Friday, August 12, 2011

Godiva Chocolates, Nintendo GameBoys and Cashmere Sweaters

What Was Alan Gross Doing in Havana?
Since 1996, a small effort to stick our thumb in the island's eye developed with the formation of a "Cuba democracy program" within USAID to deliver "humanitarian aid" and "information" to "human rights and political activists" and families of dissidents. For years the democracy program's budget, about $2 million to start with, was funneled into grants to Cuban American groups in Miami that ostensibly used the money to somehow promote freedoms for Cubans still on the island.

Unfortunately, program funds were misused. A 2006 audit and investigation by the GAO highlighted taxpayer monies used to purchase Godiva chocolates, Nintendo GameBoys and cashmere sweaters. An alleged embezzlement scheme by another grantee was discovered in 2008, leading a member of the House to challenge USAID's annual program allocation, which had by then grown to $45 million per year. The agency agreed to more closely monitor its contractors, and soon after Alan Gross was hired via DAI to travel to Cuba.
here

Help, end the war on the Cuban people, they are being held hostage by a small group of
Right-Wing Extremist in South Florida.

(Wearing Cashmere Sweaters, Eating Chocolate and playing Video Games.)
Stop The MCM.

No comments: