An end to the 40 plus year Cuba travel ban

[FA Mikey]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to allow U.S. citizens to travel freely to Cuba and predicted Congress would approve it as a step toward ending the five-decade-old U.S. embargo.

"I think we've finally reached a new watermark here on this issue," Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan said during a news conference. "I think there's sufficient votes in both the House (of Representatives) and the Senate to finally get it passed and get it to the president."

full story here

 

[Garfield1966]

Yes, the ban/embargo has worked soooo well. I know several people who have been down to Cuba for vacation. It's a bit of a PIA but you either fly to MX or CA, then hop a plane to Cuba since the rest of the free world does not seem to have a hard on like we do for Cuba. I suspect the Cuban lobbyist are having a fit right now.

I wonder why we don't have the same embargo with China. After all, they are communist and I think their military has a few more people in it than Cuba and it might be a little more modern than Cuba's as well. OH yea .. just remembered .. money. China has it and Cuba does not. You just have to love politicians. They are such moronic idiots.

 

[delldude]

Cuba was doing so well when the capitalists from NY and Chicago were making money down there....Too bad Fidel and Che messed things up for the last 50 years....

Embargo China and you'd have to shut most of the world down Gar.....

 

[UAL_TECH]

If we can visit Ho Chi Minh City then why not Cuba?
And to think we opened up Vietnam before Cuba. :blink:

 

[El Che]

Cuba was doing so well when the capitalists from NY and Chicago were making money down there....Too bad Fidel and Che messed things up for the last 50 years....

Embargo China and you'd have to shut most of the world down Gar.....

Under the capitalist running dog lackey Fulgencio Batista, Cuba was a brothel for the imperialist. It was just as corrupt if not more so than it is today. Cuba's biggest sin was that it shed its yanqui chains. Che and Fidel messed things up for the past 50 years? Che has been dead since 1967. Castro hung him out to dry in Bolivia. Castro's reward has been to be allowed to stay in power for so long. The Russians looked the other way because Che didn't want to trade the chains of U.S. imperialism for those of Russian imperialism.
Che was tracked down by U.S. backed Bolivian troops, captured and murdered at the behest of the CIA. Che was a real revolutionary who practiced what he preached and genuinely cared about the down trodded masses; Castro just wanted power.
The only reason for the embargo has been the political influence of the exiled elite Cuban community in Miami. They're pissed because Bacardi had to move to Puerto Rico!
Perhaps if Che's dream of one united Latin America from Mexico to Patagonia would have been realized( which was also the dream of the Liberator Simon Bolivar), you wouldn't have the large influx of immigrants from Latin America (legal or otherwise) that you do today.

 

[FA Mikey]

There is a HUGE business in keeping the embargo here in Miami. The network of business that run the charter flights, send money and remittances, as well as other service to the island from the relatives living easy in Miami. The local and national politician's who's whole shtick is the free Cuba mantra that does everything to keep it in slaved.

There is also the other island nations that could stand to lose big on a free Cuba. With such a huge connection between the Cubans here and back on the island. A close proximity to the US by boat or plane. A built up infrastructure and Cuba will dominate the Caribbean again.

 

[delldude]

Che was tracked down by U.S. backed Bolivian troops, captured and murdered at the behest of the CIA.

Che the murderer many idolize got his just dessert.

Cuba would as I said previously faired better with your Yanqui Imperialist Touristo dollars flowing in their veins.
How's that healthcare today?

 

[777 fixer]

Che the murderer many idolize got his just dessert.

Well there's something we agree on dell.

 

[Garfield1966]

Embargo China and you'd have to shut most of the world down Gar.....

I know that. I was being sarcastic and pointing out the hypocrisy of our policy against Cuba.

 

[El Che]

Che the murderer many idolize got his just dessert.

Cuba would as I said previously faired better with your Yanqui Imperialist Touristo dollars flowing in their veins.
How's that healthcare today?

You do not understand the reason why Che is idolized, TODAY, 42 years after his death. To understand, you would have to understand the latin american psyche. You have no reason to understand, which is fine. However, you take license to call him a murderer. Who did he murder? Criminals of the prior regime? Innocents unjustly accused? Perhaps. The fog of war causes many injustices. How many innocents are locked up in Guantanamo today? How many innocents have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the so called war on terror?
Did Che Guevara kill innocents? Possibly, more than likely yes. If he is a murderer, he did his own killing. On the other hand, the self righteous pompous likes of Nixon, the Bush clan, Clinton, Kissinger, etc, have others do their dirty work for them.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

I can't wait for the vast majority of cubans to start BAD MOUTHING those Phoney cuban REPUGS in MIA.
Are you listening Lincoln Diaz-Balart ????

GEEZ, it would be a RIOT if Elian Gonzalez got a job w/(air) Cubana, and landed the first flight into MIA

The day that embargo ends, is the day Florida turns BLUE...Permanently !!!!!

(Another defeat to hang around the NECK of the toothless GOP) !!!

 

[Garfield1966]

I think that may be because economics and personal freedoms trump 'conservative values'. The republican party is perceived (right or wrong) as the party of the affluent white male. That is why groups such as the log cabin republicans and other such groups are viewed as curious oddities.

The RNC needs to drop some of their archaic stands in order to appeal to minorities.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Piney, I KNOW your making a GENUINE point(You always DO).....But it's somewhat of a disconnect between the GOP ensuring minority's pay as little tax as possible,................but do EVERYTHING in the CAPITALISTIC POWER, to keep wages LOW.(Think GOP looooong running stand against raising the minimum wage) !!!!!

If since the inception of the MW Law, imagine if the GOP had gone along 1/2 of the time(when they shot-it-down), where hard working poor folks(WAL-MART) could be making an hour(wage) now.

There I'd argue that the GOP would be having somewhat of an easier time.


??????

 

[Gilding the Lily]

I get your point and that could be the perception. However the most economic freedom comes from having to pay the least amount of taxes and that's at least in theory a Republican strong point.

Their is no longer the attitude on inclusiveness. What used to appeal to me about Republicans is what used be called "Big Tent Republicans" in that they were tolerant of differences of opinion as long as you believed in less government and lower taxes. Now that seems to have fallen by the wayside for various reasons.

One could argue that the Log Cabin Republicans should be the model for the new Republican party. Kind of like this. Do you believe in lower taxes and less government? YES WE DO! The party should say "Come on In" and intolerant should found their own party. I mean really what difference does it make who you sleep with, who you worship as long as you uphold the core ideals of your chosen political party?

Piney,

Similar thoughts can be applied to the democratic party, where -- back in the day -- there was a constituency of "classic liberals" that did not agree with big government, etc. Significantly, to a true classic liberal, most rights are rights because it requires the government to refrain from infringing upon them. Whereas now, the democratic party often seems to imply there are many rights that are benefits that the government is supposed to provide.

 

[FA Mikey]

People want a government that has there back. They want one that has a safety net to catch you when you stumble. The GOP mantra is government doesn't work and we wil do everything possible to show you it doesn't. They want to strip away every government function and protection.

The GOP has villanized every minority group. The blacks are child bearing welfare recipients, the latin's are all illegals looking to take your jobs, woman are sex crazed abortion hunters and the gays are trying to steal your family. Brought to you by, as has been posted already a group of mainly white men. Who are so transparent and don't practice what they preach. Larry Craig, Ted Stevens, David Vitter, Newt Gingrich, Sara Palin, John McCain the list goes on.