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01/07/13 - Workers World - Socialism key to Cuba's love for human life

LeiLani Dowell
WW photo: Brenda Ryan

Excerpts from a talk by LeiLani Dowell, WW managing editor, at the Nov.
17-18, 2012, Workers World Party conference in New York. See video at
youtube.com/wwpvideo.

"An important biological species is in danger of disappearing with the
rapid and progressive destruction of its natural life-sustaining
conditions - man. We are just now becoming aware of this problem when it
is almost too late to stop it.

"It is necessary to point out [that] the societies of consumers are those
who are fundamentally responsible for the atrocious destruction of the
environment. They are born from former colonial powers and imperial
politics, which in turn engendered the backwardness and poverty which are
now beating down the immense majority of humankind.

"With only 20 percent of the world's population, they consume
three-fourths of the energy which is produced in the world. They have
poisoned the seas and the rivers. They have weakened and punctured the
ozone layer. They have saturated the atmosphere with gasses which alter
climatic conditions with catastrophic effects from which we are now
beginning to suffer. ...

"If we want to save humanity from this self-destruction, it is necessary
to better distribute the available wealth and technology of the planet.
Less luxury and less extravagance in a few countries; for that matter,
less poverty and less hunger in a large portion of the earth. ... Make human
existence more rational. Apply a fair international economic order. Make
use of all the scientific knowledge necessary for ongoing development
without contamination. Pay the ecological debt and not the foreign debt.
Let hunger disappear and not mankind."

This quote is from the beloved leader of the Cuban people, Fidel Castro,
from a speech at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, 13 years
before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and 20 years before this month's
Hurricane Sandy. The U.S. has persistently ignored that "tomorrow" is now;
it has ignored it at the expense of the growing number of storm victims
and survivors.

Over and over again, Cuba has had to pay for capitalism's crimes against
the very environment that sustains us as human beings. Cuba is a small
island situated in the Caribbean Sea across from the Gulf of Mexico. So it
has always been prone to hurricanes. But these storms have become
increasingly destructive and deadly as a result of climate change
generated by the profit system's shortsightedness and greed. In 2006, Cuba
was the only nation in the world that met the World Wide Fund for Nature's
definition of sustainable development.

And yet, each year as storms hit the region, Cuba avoids losing its people
to the ravages of the hurricanes. When deaths do occur, they are minimal
compared to those in other countries. This year, Cuba lost an
unprecedented 11 lives to Hurricane Sandy. The U.S. lost 132 - and those
numbers will undoubtedly rise.

One could say that Cuba is able to protect its people because it has more
experience dealing with hurricanes. But that's actually only a small part
of the equation.

The bigger part is the love and dedication to human life that a socialist
system bestows on its people. In 2008, before Hurricane Gustav hit, Fidel
said: "We are lucky to have a Revolution! It is a fact that nobody will be
neglected."

In Cuba major planning and preparation go into hurricane preparedness, and
when they do hit, these plans are executed with precision. In Cuba, 55,000
people were evacuated from their homes before Sandy hit this year.

For the Cubans, "evacuation" doesn't mean what it does in the U.S. - where
politicians stand on a podium and yell, "Get out!," then blame those who
"didn't leave" because they didn't have transportation, or because they
have disabilities or medical situations, or because they have nowhere to
go.

In Cuba, a plan is devised for how each person will be evacuated and where
each one will go. If, for instance, there is an elderly woman living on
the second floor of a house in a wheelchair, people are designated in
advance to help carry her down the stairs, and they know which relative or
which civil defense area is prepared to house her.

Because lives come before profit in Cuba, any and all resources are
commandeered for the emergency relief - from boats and buses to buildings
and communication networks. All social, economic and military
organizations are involved in the effort and every community. Strong bonds
of solidarity tie Cubans together as a safety net against any storm.

Now some would say, well, Cuba's this small island with a smaller
population than the U.S.; they can afford to do this for their population.
But the U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world, with the most
resources in the world.

There is absolutely no reason why the U.S. cannot effectively organize
protection for every single person in the country - no reason, of course,
except its priorities. Capitalism's main focus, its only reason for
existing, is to secure the profits of the 1%, the ruling class. People's
lives - especially those of the poor, people of color and workers - are
totally expendable.

Meanwhile, Cuba is saddled with a blockade that the U.S. has imposed on it
for some 50 years now. This makes getting even the most basic medicines,
construction equipment, etc., extremely difficult. And Cuba still takes
care of its people.

Again, it's an issue of priorities.

Not only does Cuba take care of its own, but it also shares its expertise
with the world. We can never forget the image of Cuban doctors lined up at
the airport, waiting to fly to the U.S. to aid survivors of Hurricane
Katrina, only to be rejected by President Bush.

So this year, as we provide mutual aid, support and love to our sisters
and brothers suffering from the storm - as we expose the ravages of the
storm of capitalism upon our daily lives - we would like to give our
thanks to socialist Cuba for its efforts in protecting the lives of the
entire world, both politically and materially.

And we want to renew our commitment to destroy capitalism, so that the
people everywhere can live. Cuba's socialist system shows the way.

Find more like this: [1]In the U.S., [2]Top , [3]Cuba, [4]Hurricane
Katrina, [5]Hurricane Sandy, [6]Socialism

References

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1. View all posts in In the U.S.
        http://www.workers.org/category/us/
2. View all posts in Top
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3. http://www.workers.org/tag/cuba/
4. http://www.workers.org/tag/hurricane-katrina/
5. http://www.workers.org/tag/hurricane-sandy/
6. http://www.workers.org/tag/socialism/


Original Source / Fuente Original:
http://www.workers.org/2013/01/07/socialism-key-to-cubas-love-for-human-life/