GOOD ALL THE WAY AROUND. ALWAYS THE GATEWAY TO THE AMERICAS,MY DINKY BELOVED ISLAND.

Si se puede!
Yes we can!
Cheesy, but so needed

Standby, great news is already being created.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/942512.html

Looks like the spending bill will now get the support of Florida Senators Martinez and Nelson.

This article in the Herald states that “letters from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has assured the lawmakers who helped block the bill last week that few of the provisions will actually change U.S.-Cuba policy.”

However,

“Apparently left intact in the bill, which expires in September, is the defunding of enforcement of rules that prevent Cuban-Americans from visiting relatives in Cuba more than once every three years. Such travel would still be illegal, but Treasury wouldn’t be allowed to spend money to enforce the rule.”

This is very good news.  And, contrary to the language that Martinez and Nelson are using, I think it is the beginning of the end of the embargo.

But they put up a big fight.

I hope Obama can see this for what it is, a big fight to keep the status quo. I hope he applies his ideology of “change” to this old school, old boy network mentality.

What Obama does between now and this Summit will be very telling as to his views on the Embargo.

If he is caving into Martinez then Obama doesn’t have the guts I thought he did.

If there is one thing in Washington that should be changed (after the Iraq war policy) is the Cuba policy.

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Hopefully Martinez and Nelson just needed an excuse to vote for it.  I don’t even know if Martinez will be voting for it; I assume Nelson will.
I hear you, but I do believe that Obama will work to slowly dismantle the embargo; I just don’t think it will be as soon as we’d like.

Check this article out, I think the positive spin might slightly alter your perception of the spirit of the changes in the bill.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/10/national/w162422D40.DTL&tsp=1

DAMN ! SOME CLEAR THINKING ! AFTER 50 YEars

Looks like Obama and Michelle will take this country by storm - hope there is a calm afte the storm

This has gone on far too long. Even when I tried booking a trip on Expedia.ca, they had no listings for hotels/tours/flights to Cuba. That’s pretty sad for a company that’s supposed to be serving Canadians. Needless to say, I booked my trip through someone else. The US has too much influence over too many countries, just as they do over Cuba.

Bunk

then Raul will welch on all loans, will keep the dissidents in jail, and have Ramirito shoot some of his rivals, and may then kill Ramirito and find a new executioner

what an idiocy

Larry Daley

Larry Daley,
All what loans?  I don’t think the USA and/or the Miami mafia have loaned ANY money to Cuba since the embargo started. 
The dissidents, all 75 of them, are in jail being fed 3 squares a day, and being forced to work for them, for trying to overthrow the gov’t of Cuba by force and violence.  Try that in the fortress of freedom and democracy, the USA.  See how many years you would get for that.  Who are Raul’s rivals?  Who is Ramirito?  You did sign your diatribe correctly, though.  However, you spelled IDIOT incorrectly.  Your Miami mafia left Cuba voluntarily, and the Cubans have done very well in spite of the embargo, and your influence (influenza, or the flu in Spanish) has been declining as you age.  Not a case of age improving you.
Lucien Lenoire

Sounds like the beginning of the end for Cuba!

Who has benefited from current U.S. policy regarding trade, travel, the embargo, etc?  Anyone other than recent Cuban refugees who are granted significant assistance from the U.S. government?  When the silliness ends, Cuban immigrants will likely share the treatment currently given to immigrants from Haiti and other Latin American countries.  That is unfortunate.  The rest of us may finally be able to visit Cuba.  Florida should realize a “boom” as trade and tourism grows.  It is going to be interesting and exhilarating.  Most current opponents and hard liners in the U.S. will see the errors of their thinking and be silent.  Too bad regarding losers of the revolution.  Get used to it.  The same happened to losers of the Spanish Civil War, etc, etc.  When you fight and lose there are consequences.  When you run and do not fight, there are also consequences.  L.J. Cordle

As Castro remarked after the Bay of Pigs “those who live on illustions, will die of disappointment” 

Do you have any idea how hard Cubans fought against Castro, how many went to jail, and how many died in battle and from execution? 

