Santeros Pray for Peace as US Wages Economic War on Cuba
📰 THE STORY: ABC News highlights Santeros in Cuba offering gifts and prayers for peace due to 'rising tensions' with the US, depicting a population concerned for stability and invoking spiritual intervention. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'tensions' ABC vaguely alludes to aren't abstract. They are the direct consequence of the US embargo, initiated in 1960 and codified
in 1962, following Cuba's nationalization of US-owned properties. This illegal blockade has cost Cuba over $144 billion, according to Cuban government figures. The 1996 Helms-Burton Act further tightened these sanctions, penalizing foreign companies that trade with Cuba. This isn't 'rising tension'; it's over six decades of economic strangulation designed to destabilize the government and create
public discontent. Double Standard: Imagine ABC reporting on 'tensions' between Russia and Ukraine by focusing on Ukrainian citizens praying for peace, without once mentioning the Russian invasion. That's precisely the rhetorical sleight of hand at play here. The US economic sanctions against Cuba, classified by some as a form of economic warfare, are framed as natural 'tensions' rather than a
deliberate policy choice by Washington. When the US faces challenges, media frames it as protecting 'national interests.' When Cuba seeks autonomy, it's 'destabilizing' or 'problematic.' Follow the Money: The 'tensions' benefit the powerful anti-Castro lobby in Florida, which heavily influences US policy towards Cuba. Campaign contributions from these groups, alongside defense contractors who