Hijacking a commercial airplane and intentionally flying it into a building is one the worst crimes one can imagine. I don’t think anyone would disagree that such an act is an act of terrorism. Anyone with a shred of compassion and decency would denounce such a crime.
But what about placing a bomb on a commercial aircraft and blowing it out of the sky? Is there any qualitative difference in the two acts? I don’t think so.
But that is exactly what Luis Posada Carriles did to a Cuban airline in October, 1976. Now, Cuba wants him turned over to Venezuela for trial.
Posada was once a CIA agent. That can confirmed here. Whether he was still working actively for the CIA in 1976 is uncertain. But his culpability for the bombing is not. Furthermore, Posada has been responsible for series of terrorist acts and attempted terrorist acts, as well as other atrocites.
:::flip:::
Latin American Studies
Yesterday:
Castro repeated his demands that the United States locate, arrest and extradite former CIA agent Posada for trial in Venezuela, where he is wanted for trial in the airplane attack.
Posada’s attorney says he is in the United States and is seeking asylum.
But Castro also increasingly turned the focus to other militants, several of them linked to Posada. Chief among those is Orlando Bosch, a man termed a terrorist in some US intelligence documents, which also link him to the 1976 bombing.
He was pardoned by the first President George Bush.
Jerusalem Post
The Bush family has a long history with the Cuban exile community and other Latin American cold warriors. They hate the Venezuelan government. And there is also something to be said for protecting CIA agents from extradition and punishment for acts they carried out in the service of the agency. But the agency denies that Posada was acting on their behalf when he blew up the Cubana Airlines airplane. That act of terrorism killed all seventy-three passengers and crew members, including the Cuban fencing team. There is no moral difference between what Posada did and what Mohammed Atta did. If we give amnesty to Posada, we will commit a grave error.
Yet Bushco and the neoCons will grant him amnesty, because you are only a terrorist if we say you are and we know terrorism. I can feel the bile rising up in my gullet at the thought of my tax paying dollars supporting this terrorist. It disgusts me that so much bloodshed and hatred is perpetuated on the world in the name of America. I can only hope that this terrorist is shipped to Venezuela where he can have his day in court.
partly because he’s been involved with anti-Castro operations for the CIA since the early 70s; following that he helped Ronnie and the Ray-Guns in the Iran-Contra scandal in Central America. And let’s not forget his stint with the Venezuelan secret police/service (whatever) where he was the Explosives Master.
This guy is little more than a gun-for-hire, regardless of who’s doing the hiring. Let me qualify that. Regardless of what right wing political agency or government wants something blown up.
How did he get here? Didn’t the Minutemen stop him?
Allegedly he was picked by boat in Central America and taken to…wait for it…Florida!!
He is in hiding.
From GWU’sNSA site, dated 10 May ’05:
The FBI reports on a plot to carry out terrorist attacks that will divert attention from the prosecution of Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada in Caracas. Orders for the attacks are attributed to Orlando Garcia Vazquez, a Cuban exile who was then head of the Venezuelan intelligence service, DISIP. (Garcia Vazquez currently lives in Miami.) The report also provides some details on CORU.
Looks alot bigger than one man seeking amnesty. If the agency disowned him, how can the administration allow him in? Never mind. For him to be extradited we’d need a christian in the WH.
The War on Terror is about anti-American ex-CIA asset terrorists not still pro-American CIA asset terrorists.
That’s “ex-CIA asset muslim/arab terrorists.”
I sent the title and link to a “progressive” list. The list moderator responded thusly:
Yes, it’s nice that the liberals are finally learning about Luis Posada
Carriles and Orlando Bosch. Radio Havana Cuba has been talking about them for the past 15 years.
Jan
…
So not only does the US have WMDs, it’s harboring terrorists.
And what does the UN do? Nil.
Pander pander, Cubans pander pander pander. Cubans pander pander pander pander Cubans pander. Pander? Pander Cubans pander pander Cubans pander Cubans Cubans!
Pander, Cubans “pander pander” pander Cubans pander. Pander Cubans pander Cubans pander.
Pander, Cubans pander pander!!
Perhaps Otto Reich or Felix Rodriguez have his number. It’s all in the family.
Thoght it might be interesting to take a gander at the gamut of sentiment from his “hiding” place. These from Thursday’s Miami Herald
PERSPECTIVES ON LUIS POSADA CARRILES
There is a way for the United States to save face in dealing with Luis Posada Carriles, the alleged Cuban terrorist. Grant him a U.S. trial or one in The Hague.
The United States owes Posada a debt for his service to the CIA. However, that debt doesn’t extend to overlooking the murder of civilians who died in the bombing of a Cuban jet airliner in 1976.
The buffoons running Cuba and Venezuela can’t be trusted to give anyone a fair trial, therefore it shouldn’t be an option to extradite him there. If it turns out that the United States has no jurisdiction, then Posada must be turned over to the United Nations for trial as a war criminal.
The debt we owe Posada is to be free from extradition to a kangaroo court. But the debt we owe to those lost lives must also be paid with justice determined by world opinion.
ANDREW D. CONNER, Doral
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Re Jim DeFede’s April 24 column, Family haunted by fugitive’s bid for U.S. asylum: Posada was acquitted on charges of masterminding the bombing of a Cuban airplane. To some, Posada is a freedom fighter who deserves the opportunity to stay in this nation. We feel proud of him and his background of actions against the communist regime of Castro.
DeFede even implied that Col. Oliver North, a true hero of this nation, also was doing something improper when he was helping the Nicaraguans to liberate themselves from the communists. DeFede adds that Posada and Orlando Bosch, another hero of the Cuban cause who also denied being involved in the plane bombing, had made a statement where neither expressed remorse over it.
Posada is being pursued by Cuban secret police. Their intention is to take him back so that they can take him to the firing squad. Castro always has been worried and scared of Posada.
ALBERTO CALDERIN, Miami
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I’ve never met nor have any connection to Posada but, hopefully, I’m not going to expound on an issue for which I don’t have all of the facts,
I am a regular reader of DeFede’s columns and frequently agree with his opinion. There is one aspect of his writings though that troubles me and compels me to speak out. With the notable exception of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, for the most part it seems like any Cuban-American exile whose story lands on DeFede’s desk has two strikes against it.
DeFede went to extraordinary lengths to negate the fundamental presumption of innocence that should be accorded anyone, let alone someone who has been acquitted of such a crime. Then in his April 26 column, Posada puts White House in a quandary, he again rallied the troops, treating us to a gross parallel with his whiskey-guzzling Aunt Anna.
JACK R. GUITERAS, Coral Gables
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Is there a difference between Posada blowing up a Cubana de Aviacion plane and the 9/11 terrorists?
I don’t think so.
If Posada is allowed to stay, the United States once more will be ridiculed in the eyes of the world. If we want to press charges against al Qaeda, Cuba has same right with Posada.
MIGUEL CUADRA, Miami