events

November 2001

IN THE TRENCHES OF DUTY
By Miguel L. Talleda

On Saturday, November 10, we went to San Diego to the Veteran’s Day Parade. Despite the inconveniences, a group of Alpha members and other Cubans participated in this traditional annual event. It was a day of patriotic fervor. This event has always been splendid, but this year was truly glorifying. The music bands, the large number of flags, and the enthusiasm of the participants and the general public that came to see the parade gave the event a real colorful flavor. It was a true show of national support for the war against terrorism.

Two things in particular made us very happy to have participated. One was that as we paraded in front of the reviewing stands, where dignitaries and members of Congress, Duncan Hunter and “Duke” Cunningham were sitting, over the loud speaker we heard the following: “Here come the heroes of Alpha 66. Very soon we shall return”. This brought to us the memory of all our heroes and martyrs, that have sacrificed their lives wearing the uniform of Alpha 66 and who have given us the name of freedom fighters for Cuba’s liberty. Here we were, in their names, receiving the public recognition that our organization merits.

The second thing that brought us satisfaction was the admiration and fondness with which we were received throughout the three miles of the parade. We were showered with applause and smiles the entire parade route. We did not witness one instance of protest to our participation, only support and solidarity with our cause, which caused us great pride.

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Andres Nazario and members of our National Committee in Miami are working very hard planing for the event to commemorate the founding of Alpha 66 40 years ago. The event will be held November 24, in the “Renaissance Room” in Miami, and its importance to our organization and the cause of freedom for Cuba will be of great significance to all.

Who in this long exile can emulate the record and the constant work for 40 years that Alpha 66 has maintained, without tiring to fight the tyranny that oppresses our country? How is it possible that we started 40 years ago with our thesis of an irregular war against the tyranny and 40 years later we are still following that same line? Has any one ever demonstrated that our thesis is not the moral and correct one to follow?

We are certain that there is a force superior to us, that has guided and helped us transcend danger, realize heroic acts, and achieve financial goals and all without having to compromise our principles. Only faith, which moves mountains, as it says in the Bible, could have carried us to the present. With the help of God and the dedication of Alpha 66 and its thesis of irregular war, we will soon see the end of this struggle, that has remained constant for 40 years. We are seeing how the tyranny is slowly crumbling, consumed by the evil it has perpetrated on our people.

We are aware that traveling is not easy during these difficult times, but nonetheless Guillermo Suñe and myself will travel to Miami to participate in this event on November 24. Other members of Alpha that will not be able to attend will certainly reflect with admiration what it has meant to them to play an active role in Alpha 66, as our organization continues to write the pages of history with its glories and sacrifices, in an unparalleled struggle for freedom.

SYMPOSIUM FOR THE STUDY OF THE INTERNET
(Click on the thumbnail to view the enlarged photograph)

The above pictures are faithful to the SYMPOSIUM that took place on June 2-3, 2001, at "Luminarias" Restaurant, Monterey Park, California. They are proof of the effort with which an additional task begins in the fight of the Cubans in exile to see our dear native land free again. A land usurped by a pack of bandits that hide behind the bloody mask of communism to enslave and run over our people. This is only the beginning. The six main agreements that resulted from this symposium are currently in development and their effects will be decisive in the achievement of a new Cuba. A free and sovereign Cuba where the ration booklet will be a sad museum piece. Where the persecution of the Cubans who dare to express their thoughts will be a nightmare of the past. And where the horror of having to jump into a dangerous sea on a fragile raft in the pursuit of freedom will no longer be the tragic alternative for a people who were born destined to be free.

June 2001

SYMPOSIUM FOR THE STUDY OF THE INTERNET: A NEW FORCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CASTRO
By Mariana Talleda Gitomer

On June 2-3, 2001, in Los Angeles, California, Alpha 66 sponsored a symposium to study new ways of using the Internet as one more weapon in the struggle to liberate Cuba. The purpose is to create a new force through the Internet capable of confronting the tyranny in Cuba and breaking the barriers that today keep the Cuban people in a state of ignorance. There were various presentations and proposals from a panel made up of experts in the field of the Internet. Several panelists traveled from out of state to present their ideas. They represent a new generation of young Cubans that carry the pain of our suffering homeland very deep in their hearts.

The symposium opened with an introduction by Pedro Sánchez, one of the webmasters of the Alpha 66 web page, who explained the importance of the Internet and why we were having this symposium. The first panelist was the journalist and geologist from Miami, Florida, Rafael Coutín. Mr. Coutín presented some of the characteristics of the cyber struggle for freedom and gave a brief history of the beginnings, evolution, and development of the current struggle. He gave concrete ideas on how to use the Internet to weaken the propaganda arm of the Castro regime, not only here in the U.S. but internationally as well. Next, educator, Máximo Gómez from Monterey, California discussed the importance of the Internet for Cuban-American young people and the need to get them involved in the struggle for liberation. One of his proposals was for ways of making "web" pages more attractive to this group.

Another panelist was José Luis Fernández, director of the electronic magazine "La Voz de Cuba Libre, edited in Los Angeles. Mr. Fernández spoke directly to those who are still not connected to the Internet, particularly the older generation, and showed how little time is needed and how easy it is to use the Internet in the fight for liberty and justice in Cuba. Following Mr. Fernandez, Santiago Martin Triana, member of the "Elian’s Dolphins in the U.S.A" gave an account of the role played by the Internet during the struggle in this country to keep Elián González free.

Evelio Pérez of Los Angeles and Captain Enrique Acosta of Miami, presented the more technical parts of the symposium. They discussed specific proposals on how to use the Internet more efficiently in the struggle for the liberation of Cuba. It was agreed that Alpha’s radio program, "La Voz de Alpha 66" would be put on the Internet in order to continue nurturing the voice of a free Cuba that has always been the basis of this organization.

