Barry Schier
2007-03-17 05:36:11 UTC
(My reply starts a few paragraphs below this background exchange.)
(1) MSF (i.e., Medicins Sans Frontiers = Doctors Without Borders) is a
non-governmental organization made up of those physicians
and allied health workers donating their time and resources and also
using;resources provided to that organization as the product
of the contributions of participants and charitable / humanitarian
organizations sympathetic to its work.
(1.1) Guess how many pennies and minutes of that organization's
budget, efforts, etc. come from "Uncle Sam"!
(1.2) Not only that, the aid which Pastors for Peace has sent to Cuba
as part of its "U.S.-Cuba Friendshipments" has been blocked
by the U.S. government (although pressure has forced Washington to
relent and finally allow almost all of the contents to leave the
U.S.A. and cross into Mexico, the country where unionized Mexican
longshore workers volunteer their own time (again, without
government assistance or compensation) load the Cuba-bound aid onto
ship/s at Tampico (i.e., a major Mexican port).
(2) The almost 5-decade-old law which is used by the United States
government as the basis for its embargo against Cuba
(which each year is condemned by votes in the United Nations General
Assembly that have continually increased, starting with a
57-to-4 vote 15 years ago to 183-to-4 in the most recent vote)
ostensibly exempts food and medicine (in order to comply with
international law).
(2.1) Yet, durng the 6th U.S. Cuba Friendshipment (in which I
participated), federal agents literally entered a church in
the San Diego suburb of Lemon Grove to confiscate computers which were
destined for a (United Nations sponsored) medical
information network in Cuba. The United States government released
those computers only after it decided that the the politcal
price that it would have to pay would be too great in the context of
its acts / policy becoming publicized, limited hunger strike by
several Pastors for Peace members (including its director, Rev.
Lucious Walker) concurrent with much national and international
pressure.
(3) The Cuban GOVERNMENT, by contrast, supplies most of both the
personnel (e.g., about 25,000 doctors) and material which is
used to provide medical services AT NO CHARGE `in the slums and
isolated rural communities' of more than 5 dozen
"Third World" countries, especially Venezuela.
Lots of other active.
Examples?
http://www.google.be/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%...
(4) The cynicism and dishonesty of opponents of the Cuban Revolution
(including especially PL, who rhetorically asks,
"... it actually uses the doctors as money earners in a international
rental industry, no?") knows no bounds.
(4.1) The twisted logic of opponents of the Cuban Revolution and
Venezuela's Bolivarian process notwithstanding,
receiving of compensation for / while providing FREE medical services,
materials, and education to masses of people is NOT
"renting out" of one's personnel and/or material.
(4.2) It is under a CAPITALIST medical system that health care is
considered a commodity existing for the opportunity for a
relative few to make a profit. Thus, Cuba provides health care at no
cost to all its citizens, and Venezuela is making strides in
that direction, while 40 to 47 million Americans (plus an unknown
gigantic number of immigrants living in the USA prevented from
becoming legal residents / citizens by xenophobic laws and policies)
have continued to lack any health insurance with the
remainder mostly paying exorbitant money insurance fees and "co-
payments" to receive health care.
(5) The opponents of the Cuban Revolution (and of Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez' cooperation and solidarity with Cuba)
stretch logic by claiming that the fact that Venezuela provides
compensation / revenue / payments makes Cuba's sending of literally
thosands of
doctors (plus a large number of sports trainers, literacy teachers,
and others) to that country "proves" Cuba's solidarity a mercenary
effort. Not once do they attempt to refute what matters: THE PEOPLE
WHO RECEIVE THE SERVICES of Cuban doctors, etc.,
receive those services AT NO CHARGE to them.
(5.1) The fact that the source of revenue for providing such services
FOR FREE is Venezuelan government / oil funds should be
seen as proof that, IN CONTRAST TO THE U.S. government -- which spends
an increasing share (now approaching half)
of its giant budget on military and wars (i.e., 47% of the military
spending OF THE ENTIRE PLANET) as it continually cuts back on
social programs and benefits -- the Venezuelan government (whose
President is Hugo Chavez) spends a huge portion of its budget
and other revenues on providing services to its people, especially the
poor and/or those with the greatest needs.
-- Barry Schier
propaganda you mean.
occur when countries such as China and Cuba send health personnel abroad to
earn foreign exchange
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/health/wp209...
"According to a Cuban economist, overall earnings from the export of
medical, teaching and other professional services could reach $750m (?586m,
£404m) this year, most of it from Venezuela."
"Castro's doctors give Chávez shot in arm", Financial Times, 2/9/05.http://www.americas.org/item_17883
"I think medical services will have replaced tourism as our most important
source of revenue in 2005," said Garcia, who directs the Cuban Economy Study
Center at Havana University.
Source :"Cuba's medical services becoming major moneymaker", South Florida
Sun Sentinel, Dec.18 2005.
See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaVerdad/message/19469
See:http://www.cubaverdad.net/freedom_of_movement.htm#Medical_doctors:_th...http://www.cubaverdad.net/apartheid_in_cuba.htm#II._Medical_apartheid.
[See original message for the (long) remainder of the original
message]
Again, where are all the US (and European) doctors in the slums and isolated rural communities?
[PL] > >> >> MSF is everywhere.(1) MSF (i.e., Medicins Sans Frontiers = Doctors Without Borders) is a
non-governmental organization made up of those physicians
and allied health workers donating their time and resources and also
using;resources provided to that organization as the product
of the contributions of participants and charitable / humanitarian
organizations sympathetic to its work.
