By Perly Viasmensky
New York Mayor and presidential candidate Bill Di Blasio apologized to the Miami Cuban community during his visit at the ramp and cargo workers striking at the Miami International Airport. During the visit Di Blasio quoted notorious Argentine revolutionary and mercenary doctor Ernesto “Che” Guevara using his favorite phrase, one he used in his many correspondences to communist Fidel Castro; “Hasta la Victoria, Siempre” (Until Victory, Always).
Di Blasio tried to apologize to the Cuban community in Miami for his lack of knowledge in history, but that apology needs to be extended to all and every Cuban community around the United States. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Cubans are disseminated all over this great nation.
Just two weeks ago Di Blasio said he was unaware that the quote was used by Che Guevara and that he did not have much knowledge of the history. Even the most illiterate people of the world know who Che Guevara was.
Many of those Union workers at the airport were Cuban-born or of Cuban descent.
You don’t need to be a university professor to know that Che Guevara was a mercenary and a racist against black people. Ernesto “Che” Guevara was personally responsible for hundreds of deaths in “La Cabana” prison and for executions during the revolution.
14,000 innocent people were executed in Cuba without trial by orders of Che Guevara just for opposing him.
The image or even the simple mention of the name of Che Guevara has always been an insult to Cubans around the continent. I will never forget the anecdote of my good friend, the late Tony Galvez, a political prisoner at La Cabana, who miraculously escaped death during a trip to Mexico.
Tony went shopping for gifts for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and after picking up several items (nothing cheap, by the way since Tony was never known as a cheap buyer), the owner of the store introduced himself. Tony looked at the image on his T-Shirt, an image of Che Guevara, and asked, “Do you know who that guy is?” The owner of the store responded, “Oh yes, a very good guy who helped to free Cuba. Everybody believes he was very good.”
For a man who has suffered time as a political prisoner that was a culmination of an offense, he took all items he was planning to buy and threw them on the man’s chest against the picture of Che Guevara telling him: “Shove your merchandise where the sun never shines.” The truth is that he did not say it that nice, but we all get the meaning.
When the Argentine-born, asthmatic doctor and Marxist rebel leader who destroyed the lives of so many Cubans and many others in other places on the planet was caught in Bolivia, his last words were the words of a coward: “Do not shoot! I’m Che Guevara and worth more to you alive than dead.”
For a supposed presidential candidate as Mr. Di Blasio, who doesn’t spend time instructing himself on the history of the people in different communities he is planning to speak to, Mr. Di Blasio is a complete failure.
I am an American citizen of Cuban descent; my own family has suffered losses because of the communist regime in Cuba and the teachings of Argentine mercenary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Mr. Bill Di Blasio should be very happy that I am not a registered Democrat, but it does not prevent me from campaigning against him.
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Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact Perly Viasmensky, email her at pviasmensky@lasvegas tribune.com.
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