Do you really believe that there are only 75 dissidents, when it is a jailable offense called desacato to “insult” the Castro governmen, and do you believe Cuban prisoners get “three squares at day.”

Cuba owes so much money to abroad that it is ridiculous
to expect trade to be significant.  The Castros just welched on payments to Canadian Mining company Sherritt for running the mines that Castro confiscated a debt of over $100,000,000. As to building up Florida the Cuban exiles have already done much of that ...

Wake up and smell the coffee

I knew the name Lucien Lenoire was familiar(see below) and one can be certain he probably should not be considered a source of good business advice:

see:

http://www.solidnet.org/cgi-bin/lpr?parties/0350=greece,_communist_party_of_greece/583kke2sep05.doc

02.09.2005, Letter To The US Attorney General
————————————————————————-
From: Communist Party of Greece, Friday, September 02, 2005
http://www.kke.gr , mailto:cpg@int.kke.gr

Welcome comrade xe xe

Okay, break time.

Stay on topic. This article and comments are about the upcoming Summit of the Americas.

I ask that comments do not get personal. I’ll allow #16. If Mr. Lenoire would like to comment, I will allow it but let’s stay on topic.

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Larry Daley seems to think I am a member or supporter of the Communist Party of GREECE!!!!!!  There are a number of problems with this idea.
1.  I have NEVER even visited Greece.  I would like to but not for any political reasons.
2.  I am not a member of any party that could be described as Stalinist.  I do defend the right of people to belong to whatever party they choose.
3.  The Communist Party of Cuba is NOT a Stalinist party.
Communist Party of Greece, sir you are an IDIOT.
And yes, I have signed appeals to free the five heroes framed up by the US gov’t.  That gov’t has a long history of framing up working class militants.  Joe Hill, the Rosenbergs, Mumia abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier, the 18 leaders of the Temsters Union in Minneapolis and literally hundreds more.
Sorry about being so far off topic, but Larry Daleys ultra right rantings got to me.
Lucien Lenoire

Okay. Thanks for addressing that.

Now, back to the Summit of the Americas comments.

Thank you.

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I do not think the US ruling class has altered their attitude towards revolutionary Cuba one bit since the hero of liberalism and social democracy, JFK, tried to overthrow the Cuban gov’t using mercenaries at the Bay of Pigs, then during the October Crisis when he brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962.  Kennedy was able to frighten Krushchev enough that Krushchev, who had learned poplitics at Stalin’s knee, withdrew the missiles without even consulting the Cubans.  The Soviet Union continued aid and trade with Cuba to their mutual benefit, Soviet oil for Cuban sugar until 1989, when the crisis of stalinism reached the point of the stalinists no longer claiming to be communists, at least in what is now called Russia.  However, Obama and his advisers have not changed their hostility towards Cuba.  To US imperialism, Cuba is a bad example for Latin America, and for the rest of the world for that matter.  For those who want to change the world, Cuba is a great example.  As Fidel Castro said many years ago, there will be a successful revolution in the USA before there is a successful counter-revolution in Cuba,  The USA was born out of the first successful anti-colonial revolution since the fall of Rome, so citizens of that republic have some history.  The Batistianos could not defeat the Rebel Army in the late 1950s; If they go to Cuba, they will stay——6 feet under.

Lucien:

Following your thoughts, with which I disagree strongly, strangely enough one readily reaches the same conclusion:

trade with Cuba under present circumstances carries no advantage to the U.S.

My view is that until Cuba becomes pluralistic and democratic there will be no mutually advantageous trade relationship with the U.S.

take care and be well

Larry Daley )Garcia-I~niguez Enamorado Ramirez)
Professor Emeritus
Biochemistry and Biophysics of Plant Germplasm

and in another long ago life

“El ingles”
formerly of Column 1, Company 6 July 26th movement
(and that was a really bad mistake (;>) see manuscript in progress “Narrations of War in Cuba”

We are too far off topic now.

In the future, please restrict comments that address information in the original article.

Thank you.

Comments closed.

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