Cuban Workers Caring for Nepal Quake Victims

www.peoplesworld.org June 13, 2015

Cuban workers caring for Nepal quake victims

By W. T. Whitney Jr.

new chapter in the story of Cuba’s out- Encouraged by Katmandu’s Cuba solidarity reach to the peoples of the world began organization, a contingent of the Brigade moved on May 12, 2015 with the arrival in Kat- to the hard-hit Bhaktapur district where over the mandu, Nepal of 49 Cuban health care five initial hours the Cubans saw 512 patients, Aworkers - 25 are physicians - to care for wounded mostly for triage, minor injuries, and pre-existing and distraught victims of the earthquake that hit illnesses. the region on April 25. A strong secondary earthquake on the day They are members of “Brigade 41” of the the Cubans arrived added to the flood of injured Henry Reeve Brigade which has long experience people needing care; many required surgery. in providing emergency, follow-up, and rehabili- The Henry Reeve Brigade was hardly the only tative care in situations of natural disaster or epi- demics. This was the 41st time since its formation T H I S W E E K : in 2005 that Brigade surgeons, medical doctors, nurses, and technicians have gone abroad to 24 • Cuban workers caring for Nepal quake victims different countries where these conditions were • Cuba’s off the “terror” list; now overturn Helms-Burton! playing out. • Rauner’s compassion extends only to his rich buddies A native of Brooklyn, New York, Henry Reeve, • Trabaja para cerrar prisión de Guantánamo in 1869, joined rebels in Cuba fighting for inde- • A second look at FDR’s “Second Bill of Rights” pendence from Spain. He was 27 years old and a brigadier general when died in battle in 1876. READ MORE NEWS AND OPINION DAILY AT WWW.PEOPLESWORLD.ORG Upon their arrival, the Cubans set up a ful- ly-equipped emergency hospital in Katmandu’s Kirtipur district next to a Nepalese medical cen- international group caring for earthquake victims ter, where 50 recovery beds were made available in Nepal. Others teams include those of the Doc- for their patients. They assembled translators, tors without Borders organization, and several met with Nepalese health officials, and coordinat- physician-nurse groups from U.S. and Canadian ed efforts with World Health Organization repre- hospitals. Included in the U.S. aid package are sentatives and other international teams. the services of 120 U.S. Marines, four Osprey tilt-

Page 1 rotor aircraft, and one helicopter. countries since 1960 and also 50,000 of them Only the Cuban health workers, however, working in 67 countries now. were there as the result of national planning, bud- Argentinian ELAM graduate Emiliano Mar- geting, and experience extending over decades. iscal in 2011 reported on his work in Haiti as a And on May 22, the last of the 256 Henry medical student after the earthquake there. He Reeve Brigade physicians returned to Cuba from discusses the future role ELAM graduates might West Africa where for six months they had been play in international medical outreach and elabo- Forty-nine Cuban treating Ebola patients. As the People’s World re- rates upon principles motivating such efforts. health care ported recently, the Annual Conference of Norwe- He has in mind a “health organization whose workers went to gian Trade Unions on Feb. 4 nominated the Henry members will be health professionals graduated Reeve Brigade to receive the Noble Peace Prize for in Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America who iden- Katmandu, Nepal its work against the epidemic. tify with principles of internationalism, solidarity, to help Canadian Professor John Kirk, an expert on brotherhood, humanism, and love to the neighbor quake victims. Cuba’s medical internationalism, supports the without distinction of creed, race, sexual orienta- nomination. He cites Operation Miracle, the Cu- tion, or social condition - and thus improve the ban -Venezuelan program that has surgically re- quality of life of the community with concrete re- stored sight to more than three million people, sults.” For, as Fidel says, “the consciousness of Cuba’s medical care for thousands of children being human creates objective conditions.” sickened by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster, and the Latin American School of Medi- cine (ELAM) that in ten years has graduated over 20,000 physicians from 84 countries. Kirk could have mentioned 124,000 Cuban health professionals who’ve worked in over 154 W. T. Whitney Jr. writes for Peoplesworld.

