[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [House] [Pages 7796-7797] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]{time} 2030 U.S.-CUBAN BASEBALL GAME IS PROPAGANDA BONANZA FOR CASTRO (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, this Monday the latest U.S. concession to the Castro dictatorship will take place just a few miles from the Capitol when the Baltimore Orioles will play the Cuban national team. This event is nothing but a propaganda bonanza for Castro as it helps the dictatorship divert attention from the repression that continues on the island. For every pitch thrown in the game, one more person in Cuba will be fearing [[Page 7797]] that one of Castro's thugs could come knock on his door and arbitrarily arrest him. For every hit, one more political prisoner in Cuba will be hungry and needing the medical attention that the regime denies him. For every inning that goes by, one more dissident will be harassed for speaking merely about bringing freedom to the enslaved island of Cuba. And let us not fool ourselves. Playing ball with Castro will do nothing to help the Cuban people achieve their long-sought freedom. Just last Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Commission condemned the atrocities of the Castro tyranny. Yet on Monday we will play ball with that same dictatorship. We must stop rewarding the Castro tyranny while the regime continues its brutal repression on the people of Cuba, who desire to live in freedom. ____________________