(Taken from CubaDebate)
AS is known, the state of Arizona, a
territory that was snatched from Mexico by the
United States together with many other expanses of
land, has been the scene of painful events for the
hundreds of Latin Americans who die trying to
immigrate to the United States in search of work or
to join parents, spouses or other close family
members who are there.
In that country, it is they who do
the hardest jobs and live under the constant fear of
arrest and forced deportation. Despite drastic
measures, the number of people dying in the attempt
is growing every year and those expelled to their
countries of origin annually are in the hundreds of
thousands.
The number of U.S. citizens opposed
to that abuse is also growing, like those who
supported and, for the third time, elected the young
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
The state of Arizona is currently
one of the richest in the United States on account
of the minerals extracted there, especially copper
and molybdenum; large-scale cotton and meat
production, which utilizes huge expanses of its
land; the beauty of its landscapes, including the
Colorado River Grand Canyon, considered one of the
loveliest on the planet, and one of the three major
indigenous communities. The state is annually
visited by 30 million national and foreign tourists.
Approximately 30% of its population is of
Hispanic-American origin.
On the other side, the Tea Party,
constituted by the most reactionary and politically
backward elements of society, is trying to drag the
Republican Party into extremist and warmongering
positions which, in the midst of the crisis and
disappointment over the promises that Obama has not
wanted or has been unable to fulfill, would take the
country into the abyss. The relevant conclusions can
de drawn from the debate that will obligatorily have
to take place.
As for the state of the
Congresswoman's health, the Spanish press website
El Mundo, published:
"The bullet entered the back part of
the Democratic congresswoman’s head, […] crossed the
left hemisphere of the brain and exited the front.
After a two-hour operation, in which they extracted
the remains of the bullet, part of the dead cerebral
tissue and approximately half of her cranium – which
they have kept to re-implant later – surgeons at the
Medical Center attached to the University of
Arizona, Tucson […] are expressing ‘cautious
optimism.’
"It would seem that the surgery went
well, according to Dr. Peter Rhee, head of
Traumatology at the hospital, who explained that,
despite the patient being sedated and on a
respirator, which means that she cannot talk, she
has been able to communicate with gestures and
respond to simple commands, ‘like squeeze a hand or
raise two fingers,’ something which indicates the
existence of ‘cerebral function.’"
"Dr. Francisco Villarajo, head of
Neurosurgery at the Niño Jesús Hospital and La Luz
Clinic and with experience in this kind of surgery,
explained to El Mundo: ‘What is most
dangerous for the congresswoman at this point is
brain swelling, given that, in its passing, the
bullet has taken with it portions of bone, which
could result in inflammation. A risk that is further
increased after surgery, as the area is highly
sensitive.’"
I hope that world public opinion
will learn clearly and precisely the real condition
of the congresswoman as soon as possible. It is a
matter of interest to everyone.

Fidel Castro Ruz
January 10, 2011
7:11 p.m.