He who harbors a terrorist…
BY JEAN-GUY ALLARD
"I’M happy to have been of service", wrote Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a personal letter addressed to Rodolfo Frometa, leader of Miami terrorist group Comandos F-4, on July 8 1996 after thanking the dangerous criminal for his "inspiration".
The existence of the letter was revealed some days ago by The Miami New Times website, in a portrait of the self-proclaimed "commandant" of Miami entitled "Frometal Jacket" written by renowned journalist Kirk Nielsen. The exposé tells how the notorious extremist openly brags of his close relationship with the Republican representative.
If, say in the state of Massachusetts or California, a friendly letter was exchanged between a representative and a terrorist, (worse still if it was from someone of Arab origin), it would provoke a veritable scandal. But in Miami’s micro-climate, such associations don’t surprise anyone.
In the country where, as has been repeated a thousand times, "he who harbors a terrorist is as guilty as the terrorist himself," ethically-speaking Miami constitutes a land apart, where the FBI prefers to arrest those who keep terrorists under surveillance rather than the terror merchants themselves.
This happens thanks to unwritten laws respecting a long tradition of tolerating counter-revolutionary violence, a tradition that began four decades ago with the arrival of hordes of defeated Batista supporters.
Incredibly, the Cuban-Americans in the House of Representatives are perfect illustration of this phenomenon: all of them, without exception, have terrorist affiliations that they are unable to deny.
In the case of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, filiation is precisely the correct term to use, when we discover that she is the daughter of Enrique Ros Pérez, apologist par excellence of Miami terrorism. In his effort to extol the virtues of violence as a means of political struggle, the Representative’s father and mentor entrusted the editing of the prologue of his book on the Bay of Pigs to none other than Orlando Bosch, killer pediatrician. Bosch, along with Luis Posada Carriles, was responsible for the fatal mid-flight explosion of a Cuban airplane in 1976.
In his prologue, Bosch describes Ros as "my friend and comrade in the struggle for the liberation of the homeland" and "one of the conspiratorial planners who confronted the Communists".
Enrique Ros was the founding coordinator of the counter-revolutionary Christian Democrat Movement (formerly an underground movement), and then went on to plot from inside the Democratic Revolutionary Front and Cuban Revolutionary Council, a brainchild of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
His daughter never missed an opportunity to hang out with her father’s terrorist buddies, distinguishing herself in the campaign to free Bosch in 1989 by forcing the U.S. Justice Department to rethink its decision to deport the dangerous criminal. Since then, Bosch has lived freely in Miami; in 2001, only weeks before September 11, he signed an open letter printed in The Miami Herald legitimizing the use of violence.
Her long-time colleague in Congress, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, also took the initiative of launching, encouraging and blindly supporting such a shameful campaign, alongside grandson of dictator Fulgencio Batista, Raoul García Cantero, today a Florida Supreme Court judge. Better still, the Republican politician even included Bosch’s release in his 1999 electoral campaign.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone.
MINISTER OF REPRESSION’S SON
Lincoln Diaz-Balart is the son of Rafael Diaz-Balart, former minister in Batista’s government, that is to say, former head of the regime’s organizations of repression; organizations that were responsible for the death of some 20,000 opposition members at the hands of a veritable army of henchmen. On his arrival in the United States, where he was given refuge, this long-time collaborator of the dictator founded the Rosa Blanca (White Rose) - the first counter-revolutionary terrorist organization – in New York, together with several former members of the armed forces.
On May 14 1995, that man’s son boasted of the unforgettable opportunity to develop a close relationship with Batista, whom he said he greatly admired.
To top it all, on August 27, 1994, Lincoln Diaz-Balart proposed that the White House allow Miami terrorists to launch attacks against Cuba from the United States, in spite of the Law of Neutrality that (theoretically) prohibits such actions.
Just like his colleague Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart was linked to the shady deals that led to the release of the men charged with assassinating Chilean foreign minister Orlando Letelier and his co-worker Ronnie Moffit.
