Cuban talk show accuses U.S. diplomat of helping anti-government groups

December 21, 2005

On a state run talk show in Cuba, they dedicated 90 minutes to an attack on U.S. diplomat Michael Parmly. They accused him, among other things, of "having frequent contacts with his mercenaries, guiding them, supplying them and exhibiting them to the press," according to host Randy Alonso.

This is sparked by Parmly, according to the associated press, "after he met with dissidents and charged that some communist supporters acted like Nazi "brown shirts" or Ku Klux Klan members." Parmly is accused of being part of a plan in the United States to spark a rebellion with dissidents and/or to find justification to invade the nation. At a December 10 gathering to celebrate Human Rights Day Parmly gave a speech saying, "the Cuban regime does not represent the people, nor does it have any interest in bettering their lives," and "rather, the regime is obsessed with self-preservation."

Parmly replaced James Cason whose position is blamed by Cuban officials for the imprisonment of 75 dissidents with whom Cason had contact. The talk show features journalists and government officials who took turns discussing Parmly's actions in Cuba calling the diplomats, according to one journalist Arlene Rodriguez, "They are the same pig with different suits," and "The pig is Bush's policy and they are the suits."