The symposium concluded with a luncheon where, Miguel Talleda, Coordinator of Alpha 66 in California, gave a summary of the presentations and ideas presented by the panel of experts. Finally, Andrés Nazario Sargén, Secretary General of the organization succeeded one more time with his message of hope in inspiring the large group in attendance to evolve in this new field of technology we are living and continue the fight for the freedom of the Cuban people.

March 2001

SYMPOSIUM ON THE STUDY OF THE INTERNET
By Miguel L. Talleda

We the members of Alpha 66 in California are preparing a Symposium that will allow us to study the possibilities that the Internet represents in our fight for the freedom of our homeland.

It is not a work for us alone to develop, it is a work in which all the members of Alpha, jointly with all Cubans that maintain the unshakable line of no-tolerance to any negotiation or settlement with the tyranny, can cooperate in this extremely important project.

There is no doubt that the Internet is actually the great concern of the communists in Cuba. Elena Bruzual, that great fighter for freedom in her homeland relates in an article dated March 3 for the New Herald of Miami how a Cuban student, member of the National Assembly of Cuba said on Venezuelan television that he represents the “militant atheist and their furious fight against the Internet and the new technologies.” He further referred to the Internet as “the works of the North American devil.”

In other reports we have received, in fact through the Internet, we have learned that “several foreign companies in Cuba, complain that their accounts are used illegally by Cuban “pirates,” that have created a black market, so that other people, without authorized access, could enter to the net (Internet).”

This means that already the Cuban government is having cold sweats with the Internet because they know it is a means that is uniting the people in the island with those in exile. It is creating a system of teamwork that will soon wipe out Castro’s tyrannical regime from Cuba.

Since March 1998 ALPHA 66 has been connected to this new technology of the Internet, creating our web site under “www.alpha66.org”. Without a moment’s rest, we have maintained a fighting position against the communist system implanted in our island of Cuba. Opinions of well-known journalists and writers, exclusive works, accusations of continuous violations of human rights by the tyranny against the Cuban people, rationale and analysis of our fighting principles have all found space on our web page. Our efforts have received kudos from many parts of the world. This has increased our enthusiasm and encouraged us to continue this hard work.

On March 13, 1999 we conducted a FORUM in the city of Downey, California that was called “Our Responsibility Before the New Millennium.” In this forum we studied all aspects related to the fight against the despotism that reigns in our homeland. But it was necessary to pursue higher goals and, in weekly meetings with some of our members we reached the conclusion that it was necessary to explore the Internet. It deserved to be thoroughly studied because we saw the possibilities that it could become a vehicle that could help us in our task of putting an end to the communist totalitarianism that enslaves Cuba.

On January 8, 2001, in our first message of the new year we started to consider the possibility of having an event with the name of “SYMPOSIUM FOR THE PRACTICAL STUDY OF STRATEGY – THE WONDERS OF THE INTERNET.”

For this great task we named a committee of twelve members of ALPHA 66 from the area of Southern California to take charge and bring this project to a successful conclusion. The first thing in our agenda was to look for an appropriate place to celebrate this SYMPOSIUM and a famous restaurant was chosen, located in a central and picturesque part of Los Angeles. The dates are Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, 2001.

Our main goal is to assemble a panel of experts where the experiences and the possibilities of the Internet as a fighting weapon are debated. We want to study how best to penetrate and project toward Cuba while at the same time reaching American public opinion as well as the rest of the world. We feel these last two should be on our side and not be absent from our struggle.

Two recent events showed Cubans the power of the Internet. One was the battle to protect a boy’s right, Elián González, to be allowed to reside in the United States. This fight electrified the waves of e-mail and the rapid spread of information. The second one was the presidential election where we witnessed that the Cuban-American vote made the difference in the ultimate victory for President Bush. The Internet has proved a uniting and powerful force that should be very useful to us in our struggle against the communist slavery forced upon our country.

We are not alone in our thesis. Armando Valladares, ex-political prisoner and former ambassador from the United States before the Commission of Human Rights of the UN in Geneva has stated: “In the internet today a decisive battle for the freedom of Cuba is taking place. The Cuban exiles, with the self-denying help of friends from other countries, are fighting this battle with gallantry, decision and intelligence.”

Also Uruguayan political analyst on Cuban issues, González Guimaraens, in an interview with Ariel Remos from Diario Las Americas, January 14, 2001, stated: “Without a doubt, the Cuban-Americans will have the possibility to exercise in this way a decisive historical role that will be able to even end up being more relevant that the one accomplished during President Bush’s election. In that sense, the appropriate words must be found to open the eyes of the North American public opinion, regarding the drama of communist Cuba.”

María B. Rivadulla, a Cuban exile in Puerto Rico recently made an exhaustive analysis of the penetration in Cuba of the Internet and in one of her paragraphs she says: “The Internet is already escaping from the hands of the Cuban government that cannot control its access. Interesting fact because then those of us Cubans who believe in democracy, in exposing and sharing ideas, will now have the opportunity to write them, to subject them to discussion, to come closer to our countrymen and siblings by using this road. There is no necessity of ‘to indoctrinate them;’ they have already had enough of that during the last forty two years.”

Our questions now are: Could you help us in this project? Could we count on your attendance to the event? If you cannot attend, could you share any ideas that you feel may be useful in this phase of our fight? We will be waiting for your answer at P. O. Box 6434, Torrance, CA 90504. Or you could also send your suggestions to our e-mail address lvalpha66cal@earthlink.net.