Madison - Camaguey Sister City Association

By Susan Kepecs
Special to The Capital Times
January 4, 2003

"We really need to issue the people of Cuba an apology for meddling in their affairs for more than 100 years."

That's how far Ricardo Gonzalez has traveled in his thinking since the 1960s, when his family fled the Cuban Revolution as refugees.

Gonzalez, the Cuban-American nightclub owner, former downtown alderman and leader of the Madison sister city association that conducts exchanges with his hometown of Camaguey, offered some thoughts in an interview about the past and future of U.S.-Cuban relations.

He begins with the War of 1898, when Cuba was struggling for independence from Spain and the United States intervened.

"Spain was defeated, and the Yankees took credit for the victory," Gonzalez says. "Ignoring Cuba's history - 400 years of Western civilization, not to mention a rich pre-Hispanic past - the U.S. declared the Cubans inept and installed a military government. We finally granted the island quasi-independence in 1902, by forcing Cuban leaders to annex the Platt Amendment to their constitution.

"The Platt Amendment granted the U.S. the right to intervene whenever it wanted - a convenient way to protect continually expanding American capital investments, essentially turning Cuba into an economic colony. If the 1898 U.S. intervention was the seed for the Cuban revolution, the Platt Amendment was the Miracle Grow that ensured its robust flowering.

"It's important to spell this out, because the Cuban revolution wasn't a plot hatched in Moscow. That's what the extreme right believes, and the lie gets repeated till it becomes 'truth.' But until Americans understand what actually happened there won't be any real solutions.

"In renegotiating with Cuba this time, we have to give up once and for all any designs on controlling or owning the island. This time we will have to do business on Cuba's terms. You won't be able to go there and buy property. This isn't 1898."

Gonzalez says the worst-case scenario would be if President Bush, in the context of the war on terrorism, decides to provoke Cuba into a confrontation and then attacks the island in a last-ditch effort to oust Castro.

"If the U.S. wants Cuba to be like Russia, where the Mafia rules in a jungle of caciques, assassinations and mobsterism - then, yeah, bring down the Castro government and create a huge power vacuum. But that will be totally counterproductive to U.S. interests.

"Fidel is not our enemy. He's made many overtures toward improving relations. He's consistently given the U.S. his full support in the war on terror. He condemned the Sept. 11 attacks immediately and was prepared to sign a bilateral agreement with our government providing for joint counter-terrorism efforts. But the U.S. declined."

Gonzalez hopes Castro's legacy will be to replace the long standoff with a new, mutually respectful relationship.

"Ideally, we would normalize relations with Fidel in power, and give Cuba the respect it deserves after all these years of struggle," he said.

"The U.S. has perpetrated 43 years of aggression against Cuba, thanks to American attitudes about socialism. But the truth is that the Cuban population is highly educated, has excellent health care, and enjoys a high level of cultural development.

"Fidel led the country to those enviable conditions, and he deserves credit."

USCSCA: SEPTEMBER TRIP TO CAMAGUEY

Please join members of the Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association, as we travel to Cuba on a humanitarian/cultural journey to Madison's sister city of Camaguey for one week. The exact dates are dependent upon flight availability but will be either September 26 through October 3 OR September 28 through October 5. Price for the trip will be determined once we have the flight schedule in place but will be in line with previous MCSCA trips.

As with all of our humanitarian trips, we will deliver much-needed supplies and visit project sites. Of equal importance, we will have people-to-people contact between Madisonians and Camagueyanos.

The trip will coincide with the National Theater Festival, which is held in Camaguey every two years. The best productions from throughout Cuba are brought to Camaguey for the ten-day festival. The productions range from classical to modern. The approximately 80 performances during the festival are held at three theaters which are within walking distance of each other in beautiful downtown Camaguey.

If you are interested in the trip or have questions, please contact Rachel Perlman at perlmanrc@tds.net or by phone at 608-257-4543 (Madison).

Madison City Council Resolution - Normalize relations with Cuba, 3/02

A RESOLUTION

Requesting that the United States government establish normal diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba, and consider removing Cuba from its list of terrorist countries.

Drafted by: Alder Tim Bruer

Ricardo Gonzalez

Fiscal Note: No fiscal impact

SPONSORS: Common Council

WHEREAS, the City of Madison adopted Resolution 44,907, ID 2567 in September 6, 1988, establishing a sister city selection policy in the belief that person-to-person ties are the strongest in seeking to work for peace and better understanding of all cultures; and

WHEREAS, citizens of Madison have had a long-standing interest in the affairs of Cuba and have established many ties with that country; and

WHEREAS, the City of Madison has maintained a sister city relationship with the City of Camaguey, Cuba, which has fostered greater understanding of the tradition, values and cultural heritage among citizens of both cities; and

WHEREAS, Alders Tim Bruer and Santiago Rosas have made a number of visits to Camaguey where they have been moved by the friendliness and sincerity of the Cuban People, and seen first-hand the measurable impact the sister city program has had in promoting goodwill between our cities, and;

WHEREAS, the US discontinued diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, and soon after imposed an economic embargo against Cuba; and

WHEREAS, the continuation of the embargo causes extreme hardship to the people of Cuba, especially to children and the elderly; and

WHEREAS, US Cuba policy has hindered Madison's efforts to promote constructive relationships between the peoples of Madison and Camaguey, and;

WHEREAS, this policy does not reflect the high moral and ethical values the US takes pride in when conducting its foreign policy; and

WHEREAS, the people of Cuba have lived under constant terrorist threats and attacks for more than forty years, and;

WHEREAS, US policy obstructs Cuba's efforts to combat acts of terrorism against its people, and;

WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, the people of the United States experienced the devastating consequences of cowardly and undeserved acts of terrorism on our own soil, and;

WHEREAS, Cuba has resolved to thwart acts of international terrorism, and has offered assistance to the US Government in combating terrorism against American citizens, and;

WHEREAS, the US Government includes Cuba in its list of terrorist states, and;

WHEREAS, including Cuba in the list of terrorist countries trivializes the efforts to combat terrorism, and not even our strongest allies, such as Canada, England, and France, consider Cuba to be terrorist country, and;

WHEREAS, Secretary of State General Colin Powell has publicly recognized the significant accomplishments Cuba has made in the areas of public health and education, and has stated that current US policy is aimed at an irrelevant relic of the cold war, and;

WHEREAS, economic losses due to foregone trade with Cuba are estimated in the billions of dollars per year, much of which would benefit the State of Wisconsin, and;

WHEREAS, US policy directly affects Madisonians as it interferes with our freedom of travel and hampers Wisconsin's economic development.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council request that the US Government consider establishing normal diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the US Government also consider removing Cuba from its list of terrorist countries, and;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to President George W. Bush, and the Wisconsin Congressional delegation.

Letter, 1/24/00

Links

Madison-Camagüey Sister-City Association

Afirman que es posible una nueva era en las relaciones Cuba - EEUU, 3/31/03

Gonzalez: U.S. policy on Cuba must change, 1/4/03

USCSCA: SEPTEMBER TRIP TO CAMAGUEY

Madison City Council Resolution - Normalize relations with Cuba, 3/02

Letter, 1/24/00

Links

	US-Cuba Sister Cities Association
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