Mayo 3, 1999: The Washington Times
Oriole fans, the American TFP asks you:
Is this just another baseball game?
* Say NO to the entrapment of "baseball diplomacy"
* Say YES to the only possible diplomacy: one of truth, firmness, and liberty
Some call it "baseball diplomacy."
For the enslaved Cuban people, Castro’s "baseball diplomacy" means as little bread as ever… but a big new circus!
As a matter of fact, Castro’s new media gimmick seeks to harness the prestige of the Baltimore Orioles with White House complacency.
Like an ancient Roman despot, the Cuban dictator applies the "bread and circus" formula to perpetuate his grip on power, as if 40 years of slavery were not enough!
The circus gimmick having become indispensable due to sheer lack of bread, Castro is trying to use the Baltimore Orioles to tranquilize the Cuban people and the U.S. as well.
Ricardo Alarcón, president of the Cuban People’s Assembly and an expert in U.S.-Cuban relations, admitted at a press conference that the regime’s ultimate goal is to help finesse U.S. opinion into allowing the removal of all barriers to Communist Cuba. (1)
According to U.S. Congressmen Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Bob Menéndez, this "baseball diplomacy" would be impossible without White House support and encouragement. (2)
At the game in Havana’s Latin American Stadium, legendary pitcher Conrado Marrero, 88, said quite appropriately and not without courage: "This is a circus. There are more cops here than baseball fans." (3)
Furthermore, the 50,000 invitations to that game were given exclusively to Communist Party militants. (4) Despite that, Michael Ranneberger, chief of the State Department’s Cuban Desk, said he was convinced that the games had no political relevance but merely promoted "people to people" contacts. (5)
Supporting the Cuban exiles’ legal and peaceful struggle to free their homeland is a moral obligation for everyone who stands for the rights of God and men. Accordingly, we should demand tough new measures from the White House to further isolate the ailing communist regime.
In light of these facts do you really want to attend this baseball rematch – and be part of Castro’s game?
Say NO to the entrapment of "baseball diplomacy."
Say YES to the only possible diplomacy: one of truth, firmness, and liberty.
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP)
P.O. Box 1868, York, PA 17405 – Tel. (717) 225-7147; Fax (717) 225-7382 – http://www.tfp.org/ Mailto:tfp@tfp.org
(The Comisión de Estudios Por la Libertad de Cuba declared its support for this statement of the American TFP)
(1) Cf. Agence France Press, "El béisbol abriría las relaciones con EU, dice Alarcón," El Nuevo Herald, 3/30/99.
(2) Cf. "Fustigan a la Casa Blanca por el partido de béisbol en La Habana," Diario Las Américas, 3/26/99.
(3) Cf. Ariel Remos, "¿Antes y después de los Orioles?" Diario Las Américas (web version), 3/30/99.
(4) Cf. Associated Press, "Critican las entradas 'por invitación' al juego," El Nuevo Herald, 3/27/99.
(5) Cf. Ariel Remos, "Critican Aznar, Chrétien y Clinton al gobierno cubano por la sentencia a los cuatro - Sigue la espiral represiva - Afecta también a periodistas extranjeros," Diario Las Américas, 3/17/99.