Title: Political Misfits — DC Witte, Kiriakou & August
Show: The Canada Files
Date: 2023-01-16
URL: https://youtu.be/pI2RLIEnw8g
Duration: 20:00

---

[00:00] foreign [Music] welcome back to political Misfits on radio Sputnik where we bring you news politics and culture without the red and blue treatment my name is Michelle Witte I am here with John kiriaku and we are talking a little bit about Cuba we're talking about Cuba uh I have to talk about Havana syndrome and the black hole that has been sucked into oh yeah and um immigration and what all of these factors have to do with the U.S relationship with Cuba joining us for

[00:30] this conversation is Arnold August he's a journalist based in Montreal he's an author uh he contributes to the Canada files he contributes to press tv he's on the uh he's a member of the black Alliance For Peace solidarity Network Arnold thanks for joining us all right we'll have to pick him back up that gives me a minute to um well you know what John I'm gonna start with you because so the U.S uh Embassy in Havana has been

[01:03] basically closed it hasn't been yes you know providing visas or any Consular Services since 2017. outrageous and that is when we all first heard about Havana syndrome um it is now opened it's going to start processing immigrant visas etc etc but even NPR when they were talking about this this morning you could tell even they were a little bit sheepish about the fact that there has been no resolution none to Havana syndrome none

[01:35] one of the um NPR Talking Heads this morning uh they didn't describe it at all you know it's just glossed over as a mysterious health conditions okay move on uh one of them just said that yeah the name sounds very mysterious yeah oh how ridiculous yeah sounds like it's probably maybe a like mystery novel or something or a work of fiction anyway so I you know I want to stop and talk a little bit about what happened five years ago that made us close this Embassy and I'll freak out about magic Russian energy weapons and pass a bill

[02:08] making sure some of the already most privileged people in our society have access to Better Health Care and more money right and so you know what happened to Havana syndr you know I guess the bad guys just stopped doing it we're all supposed to forget I thought it was crickets well yeah but of course it wasn't crickets because it wasn't Cricket you know what I mean like right maybe it was crickets it's as plausible more plausible than the you know mysterious energy weapons but it's like yeah so

[02:38] if you were a Havana syndrome believer which is a apparently uh you know tail to toe or whatever head to toe of the federal government yep we all believe that some adversary has mystery weapons that can make us terribly well that's right or not so terribly sick from a distance right oh well I guess they just stopped doing it when they when we figured it out I mean how should people feel about this yeah about the fact that Havana Syndrome has just been

[03:08] brushed under the rug I've Got a Theory and I really do believe in my own Theory here I believe that there are some people who are unusually sensitive to the Myriad of waves that are in the air at any given time right uh whether it's you know radio waves or 5G or whatever that it's not this mysterious uh bio weapon that's been developed by the

[03:39] Russians or the Chinese or the Iranians or the Cubans or the Israelis or whomever yeah or by arpa for that matter I think there are some people that are just sensitive to all the garbage that's in the air yeah and they suffer from it yeah you know there's a county in Western Virginia Highland County that um purposely doesn't have any of this stuff that's because that's where the military has these enormous dishes pointed up to space to listen for you know alien signals and life and stuff

[04:11] yeah there's no cable TV there are no cell phone towers there's nothing it's like I and I I've been there friends of mine have a farm there I went for the weekend I thought I was gonna you know commit suicide because there's no I mean there's there's nothing you there's nothing to do except you walk around horribly yeah that's not all it's cracked up to be dig a hole you know marvel at What Lies Beneath the surface of the soil but the Washington Post Magazine did an article about Highland County Virginia saying that people who suffer from these sensitivities to radio waves have moved to Highland County and

[04:43] they're and their uh symptoms uh go away yeah so I think that there's something yeah I think people didn't the people who were disputing the idea that Havana syndrome was the result of some kind of attack we're not disputing that people were experiencing symptoms no there's medical evidence that they've gotten traumatic brain injuries I'm not going to tell you you didn't have a tummy ache but I am going to tell you wasn't the result of a mystery weapon that we have also just decided that we're not that concerned about anymore um Arnold August I know we have you on

[05:13] the line I want to get into Cuba specifically but do you want to talk about how do you think people should feel about Havana syndrome apparently being sort of consigned to the the Dustbin of History well I think uh what both of you said are are right I mean I think the American people may add the Canadian people because Justin Trudeau uh government followed the uh Trump Administration and also imposed sort of sanctions against their Consular services in Nevada so I guess we could