(1.1) Guess how many pennies and minutes of that organization's
budget, efforts, etc. come from "Uncle Sam"!
(1.2) Not only that, the aid which Pastors for Peace has sent to Cuba
as part of its "U.S.-Cuba Friendshipments" has been blocked
by the U.S. government (although pressure has forced Washington to
relent and finally allow almost all of the contents to leave the
U.S.A. and cross into Mexico, the country where unionized Mexican
longshore workers volunteer their own time (again, without
government assistance or compensation) load the Cuba-bound aid onto
ship/s at Tampico (i.e., a major Mexican port).
(2) The almost 5-decade-old law which is used by the United States
government as the basis for its embargo against Cuba
(which each year is condemned by votes in the United Nations General
Assembly that have continually increased, starting with a
57-to-4 vote 15 years ago to 183-to-4 in the most recent vote)
ostensibly exempts food and medicine (in order to comply with
international law).
(2.1) Yet, durng the 6th U.S. Cuba Friendshipment (in which I
participated), federal agents literally entered a church in
the San Diego suburb of Lemon Grove to confiscate computers which were
destined for a (United Nations sponsored) medical
information network in Cuba. The United States government released
those computers only after it decided that the the politcal
price that it would have to pay would be too great in the context of
its acts / policy becoming publicized, limited hunger strike by
several Pastors for Peace members (including its director, Rev.
Lucious Walker) concurrent with much national and international
pressure.
(3) The Cuban GOVERNMENT, by contrast, supplies most of both the
personnel (e.g., about 25,000 doctors) and material which is
used to provide medical services AT NO CHARGE `in the slums and
isolated rural communities' of more than 5 dozen
"Third World" countries, especially Venezuela.
[snip (... and "snip" and "snip")]
[t]here have [been] 40,000 Cuban doctors serving abroad (your
recent posting). MSF has at most 28,000 field staff (see
Loading Image...)
and it is just one of the many European NGO', no?[t]here have [been] 40,000 Cuban doctors serving abroad (your
recent posting). MSF has at most 28,000 field staff (see
Loading Image...)
Lots of other active.
And how many people do they have in the field?
Look it up.And they TRULY work for free. Not like the doctors Castro rents out to lots of countries.
(including especially PL, who rhetorically asks,
"... it actually uses the doctors as money earners in a international
rental industry, no?") knows no bounds.
(4.1) The twisted logic of opponents of the Cuban Revolution and
Venezuela's Bolivarian process notwithstanding,
receiving of compensation for / while providing FREE medical services,
materials, and education to masses of people is NOT
"renting out" of one's personnel and/or material.
(4.2) It is under a CAPITALIST medical system that health care is
considered a commodity existing for the opportunity for a
relative few to make a profit. Thus, Cuba provides health care at no
cost to all its citizens, and Venezuela is making strides in
that direction, while 40 to 47 million Americans (plus an unknown
gigantic number of immigrants living in the USA prevented from
becoming legal residents / citizens by xenophobic laws and policies)
have continued to lack any health insurance with the
remainder mostly paying exorbitant money insurance fees and "co-
payments" to receive health care.
(5) The opponents of the Cuban Revolution (and of Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez' cooperation and solidarity with Cuba)
stretch logic by claiming that the fact that Venezuela provides
compensation / revenue / payments makes Cuba's sending of literally
thosands of
doctors (plus a large number of sports trainers, literacy teachers,
and others) to that country "proves" Cuba's solidarity a mercenary
effort. Not once do they attempt to refute what matters: THE PEOPLE
WHO RECEIVE THE SERVICES of Cuban doctors, etc.,
receive those services AT NO CHARGE to them.
(5.1) The fact that the source of revenue for providing such services
FOR FREE is Venezuelan government / oil funds should be
seen as proof that, IN CONTRAST TO THE U.S. government -- which spends
an increasing share (now approaching half)
of its giant budget on military and wars (i.e., 47% of the military
spending OF THE ENTIRE PLANET) as it continually cuts back on
social programs and benefits -- the Venezuelan government (whose
President is Hugo Chavez) spends a huge portion of its budget
and other revenues on providing services to its people, especially the
poor and/or those with the greatest needs.
-- Barry Schier
[snip]
Unlike the EU and the US, Cuba is not a rich country
It [Cuba] gets major subsidies from Venezuela for the international acts ofUnlike the EU and the US, Cuba is not a rich country
propaganda you mean.
and cannot afford
to fully fund all of its aid projects.
A distinction is usually made between the short-term temporary flows whichto fully fund all of its aid projects.
occur when countries such as China and Cuba send health personnel abroad to
earn foreign exchange
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/health/wp209...
"According to a Cuban economist, overall earnings from the export of
medical, teaching and other professional services could reach $750m (?586m,
£404m) this year, most of it from Venezuela."
"Castro's doctors give Chávez shot in arm", Financial Times, 2/9/05.http://www.americas.org/item_17883
"I think medical services will have replaced tourism as our most important
source of revenue in 2005," said Garcia, who directs the Cuban Economy Study
Center at Havana University.
Source :"Cuba's medical services becoming major moneymaker", South Florida
Sun Sentinel, Dec.18 2005.
See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaVerdad/message/19469
See:http://www.cubaverdad.net/freedom_of_movement.htm#Medical_doctors:_th...http://www.cubaverdad.net/apartheid_in_cuba.htm#II._Medical_apartheid.
Again, rich countries, like
South Africa and Venezuela, that can afford to pay do so. Those that
can't afford to pay get free medical care for their people.
South Africa and Venezuela, that can afford to pay do so. Those that
can't afford to pay get free medical care for their people.
message]