U.S.-CUBA DEMOCRACY
PAC
Political Action Committee
Agenda
| Purpose
USCD PAC will raise funds from individuals to contribute to candidates
running for the United States Congress, who oppose any economic measures
that directly or indirectly finance the repressive machinery of the
Cuban dictatorship and, who are committed to supporting legislation
seeking to strengthen support for Cuba's courageous pro-democracy
movement.
USCD PAC will also raise funds to inform U.S. Senators and Representatives
of both political parties, and their staffs, about the true nature of
the Castro regime and their anti-American policies and activities
worldwide, as demonstrated by Cuba’s inclusion in the Department of
State's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
USCD PAC's mission will continue until all Cuban political prisoners are
freed; the Cuban people’s fundamental human and civil rights are
recognized and enforced; and a transition to a multiparty democracy
occurs in Cuba. **Upon the decision of the Executive Committee that the mission of the USCD PAC has been fulfilled, all remaining funds shall be refunded to contributors on an aggregate pro rata basis.
Agenda | Purpose
U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC believes support for our friends in the U.S. Congress is essential for the promotion of a free and democratic Cuba. We also believe that a thoughtful analysis of the Cuban situation and of the true nature of the Castro dictatorship is imperative. Our agenda includes the following:
Oppose Legislation That Will Finance the Cuban Dictatorship’s Repressive Machinery
The Castro regime would be the major beneficiary of the lifting of trade and travel-related sanctions to Cuba. Cuba's tourism and trade sectors are completely state-owned or operated through joint ventures with corporations established by, and under the supervision of, the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). The Castro's military and intelligence apparatus has not only become a self-financing institution, but its absolute control over foreign capital in Cuba has allowed it to strengthen its totalitarian infrastructure.
At issue are not the current sales - on a cash and carry basis - of foodstuffs and medicine to Cuba. The United States currently is -- and should remain -- the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba. What the Castro regime really seeks is U.S. credit and export insurance. As a result of the Cuban government's dismal credit record, many countries around the world no longer provide credits or export insurance to the Castro regime. American taxpayers should not subsidize repression in Cuba.
In sum, regulating trade and travel-related transactions with the Cuban dictatorship are imperative:
To keep hard currency out of
the hands of Cuba's repressive state police and military. The
regulations now in place were carefully designed to deny financial support
to Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces. If the United States were to lift
restrictions on travel-related transactions, Cuba's own Ministry of Tourism
has estimated that Cuba's dictatorship would net an additional $5 billion
annually. That would be a subsidy five-times greater than what Venezuela's
Hugo Chávez now provides Cuba.
To oppose the apartheid-like
restrictions the Castro regime imposes on the Cuban people. Most resorts
in Cuba are segregated, beachfront enclaves. Cuban nationals are barred from
hotels, beaches, restaurants, nightclubs and even medical clinics. It is
time to accept the reality that the influx of European and Canadian tourists
during the last decade has not brought greater freedom to Cuba; it has only
perpetrated a new kind of repression.
To protect U.S. security
interests. The State Department lists Cuba as one of the world's five
remaining state-sponsors of terrorism and, in 2007, reported that the regime
''maintains close relationships with other state sponsors of terrorism such
as Iran and North Korea.'' In the last five years, there have been more
convictions in U.S. federal courts of individuals conducting espionage
activities for the Cuban regime -- including on the Central and Southern
Command of the U.S. Armed Forces -- than from any other country.
To stand in unconditional
solidarity with Cuba's opposition leaders and political prisoners. From
Eastern Europe to South Africa, sanctions have historically signaled
solidarity for democracy's advocates and provided them with leverage to
challenge their governments. Like Burmese democracy advocate and Nobel
laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has called on the world to ban travel to her
country, Cuba's democratic opposition leaders recognize the importance of
this leverage.Encourage Our Friends in the U.S. Congress to Urge their Colleagues from Legislative Bodies Around the World, and America's Friends and Allies, to Support the Legitimate Aspirations of Freedom of the Cuban People.
Cuba is the country with the highest (per capita) percentage of political prisoners in the world. The Castro regime systemically implements campaigns of oppression and persecution against Cuba's pro-democracy movement. The international community, led by the former Soviet-occupied states of Eastern Europe, has reacted with outright moral and political condemnation. Members of the U.S. Congress, who often have contacts with foreign governments, foreign legislative bodies, and the diplomatic corps in Washington D.C., should urge the U.S. government and other democracies to forge a multilateral effort to support the pro-democracy opposition in Cuba, while simultaneously sending a message to the current regime that its dictatorship is unsustainable and unacceptable.
Consolidating Democratic Values in Pursuit of U.S. National Interests in the Western Hemisphere
The 21st century began with multiparty democracies in all but one of the Western Hemisphere's 35 nations. Cuba was the glaring exception. In the 2001 Inter-American Democratic Charter, the United States unequivocally affirmed its political and economic support for representative democracy in this hemisphere. While U.S. policy toward Cuba predates that covenant, its principles are consistent with it: U.S. political and economic engagement with the Cuban dictatorship will follow Cuba's release of political prisoners; respect for fundamental human rights, as laid out in international accords; and unambiguous steps toward democratic, political reform. Failure of the region, and more importantly of the U.S. as a regional leader, to enforce that principle would threaten to reopen an all-too-familiar door to authoritarianism throughout the Hemisphere.
Defending the Hemisphere Against the Threats Posed by the Castro Regime
For almost fifty years, the Cuban regime has played an important role in the promotion of violence and anti-American actions throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Cuban regime remains on the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism. Throughout the years, senior members of the Cuban government have been indicted by federal grand juries charged with narcotics trafficking. Additionally, Cuba remains the largest source country of individuals convicted in U.S. courts for espionage, including an important intelligence analyst working at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. The United States has raised concerns about Cuba's capacity for the research and production of biochemical weapons, and the possible transfer of dual-use biotechnology among rogue states. The USCD PAC will work in the U.S. Congress to bring these threats to the attention of the American people, and through its oversight of executive agencies, make sure that these matters receive the attention they merit.
Preparing the Next Generation of Cuban Democratic Leaders
The challenges facing the creation of a modern civil society in today's Cuba are enormous. In March 2003, more than 75 independent journalists, human rights and democracy activists, and independent trade union members were arrested. In court proceedings deficient of any measure of transparency and impartiality, they were sentenced to prison terms of up to 28 years. Fifty-nine of them remain in prison. Meanwhile, from the island’s cities to its countryside, countless number of young Cubans have been recently beaten and arrested for wearing white wristbands with the Spanish word for change, CAMBIO, engraved in them. USCD PAC will ask U.S. Congressional committees to hold hearings and consider Congressional action to strengthen US government programs designed to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba.
