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| Anti-Castro Group Slams Drug War Proposals |
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Posted by FoM on September 02, 2001 at 08:17:48 PT By Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer Source: CNSNews.com 
Former Clinton White House Drug Policy Director Barry McCaffrey is suggesting that drug combat intelligence be shared with the Castro government, but the idea has a Cuban exile group up in arms. The Cuban-American National Foundation thinks McCaffrey's idea is "full of holes," according to CANF spokesperson Mariela Ferretti.McCaffrey, during a speech at Washington's Georgetown University said the Bush administration should ask a reluctant Congress to approve sharing intelligence on drug operations and develop targeted training programs with the Castro government. "I think Congress is reluctant with good reason. Ever since General McCaffrey has been speaking about this topic, we've always thought that his entire thesis is full of holes. What he proposes is pretty much in line with putting the fox in charge of the hen house," said Ferretti. "Fidel Castro," Ferretti emphasized, "has been a direct participant of drug trafficking for decades. This is nothing new. We do not agree that he (Castro) doesn't pose a threat and that we should cooperate with him on any grounds. All of these activities that McCaffrey points out are taking place in and around Cuban waters and in their airspace with the full knowledge of Fidel Castro." Ferretti also thinks that the United States cooperating with Castro on drug trafficking or anything else is "ridiculous." "I think intelligence sources really know what's going on with Fidel Castro and drug trafficking and the idea of cooperation with him is just ludicrous," said Ferretti. McCaffrey also said domestic outrage with Castro heightened during the Elian Gonzalez case and the shooting down of a plane carrying three activists from Brothers to the Rescue in 1996. Those incidents prevented him from opening a dialogue with the Cubans on ways to jointly fight drug trafficking. "Our current policy is mistaken and we do need to engage them on this issue," McCaffrey said. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), a Cuban exile and one of the Castro government's strident critics in the House, believes McCaffrey has now shown his true colors. "McCaffrey came out of the closet. He's calling for assistance for Castro's tyranny, for a so-called anti-drug effort, notwithstanding the fact that he knows very well that Castro and his dictatorship have smuggled tons of cocaine into the United States. He had to be in the closet during the Clinton administration, but now that he is no longer in office, he can come out of the closet with his views on Castro," Diaz-Balart said in an interview from his Miami office. McCaffrey also thinks the United States could increase a "joint effort" with Cuba to fight drug trafficking by appointing a Coast Guard admiral to head a counter drug center in Key West, Fla., that also would be staffed with a representative from the Cuban border patrol. Diaz-Balart scoffed at that idea. "I would assume he also wants someone from the Medellin drug cartel in the Key West office," said Diaz-Balart. Diaz-Balart also believes Castro has allowed Cuban airspace to be used by drug cartels to dump illegal narcotics into the United States, and accused Castro of having "used everything in Cuba, airfields, logistics, everything. Castro is a racketeering enterprise that's been involved in narco-trafficking in the United States and McCaffrey knows it." McCaffrey served as the nation's drug czar from 1996 until January of this year. He was recently replaced by former Arkansas Republican Congressman Asa Hutchinson. Source: CNSNews.com Related Article: Bush Urged on Drug Efforts With Cuba CannabisNews Articles - MCaffrey Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #4 posted by mr.greengenes on September 02, 2001 at 14:34:44 PT |
be the next Noriega? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Forest Gump on Crack on September 02, 2001 at 13:13:22 PT |
| Its actually quite easy to sort out...Talk to Cubans and ask what they think of Castro. You may be suprised. The only villain is the United States, placing a tiny nation in poverty because of ideology. Incarcerating hundreds of thousands of non violent people because of ideology. Fighting the most nonsensical war in the history of civilized man and getting thousands of young Americans maimed and killed, plus millions of Vietnamese, because of ideology. In some respects, it is the fault of the citizens of America, not just the leaders. Hell, you elect them. Light up and Live [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Lehder on September 02, 2001 at 09:08:00 PT |
| For more than forty years we have embargoed Cuba; we are now the only country in the world, I think, that maintains an embargo. One can travel to Cuba only by first stopping in Canada or some other country, and I don't know if this is legal or tolerated or what. It only makes sense that Castro should be aiding and abetting the cartels: he has the location, he hates the U.S., his country is impoverished. But now McCaffrey wants to hook up with Castro to fight drugs?! I would not attempt to begin sorting out the good, the bad and the ugly here from anyone's point of view, so I'll take no sides and choose no heroes or villains. But let's encourage McCaffrey to continue speaking out. I've read rumors that he also wants to "decertify" Holland because of their drug policies! I hope so! He's almost on our side now, making such a fool of himself! Let's encourage him to continue speaking out. Light up a fat stogie and watch the show. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on September 02, 2001 at 08:58:19 PT:
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"...for a so-called anti-drug effort..." Wow, if only more Republicans expressed their true views on prohibition...
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