Since the last elections to Congress, Lincoln Diaz-Balart has had the pleasure of working alongside his brother Mario. Thanks to the Florida metropolis’ Mafioso electoral machine — and taking advantage of his family ties — he has also been elected as a member of the House.
When it comes to terror, fourth Cuban-American representative to Congress, Roberto (Bob) Menéndez has no reason to envy his three colleagues.
How can we forget his trip to Geneva in April 1996, when he went to expose so-called "human rights violations" in Cuba, accompanied by his personal assistant…notorious terrorist José Manuel Álvarez, well-known for his criminal activities in the bosom of the Abdala organization.
Another individual with abysmal references joined them: Alfredo Chumaceiro, also implicated in the assassinations of Orlando Letelier and Ronnie Moffit.
Menéndez made no secret of his relationship with two of Batista’s henchmen, José Cedeno and Frank Mona.
Last May 20, representatives of the Cuban-American community in Washington were at President George W. Bush’s side during an event where the same Orlando Bosch and the whole Miami terrorist supreme court had reserved seats.
It’s impossible to complete the picture without mentioning that historically speaking, Cuban-American politicians active in the federal sphere, including Robert "The Torch" Torricelli, have always
been abundantly fed and watered by the Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF) and it’s founder Jorge Más Canosa. And CANF is the same organization that terrorist Luis Posada Carriles acknowledged as being his main sponsor.
Also worthy of special mention: the treasurer of CANF who allocated funds for terrorist acts was, according to Posada, always Feliciano Foyo. The President recently nominated this same individual as Radio Martí’s administrative advisor. Just so there’s no doubt now…
Whilst Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart, Menéndez et al continue to be considered as "honorable" members of Congress, fearlessly exhibiting their connections with the most brazen sections of the terrorist community, five Cubans ("guilty" of having penetrated the ranks of the most bloody counter-revolutionary gangs) continue to be imprisoned in five separate jails in the United States, as a result of a fixed trial.
In the country where "he who harbors a terrorist is as guilty as the terrorist himself," will this absurd situation ever come to an end?
BY JEAN-GUY ALLARD
"I’M happy to have been of service", wrote Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a personal letter addressed to Rodolfo Frometa, leader of Miami terrorist group Comandos F-4, on July 8 1996 after thanking the dangerous criminal for his "inspiration".
The existence of the letter was revealed some days ago by The Miami New Times website, in a portrait of the self-proclaimed "commandant" of Miami entitled "Frometal Jacket" written by renowned journalist Kirk Nielsen. The exposé tells how the notorious extremist openly brags of his close relationship with the Republican representative.
If, say in the state of Massachusetts or California, a friendly letter was exchanged between a representative and a terrorist, (worse still if it was from someone of Arab origin), it would provoke a veritable scandal. But in Miami’s micro-climate, such associations don’t surprise anyone.
In the country where, as has been repeated a thousand times, "he who harbors a terrorist is as guilty as the terrorist himself," ethically-speaking Miami constitutes a land apart, where the FBI prefers to arrest those who keep terrorists under surveillance rather than the terror merchants themselves.
This happens thanks to unwritten laws respecting a long tradition of tolerating counter-revolutionary violence, a tradition that began four decades ago with the arrival of hordes of defeated Batista supporters.
Incredibly, the Cuban-Americans in the House of Representatives are perfect illustration of this phenomenon: all of them, without exception, have terrorist affiliations that they are unable to deny.
In the case of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, filiation is precisely the correct term to use, when we discover that she is the daughter of Enrique Ros Pérez, apologist par excellence of Miami terrorism. In his effort to extol the virtues of violence as a means of political struggle, the Representative’s father and mentor entrusted the editing of the prologue of his book on the Bay of Pigs to none other than Orlando Bosch, killer pediatrician. Bosch, along with Luis Posada Carriles, was responsible for the fatal mid-flight explosion of a Cuban airplane in 1976.
In his prologue, Bosch describes Ros as "my friend and comrade in the struggle for the liberation of the homeland" and "one of the conspiratorial planners who confronted the Communists".
