USA VS Cuba - Solutions Now!

The United States first imposed an economic embargo against Cuba in 1960. This was in response to Fidel Castro's communist revolution, which overthrew U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Properties were nationalized, and oil refineries belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations were seized without compensation.

During the Cold War between capitalist countries, Cuba aligned itself with Russia. This did not go down well, especially with Cuba in the US backyard. Supported by Russia, Cuba's ambition was to spread its communist philosophy

Jamaica was targeted especially during the Michael Manley regime, who declared his party, the People's National Party, to be a democratic socialist party. Jamaicans were sent to Cuba to be trained as brigadistas, while some said that the US CIA was active in Jamaica. The current leader of the PNP has given indications that he wants to go back to the philosophy of democratic socialism.

It is said that Grenada was targeted to be a communist state, and this resulted in the deaths of the prime minister and members of his cabinet when it was said that the radical left wanted to take over the party. The Governor General of Grenada, the little spice island, called for help from the USA, and with the support of Caribbean countries, restored order in the country. This period was referred to as the Grenadian Revolution, and it took place from March 13, 1979, to October 25, 1983

Over the years, the US government has used economic tools to change how the Cuban government operated. The government was accused of abusing human rights and suppressing political dissent. Recently, Cuba was accused of selling Cuban labour to make money for the party.

The fact that Cuba nationalized US assets and no compensation was offered remains a sore point.

The US embargo is raining tremendous hardship on the people. Hospitals are sometimes without electricity, which makes it impossible to carry out certain medical operations. There are food shortages and also shortages of oil to provide for energy needs. With the US controlling Venezuela and the cutting off of certain benefits to Cuba, the situation has reached a level of suffering never experienced before.

How do we solve this problem? Voting at the United Nation cannot and will not solve the problem. There are those who are trying to put Jamaica in the center of things. Jamaica has a massive trade deficit and a serious crime problem. How will we help the Cuban people by being part of the world that supports the US or part of the world that does not?

We should note that there is a large Cuban community in the US, which was the Cuban government to go. They have political clout.

The only solution is for the USA government to put their demands on the table and Cuba to put theirs. There will have to be give and take for a resolution. The United Nations vote is a complete waste of time, which only further divides the world and the people in various countries. Only quiet diplomacy can resolve this matter. The action that Castro took during the revolution and how it impacted the US has to be resolved. Talking about who is a friend of Cuba and who is a friend of the USA is a discussion that will lead to no resolution.

Let me warn Jamaica. Tread carefully as you get involved in this fight between the USA and Cuba. We could pay dearly for it. We cannot tell the US how to run their country or tell them which countries they should trade with.

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King Charles III Will Familiarize Himself With The Legacy of Slavery While in the Bahamas

 

King Charles with Bahamian Prime Minister Edward Davis

King Charles III has begun his tour of the Caribbean by acknowledging the "great suffering of the past" as he faced calls for slavery reparations, the BBC reports. The visits were planned for the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda

Speaking at an event in the Bahamas, the King said the country's culture was "born out of darkness" and that it was "only right" to acknowledge historic injustices.

King Charles's nine-day tour will culminate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where the King has confirmed leaders will discuss the region's legacy of slavery.

The King will not depart from the policy of his government. Therefore, it is not expected that he will offer an apology for slavery nor offer any form of reparation.

The BBC reports online that Buckingham Palace said opportunities for the King to reflect on the legacy of the slave trade will be built into the schedule of his nine-day tour of three Caribbean countries, with visits planned to memorials and other places of reflection and remembrance.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj, 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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State of the Constituency Debate Files

 

Click HERE to access constituency debate files.

Beenie Man Makes Damaging Statement On Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts?

Beenie Man

Fake information continues to destroy the name of Jamaica internationally. Artists continue to speak on matters that they know very little about. 

Someone sent me an Instagram post that gives the impression that it is an ITV account. The following is a post on the account:

One year after Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica, questions remain over how quickly donations are reaching those affected.

An audit found that just 1.8% of the almost £6.8m in cash donations received by Jamaica’s disaster agency, ODPEM, had been spent by February 23, 2026.

The Jamaican government has said the funds are being used for longer-term recovery and rebuilding. In April, ODPEM attributed the low level of spending to a lack of authorisation from the Ministry of Finance. The government has since reported spending on roof repairs and other recovery projects.

Dancehall star @kingbeenieman shares his thoughts on the criticism and Jamaica’s recovery.

#Jamaica #BeenieMan #hurricanemellisa #beenieman

Have a look at the video below, which is allegedly an interview with Beenie Man.

First, I am surprised at the quality of the video if it is indeed an ITV News interview. Did Beenie Man quote any source about not knowing where the Melissa relief funds went? Did he get this information from the Jamaican Auditor General? Did he do his own audit? Did he get information from an inside source?

If Beenie Man cannot answer these questions, then the interview should be seen as another artist using their publicity to destroy the country's name. We had the Buju Banton case before.

This was apparently recorded by a British media house!

