Tell me how 20 years of embargo did any good? It primarily punished the Cuban people while the leaders lived comfortably and remained in charge. Unleashing capitalism on the island will do more to change Cuba and neutralize the threat (if any) than another 20 years of embargo. I am ashamed our Congress and government is so politically polarized they can barely do anything useful any more.
@Ted LindThe embargo was directed exclusively to Americans, Cubans were free to do business with any one else. A lot of Canadians have take holidays in Cuba for decades now, The Spanish have built hotels in Cuba and made a killing hosting European tourists. French, Russians, Germans, all have at one point or another have done business in Cuba. Eventually they stop because of Cuba’s violent expansion of Marxist doctrines, especially in Africa. The Cuban people are punished, as you put it, but by their own government, The Cuban people are kept ignorant, poor, hungry and afraid by their own leaders, in those conditions they can’t think of freedom and liberty. Getting their bread for today takes precedence. Some of my Canadian friends who had visited Cuba have told me that the best tip one can give the tourism workers is to leave behind your used toothbrush, your underwear, better yet they go back home with empty suitcases. Although, everyone is equal so long as one doesn’t belong to the communist party, then one would be a good candidate to life in luxury and splendor. A collateral damage to the embargo is that Americans have remain ignorant, I don’t mean to offend, but to say you don’t know.
@PainterArtThe quotes you present with your comments, they contradict each other; How highly educated is a person going to be when it’s a dictator who decides what a person is going to be educated on. That said person will only know what the government wants him/her to know or what education will be available for such person, which in turn will serve the dictatorship, otherwise that person doesn’t get an education. There is such thing as an educated ignorant.Another point you have missed (PainterArt) is that the United Nations organization has protected, defended and promoted the Cuban regime since its existence. Unesco would have used statistics and information provided by the Cuban dictatorship, which it would have been biased. You must remember that, that totalitarian government control every aspect of every thing in that country. Most universities in the world seek and hope to have a trading relationship with universities of a variety of countries; it promotes variety and enlargement. Cuba doesn’t do that; why would they want a professor to go and start planting seed of freedom and democracy, when is not what they want.You seem to put a lot faith in Wikipedia, remember any one can put anything they want in there, I would use discretion in quoting Wikipedia.
Mr Castro is smiling because there will be lots of jobs for Cubans doing support work at Guantanamo. The US won’t pay them nearly as much as they pay US citizens, so that should save money for the US and also help the Cuban economy, clearly a win-win situation (and two out of three ain’t bad).
If you have a neighbor, and you don’t like the way he behaves, what should you do? Cut him off completely, don’t talk to him, don’t greet him, ignore him. Or maybe smile occasionally, exchange a few pleasantries, try to get to know him better and maybe understand the difference and talk about it. Isn’t it about time ??
@PainterArtYou ARE defending the Cuban regime, and you don’t even know what you are defending, you are still using the same biased source, you are taking everything they say as the a Gospel truth. The leaders of the Cuban dictatorship are the masters of lies and misinformation and distortion. You want facts? Find a Cuban refugee and ask him/her to sincerely talk to you of their life in Cuba. They will tell you of their own experience, which is where you are failing. You are still relying on way too much on what you read, even though we all know they could be lying. It’s a very common practice, you alter the facts to get the message across. Newsmen do it a lot. You have not experienced how it is, you are rumbling and babbling rummiations of a dedicated source. Go to Cuba and see for yourself.Now ask yourself this, where will the Cubans get their money to travel abroad? They can bearly afford to buy extra groceries, let alone having the luxury to travel. Cubans who work for any one other employer other than the government, do not get paid by their employers. The employer pays the government, which in turn later pays the workers, keeping a percentage to themselves. It’s a dictatorship kind of tax. Source? the workers themselves who pass this along to the tourists. That is why I said that the best tip is to leave things behind, because if they get caught with foreign currency they will end up in jail. Since 1959 the Castros have created a distinct conscience in Cuba, now then, many of you posting comments in this here forum, seem convinced that bringing capitalism to Cuba is going to destroy the Cuban system, even though for decades they have murdered, harrased, eliminated, and chased away any one who dares to say or think opposite to them. And you really think they are going to give up that tit. NEVER, they would have already their secret police in place, it’s a dictatorship people, they control everything and they will continue doing it for a long, long time. The new so called US embassy will be surrounded by military personel, perhaps dressed as civilians. A third of the country is totally willing to tell on the other two thirds to the government. Source: tourism industry workers. Cubans are tired of it, but they terrified. So when the Darthmouth students get to Cuba where will they reside, who is going to be their neighbors, what classes will they take? You really think a dictatorship is going to let loose in their country? They are going to be controlled in every thing they say, do and even what they think. Their own class mates will tell on them, again, is a dictatorship, source my own personal experience. My mother was chosen to be the neighborhood snitch, she refused and almost got killed. What saved her we’ll never know.
