Cuba!!

I would like some opinions on what principles are driving the US foreign policy regarding Cuba.

It seems as if, now, the US government is preventing individuals (is. Cuban-Americans) from sending money to Cuba (to help support relatives etc).

IMHO this is infringing on the personal freedoms of Americans and is causing greater hardship for the ordinary Cuban citizen, (although John Kerry has stated he would reverse this restriction, if elected.)

This seems to be a continuation of the Cold War policy towards Cuba. I can understand that a Soviet-friendly Cuba was a threat, but in the last few years, Cuba is clearly a threat to no one.
So, why is the US policy still so harsh? It almost seems as if Castro and friends are still to be punished for decisions made decades ago.

The US is quite friendly with other dictatorships and despotic regimes, communist or otherwise. China and the US have excellent relationships (someone has to keep Wal-Mart stocked) despite the fact that they are STILL a one-party Communist state, and brutally repress their own people (Tianemen Square, the Bhuddists) and invade and repress other nations (Tibet).
Vietnam even has normalised relations with the US. Now, who killed more Americans; Fidel or Communist Vietnam?

This policy towards Cuba is hypocracy. My only thoughts is the vocal Cuban-American lobby want the US to keep the pressure up on Castro. However, aren't they the ones wanting to send money back home to Cuba?

Your thoughts?

Personally I think if we stopped all the embargo BS and all that other crap we have against Cuba - we'd be giving Fidel a run for his money, he'd not be able to blame Cuba's problems on the big ol' U.S. anymore.
It does seem somewhat rediculous that the U.S. is willing to kiss communist ass in China, but unwilling to do anything for anybody when it comes to Cuba.
It's also surprising that Bush hasn't declared war on Cuba as an excuse to waste billions of dollars on something wholly useless and without purpose.

It's also surprising that Bush hasn't declared war on Cuba as an excuse to waste billions of dollars on something wholly useless and without purpose.

Why does every topic always revert back to Bush with you?

Bush didn't start this Cuba thing.

Why does every topic always revert back to Bush with you?

Bush didn't start this Cuba thing.

LOL

YOU were the first to mention B-u-s-h in this thread...

But then again, you equating the statement: excuse to waste billions of dollars on something wholly useless and without purpose with GWB - well, maybe you are starting to see what all the fuss is about.

Although I wouldn't call Iraq purposeless - just that gains for the U.S. as a nation, will not even come close to breaking-even to what we've spent, in lives and taxpayer money. Now THAT's what I call bad-business.

Bush didn't start this Cuba thing.
It was joke. You know, Bush attacks Iraq for no good reasons, wastes billions of dollars that he might as well have wiped his ass with, makes himself look like a total jackass - you know - Ha, Ha. Funny! :)
Why does every topic always revert back to Bush with you?
It's also funny that you only ever read what I have write about Bush - I mean you skipped over two thirds of the whole post just to post that off-topic comment. You could have at least agreed that Castro would be speachless if the U.S.A. stopped acting like a jerk to Cuba, and suddenly he'd have nobody to blame for Cuba's problems - I mean seriously he's been doing it for over three decades now, what excuse could he possibly come up with for his government's shortcomings if that ever happened? Would he blame it on terrorists in Iraq then? Or wrong information given to him from the CIA? (joke.)

[QUOTE=carrrnuttt]LOL

YOU were the first to mention B-u-s-h in this thread...[QUOTE]

Actually second person. :grinyes:


2 Stroke only reason I didn't post a coment is because I agreed with you. Mark it down on the calendar.

Don't go telling the republicans that I agreed with you they may ban me.

2 Stroke only reason I didn't post a coment is because I agreed with you. Mark it down on the calendar.

Don't go telling the republicans that I agreed with you they may ban me.

I'd worry about the bleeding heart liberal mods more, and that goes for you too, 2strokebloke :evillol:

Anyways, I'll be back in a few minutes, I have to go PM Yogs.














Jokes, by the way. :lol:

