Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Public Bashings in Miami

Radio Mambi today didn't fail to harshly criticize José Pardo Llada for his recent appearance on Mano Limpia yesterday. Mano Limpia is a local political Spanish TV program (which spends plenty of time on Cuban issues), hosted by Oscar Haza (a man who last month called OAS secretary general José Miguel Insulza a "coward" for not supporting an "intervention" policy in Venezuela).

Jose Pardo Llada is a Cuban exile who left the island in 1961 (bashed by Fidel Castro at the time), became a Colombian politician and returned to Cuba in 2004, at the age of 80. Traveling as a tourist, and seeking medical attention for his increasingly deteriorating vision, he described his trip in 2004 as being very emotional. It seems that yesterday on Mano Limpia (I did not see the show) Pardo Llada spoke positively of Raul Castro as a reformist, and this kind of talk is not tolerated by hard-liners in Miami. Just ask Brian Latell. Pardo Llada has been called a "disgrace" to the Cuban exile community.

Antonio Rafael De la Cova also appeared today for a full hour on WQBA's 4pm radio program called "Contra Punto" (WQBA, like Radio Mambi, is also owned by Univision). De la Cova was given air time to criticize a new book titled "The Americano" by author Aran Shetterly. He made excellent points about factual errors in the book, but couldn't help himself from AGAIN accusing Marfeli Perez-Stable of possibly being a Cuban agent, an accusation he also levied against other professors at Florida International University. Neither Shetterly or any of the accused were present to confront De la Cova's accusations. How brave.

7 comments:

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

"Neither Shetterly or any of the accused were present to confront De la Cova's accusations. How brave."

Hey, none of the people you accuse are ever here to confront your accusations. How brave is that?

Mambi_Watch said...

Its called the public airwaves Mr. Tellechea. Tax payers deserve better.

Unknown said...

Mambi Watch should be more appropriately called "Cuban exile activism monitoring." This anonymous blog not only monitors Radio Mambi, but also many other Cuban exile news media outlets. It is an established fact that Cuban espionage in the U.S. for decades has been monitoring the exile media, including collecting and indexing the community tabloids. Those working for Mambi Watch follow this pattern, especially since some of them are monitoring from outside of Florida.
I usually do not respond to anonymous blogs, but if Mambi Watch has to courage to identify itself to me via e-mail at delacova@google.com and by telephone contact, I will respond to any questions they have regarding my past and correct previous errors that Mambi Watch has posted about me. I have previously given many interviews to legitimate journalists, and have nothing to hide. In contrast, Professor Marifeli Perez-Stable refused to speak to Miami Herald reporter Miriam Marquez about her former links to Cuban intelligence operatives.
If I do not get a direct e-mail and phone response from Mambi Watch and they wish to remain anonymous, it will be obvious that they are monitoring the Cuban exile community on behalf of Fidel Castro’s intelligence service.

Unknown said...

My correct e-mail address is delacova@gmail.com. On an additional note, I did not accuse Professor Marifeli Perez-Stable of "possibly being Cuban agent," as you anonymously and erroneously state. I quoted the debriefing document of Directorate General of Intelligence (DGI) defector Jesus Perez Mendez, who on July 15, 1983, stated that Perez-Stable was "controlled by the DGI." He added that DGI officials Isidro Gómez and Jesús Arboleya Cervera, both high ranking DGI officials, "placed Marifeli in charge of the Círculo de Cultura Cubana." According to the defector, Pérez-Stable substituted Rutgers University Professor Lourdes Casal, "who was a DGI agent." Pérez Méndez went on to say that "the annual plans of Marifeli are prepared by the DGI and ICAP" and that "she receives $100 for every tourist that travels to Cuba with the Círculo de Cultura Cubana." Pérez Méndez indicated that Pérez-Stable "infiltrated" the Cuban Studies Institute directed by Herrera, and "turned its position more favorable to Cuba." These are not my allegations, but those of an intelligence defector.
Perez-Stable refused to respond to Miami Herald reporter Miriam Marquez when questioned about these allegations earlier this year. She has also failed to take legal action against me and others who have reported on this issue, in spite of her empty threats to do so.
Your blog also omitted mentioning that the hosts of "Contra Punto" have repeatedly invited Perez-Stable and other pro-Castro professors at FIU to appear on their program, but their requests have been ignored.
I repeat my invitation for Mambi Watch to personally contact me by e-mail and later by telephone, if you have the courage to do so, to answer any questions that you may have about me. Your continued anonymity would confirm suspicions that this blog is a front for Cuban intelligence to monitor exile activists.

Mambi_Watch said...

Well, I clicked on YOUR profile "Antonio" and noticed that it is "not available." It seems that not all of us are transparent.

I loved this line:

"If I ["Antonio"] do not get a direct e-mail and phone response from Mambi Watch and they wish to remain anonymous, it WILL BE OBVIOUS that they are monitoring the Cuban exile community on behalf of Fidel Castro’s intelligence service."

