a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
The post Japan, Philippines Push Biden to Challenge Chinese Colonialism in South China Sea appeared first on Breitbart.
The communist government of China demanded Israel "exercise calm and restraint" on Sunday following an unprecedented attack featuring over 300 drones and missiles on the Israeli homeland on Iran.
The post China: Iran’s 300 Missile and Drone Barrage on Israel ‘Restrained,’ Israel Should Not Respond appeared first on Breitbart.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held calls with the top diplomats of Iran and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in which he expressed support for Iran's unprecedented bombing on Israel on Saturday and the Muslim world's opposition to Israel generally.
The post Chinese Foreign Minister Calls Iran ‘Good-Neighborly and Friendly’ After Israel Barrage appeared first on Breitbart.
North Korea's flagship state propaganda arm claimed in a report on Tuesday that communist dictator Kim Jong-un personally led what it called a "combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack."
The post North Korea Claims Kim Jong-un Led Nuclear Attack Drill appeared first on Breitbart.
India’s main opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "hate speech" for referring to Muslims as "infiltrators."
The post Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Accused of Hate Speech for Calling Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday afternoon for meetings with senior officials, receiving no significant honors upon his landing and preceded by loud warnings from the Foreign Ministry to avoid challenging the Communist Party on its belligerent policies.
The post China Offers Blinken Cold Welcome in Shanghai, Mocks Visit as ‘Imploring’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with low-level Chinese Communist Party officials, students, and businessmen in Shanghai on Thursday, promoting an "expansion of exchanges" with the rogue state in several fields.
The post Antony Blinken Promotes ‘Expansion of Exchanges’ with Chinese Businesses in Shanghai appeared first on Breitbart.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, reportedly receiving stern warnings to "seek common ground" with his violent regime and avoid "vicious competition."
The post Xi Jinping Scolds Antony Blinken in Beijing: Avoid ‘Vicious Competition’ appeared first on Breitbart.
The communist dictatorship of Nicaragua saw a growth of nearly 12 percent in the amount of remittance money emigrants sent to the country during the first quarter of 2024.
The post Nicaragua Sees Nearly $1 Billion in Remittances from the U.S. in 3 Months appeared first on Breitbart.
The governments of China and Hungary confirmed on Monday that genocidal dictator Xi Jinping will visit Budapest between May 8 and May 10 as part of a wider European tour beginning with stops in France and Serbia.
The post Belt and Road Hungary Prepares Warm Welcome for Xi Jinping’s European Tour appeared first on Breitbart.
Officials with the South Korean military confirmed on Monday that communist North Korea had littered roads between North and South Korea with landmines and begun taking down streetlights installed on them.
The post North Korea Installs Fresh Landmines in DMZ appeared first on Breitbart.
Vaunce News 