Miami and the "Free Press" That We Bought

   For all of the misinformed people who have a certain idea about what our free press is and how our government defends it, today's press release by the National Committee to Free the Five and two other cooperating organizations may make you think twice about your beliefs.
   Let me preface this by remindeng people that the United States government is prohibited by the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 from funding activities to propagandize domestic public opinion.  This of course doesn't restrict alleged news outlets from slanting their coverage of news stories.  Also it allows the domestic public opinion to be misled by "news" corporations who depend on advertising revenues for profits.  To be fair I'd like to add the following disclaimer: I do not receive any money whatsoever for writing my opinion.  My views are mine and although they may be shared by others, I have formulated them on my own based on facts.
   The city of Miami has since 1959 been a hotbed for anti-Revolutionary Cuba propaganda.  This propaganda has led to many unfortunate situations including Operation Peter Pan which separated thousands of children from their families, some of whom have never been reunited.  One of the reasons it has continued for so long is that the relationship between Washington and the origional "exiles" happened to begin in the midst of the Cold War.  The right wing Batista supporters quickly found support in Washington in the  context of anti-communist hysteria.  The community has largely remained immune from the law although it has profound ties to terrorism and other illegal enterprises such as arms and human trafficking.  Most of this has been kept in the shaddows so as not to offend Americans' sense of justice. Misrepresentations of the situation inside of Cuba are common in the press in Miami so as to hide some of the remarkable achievements of a country that has been a victim of the toughest embargo in the world.
   The five Cubans who are imprisoned here in the United States were presented to the American people as spies.  They were put on trial in the most hostile city in the world when it comes to issues about Cuba.  I firmly believe that the venue of that trial was poorly chosen and unfair to the defendants.  Not only was it a poorly chosen venue but many connections have now been exposed between the government and the Miami media.
   Throught the Freedom of Information Act, pages of contracts over 2000 contracts between Miami journalists and Radio and TV Marti have been released. Radio and TV Marti are not independent news organizations.  They have been operated by the US government's Office of Cuba Broadcasting since 1985 and 1990 respectively.  It is not a small investment.  It  has cost the US taxpayers almost a half billion dollars in that time.  With taxpayers' money, they have on their payrolls domestic journalists so that they would broadcast these propagandistic messages not only to Cuba but also to the domestic audience.The American people effectively payed journalists to create within themselves a particular bias in regards to the Cuban Five.
   Anyone suggesting that the loudmouths of Miami desire an honest reporting of the truth about Cuba or the casse of the Cuban Five are simply fooling themselves.  What was done by our government through its Radio and TV Marti quite possibly was illegal.  Not only may it have been illegal but it was done on behalf of the most violent and corrupt people in our country.  Perhaps "conspiracy" charges coould be looked into!