[MKE - Indymedia] News; & "Mission to Cuba" Reportback, Tues, March 8

[Art Heitzer]

    Two news items re US Cuba relations, and an invite to a report back on a
January 2011 Mission to Cuba, *this Tues. March 8*:

*News: *

1.*Trial against US contractor starts in Cuba*
By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Paul Haven, Associated Press – 27 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110304/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_detained_american


Excerpts:  "Washington spends more than $40 million a year on the programs,
with USAID controlling most of that and doling out the work to
subcontractors."

"Development Associates International, or DAI, was awarded a $4.5 million
contract for the program in which Gross was involved, and Gross reportedly
was paid more than a half-million dollars himself, despite the fact he spoke
little Spanish and had no history working in Cuba."

"Neither the State Department nor USAID knew who all of these people were or
what they were doing in the name of the US government and with US taxpayer
money,"

2. *Ongoing trial of CIA-trained Posada Carriles *(avowed terrorist, living
in the U.S.): In case you are not aware of it, the trial of Luis Posada
Carriles, based on his alleged perjury in denying his role in facilitating
the fatal 1997 bombings of Havana tourist locales, has been going on for
over a month. Atty. Jose  Pertierra, a Cuban-American immigration expert
based in Washington, D.C., has written insightful reports on each day of the
trial: below is the link to his report from March 1st in English (which is
also full of insights in how to present a criminal defense), "Day 22:
Vulgar Questions (3/1/11)"
http://www.counterpunch.org/pertierra03012011.html

Atty. Pertierra represents Venezuela on its long-standing request that
Posada be extradicted so that he can be tried for his widely acknowledged
role in engineering the bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner from Caracas in
1976, killing all 73 persons on board. This Venezuelan website includes a
compilation of articles (including Atty. Pertierra's reports on Posada's
trial), at http://venezuela-us.org/?s=posada+carriles

*Event:  *

 Pls. join us on Tuesday for a report back from CUMC's Pastor Kate Jones;
Caroline, her daughter & sophomore at UWM; and MU Vice-President Chris
Miller; on their January mission visit, mostly to eastern Cuba.

Before the 7pm presentation, in honor of International Women's Day as well
as Mardi Gras, we'll share some refreshments and a light repast. Feel free
to bring anything to share. Doors should open at 6pm, we'll plan to snack
and meet briefly by 6:30pm. Also, spread the word if you can.   --Thank you,
Art Heitzer

*Mission to Cuba: A Multi-media report from 3 members of Milwaukee's Central
United Methodist Church on their trip to Cuba in January, 2011.

*Tuesday, March 8, 7pm program, at Milwaukee's Central United Methodist
Church, 639 N. 25th Street (at Wisconsin Ave., free off street parking south
of the church)

Free & open to the public; refreshments to be provided & shared.

As President Obama gradually allows increased legal contact between the
people of Cuba and the US -- particularly in the areas of religious and
academic travel to Cuba -- hear the experiences of three members of
Milwaukee's Central United Methodist Church (CUMC) on their Cuban journey in
January. Presenters include the Pastor of CUMC; the Vice-President of
Student Affairs of Marquette University; and an honors student at UWM in
Global Studies and Spanish. [Their bios are below; comments and questions
will be welcome].

Program at 7pm [doors should be open at 6pm, with refreshments, light
repast, and discussion of upcoming Pastors for Peace speaker and Caravan,
starting by 6:30pm]

Sponsored by CUMC's Church and Society Committee, and the Wisconsin
Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba.

=======
The following members of the mission to Cuba, will be present to share their
experiences. They visited Cuba as part of the Volunteers in Mission program
of the United Methodist Church:

Kate Croskery–Jones serves as the pastor of Central United Methodist
Church.  In addition to being ordained she is an attorney, trained mediator
and a counselor with a specialized training in family violence prevention.
She is on the Adjunct faculty of Loyola University of Chicago.  She has
served on the Governor’s Council for Violence Prevention.  Rev.  Croskery-
Jones is a PhD Candidate in Clinical Social Work.

Dr.  L. Christopher Miller, Vice President for Student Affairs at Marquette
University, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, He has earned
both a law degree and a Ph.D.  As Vice President, his role is to provide the
comprehensive range of service, programs, and activities that enrich the
value of the Student’s educational experience.

Caroline Jones is a sophomore in the Honors College at UW-Milwaukee where
she is majoring in Global Studies and minoring in Spanish.  She has traveled
in Rwanda, Spain, Greece and Cuba on educational and mission trips.  Ms.
Jones hopes to join the Peace Corps and later take a position in some other
form of foreign service.
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