Enrique Ros was the founding coordinator of the counter-revolutionary Christian Democrat Movement (formerly an underground movement), and then went on to plot from inside the Democratic Revolutionary Front and Cuban Revolutionary Council, a brainchild of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
His daughter never missed an opportunity to hang out with her father’s terrorist buddies, distinguishing herself in the campaign to free Bosch in 1989 by forcing the U.S. Justice Department to rethink its decision to deport the dangerous criminal. Since then, Bosch has lived freely in Miami; in 2001, only weeks before September 11, he signed an open letter printed in The Miami Herald legitimizing the use of violence.
Her long-time colleague in Congress, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, also took the initiative of launching, encouraging and blindly supporting such a shameful campaign, alongside grandson of dictator Fulgencio Batista, Raoul García Cantero, today a Florida Supreme Court judge. Better still, the Republican politician even included Bosch’s release in his 1999 electoral campaign.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone.
MINISTER OF REPRESSION’S SON
Lincoln Diaz-Balart is the son of Rafael Diaz-Balart, former minister in Batista’s government, that is to say, former head of the regime’s organizations of repression; organizations that were responsible for the death of some 20,000 opposition members at the hands of a veritable army of henchmen. On his arrival in the United States, where he was given refuge, this long-time collaborator of the dictator founded the Rosa Blanca (White Rose) - the first counter-revolutionary terrorist organization – in New York, together with several former members of the armed forces.
On May 14 1995, that man’s son boasted of the unforgettable opportunity to develop a close relationship with Batista, whom he said he greatly admired.
To top it all, on August 27, 1994, Lincoln Diaz-Balart proposed that the White House allow Miami terrorists to launch attacks against Cuba from the United States, in spite of the Law of Neutrality that (theoretically) prohibits such actions.
Just like his colleague Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart was linked to the shady deals that led to the release of the men charged with assassinating Chilean foreign minister Orlando Letelier and his co-worker Ronnie Moffit.
Since the last elections to Congress, Lincoln Diaz-Balart has had the pleasure of working alongside his brother Mario. Thanks to the Florida metropolis’ Mafioso electoral machine — and taking advantage of his family ties — he has also been elected as a member of the House.
When it comes to terror, fourth Cuban-American representative to Congress, Roberto (Bob) Menéndez has no reason to envy his three colleagues.
How can we forget his trip to Geneva in April 1996, when he went to expose so-called "human rights violations" in Cuba, accompanied by his personal assistant…notorious terrorist José Manuel Álvarez, well-known for his criminal activities in the bosom of the Abdala organization.
Another individual with abysmal references joined them: Alfredo Chumaceiro, also implicated in the assassinations of Orlando Letelier and Ronnie Moffit.
Menéndez made no secret of his relationship with two of Batista’s henchmen, José Cedeno and Frank Mona.
Last May 20, representatives of the Cuban-American community in Washington were at President George W. Bush’s side during an event where the same Orlando Bosch and the whole Miami terrorist supreme court had reserved seats.
It’s impossible to complete the picture without mentioning that historically speaking, Cuban-American politicians active in the federal sphere, including Robert "The Torch" Torricelli, have always
been abundantly fed and watered by the Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF) and it’s founder Jorge Más Canosa. And CANF is the same organization that terrorist Luis Posada Carriles acknowledged as being his main sponsor.
Also worthy of special mention: the treasurer of CANF who allocated funds for terrorist acts was, according to Posada, always Feliciano Foyo. The President recently nominated this same individual as Radio Martí’s administrative advisor. Just so there’s no doubt now…
Whilst Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart, Menéndez et al continue to be considered as "honorable" members of Congress, fearlessly exhibiting their connections with the most brazen sections of the terrorist community, five Cubans ("guilty" of having penetrated the ranks of the most bloody counter-revolutionary gangs) continue to be imprisoned in five separate jails in the United States, as a result of a fixed trial.
In the country where "he who harbors a terrorist is as guilty as the terrorist himself," will this absurd situation ever come to an end?