Left I on the News

In the latest strange twist in the case of anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, covered here on many occasions, the U.S. government has now indicted Posada for lying about his role (i.e., for claiming he had no role) in a series of Havana hotel and tourist site bombings in 1997 which took the life of Italian tourist Fabio di Celmo, and injured many more. It's a strange twist because, while claiming he is lying when he said he wasn't part of the plot, the government has not (yet, anyway) charged him with murder (or being an accomplice to murder), which logic says they must believe. After all, if they can prove he was lying when he says he wasn't involved, they can prove he was involved. Ipso facto and all that.

Imagine how the families of the 9/11 victims would feel if Osama bin Laden was arrested and charged...with perjury! Really it's too bizarre to contemplate.

At the same time, the government continues to stonewall the Venezuelan government, which continues to press its demand to extradite Posada to Venezuela where he is wanted not on one count of murder, but on 73 counts, for his role in the mid-air bombing of Cubana Airlines Flight 455. At a press conference today (a conference well worth listening to or reading the transcript of to acquaint yourself with the various issues involved), Venezuela's lawyer in the matter made clear that Venezuela will very definitely be making an issue of this case at the upcoming Summit of the Americas. Under international treaties, the United States is obligated to either try Posada for those 73 murders, or to extradite him to Venezuela to stand trial. For four years, since Posada's illegal entry into the U.S., the U.S. government has stonewalled that demand while Posada gets closer and closer to the grave. Now they have at least acknowledged, with their latest indictment, that he is in fact a terrorist. It's time for them to take the next step, and see that he is actually tried for terrorism. Justice for the families of the victims demands it.