I agree that if the US foreign policy towards Cuba were changed and money and people would flow freely than the Cuban government will eventually fall to a more democratic way. The reason the US is so hash is becuase of the ex Cubans that came from the island back in the 50-60s that came here to the US when Castro took over. The ones that came were the rich and famous of Havana and other parts of the island. These were in control of many things and had big houses with lots of expensive items within them. The common folks were still treated as second hand citizens.Its amazing the turnaround did not come sooner. When Castro came into power he did not officially mark himself a commnunist and did ask the government (US) for help but since the US government was in tune with Bastista and his crime wave they were upset that Castro took over the way he did. So Castro had no other choice to go to the USSR for help. Castro also took over the casinos, gas lines, etric lines that GE, Shell/Mobil had and thus left these companies without getting a profit form the country. This is a big no no in the eyes of the US goverment and with the introduction of nuclear bombs in the hemisphere, Kennedy imposed the embargo. Afterwards just before Kennedy was murdered was there talk of a peace agreement between the US and Cuba and if Kennedy were not murdered it would have ended the embargo. Now the embargo is continued to be set in place because of the south Floridian Cuban Voting block that gives alot of it money to these politicians that keep the embargo inplace. (Its mostly republican, but not all) Yet there has been a big roundup of politicians that have visited Cuba and have come out in support of the ending of the embargo and the current policy toward Cuba, especially since like Magic has pointed out that we deal with worse countries such as China, Vietnam etc. For years the Cuban American National Foundation use of sophisticated political lobbying and strategic campaign donotaions have excersise a overwelming veto over any significant change in the US approach towards Cuba. They went ballistic with the Clinton administration over the handling of the Elian case. Polls after polls show that the US (70 % )are in favor of lifting the trade embargo. Yet even with the numbers rising in favor of lifiting the embargo and changing the policy the lobby is a big very political bunch and are continously putting pressure to keep the policy in effect. These are the same folks that have this misconception that once Castro is out of power that they will be free to go back and take what was theirs before. Regardless if other families have been living in the homes for generations. When they were in Cuba, Cuba had one of the lowest education, highest poverty among other bad things. Now its children have one of the highest education ratios considering its free to go to college. Are bilingual (both know english as well as spanish) has an impressive medical training program and yet it can do much more if it wasn't for the US policy.

I believe this article (http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/053102/opi_farris.shtml) said it best.

TS out

Anyone heard about Fidel airing Farenheit 9/11 on Cuban television?

I would like some opinions on what principles are driving the US foreign policy regarding Cuba.

It seems as if, now, the US government is preventing individuals (is. Cuban-Americans) from sending money to Cuba (to help support relatives etc).

IMHO this is infringing on the personal freedoms of Americans and is causing greater hardship for the ordinary Cuban citizen, (although John Kerry has stated he would reverse this restriction, if elected.)

This seems to be a continuation of the Cold War policy towards Cuba. I can understand that a Soviet-friendly Cuba was a threat, but in the last few years, Cuba is clearly a threat to no one.
So, why is the US policy still so harsh? It almost seems as if Castro and friends are still to be punished for decisions made decades ago.

The US is quite friendly with other dictatorships and despotic regimes, communist or otherwise. China and the US have excellent relationships (someone has to keep Wal-Mart stocked) despite the fact that they are STILL a one-party Communist state, and brutally repress their own people (Tianemen Square, the Bhuddists) and invade and repress other nations (Tibet).
Vietnam even has normalised relations with the US. Now, who killed more Americans; Fidel or Communist Vietnam?

This policy towards Cuba is hypocracy. My only thoughts is the vocal Cuban-American lobby want the US to keep the pressure up on Castro. However, aren't they the ones wanting to send money back home to Cuba?

Your thoughts? I had a few Cuban friends I worked with a couple of years ago. They sent money to Cuba all the time. The policy is outdated, Fidel is an old man who rambles on and on about the U.S., the evils of the government, blah , blah. My friends who moved here from Cuba told me many stories of all the rules there. The hardships of the so called "revolution". Maybe the government does not want all that money going to another economy( especially a communist one.) I don't agree with the policy. I would not vote for anyone who did. It remains to be seen what the new president will do/ or what his stance will be on this policy.It's the U.S., people should be able to do what they please, unlike in Cuba.

Anyone heard about Fidel airing Farenheit 9/11 on Cuban television?
I heard about this. Of course, the movie is almost tailor made for anti Bush propeganda, but most Cubans are bright and have had so much of Castro's propeganda, they will take the movie with a grain of salt.

The Cuban public should be VERY angry for Castro spending precious tax dollars to buy the Tv rights for that move.

Also, what movie distributor sold them the broadcast rights? Certainly it could not be an American one, (legally).

Perhaps they didn't pay for it?

KazzaCuba?

Cuban dissidents who saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" praised the United States for its freedom of expression and lamented that such criticism of a president was not allowed in Cuba where the one-party state controls the media.

Cuban dissidents who saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" praised the United States for its freedom of expression and lamented that such criticism of a president was not allowed in Cuba where the one-party state controls the media.
What article is that from?

I just heard this on the all news radio station that the film was indeed shown in Cuba but it was a pirated copy. It was not authorized nor distributed by anyone in the US. This allowed the Academy of Motion Picture to still allowed F/911 to be nominated for an Oscar in the documentary category. Now if the film was not pirated then it would not be nominated according to the rules of the Academy.

TS out

I just heard this on the all news radio station that the film was indeed shown in Cuba but it was a pirated copy. It was not authorized nor distributed by anyone in the US. This allowed the Academy of Motion Picture to still allowed F/911 to be nominated for an Oscar in the documentary category. Now if the film was not pirated then it would not be nominated according to the rules of the Academy.

TS out
Right or wrong, I am sure there are many people who will not believe that news article.