[liberationtech] Seeking laptop for Cuban opposition leader

[peter miller]

Yosem, members of the liberationtech community — I find the exchange below both chilling and foreboding for us all.

The list moderator posts along a message from someone with no organizational affiliation noted requesting an equipment donation for an unidentified Cuban opposition leader, receives a critical note from a list member, and responds with threats and sanctions to the critic for being "ad hominem, or otherwise inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic," all done with the justification that some unidentified opposition leader is "fighting for change in what is recognized to be an authoritarian regime."

Sam Anderson’s warnings are especially to the point here.  The US has already suffered major embarrassments for its counterproductive and inappropriate technology support to anti-governmental efforts in Cuba:  witness the revelations of covert USAID fiascos — akin to such operations being undertaken by the Peace Corps — involving Alan Gross, the faux twitter Zun Zuneo farce, and rap musician subterfuge.  Especially for a list that goes by the name and presumably the principles of "liberationtech," some self-criticism about inappropriate technology support ought to be welcomed rather than threatened.

in solidarity, ----peter miller
https://peterbmiller.wordpress.com/cuba-project/ 


-----Original Message(s)-----

Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2016 11:20:16 -0700
From: Yosem Companys <companys at stanford.edu>
To: liberationtech <liberationtech at lists.stanford.edu>
Cc: Maria Werlau <mariacwerlau at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [liberationtech] Seeking laptop for Cuban opposition leader

Guideline #3 on our list says, "To maintain civil discourse, we have a
zero-tolerance policy for anyone who posts ad hominems, or otherwise
inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages. Doing so will get you
permanently moderated." See:
https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech.

The focus of this thread was to provide technical help to an activist
fighting for change in what is widely recognized to be an authoritarian
regime.

Please stay on topic or start a new thread, assuming the topic below is
made less offensive and relates in some way to Liberationtech. (It
currently does not.)

Thanks,
Yosem Companys
One of the moderators


On Thu, Aug 4, 2016 at 11:11 AM, S E ANDERSON <blackeducator at me.com> wrote:

> Did you know that "opposition Leaders" are directly or indirectly helping
> to transform Cuba into a political//economic/cultural/environmental
> racist basket case like Puerto Rico,, Panama or the Dominican Republic? In
> other words, the US is behind these socalled "opposition leaders"..
>
> In struggle,
>
> Sam Anderson
>…
>
> Sent from Samz & Rosemariz iPad
>
> On Aug 3, 2016, at 9:47 PM, Yosem Companys <companys at stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> From: Maria Werlau <mariacwerlau at gmail.com>
>
> Esteemed colleagues,
>
> An important opposition leader on the island, one of the best in Cuba,
> needs a laptop computer. It can be a used model as long as it is in good shape.
>
> If you have used laptops at your workplace that you would like to put to
> good use, this would be an effective way to do so.
>
> Please contact me if you can be of assistance.
>
> Best and thank you,
>
> Maria
>
>
> Maria C. Werlau
> Office Tel. (973)701-0520
> Mobile (973)219-7000
>