Well-known bastion of freedom blasts Arizona law as "brutal violation of human rights"

Maybe Raul and Fidel Castro didn’t want to wait for the Obama administration to apologize first for Arizona’s new immigration enforcement law, as they did to China earlier this week.  Instead, they got a jump start on the bandwagon by having their puppet parliament pass a resolution calling the bill “racist and xenophobic,” and also “a brutal violation of human rights.”  However, KTAR reminds its readers in its report about how Cuba enforces its own internal travel policies:

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Several U.S. cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego and Austin, Texas, have passed resolutions against the law or urged outright boycotts, and President Barack Obama has denounced it as “a misdirected expression of frustration.”

But the denunciation of the law by Cuban lawmakers, who called it a “brutal violation of human rights,” is sure to raise anger among U.S. backers of the law.

The tightly controlled, communist-run island has long been criticized for its human rights record, which includes the jailing of 200 political prisoners, the banning of a free press and the outlawing of opposition political parties.

Cuban citizens are required to carry identification with them wherever they go, and can be stopped by police and sent home if they are found in a part of the island where they don’t belong.

Consider this the Somewhat Left The Irony On Department entry for today.  We’re trying to keep people from illegally entering our country, which is a key national-security issue as noted by the 9/11 Commission almost six years ago.  The Cuban junta not only keeps people locked into their country, but also locked into assigned areas of the island, and their police can demand papers of anyone at any time to enforce those oppressive laws.

When Ed Reyes talks about needing a passport to be in Arizona, maybe he should reconsider his hyperbole in light of those facts, no?  Besides, if Cuba wants to talk about racist and xenophobic governments, they need look no further than Havana.  Val Prieto can explain at length the racism of the regime as it related to the death of democracy activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo (content warning).

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It would be easy to dismiss Cuba’s propaganda if it weren’t for the fact that they’re essentially parroting the irresponsible rhetoric of American politicians.  Those elected to public office here ought to consider the effects of their hyperbole and ignorant rants over a law that only tasks law enforcement with enforcing existing federal law, and in Reyes’ case, in almost exactly the same language as that of his own state’s penal code.  As usual, it’s best to be on the opposite side of anything that the Castro Brothers either endorse or oppose.

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