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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.
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.
An upcoming Caracas-Managua flight route operated by the Venezuelan state-owned Conviasa airline will increase the flow of migrants trying to reach the United States, according to a report published by the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa on Wednesday.
The post Report: Venezuela’s State-Owned Airline Will Fly U.S.-Bound Migrants to Nicaragua appeared first on Breitbart.
Diana Mondino, the foreign minister of Argentina, concluded her first trip to China on Wednesday representing the libertarian government of President Javier Milei, declaring that Buenos Aires retains a "friendly" policy towards Beijing despite Milei's campaign promises to distance his country from the Communist Party.
The post Milei’s Foreign Minister Says Argentina Still ‘Friendly’ to Communist China appeared first on Breitbart.
The communist regime in Cuba sentenced 22-year-old Mayelín Rodríguez Prado to 15 years in prison this week for filming peaceful protests in the town of Nuevitas in August 2022.
The post ‘Enemy Propaganda’: Cuba Sentences Mom to 15 Years in Prison for Filming Protest appeared first on Breitbart.
The Islamic regime in Iran has held talks with Cuba's communist Castro regime to renovate 160 run-down sugarcane factories in Cuba, the Iranian state-run Tasmin News Agency reported Wednesday.
The post Iran in Talks to Refurbish Sugarcane Factories in Cuba appeared first on Breitbart.
Genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping is expected to arrive in Serbia late on Tuesday, the 25th anniversary of NATO forces bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
The post Xi Jinping to Visit Serbia on Anniversary of NATO Bombing Chinese Embassy appeared first on Breitbart.
Human rights activists and Uyghur organization leaders staged a protest on Monday in Paris to condemn President Emmanuel Macron's enthusiastic welcome to China's genocidal dictator Xi Jinping.
The post Uyghurs, Tibetans Condemn France for Hosting ‘Genocidal Ogre’ Xi Jinping appeared first on Breitbart.
Genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping published an article on Wednesday in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet celebrating Beijing's ties to Budapest, emphasizing what he called a "deep friendship" with the leadership of the country.
The post Xi Jinping Celebrates ‘Deep Friendship’ with Orbán’s Hungary Ahead of Visit appeared first on Breitbart.
China and Hungary signed 18 agreements after a meeting between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and visiting genocidal dictator Xi Jinping.
The post Hungary’s Orbán Signs Big Deals with Xi Jinping, Thanks China for Saving Lives in Pandemic appeared first on Breitbart.
The Chinese Communist government is seeking to take advantage of its friendly ties with the socialist Brazilian government to establish a "Maritime Silk Road" in the Amazon Rainforest, The Argentine news outlet Infobae reported this weekend.
The post Report: China Seeking to Bring ‘Silk Road’ to Amazon with Help from Socialist Brazil appeared first on Breitbart.
Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuba's communist dictator Raúl Castro, led a “Conga Against Homophobia” dedicated to opposing Israel.
The post Raúl Castro’s Daughter Leads Pro-Hamas LGBT Conga in Cuba appeared first on Breitbart.
China's state-run Global Times dismissed President Joe Biden's criticism of Israel as a last-minute "stopgap measure" to win votes.
The post China: Biden Giving Israel ‘Superficial Criticism’ to Appease Leftist Voters appeared first on Breitbart.
Russian strongman Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing, China, on Thursday for extensive conversations with genocidal communist dictator Xi Jinping and his top officials focused on elevating economic and political ties.
The post Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Forge Closer Ties in ‘Intense and Meaningful’ Beijing Talks appeared first on Breitbart.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday removed Cuba's communist regime from the State Department's list of countries "not cooperating fully" against terrorism.
The post Biden Removes Hamas Ally Cuba from Blacklist of Countries That Don’t Cooperate to Fight Terrorism appeared first on Breitbart.
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