Cuba is off the “terror” list; now overturn Helms-Burton! By Richard Grassl

he State Department’s removal of Cuba Throughout the decade of the 1990’s, an in- from its “terrorism list” marks another tensive lobby campaign directed by rightwing huge step towards true normalization politicians in alliance with the Bacardi Corpora- of diplomatic relations between our two tion succeeded in passage of Helms-Burton. This Tnations. legislation usurped political power from the U.S. The US move follows the recent America’s executive branch for the narrow self-interest of The US blockade Summit in Panama where the depth of the US iso- anti-Cuban extremists. Essentially, Helms-Bur- of Cuba has been lation from the rest of the hemisphere came into ton is a remnant of the Cold war era. a tool of foreign sharp relief, and the Obama administration was Cuba earned its right to co-exist as a sover- policy since forced to back away from its March assertion that eign, independent nation when it defeated US February 7, 1962. Venezuela posed a threat to our nation’s national imperialism at the Battle of Giron. Its ability to security. withstand the longest blockade during peacetime The US blockade of Cuba has been a tool of has captured the imagination of the entire inter- foreign policy since February 7, 1962 through Ex- national community. ecutive Order 3447 by JFK. Though economic US recognition of Cuban sovereignty on equal warfare was designed with the intention to de- terms requires that the socialist character of the stroy the Cuban revolution, it failed to achieve the Cuban revolution not be a pre-existing condition desired result. endangering the success of talks. Therefore, the A State Department directive placed Cuba on demand that the US Congress overturn Helms- a spurious list of nations supporting terrorism, a Burton is an idea whose time has come. Any in- convenient excuse for continued intervention in jury to one is an injury to all. Latin America.

www.peoplesworld.org Page 2 Coalition says Rauner’s compassion extends only to his rich buddies

By Amisha Patel

ommunity and labor groups that are part of the Grassroots Collaborative have been lobbying at the Illinois Capitol here of workers, retirees and social service agencies, against budget cuts proposed by the Re- spent last week in Springfield. Our Revenue Truth Cpublican governor, Bruce Rauner. The coalition in- Squad demonstrated how cuts would hurt work- cludes unions like the Chicago Teachers Union and ing families. We advocated on the need to support SEIU and organizations like the Action Now Insti- progressive revenue solutions to balance the state’s tute, American Friends Services Committee, Enlace budget, we held workshops and news conferences Chicago, and the Chicago Coalition for the Home- and prodded the governor to do the right thing by less. all taxpayers throughout the state, whether they live Amisha Patel issued the following statement for in Cairo, Peoria, or Chicago. It is this kind of the Grassroots Collaborative. “Fortunately Rep. Chris Welch (D-7th) gained sup- bold, creative “To say Illinois legislators are not for the middle port for his resolution, HR0531, urging the General class, but for the political class is disingenuous on Assembly not to make cuts from services without leadership that the part of Gov. Bruce Rauner. Especially, when equally proportionate cuts to big bank fees for fi- Illinois taxpayers he could look in the mirror and say the same thing nancial services. Grassroots Collaborative support- want from about himself. ed this resolution. It passed unanimously. their elected “From the beginning, Rauner told taxpayers his “We can avoid cuts in all areas of the budget if the representatives in goal was to ‘shakeup Illinois’.” What the self-de- governor would sit down and talk revenue. We must Springfield. scribed ‘compassionate conservative’ didn’t tell us have new revenue to have a budget that makes Illi- is that his compassion wouldn’t extend any further nois families and communities strong,” said Welch. than his rich buddies and billionaire donors. Once Bold leadership is required for making the wealthy again, low-income and working class families find pay their fair share, closing corporate loopholes, their worlds about to be turned upside down due and ending bad bank deals immediately. The people to budget cuts that take financial support, resourc- of Illinois deserve a fair shake. That can only hap- es and programs from them rather than requiring pen when all classes-low-income, middle-income those who can afford it to pay their fair share. and the wealthy work together to make sure no one “Grassroots Collaborative, along with a coalition is left out by those elected to represent us.