What do you think? Add your comments below the blog.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj, 

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You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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MP Zuleika Jess Calls For Judicial Discretion

Press Release From the PNP - October 26, 2026

MP Zuleika Jess

Kingston, Jamaica. October 26, 2026: The Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, MP Zuleika Jess, has expressed strong reservations about the National Security Council’s recommendation to increase the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of firearms from 15 years to 20 years, without adequately addressing the legislation's flaws.

While reaffirming the Opposition’s unwavering commitment to removing illegal firearms from Jamaica’s streets and aggressively dismantling criminal enterprises, MP Jess warned that the government’s approach relies heavily on public relations headlines rather than operational logic.

The Opposition is formally calling for the inclusion of an “exceptional circumstances clause” within the law, which would restore judicial discretion and empower judges to consider mitigating factors and the peculiar circumstances of each individual case. “Simply moving the goalposts from 15 to 20 years does nothing to solve the deeper operational crisis this legislation has created,” MP Jess said. “The existing rigid, ‘one-size-fits-all’ framework has completely paralysed plea bargaining in our legal system. When individuals face an unyielding, severe baseline sentence with absolutely no incentive to plead guilty early, they choose to take their chances with a full trial. This total freeze on plea negotiations has caused a backlog in our Courts and delayed justice for victims of violent crime.”

The Opposition highlights that legal stakeholders, including the Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates’ Association of Jamaica, have consistently raised alarms over how stripping judges of judicial discretion harms the efficiency of the courts. By raising the mandatory minimum even further without a safety valve like an exceptional circumstances clause, the government risks exacerbating the backlog and forcing an unmanageable caseload onto an already strained judiciary. “Judges must not be reduced to rubber stamps,” MP Jess emphasised. “An exceptional circumstances clause is vital to ensure our justice system can distinguish between a hardened, violent gang leader and someone operating under severe duress, coercion, or highly unusual mitigating factors. True justice requires context, not blind arithmetic.”

While welcoming distinct, targeted legislation aimed at penalising predatory adults who groom children to carry firearms, MP Jess emphasised that comprehensive crime fighting requires systemic balance, operational functionality, and constitutional soundness.

The Opposition continues to call for a balanced, bipartisan approach that heavily penalises violent gun criminals while preserving judicial independence, protecting rights, and ensuring the swift execution of justice within the Jamaican court system.

Editor's Note

Having a gun without a licence or using a gun to injure or kill someone has to be treated as a serious crime. Criminals must not feel that by just pleading guilty their court case will be shorter and their sentence will be less. Other solutions must be found to clear the backlog of cases. They are lucky that the proposal is for a mandatory sentence, because the proposal could be for the death penalty.

One way to clear the backlog is to move things like traffic tickets out of the judicial system and set up community courts to deal with petty crimes. Lawyers must have a backup if they cannot attend a trial, or they should be fined to prevent delaying the trial. Courts must start on time. 

Capital punishment and long mandatory sentences are ways of removing criminals from society. Too much time is spent looking after the interests of criminals while the victims suffer. Some have their lives taken from them while the murderers get a few years in prison. The Silvera murder case is a good example of that.

Discretion can lead to corruption.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj, 

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Noel Holmes Hospital to be Built in Hanover

 JIS Press Release - October 24 

Minister Christopher Tufton

Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea, Hanover, is to be relocated to a site to be identified in the parish, where the Government plans to build a larger, more resilient 150-bed facility.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the new facility is intended to meet the needs of Hanover’s growing population and deliver more modern, technology-driven healthcare services.

He was speaking during a press briefing held at the hospital on Friday (October 23) to provide an update on health-facility recovery efforts in Hanover, approximately one year after Hurricane Melissa impacted the parish.

According to Dr. Tufton, the planned hospital will be a Type C facility, providing increased bed capacity and expanded specialist services.

He explained that discussions are under way with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to advance the project’s development.

The Minister said the relocation could take three to four years, depending on the design, consultation, financing and construction phases. 

He added that the final cost has not yet been determined, pending a technical assessment, but estimated that it could approach $1 billion.

In the meantime, repairs at the existing facility will continue to ensure that patients can receive care while the new hospital is being planned and constructed.

Dr. Tufton indicated that the hospital could not leave patients without access to essential healthcare services during the transition period.

“When it comes to life and the preservation of life, we can’t compromise,” he underscored.

The Noel Holmes rehabilitation programme, which is being managed through the National Health Fund, was estimated at approximately $310 million and was 82 per cent complete at the time of the update.

The staff quarters, outpatient clinic and general store have been completed, while the maternity ward and operating theatre are 90 per cent complete. Work on the dietary building is 40 per cent complete and is expected to be finished by January.

The new pharmacy has been substantially completed and is expected to open before Christmas, though additional storage space is still required. Improvements are also planned for the outpatient waiting area to enhance patient comfort.

Across Hanover, 14 of the parish’s 17 health centres are functional, with patients from the remaining three being served at alternative locations while repairs continued.

The Government also plans to spend approximately $60 million on further improvements to health facilities at seven locations, with work scheduled to begin in mid-November. 

The facilities are located in Ramble, Cottage, Mount Peto, Sandy Bay, Green Island, and Logwood.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj, 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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Subscribe Now!

1. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
2. Subscribe to my Emergency News Advice Service.
3. Make a financial donation now.

Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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