It WILL be obvious? Really? Without any evidence, aside from speculation? You know that some psychologists would call this paranoia: "delusions of persecution with or without grandeur, often strenuously defended with apparent logic and reason."

In fact, one of the leading political psychologists, Jerrold Post, would characterize your logic as "political paranoia." In 1997, Post (who began his career with the CIA) wrote a very interesting book (co-authored with Robert Robins) called "Political Paranoia: The Psychopolitics of Hatred."

In it Post describes someone with political paranoia as "perfectly normal except for delusions of conspiracy and victimization. These are often well concealed, yet they may dominate the paranoid's every waking moment."

One element highlighted by Post is a recurring attitude of suspicion "without SUFFICIENT BASIS, that others are exploiting, harming or deceiving them."

"He selects only that 'evidence' that CONFIRMS his conclusion of danger... The world of the paranoid admits no shades of gray; there is no room for uncertainty. There is an INTOLERANCE of ambiguity and a tendency to classify in either/or compartments: good/bad, friend/enemy."

Thus, if Perez-Stable refused to answer a question THEN that's PROOF she's a spy. If Perez-Stable wore black and red a certain day THEN that's PROOF she's a spy. If someone ALLEGED (without proof and in 1983) that Perez-Stable was a spy THEN she MUST be a spy.

Antonio De la Cova has also alleged (without proof) that Jim Defede is probably a spy for Cuba. You can read it here:

http://www.babalublog.com/archives/
002084.html

Now, I don't really know why you "Antonio" are here. First of all, I have never written of ERRORS made by De la Cova. On the contrary, I have written well about his academic work. But, of course you might have read what I wrote already, right? If you know of "errors" that I have written about please point them out.

If you have NOT read my posts about Antonio Rafael De la Cova, please do so at your leisure and feel free to comment or e-mail me. I will be checking my yahoo e-mail soon.

As for my anonymity, I have revealed my real name before. And, I have no problem doing so, as long as it is relevant and important in the discussion. If you would like to have tea or play a game of hopscotch together, it would be my honor.

I have pointed out explicit errors and omitted facts made by Enrique Encinosa and Humberto Fontova. Those posts you can also check. But, I have not seen errors in the work of De la Cova. But, we all make mistakes at some time. Mistakes should be pointed out and corrected, not to attack anyone but to provide the public with honest truths.

Hope to hear from you.

The Resistance said...

It never ceases to amaze me that any time a person says anything that is remotely positive about Cuba or Fidel or Raul, immediately the hard line extremists of Miami, New Jersey and Puerto Rico label that person either as a communist or a Cuban government agent.

Why don't these people grow up?

Mambi_Watch said...

Antonio (whoever you are),

I've been thinking about your proposal, and clarification.

You are right to say that De la Cova did not DIRECTLY "accuse" Marifeli Perez-Stable of being a Cuban spy, he is insinuating it though. But, here's why I say "accuse."

On November 27, 2006 De la Cova wrote an e-mail to Miami Herald publisher David Landsberg. De la Cova wrote:

"[The Miami Herald] APPEARS to be INFILTRATED in their newsroom...I believe that the Herald has the responsibility to investigate the statements made by Pérez-Méndez [the original accusation from 1983], especially since he indicated that an actual member of your board of contributors [Perez-Stable] has been controlled and financed by Cuban intelligence."

http://heraldwatch.blogspot.com/
2006/11/herald-needs-to-clean-up-
its-own-house.html

Then, this month on August 1, 2007, De la Cova sent out another e-mail (to various people on his mailing list) saying:

"Some people [not innocent De la Cova, of course] who saw Perez-Stable on TV [recently on Polos Opuestos] in the revolutionary red and black attire, a combination that Castro supporters wear when they attend Fidel Castro’s rallies, were left wondering if she STILL HAS LINKS to the Cuban DGI.

http://cubanamericanpundits.blogspot.com/
2007/08/we-get-letters.html

Are these not accusations? Sure, De la Cova can hide behind "some people," but be brave and tell us what you really think.

Furthermore, not only is De la Cova accusing Perez-Stable of being a Cuban spy, his calumnies (intentionally or not) are defamatory and denigrating.

About your proposal "Antonio", I can't see how calling you would render any kind of confirmation or refutation of which you attempt to accuse me.

Do you consult your magic eight-ball or something?

I have no desire to call you or De la Cova, or to ask about his past or about the contents of his work.

If Mr. De la Cova wishes to contact me, he can easily e-mail me or leave his number there if he wishes to hear my sweet angelic voice.

Here's something brave. I will be at Tobacco Road tomorrow evening having drinks with friends. If Mr. De la Cova (or anyone else) wishes to meet me there I would happily present myself to him (that is before me and my friends make fun of his Hawaiian shirts that he sometimes wears).

The question is: WHO has the real "courage to identify" himself.