www.peoplesworld.org Page 3 LOCAL NEWS Trabaja para cerrar prisión de Guantánamo LOCAL CONTACT Prensa Latina [email protected] ase naval de Guantánamo. Por su parte, el Senado analizará en Las torturas a los prisione- los próximos días una legislación sim- ros en la ilegal base naval ilar, cuyo lenguaje permite al presi- de Guantánamo han sido dente Barack Obama cerrar la prisión A second look at Bmotivo de múltiples cuestionamien- -inaugurada en enero de 2002- y tos internos y externos a la adminis- trasladar a los detenidos a este país, FDR’s “Second tración de Obama. solo si el mandatario presenta un plan Las torturas a los prisioneros en la y este es aprobado por el Capitolio. Bill of Rights” ilegal base naval de Guantánamo han Aunque la propuesta de ley daría sido motivo de múltiples cuestion- a los congresistas la autoridad final, By Norman Markowitz amientos internos y externos a la ad- algunos republicanos se oponen con ministración de Obama. fuerza a cualquier medida que impli- n 1944, President Franklin D. Roos- El secretario de Defensa estadoun- que el cierre del reclusorio, ubicado evelt, preparing to run for a fourth idense, Ashton Carter, aseguró que en dicha instalación naval, que Wash- term, proposed a “Second Bill of trabaja hoy junto a la Casa Blanca en ington mantiene en territorio cubano Rights” for post World War II U.S., una propuesta dirigida al Congreso, contra la voluntad del pueblo y gobi- Ione that would update and complement referida al cierre de la prisión en la erno de la isla. the first Bill of Rights which accompanied base naval de Guantánamo, en el sur- En los pasados 18 meses se han the U.S. Constitution. The press called it an este de Cuba. trasladado cerca de 40 prisioneros “Economic Bill of Rights.” Carter informó sobre el plan a los fuera de la instalación, donde ahora Below from Roosevelt’s address are the periodistas que le acompañaban el vi- quedan 122 -el nivel más bajo desde major points ernes en el avión de regreso a Wash- su apertura en enero de 2002- y de • The right to a useful and remunera- ington después de su gira por Sin- ellos 57 están autorizados para ser tive job in the industries or shops or farms gapur, India y Alemania, detalló la transferidos a otros países, después or mines of the Nation; televisora Fox News. de pasar por un proceso de revisión • The right to earn enough to provide Estoy trabajando con la Casa Blan- entre varias agencias federales. adequate food and clothing and recreation; ca para preparar un proyecto que Obama aceleró en 2014 los traslados • The right of every farmer to raise después entregaremos al Capitolio antes de que el Congreso -dominado and sell his products at a return which will para discutirlo con los legisladores, por los republicanos tras las eleccio- give him and his family a decent living; indicó Carter, según una transcrip- nes de medio término de noviembre • The right of every businessman, ción de sus palabras proporcionada de ese año- pudiera impedirlo, pero large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of por el Pentágono. el proceso se detuvo a principios de freedom from unfair competition and domi- A su juicio, resulta una buena opor- 2015 y según el sitio digital estadoun- nation by monopolies at home or abroad; tunidad para encontrar un camino idense Defense One, pudiera reinici- • The right of every family to a de- que permita solucionar ese problemas arse a finales de junio. cent home; de conjunto con el órgano legislativo. Tras su toma de posesión en enero • The right to adequate medical care La Cámara de Representantes re- de 2009, el gobernante prometió cer- and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy chazó el 3 de junio una propuesta rar el centro de internamiento, pero good health; para eliminar las actuales provisiones la oposición republicana y otros gru- • The right to adequate protection legales que impiden al Departamento pos conservadores, han bloqueado from the economic fears of old age, sickness, de Defensa transferir detenidos en todos los esfuerzos del mandatario en accident, and unemployment; esa prisión hacia territorio norteam- ese sentido. • The right to a good education. ericano. Those rights remain a decent standard to judge both social progress and the quality of life for the masses of people. That is what capital fears most and that is NATIONAL CONTACT what we must represent in both theory and practice. Editorial: (773) 446-9920 Business: (212) 924-2523

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