The former head of Radio Marti has left his delusions on the pages of the Miami Herald. He describes Cuba's government as "a train to where". He unfortunately doesn't realize that he himself has a seat in the actual train to nowhere, the one which the extremist circles of South Florida have commandeered for decades, chugging along to the brink of irrelevance.
He refers to the very real changes that are occurring in Cuba as being empty. As is typical for the anti-Cuba crowd in Miami, only by ignoring the people of the island, can he claim that the train is empty. A great number of people have been experiencing the positive changes that have been adopted, but of course to Mr. Roig, any changes must be ignored if they don't include a re-establishment of the semi-colonial type of government which was overthrown in 1959.
His description of Cuba as a Jurassic Park is better suited for those groups that meet yearly in Miami at the Bay of Pigs Museum to pay homage to the most quickly defeated group of mercenaries that the hemisphere has ever known. Sure, Cuba has a long way to become a fully developed country, but its advancements in many fields is quite impressive and its gestures of true international solidarity is well documented and praised world wide. The same can't be said of the groups sipping cafecitos on Calle 8 plotting ways to destroy what good people have built.
Having headed a radio station named after Jose Marti, a station created by the empire bent on crushing the dreams of the Cuban revolutionary, it's hard to understand how he claims that revolutionary Cuba is morally bankrupt. Not only was he a paid lackey of the U.S. government, whose job was to propagate nonsense to the island of Cuba, but his time in that position was embarrassingly useless and cronyism plagued the tax payer funded radio station. He was, as the station itself still is, a parasite industry which serves no purpose other than tickling the bellies of the anti-Cuba crowd as they enrich themselves at the expense of the American people.
"But the tragic show must go on. It is obvious that we Cubans have difficulties for profound meditation and logical analysis." These are Mr. Roig's words. They don't describe the people on the island, but the people within his small group of associates. He is doing his best to prove himself correct!
Showing posts with label Radio Marti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Radio Marti. Show all posts
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Monday, October 3, 2011
Fifty Plus Years And Feet Still Drag On The Way To The Inevitable
Washington is still drags its feet when it comes to forming a rational policy towards
Cuba. I think the situation is beyond delusion. There may be a few deluded people
around still, but senility is probably more appropriate of a description if they
hold on to their beliefs from five decades ago.
After 50 years of Washington's inability to impose its will on Cuba, punishment
can be the only logical explanation for maintaining its policy. It attempts to
delude the public with its silly proclamations from time to time, such as
Obama's recent comments, and with the help of a press that is predominantly
sympathetic towards whatever Washington's foreign policy might be.
Washington finds it much easier to stick with the status quo than to challenge
it. What Washington needs to find is a way to reverse itself, or at least begin
to, while saving face since it isn't admitting its errors.
It would love to find a way to get Alan Gross released since it would be
presented as a win for Washington, but for the moment his imprisonment makes a good
talking point for the politicians. Doing anything during a campaign year is
almost impossible because it could easily be twisted into being perceived as a
weakness even though for Mr. Gross and his family it would be a fantastic
conclusion.
As for all of the attempts to prevent progress on the issue by the usual suspects
in congress, Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtenin and co., all of it was quite predictable and
although it can be worrisome, time itself is running against them and they know it
so they scream more loudly.
Alleviating suffering never seems to be very high on the to-do list in
Washington so appealing to our politicians' emotions won't get anyone anywhere.
The voters in Florida for the most part can't be described as left of center.
This has become a very right wing state over the past decade or so, and I don't
see that there is any difference particular to the registered voters of Cuban
descent.
Unfortunately, many of the people who would like to see a change in policy
within the Cuban community aren't yet registered to vote and many haven't yet
become citizens. If they would like to outnumber those who control the Cuba
issue, they really need to do so or they will likely just have to wait for the
business lobbies to convince the politicians that things must change.
The oil industry is one that I'm sure will be exerting more pressure than anyone
else at this point even going as far as to ask for a special exception for
itself, which may be a possibility. But even if such a corrupt exception is
ultimately granted, it would signal the beginning of a sure end in our horrible
embargo.
Along with that exception, others must be found so as not to look like they are
just caving in to the demands of Big Oil. Possibly an end on travel
restrictions for all Americans after the 2012 election and a solution to the
Alan Gross issue would lead to the overdue removal of Cuba from the list of
terror sponsoring countries. After those steps it would be possible for the
entire embargo to be dismantled.
