Tuesday March 18th marked the fifth anniversary of the arrests of more than 70 quislings, the ringleaders of imperialism's fifth column in Cuba who, paid by the U.S. government, violate the laws of the land and share the opinion that this dark corner of the world should be swept off the map. On this date, a Department of State spokesperson described the event as the "Black Spring", a term having racist overtones. We could call it "White Spring". Darkness does not exist in space, only in the mind. What a huge difference between the methods used by the government of the United States and those used by Cuba! Not one of the mercenaries was tortured or deprived of lawyer or trial, even if it was of a summary nature, provided by the law in the case of danger of aggression; they have the right to receive visits, access to family facilities as well as the other legal prerogatives of all prisoners; and if at any time their health seriously requires it, they are released without the demands of imperialism and its allies having absolutely anything to do with it. We urge the United States to do with its prison population as we have done here in Cuba. The Revolution demands respect for sovereignty, not pardon.

On Wednesday March 19th, as we commemorate five years of the stupid war unleashed in Iraq, Bush grabs hold of any Bin Laden declaration, either fictitious or real, even though in the case of the latter no date is supplied as to when it was made, nor are they able to assure us that it was his voice. They shall investigate it, so they promise. Nobody ever took so much advantage of such materials to shape the opinions of the citizens of the United States and of many other countries in the world that have similar cultures and beliefs, in order to justify the brutal and genocidal wars that are so needed by imperialism. He keeps on uttering and repeating, time after time, certain selected words and phrases. The people and institutions referred to, without exception, find themselves obliged to respond, whether the declarations are true or not. Just observe how, year after year, from day one, Bush keeps on milking the events of September 11th.

From the Bucharest conference, Bush will move on to that of NATO, and from there he will pole vault over to Croatia, which had disputes with Serbia, and whose President was tried and convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Kosovo affair. Did he really die a natural death in prison? What kind of peace will be attained from such odd twists and turns?

Hans Blix from Sweden, who headed the UN team of inspectors, who diligently searched for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and who shares many of the ideas and lies of the empire's sinister philosophy, wrote the following on the occasion of the fifth anniversary: "The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a tragedy - for Iraq, for the US, for the UN, for truth and human dignity. They could not succeed in eliminating WMDs because they did not exist. Nor could they succeed in the declared aim to eliminate al-Qaida operators, because they were not in Iraq. They came later, attracted by the occupants."

The Association of Muslim Ulemas, the supreme religious Sunnite authority in Iraq, made the following statement on the occasion of the fifth anniversary: "The occupier has entered our lands by force and he is not going to leave unless we use force. Any call made by politicians who acquiesce to working under the umbrella of occupation ought to be considered an invitation to surrender and capitulation. The occupation forces have turned Iraq into the worlds most dangerous zone. The era of occupation will soon end."

United States Vice-President Dick Cheney, without recovering from his exhausting meeting in Afghanistan with Karzai, had conversations yesterday, on Friday, and today, on Saturday, with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in order to get his cooperation and that of OPEP for oil supplies and pay with devaluated dollars. In truth, there can be no war without oil, or oil without war.

On the Latin American scene, the Ecuadorian high command declared that the bombs used in the attack on Raúl Reyes camp were GBU-2/B Paveways, weighing more than 500 pounds, and with exact targeting precision thanks to advanced technology. There were 10 such bombs and they left craters 2.80 metres in diameter and 1.80 metres deep.

In Western Europe, Sarkozy, whose honeymoon with the French electorate finished a few days ago, was impatiently awaiting McCain and his entourage of pro-Israeli Republican senators. McCain urged him to join the NATO mechanisms, defended the Iraq War and forcefully lambasted China. Meanwhile, Hillary and Obama are bleeding from attacks by the right, the left and the centre. This is the perfect insane asylum. The candidates for the presidency of the United States are discussing sure war vs. probable war.

Today, on Easter, we also get Bushs radio broadcast. What is he thinking? A message which, brief as it is, only needs a few paragraphs or phrases to be quoted in order to catch its drift:

"This is the most important holiday in the Christian faith. And during this special and holy time each year, millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world.

"Easter beckons us homeward. This [...] is an occasion to reflect on the things that matter most in life: the love of family, the laughter of friends, and the peace that comes from being in the place you call home..."

"America is blessed with the worlds greatest military, made up of men and women who fulfil their responsibilities..."

"On Easter, we remember especially those who have given their lives for the cause of freedom. These [...] have lived out the words of the Gospel: 'Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..."

"Each year, millions of Americans take time to feed the hungry and clothe the needy and care for the widow and the orphan...millions across the world remember the gift that took away deaths sting and opened the door to eternal life..."

"Thank you for listening."

Bush might think that God will give him a prize for speeding along the day of the Apocalypse and the Last Judgement, after which he will seat him at His right, in the place of honour. Then perhaps he will abandon the odious gestures that accompany his speeches, so that he can dwell under the same roof as those souls of the human beings he exterminated with his war against terrorism, the great majority of them being small children, teenagers and young people, women and the elderly, all those who should never be held to blame.

The Old Testament speaks of archangels who were transformed into the enemies of God by their ambition and who were sent to Hell. It is difficult to lose the idea that in Bushs head, there lurk the genes of some of those archangels.

Today is Saturday. It is a slow day for political news. Reporters are resting.

Fidel Castro Ruz, March 22, 2008, 5:19 p.m.

(www.juventudrebelde.co.cu)