Betrayal

I’m deeply saddened by the news about two Cuban exiles who made it big in Florida, but plummeted to disrepute when authorities discovered that they were actually Cuban Intelligence Service agents.

Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were both found guilty of transmitting vital information to Cuban officials about the status of the Cuban exiles in Florida. Carlos was meted out the maximum punishment of 5 years for conspiring to act as an unregistered Cuban agent, while her wife was given a lighter sentence of 3 years for abating her husband’s acts and for not reporting the same to the authorities.

It’s a shame that some of the people whom this country coddled and took care of end up desecrating their new home by betraying the trust reposed to them by the American government. Many Cuban exiles denounced the spouses’ acts, saying that their betrayal and ingratitude have caused some people to question the minority group’s allegiance to their new country.

I don’t know what led the spouses to commit such an act. It’s not as if that they were treated poorly in their community. In fact, many looked up to them as perfect role models. Both defendants were formerly teaching at the Florida State University.

I hope the incident won’t spur racial violence against Cuban exiles. I have a few friends who are of Cuban-decent and I can say that they are exemplary American citizens. While many Cubans are braving immigration authorities from both sides just to try their luck to live the American dream, here comes two exiles who squandered something that many of their former countrymen are constantly risking their lives for.

The punishments inflicted on Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were relatively light. A similar offense committed elsewhere, say in Russia or in North Korea, might have cost them their lives. I wonder why the Cuban Intelligence Service even bothered to employ the services of agents to check the background of certain Cuban exile leaders. They could’ve easily ascertained or verified the same by themselves through the Internet.

The Vice is Coming Out

Is it just me, or is the usually coy Dick Cheney starting to rise above the shadows of the President?

The Vice President has been gracing the front pages of many dailies around the globe. A few days ago, he talked about moving out of Iraq gracefully. More recently in Australia, he protested, in carefully chosen words, China’s military build up. He also talked about North Korea and his reservations on the communist country’s sincerity in ending its nuclear development projects.

We don’t usually see the Vice President in action. State visits are usually done by the Bush himself, or by his trusted aide, Condoleezza Rice.

I won’t be surprised if many Americans have little knowledge as to who he really is. Maybe it’s time for us to conduct a thorough background check on him. He won’t likely succeed the President, but he’ll sure play a very vital role in the nation’s local and foreign affairs.

Letters From Iwo Jima

I was mindlessly flipping through the cable TV channels again when I chanced upon the trailer of Clint Eastwood’s latest film – Letters From Iwo Jima.

I’ve seen many World War II films already. My uncles were also veterans of that war, and both of them fought in the pacific. They weren’t members of the regiments that were sent in that island-fortress, though. Instead, they were sent to the Philippines.

Almost all WWII movies are the same. That’s why I wasn’t that much intrigued or elated when it was announced last year that Clint Eastwood would be directing two movies about America’s bout with the Japanese more than 6 decades ago.

While Flags of Our Fathers didn’t tickle my interest that much, my curiousity was fanned when I learned that Eastwood’s second movie about the Second World War will be made or presented as seen through the eyes of a Japanese soldier.

I haven’t seen the movie yet. Many say that the story is as real as any war film could get. I want to conduct a background check on the Japanese soldier from whom the film or story was based. I did the same on William Wallace after I watched Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. If we’ll trust the reviews, I’m sure we’ll be moved deeply by this second Iwo Jima movie by Eastwood.

A Granny on the Grammy

My sister was called me up yesterday and told me in a very elated tone that the Dixie Chicks bagged five Grammy Awards.

“Dixie who?” I haven’t really spent that much time on MTV lately. The only female group that I’m familiar with is the Spice Girls. Ok, ok, so I may have mistakenly used the word “lately.” I haven’t been able to update my Grammy list since 1995.

Maybe I’m just getting old. There used to be a time when MTV was a staple. Nowadays, I just content myself at browsing through the music channels without actually watching it even for just a few minutes.

I really need to catch up on the latest events happening around the country, including those in the entertainment industry. Although it might be moot already, I’m planning to conduct a background check on the Grammy winners so that I could impress my sister and my niece when they come over here next week.