Through it all the anti-Cuba crowd would throw a fit, but they would
be powerless to do anything at all. Perhaps Radio Marti would continue with a
few "democracy programs" if only to throw them a bone, but not much else.
Of course the US would still find it hard to accept a Cuba outside of its
control, but it would at least be able to satisfy the desires of businesses that
would like to just profit in a market that has always been off limits.
But still for now, the feet in Washington just drag on.
Cuba. I think the situation is beyond delusion. There may be a few deluded people
around still, but senility is probably more appropriate of a description if they
hold on to their beliefs from five decades ago.
After 50 years of Washington's inability to impose its will on Cuba, punishment
can be the only logical explanation for maintaining its policy. It attempts to
delude the public with its silly proclamations from time to time, such as
Obama's recent comments, and with the help of a press that is predominantly
sympathetic towards whatever Washington's foreign policy might be.
Washington finds it much easier to stick with the status quo than to challenge
it. What Washington needs to find is a way to reverse itself, or at least begin
to, while saving face since it isn't admitting its errors.
It would love to find a way to get Alan Gross released since it would be
presented as a win for Washington, but for the moment his imprisonment makes a good
talking point for the politicians. Doing anything during a campaign year is
almost impossible because it could easily be twisted into being perceived as a
weakness even though for Mr. Gross and his family it would be a fantastic
conclusion.
As for all of the attempts to prevent progress on the issue by the usual suspects
in congress, Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtenin and co., all of it was quite predictable and
although it can be worrisome, time itself is running against them and they know it
so they scream more loudly.
Alleviating suffering never seems to be very high on the to-do list in
Washington so appealing to our politicians' emotions won't get anyone anywhere.
The voters in Florida for the most part can't be described as left of center.
This has become a very right wing state over the past decade or so, and I don't
see that there is any difference particular to the registered voters of Cuban
descent.
Unfortunately, many of the people who would like to see a change in policy
within the Cuban community aren't yet registered to vote and many haven't yet
become citizens. If they would like to outnumber those who control the Cuba
issue, they really need to do so or they will likely just have to wait for the
business lobbies to convince the politicians that things must change.
The oil industry is one that I'm sure will be exerting more pressure than anyone
else at this point even going as far as to ask for a special exception for
itself, which may be a possibility. But even if such a corrupt exception is
ultimately granted, it would signal the beginning of a sure end in our horrible
embargo.
Along with that exception, others must be found so as not to look like they are
just caving in to the demands of Big Oil. Possibly an end on travel
restrictions for all Americans after the 2012 election and a solution to the
Alan Gross issue would lead to the overdue removal of Cuba from the list of
terror sponsoring countries. After those steps it would be possible for the
entire embargo to be dismantled.
Through it all the anti-Cuba crowd would throw a fit, but they would
be powerless to do anything at all. Perhaps Radio Marti would continue with a
few "democracy programs" if only to throw them a bone, but not much else.
Of course the US would still find it hard to accept a Cuba outside of its
control, but it would at least be able to satisfy the desires of businesses that
would like to just profit in a market that has always been off limits.
But still for now, the feet in Washington just drag on.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Radio Marti New and Improved!
Fox News Latino has given us all a good reason to continue throwing our tax dollars at Radio Marti. At least that's what the folks at that abberation of a news agency thinks it has done. In reality the group of "conservatives" over there have excused another waste of tax dollars as they defend the hopelessly lost government project aimed at subverting reality in the hopes of causing damage to the sovereign country of Cuba. The "conservatives" rarely balk at such waste, as they can't resist the attempts to dominate other nations. If it comes to the well being of our own country though, according to them, well we shouldn't be doing anything. The market gods will figure that out. Unfortunately, the same can be said for much of the other party.
The honest people at Fox begin by telling us that this useless entity, Radio Marti, is "keeping pace with the times" having made a slick transition towards social media and other marvelous platforms. The new director has worked hard and is proud of the new tactics of propaganda being employed by this heroic organization whose results over the past thirty years have cost the American people around $500,000,000.
