mm: We want to hear a little about how the crisis in socialism has affected Cuba and some of the tasks for solidarity in terms of North Americans and people in the U.S.

assata: Well, at the present time, there are virtually very few socialist countries left. As you know, most of Cuba's trade was with the Soviet Union and with the eastern european countries. In terms of Cuba, the changes economically have meant the majority of the eastern european countries have not honored any, or most, of the contract agreements, and economic treaties, that they had with Cuba. So the goods that Cuba was expecting, were planning on, never arrived, haven't arrived, etc. In terms of the Soviet Union, some goods have arrived, but the numbers is around thirty percent of what was promised; what was agreed on. In different instances thirty percent, or less, has arrived. The Soviet Union (what was the Soviet Union; now We're dealing with the Commonwealth of whatever) is so unstable that it changes daily, so Cuba cannot really depend on the Soviet Union for anything at this moment. There's an extreme shortage of fuel, wheat, rice, beans... everything that Cuba needs right now is in shortage. So Cuba's in an extremely difficult situation, between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, Cuba is still suffering the effects of the u.s. blockade, economic embargo, etc. On the other hand, there's a kind of unofficial blockade by the Soviet Union and eastern european countries. Whether that's intentional or unintentional, the result is very real.

...There was never any logical reason for the blockade, but even the pretenses are no longer valid. Not at all. No one can be duped at this point into saying that Cuba is a satellite of the Soviet Union. Nobody can be duped any more into saying that Cuba is a strategic military launching point for the Soviet planes or whatever. If anybody might have been duped in the past, all of that is completely exposed and pure fiction. So there is no reason for the blockade to be maintained. People in the united states have to point this out and struggle around the issue that Cuba has a right to Self-Determination. People who believe in Self-Determination (whether they believe in socialism or not), who believe that a country has the right to determine what kind of government it has and what kind of system it wants, have to struggle to lift the blockade. The blockade is there for one reason, and one reason only, to prevent Cuban people from determining their own destiny. i think that has to be a focus of the movement, the left or anybody else concerned about Self-Determination and people's right to freedom, liberty and justice for all.


**********THE SIG**********

i'm a tru pisces tryna flow in the direction of both of these okplayer quotes:

"I m raising a fuckin angelic being who is going to replenish this fuckin earths cuz in 2G all we fuckin do is talk.....im teachin my seed to turn his spirit inside out and spread beams of green light"
-nebbie

"GOd give me the strength to change the things i can, understanding for those i cannot and the muthafuckin heart to stand up for my beliefs and principles, so that when the government that is suppossed to protect me turns against me and my people we will have the means, the might and the muthafuckin gun power to blow away our oppressors
umm amen"
-earthqueen

and last but not least:

"all things considered, i'd rather be me"
-bfnh