[05:44] say people in North America have to wake up to the fact that whole thing is that syndrome was a farce that was worked out I don't know who but definitely in the interest of the Trump Administration uh who had uh promised that he will stand up to the dictators and the in Venezuela and Cuba and all that and not so what he calls it Democratic party opening up to uh to Cuba so it came the the initial

[06:17] sanctions came in the very month when Trump started his mandate back in January 2017 I believe so like the question is people can ask why should Cuba who has been trying since 1959 to have better relations good relations with you but definitely want to like okay listen why should the Cubans get into a serious uh contradiction with the United States by trying to disorient

[06:50] their staff or somehow poison their minds or not just that alone it does not make sense Cuba never had it and it just and did not have an interest in doing that now uh so I think we have to say that you know all those who've been saying since 2017 that there was an issue they owe it it's including the high level so-called scientists they owe it to the public opinion and North America to explain well as you said what happened you know if you're opening the Crosshair Services now that means that

[07:21] we to assume that that whole thing as many people have correctly said that it is made up or exaggerated by by the United States and some so-called uh scientific uh thing types yeah yeah cos an explanation all right let's talk about migration because that's what really this is probably all about um this is according to reports this is the biggest migratory flight from Cuba in decades I am pretty sure the the morning podcast on NPR said it's possible up to two percent of the

[07:52] Island's population has left um a lot of Cubans are trying to come to the United States and as I mentioned earlier in the show Cubans are the second largest nationality after Mexicans attempting to cross the border uh NPR tells us the growing migration is due to a complex array of factors including economic energy and political crises and it only alludes to the U.S relationship with Cuba as being historically tense that's their freezing for the entire uh seven decades yeah so

[08:25] I wanted to ask you Arnold if you could talk to us a little bit about um you know this flight from Cuba and some of the uh crises driving it and whether NPR should have maybe explained a little bit more about the U.S relationship with Cuba in order to explain those factors yeah that's that's very good you know historically they mentioned historically been the case between Cuba and the state in fact everyone knows in 1960 uh Mallory or 61 Secretary of State Mallory

[08:57] have said that we have to impose sanctions against Cuba to make the economy scream and make sure that the people in Cuba are deprived of all basic necessities become poor and but blame that on the Cuban government now with regards to how this whole thing affects migration at this time like many people say well the American blockade against Cuba does not work well I'm sorry to say

[09:29] but it does work to a large extent we just look at migration of course it has not worked by overthoring the government we have that straight but it has worked and contributing substantially to the economic degradation that human people have been going through all of these years and part of this uh decline sharp Decline and economic possibilities despite the uh advances they made before

[09:59] is that there are that there is an increase in Immigration that before this current wave and now in the last few months even before that there was regular immigration from Cuba to the United States and I'm in contact you know with my Cuban friends I've lived there for quite some time and this creates major frustrations a month a very important section of the Cuban population families many families who

[10:31] have at least one person sort of exiled in the United States and this uh it sort of it tears away from the uh morale from the happiness that tuba Cuban people would normally be able to enjoy in their society so it does eat away from the moral fabric of the student society and the latest I think NPR said and correctly so this latest wave of immigration is last month I believe was

[11:02] more than a Cuba experience for decades of the whole year previous so it's very seriously there's you know we talked about a social Society one of the main features of social Society is being happy that you're happy in life and no one can deny this immigration caused by the United States takes away a certain important portion of this happiness so it Bears the blood it does affect the Human Society yeah is the Cuban government uh

[11:34] attempting to do anything about migrations specifically uh yeah well in fact there is I just came across an article that was just published today interesting article which the an American specialist uh William uh William uh Lebron he said that there's first the Biden himself has just uh nominated at Christopher Dodd who has be his special uh Emissary to Latin America

[12:06] and specifically to Cuba so the discussion behind the scenes apparently according to this new report that just suffered yes surface yesterday there is some discussion behind the scenes discussion between Cuba and the United States that includes all major issues including immigration now what is interesting and I find a bit dangerous that discussion has even gone so far as to possibly at

[12:37] cubic entertain or consider releasing some of those people who are arrested following the July 21st uh Uprising or protests or whatever last year now if Cuba is going to consider releasing some of these people who were tried and convicted for variety and carrying out violent activities against the state but you know I don't think

[13:08] Cuba will do it the fact that it's being considered in the discussion and mind you you know I see that's being a major mistake because if Cuba gave a best right to try and convict people who violated the Cuban Constitution if they let them go or in any way reduce their incentives substantially this would increase the uh the the those people who want to pursue this type of color Revolution or resume change they do it like well well if we could carry on the