By using Twitter and Facebook, theese guys claim to have been able to aid the flow of their message to the island. This is a great acheivement since what we have been paying for was easily blocked by the Cuban government and was nothing more than something to fan the flames of the extremists in Miami. It is actually interesting that in their excitement, they have admitted to having been a total waste in the meantime. But wait, that's not it. They seem to have exposed one of their own fantasies in this stunning admission. They contend that they are connecting with oh so many people through the use of the internet. What fantasy have they exposed? The one where they almost constantly accuse the Cuban government of denying people access to the internet. Well, I suppose that they won't worry about this minor detail from the story they have weaved. Remember guys, if you tell a lie, it gets bigger and bigger until you can't keep track of your own story. This game of contradicting themselves by the anti-Cuba crowd seems to be happening more often these days, as they feel the pressures of the real world pushing them into what will be almost total irrelevance . They are losing ground and credibility day by day as their excuses are becoming extinct. They seem to be the ones who are unable to adapt to things as they fight to bring back a past that is already long gone.
The newly renovated waste site, excuse me, web site touts between 600 to 4000 hits a day. That's one hell of a range! I wonder how many hits are in Miami and elsewhere and how many are on the island. At this point I'll just have to wonder, since that little bit of useful information wasn't brought up in the article. They admit that, just as in the case of the radio an television stations, it is very possible and likely that the Cuban government blocks the internet sites to. Sounds like we will continue to throw money into this new and improved bottomless pit for no reason other than to appease the powerful extremists in Miami. The budget for this garbage was decreased by four million dollars this year to just under thirty million dollars. This should make the conservative budget warriors a little more comfortable as they search for beneficial programs for the American people to cut. But despite this decrease in funding, the director assures the folks at Fox that the programming hasn't suffered, it actually has improved! (As if Fox News is concerned with the quality of broadcasting!) Enjoy the new website Miami. Tweet to your heart's content, but remember that these recent revolutions elsewhere in the world were not products of the wack jobs in an exile's paradise. They were homegrown and genuine, and the people in Cuba are moving on without you.
The honest people at Fox begin by telling us that this useless entity, Radio Marti, is "keeping pace with the times" having made a slick transition towards social media and other marvelous platforms. The new director has worked hard and is proud of the new tactics of propaganda being employed by this heroic organization whose results over the past thirty years have cost the American people around $500,000,000.
By using Twitter and Facebook, theese guys claim to have been able to aid the flow of their message to the island. This is a great acheivement since what we have been paying for was easily blocked by the Cuban government and was nothing more than something to fan the flames of the extremists in Miami. It is actually interesting that in their excitement, they have admitted to having been a total waste in the meantime. But wait, that's not it. They seem to have exposed one of their own fantasies in this stunning admission. They contend that they are connecting with oh so many people through the use of the internet. What fantasy have they exposed? The one where they almost constantly accuse the Cuban government of denying people access to the internet. Well, I suppose that they won't worry about this minor detail from the story they have weaved. Remember guys, if you tell a lie, it gets bigger and bigger until you can't keep track of your own story. This game of contradicting themselves by the anti-Cuba crowd seems to be happening more often these days, as they feel the pressures of the real world pushing them into what will be almost total irrelevance . They are losing ground and credibility day by day as their excuses are becoming extinct. They seem to be the ones who are unable to adapt to things as they fight to bring back a past that is already long gone.
