Reflections of Fidel:

Atrocious act

Fidel Castro Ruz

A sad news item was circulated this afternoon from the United States: Democratic Congresswoman for Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, was the victim of a criminal attack while taking part in a political event in her electoral district of Tucson.

On the other side of the border lies Mexico, the Latin American country to which that territory belonged, before more than half of its land was snatched in an unjust war.

Many of those who emigrate from Mexico, Central America and other Latin American countries cross its arid surface in an attempt to escape from the hunger, poverty and underdevelopment into which those nations have been led by the United States.

Money and merchandise can freely cross the border; human beings cannot. Not to mention the drugs and weapons that cross that line in one direction or the other.

Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans, who undertake the hardest and worst paid jobs in that country, are caught every year and returned to where they came from, many times separated from their closest family members. They were hoping for a rectification of that criminal and inhuman policy from the new administration.

According to news that recently came in, 18 people were hit by bullets and six died, among them a girl of nine and Federal Judge John Roll.

The Congresswoman was seriously injured by a bullet to the head. Doctors were fighting to save her life.She is married to the NASA astronaut Mark Kelly. She was elected to Congress for the first time in 2006, at the age of 36 years. “She is in favour of immigration reform, stem cell research and alternative energy,” measures detested by the extreme right.

She had been reelected as a Democratic representative in the last elections.

Asked by the press if she had enemies, her father replied, “The whole Tea Party were her enemies.”

It is known that Sarah Palin, former US vice presidential candidate, published on her website as a target for her party supporters a map of the congressional districts of 20 representatives who had supported President Obama’s health reform proposal, and had them marked with cross-hairs in a gunsight.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s opponent was an ex-marine who, during his electoral campaign, appeared with a M-16 in a message whose content reportedly read: “Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automated M-16 with Jesse Kelly.”

In March 2010 Gabrielle’s electoral office was attacked. She stated, “When people do that, they’ve got to realize there are consequences to that action;” that political leaders have to meet and state the limits.

Any sensible person might well ask themselves if an act like this happened in Afghanistan or in an Arizona electoral district.

Obama stated textually, “This morning, in an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot.” “And while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded.”

“We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.” “I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.”

His appeal is relatively dramatic and very sad. Even those of us who in no way share his political or philosophical ideas, sincerely wish that no children, judges, Congress members, nor any US citizen whosoever should die in such an absurd and unjustifiable manner.

It is sad to recall that, every year, many millions of people in the world are losing their lives as a consequence of absurd wars, poverty, growing famines and deterioration of the environment, promoted by the richest and most developed nations of the planet.

We should like Obama and the US Congress to share those concerns with the rest of the people.

Taken from Cuba Debate