[13:40] consequences are not that bad we want go to jail but I'm not saying that tumors are going to do that but it's interesting for us to take note that our discussions going on right now and I know Cuba is very desperate to resolve the problem of immigrations for the reasons I just suggested and I think United States also wants to produce immigration because play uh Havoc well yeah the current administration of all these people coming into the United States this is something that I think is

[14:10] interesting because yeah I think that um uh you know other reports note that migration is actually putting pressure on the United States to open more dialogue with Cuba uh because Joe Biden has not found a way to reduce immigration uh other than by falling back on you know tactics to more effectively expel migrants he hasn't been able to put through any kind of immigration reform I think you could argue that he hasn't tried very hard and now with Cubans being a such a

[14:42] significant percentage of the number of migrants you know it would seem like improving relations with the island and I mean I think it's probably too early to hope for any kind of end to an embargo but it does seem like yeah immigration could actually pressure the United States to come to the table and talk to Cuba and make some concessions I wanted to ask you about that I think you're right you know this immigration from uh Cuba immigration from a Cuba to United States is building up to such a proportion that before we talked we heard about people from

[15:13] Nicaragua outside of Salvador Central America and and Haiti but now Cuba is one of the most important sources of illegal immigration from different parts of Latin America for example Mexico into Cuba and all of those illegal small ships small vessels uh going from Havana to Miami so this is something that uh Biden does not want I think is

[15:44] it worth it I mean by normally the United States as you know they they like to welcome refugees from a country such as Cuba to maintain or their basic uh narrative ah look communism work communism does not work social socialism because now we're looking at all the people coming to this nice calculus country in the United States to five feet yes that is an advantage for the uh Biden Administration as it as it has been for all previous administrations

[16:14] but the fact is I think Biden must be away the possibility that this very small uh portion of the Cuban population growing the United States are going to just you know uh go overboard to log United States and put down the Cuban government this really uh an important point for Biden to the extent of allowing more and more of these Cuban

[16:45] images to come to to United States I don't think so I mean I don't think that the the political positive blowback for United States of you know socialism is failing capitalism is working I don't think that they are really they I don't think they think that this is going to become the main outcome of this current increase so rather be the main outcome would be to destabilize part of the United States especially in Florida and along the border with Mexico which I

[17:16] Biden does not want to do yeah yeah I wanted to ask also what what do Cubans need right there was a uh a terrible disaster I mean I think the energy crisis they're alluding to is a result of that huge fire that there was at a uh Refinery that some other countries sent more help for so what what do Cubans actually need in you know in the immediate moment question to be quite Frank I speak to my you know I haven't been able to go there lately but I speak to my children colleagues pretty often I mean several

[17:48] days a week and the main overall concern is very clear is the price the inflation is rapid there like okay yeah yesterday I went to buy rice for this today it's 200 hard there is a very important increase in price of basic Commodities that is mainly of food and also they are still deprived of electricity for several hours a day seven days a week as

[18:19] a result of that metances fire that you just mentioned so you know tube is what to be able to buy food and have electricity as much as possible during the daytime this is the main feature and you know even though of course they all blame the United States these long-lasting blockade and creating a situation and then you had the pandemic the loss of massive tourist funds coming uh as a result of a tourism

[18:51] to Cuba also was lost for almost a whole year during the pandemic so this whole you know poisonous atmosphere of accumulating blockade affects the matanzas fire uh the closing down of tourist industry for a couple of years and all that all this is sort of creating a situation where the economic situation as my friend said it's antenna it's very very bad now what can the children do to stop this rapid rapid

[19:22] installation well there's also problems and the Cubans recognize it of corruption yeah you have people like professional what they call it called Heroes professional uh people who go into the there's long lives up for food right yeah so there are people who go there they take a spot there someone has to pay them they stay in that spot they get the food they want to buy well the other person who back can go back to their family and there's also and this is recognized by yes canal in his speech

[19:54] only about a week ago that there's a major problem of people on a black bar that buy material especially food and then resell it at a much higher price so they're you know I don't want to be pessimistic but let us face the fact of as friends of the Cuban Revolution as I am that that there's a very serious situation in terms of the economy in terms of corruption and uh how they will deal with it at this time I don't know it is very difficult yeah yeah Arnold

[20:25] August thank you so much for joining us that was journalist and author Arnold August do you want to tell our listeners where they can go to find your more recent work yeah just put in my website it's triple w uh Arnold august.com simple great thank you so much for joining us really appreciate it