The newly renovated waste site, excuse me, web site touts between 600 to 4000 hits a day. That's one hell of a range! I wonder how many hits are in Miami and elsewhere and how many are on the island. At this point I'll just have to wonder, since that little bit of useful information wasn't brought up in the article. They admit that, just as in the case of the radio an television stations, it is very possible and likely that the Cuban government blocks the internet sites to. Sounds like we will continue to throw money into this new and improved bottomless pit for no reason other than to appease the powerful extremists in Miami. The budget for this garbage was decreased by four million dollars this year to just under thirty million dollars. This should make the conservative budget warriors a little more comfortable as they search for beneficial programs for the American people to cut. But despite this decrease in funding, the director assures the folks at Fox that the programming hasn't suffered, it actually has improved! (As if Fox News is concerned with the quality of broadcasting!) Enjoy the new website Miami. Tweet to your heart's content, but remember that these recent revolutions elsewhere in the world were not products of the wack jobs in an exile's paradise. They were homegrown and genuine, and the people in Cuba are moving on without you.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Downplaying Reality or Just Pretending It Isn't So
Juan O. Tamayo's latest attempt to downplay the results of the recent congress in Cuba shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt, but an entire spoonful. As is quite common for the anti-Cuba crowd in Miami, nothing that happens in Cuba can be spoken of positively nor taken seriously. They suggest rather that their "exile" expertise should be recognized, even thought their predictions about Cuba have been wrong for fifty two years! Besides having become something to make a living off of, Cuba is basically a thorn in the side of those who feel that it is some sort of natural right to be able to dictate to other nations according to their own interests, ignoring things like respect and sovereignty. It is a point of view stemming from imperial arrogance. In the view of most of the world, Cuba represents a nation strong enough to endure a fifty year old economic war waged by the most powerful country in the history of the world. Not only that, to many all over, Cuba is also an example of unique progress ready to share what it can , whether it be doctors and medical training or ways to produce organic food efficiently with few resources. These realities are all brushed aside by the folks in Miami and Washington because a recognition of any of this would be an admission of their own failures.
In their confusion and lack of anything thoughtful in response to the recent congress, they have resorted to trying to say everything and anything. Nothing has to make sense, nor are you supposed to realize it. Your job is to just get enough propaganda to believe that Cuba's revolution won't be around for long. Oh yeah, try not to remember that whatever the situation has been, they have been saying that since 1959.
You have people trying to point out a black economist who says the changes will disproportionately affect black people on the island as opposed to whites, and it will be necessary to have a type of affirmative action to make things more fair. Really? And who is this argument directed towards? Certainly they can't be appealing to the white racists who moved to Miami after having maintained a system of segregation on the island. Many of those same people intended to wait for the fruits of the embargo and acts of terrorism against the people in Cuba to return and pick up their exploitation right where they left off. So this must be an appeal to the majority, the good people who are in favor of equality for all and won't accept racism. The problem that they run against with this argument is the fact that most good people understand that our harsh policy towards Cuba is unjustifiable and should be ended.
There is the argument that the changes coming in Cuba will be so extreme that the people who supported the "shock doctrine" that was applied in the former Soviet states would wince. Without much thinking at all, it would be easy to understand that Cuba had the advantage of seeing the despair in those countries, and has long stated very clearly that that is not a path that interests them, not from the standpoint of the people, nor from the standpoint of the state. Selling off one's sovereignty will not be the way for Cuba.
Then we have the view put out by Juan O. Tamayo. A view designed to protect the extremists' positions in "exile". If they can say that changes really won't be occuring, they will find it easier to mantain their stubborn position. Cuba will not fail and fall apart. Instead they will be able to pretend that Cuba is "being ruled by an iron fist" as they always contend, which in their minds justifies a continuation of their parasitic existence. They will have a reason for taking the American public's money for pet projects like Radio an TV Marti. The politicians will be able to raise money for their campaigns as they all try to posistion themselves as "Cuba's worst enemy" in Congress or City Council or whatever.
Just weeks after the Cuban Congress finished it's work and days after they published all of the results for the population, Mr. Tamayo has, with his usual contemptuous atitude, decided that the Cuban people have already given up on the new direction put forth by the Congress. Utter silliness is what he offers readers as proof of his theory. He suggests that although they sold quite quickly in the beginning, there now seems to be many left on the shelves. He also states that the originals were so much in demand that they were even resold for more than the face value. If that is the case, then he helps disprove his own analysis since more people read the first copies, opting to buy them from others, which would mean more being left on the shelves later! He writes off complaints about there being too many generalities, but in fact it puts a plan in effect that is able to move more quickly or slowly so as to protect the population from a "shock therapy" as others suggest. It portays certain changes as decisions to not change! There are certain things that cannot be given a specific timeline such as the dual currency situation, but it makes sense that there is an honest desire on the part of everyone to eventually have one currency. The fact that there will be certain restrictions on the accumulation of property is a sign that Cuba's revolution will be sticking to its principles, although it will be allowing a market for private businesses (which is being promoted), home sales, and other things.
The postponement of layoffs is more unsettling for the enemies of Cuba than it is for the Cuban economy. Although there is a need for trimming certain redundant jobs and jobs that can be handled by "cuentapropistas" doing so to rapidly would probably cause more harm than good. Therein lies the reason for the disappointment on the part of the people waiting for Cuba to fail. Oh how they would love to show pictures of the horrors of Cuba! But they can't and they won't have their pictures. They try to use the new guidelines as evidence of a criticism of Fidel Castro, but anyone who has been paying attention would know that Fidel has been speaking of some of these things for a while. In fact, some of these things are expansions of programs that started before his retirement. Of course Mr. Tamayo had to finish his article with a metaphor talking about the mixture of chickpeas and coffee causing some coffee makers to explode. What he and many others seem to not grasp is that is a sign of Cuba's ability to adjust and adapt to circumstances and not a sign of surrender.
In their confusion and lack of anything thoughtful in response to the recent congress, they have resorted to trying to say everything and anything. Nothing has to make sense, nor are you supposed to realize it. Your job is to just get enough propaganda to believe that Cuba's revolution won't be around for long. Oh yeah, try not to remember that whatever the situation has been, they have been saying that since 1959.
You have people trying to point out a black economist who says the changes will disproportionately affect black people on the island as opposed to whites, and it will be necessary to have a type of affirmative action to make things more fair. Really? And who is this argument directed towards? Certainly they can't be appealing to the white racists who moved to Miami after having maintained a system of segregation on the island. Many of those same people intended to wait for the fruits of the embargo and acts of terrorism against the people in Cuba to return and pick up their exploitation right where they left off. So this must be an appeal to the majority, the good people who are in favor of equality for all and won't accept racism. The problem that they run against with this argument is the fact that most good people understand that our harsh policy towards Cuba is unjustifiable and should be ended.
There is the argument that the changes coming in Cuba will be so extreme that the people who supported the "shock doctrine" that was applied in the former Soviet states would wince. Without much thinking at all, it would be easy to understand that Cuba had the advantage of seeing the despair in those countries, and has long stated very clearly that that is not a path that interests them, not from the standpoint of the people, nor from the standpoint of the state. Selling off one's sovereignty will not be the way for Cuba.
Then we have the view put out by Juan O. Tamayo. A view designed to protect the extremists' positions in "exile". If they can say that changes really won't be occuring, they will find it easier to mantain their stubborn position. Cuba will not fail and fall apart. Instead they will be able to pretend that Cuba is "being ruled by an iron fist" as they always contend, which in their minds justifies a continuation of their parasitic existence. They will have a reason for taking the American public's money for pet projects like Radio an TV Marti. The politicians will be able to raise money for their campaigns as they all try to posistion themselves as "Cuba's worst enemy" in Congress or City Council or whatever.
Just weeks after the Cuban Congress finished it's work and days after they published all of the results for the population, Mr. Tamayo has, with his usual contemptuous atitude, decided that the Cuban people have already given up on the new direction put forth by the Congress. Utter silliness is what he offers readers as proof of his theory. He suggests that although they sold quite quickly in the beginning, there now seems to be many left on the shelves. He also states that the originals were so much in demand that they were even resold for more than the face value. If that is the case, then he helps disprove his own analysis since more people read the first copies, opting to buy them from others, which would mean more being left on the shelves later! He writes off complaints about there being too many generalities, but in fact it puts a plan in effect that is able to move more quickly or slowly so as to protect the population from a "shock therapy" as others suggest. It portays certain changes as decisions to not change! There are certain things that cannot be given a specific timeline such as the dual currency situation, but it makes sense that there is an honest desire on the part of everyone to eventually have one currency. The fact that there will be certain restrictions on the accumulation of property is a sign that Cuba's revolution will be sticking to its principles, although it will be allowing a market for private businesses (which is being promoted), home sales, and other things.
The postponement of layoffs is more unsettling for the enemies of Cuba than it is for the Cuban economy. Although there is a need for trimming certain redundant jobs and jobs that can be handled by "cuentapropistas" doing so to rapidly would probably cause more harm than good. Therein lies the reason for the disappointment on the part of the people waiting for Cuba to fail. Oh how they would love to show pictures of the horrors of Cuba! But they can't and they won't have their pictures. They try to use the new guidelines as evidence of a criticism of Fidel Castro, but anyone who has been paying attention would know that Fidel has been speaking of some of these things for a while. In fact, some of these things are expansions of programs that started before his retirement. Of course Mr. Tamayo had to finish his article with a metaphor talking about the mixture of chickpeas and coffee causing some coffee makers to explode. What he and many others seem to not grasp is that is a sign of Cuba's ability to adjust and adapt to circumstances and not a sign of surrender.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Foolish Farinas
Guillermo Farinas is quite simply a fool. He is a Cuban man who does what he can to impress the people to the north. His sponsors come from Miami and Washington. He was in contact with Radio Marti, not to talk to the Cuban people but to his only audience here in the US. He wanted to let the American people and his sponsors know that he feels that the killing of Bin Laden was a great blow to terreorism. Thanks. It also was a way not to have to put him in front of a court and allow him to speak about things we don't like to hear. Hell, we already have Luis Posada Carriles walking around threatening to spill the beans on thing that he claims are pretty big and shocking so I guess we don't need another. What a silly man to believe that Radio Marti is anything more than a useless invention for the consumption of the Miami audience. We really should as a nation take a look at the amazing waste of public funds supporting fake reporters and attempting to pump this garbage into Cuba. Let these scoundrels find real jobs somewhere else. There is no need to pretend there is a demand for this station besides the demand for jobs by those who work there.
Mr. Farinas tries to put himself in a good light by playing on the emotions of Americans who felt the need for revenge. The US claims that it would have captured Bin Laden if it were possible so anybody suggesting that it would be better to have brought him to trial is not "weak" or whatever the derogatory description might be, it is actually in line with what official desires supposedly were. Mr. Farinas, just to let you know, the American people are cynical and those few who even know who you are, know that you and your image are quite simply a creation of a policy towards Cuba. Nobody here thinks of you as a hero and for the most part people here are tired of this policy which offends Cuba's soveriegnty but, more importantly to many cynical Americans, offends their desires to tavel to Cuba and their thirst to buy and sell goods to Cuba. Mr. Frainas please don't take yourself too seriously.
Mr. Farinas tries to put himself in a good light by playing on the emotions of Americans who felt the need for revenge. The US claims that it would have captured Bin Laden if it were possible so anybody suggesting that it would be better to have brought him to trial is not "weak" or whatever the derogatory description might be, it is actually in line with what official desires supposedly were. Mr. Farinas, just to let you know, the American people are cynical and those few who even know who you are, know that you and your image are quite simply a creation of a policy towards Cuba. Nobody here thinks of you as a hero and for the most part people here are tired of this policy which offends Cuba's soveriegnty but, more importantly to many cynical Americans, offends their desires to tavel to Cuba and their thirst to buy and sell goods to Cuba. Mr. Frainas please don't take yourself too seriously.
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By his logic, the people who are in more danger of facing a revolt are the representatives in South Florida. These hateful people in Congress are upsetting a whole lot of constituents who don't like his or the other guy's (who is under investigation for criminal activity) proposals to redefine family and prevent them from visiting family on the island when they would like. Was it a hundred cars or so that rolled by the offices of Diaz Balart demanding to hand over a petition to not revert to the Bush policies on travel? Ahh, but he refuses to meet with "Castro supporters" even if they are in his district and he is supposed to be their representative.
Thanks to the difficulties in Cuba, many although not all, which are the results of the economic embargo, the US has found it possible to find people willing to stage little protests and then send their videos to the interests section or their "contacts in Miami for a small price. The Cuban Democratic Directorate and the Cuban National Civic Resistance Front are well aware of the reality of the "dissidents". They were burned by the Cuban intelligence when it was revealed that their groups in Cuba were infiltrated. The infiltration exposed the fact that their own spokesperson from the Cuban National Resistance Front was actually working for ten years as a Cuban agent and their support came from CDD and MAR in Miami.
Mr. Reich and others do their best to create this parallel universe and present it as reality to Americans. As they spend much of their time in this parallel world, they seem to have lost touch with the growing support within the US to finally do away with the embargo and travel restrictions. As ordinary people here have their tiny voices joined by industry giants like Big Oil, the pressure is mounting and the Miami extremists will be brushed aside. Perhaps they have secured places for themselves in some museum in Miami to go to when they have become totally irrelevant politically here in the US.