@canFunny1. A co-worker of mine just got back from Cuba visiting family who live in a house up in the Cuban hills. His family caters to tourist who visit the island. The only people who live in the ghettos are those who want to live in the ghettos (those that live off the government). Most people have family in the states who send them money. This in turn…2. Allows people to leave the island! Most people FLY over here and simply stay and apply for asylum status. If not through Cuba they go through another country and end up here. Only the truly destitute go through the water with their makeshift rafts (almost all the Cubans I’ve met say this). 3.No one gets jailed for having foreign currency. As a matter of fact some places will only accept foreign currency as payment for their goods/services. In Negril (Jamaica) they’ll only accept dollars, pounds, or Euros. They won’t take Jamaican dollars.4. Totalitarian regimes are not going to jail their guests unless they engage in overthrowing their government. People visit China every year and the only way they get arrested is if they break the rules. If you’re going to a foreign country to spread democracy, be prepared to be jailed. Everyone going in knows this.
braindead Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Take the Cuban Party bosses shopping at American supermarkets.
ConserveGov almost 9 years ago
I thought Barry made them our good friend now?
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Tell me how 20 years of embargo did any good? It primarily punished the Cuban people while the leaders lived comfortably and remained in charge. Unleashing capitalism on the island will do more to change Cuba and neutralize the threat (if any) than another 20 years of embargo. I am ashamed our Congress and government is so politically polarized they can barely do anything useful any more.
jespence97 almost 9 years ago
But it doesn’t include Guantanamo.
canFunny almost 9 years ago
@Ted LindThe embargo was directed exclusively to Americans, Cubans were free to do business with any one else. A lot of Canadians have take holidays in Cuba for decades now, The Spanish have built hotels in Cuba and made a killing hosting European tourists. French, Russians, Germans, all have at one point or another have done business in Cuba. Eventually they stop because of Cuba’s violent expansion of Marxist doctrines, especially in Africa. The Cuban people are punished, as you put it, but by their own government, The Cuban people are kept ignorant, poor, hungry and afraid by their own leaders, in those conditions they can’t think of freedom and liberty. Getting their bread for today takes precedence. Some of my Canadian friends who had visited Cuba have told me that the best tip one can give the tourism workers is to leave behind your used toothbrush, your underwear, better yet they go back home with empty suitcases. Although, everyone is equal so long as one doesn’t belong to the communist party, then one would be a good candidate to life in luxury and splendor. A collateral damage to the embargo is that Americans have remain ignorant, I don’t mean to offend, but to say you don’t know.
canFunny almost 9 years ago
@PainterArtThe quotes you present with your comments, they contradict each other; How highly educated is a person going to be when it’s a dictator who decides what a person is going to be educated on. That said person will only know what the government wants him/her to know or what education will be available for such person, which in turn will serve the dictatorship, otherwise that person doesn’t get an education. There is such thing as an educated ignorant.Another point you have missed (PainterArt) is that the United Nations organization has protected, defended and promoted the Cuban regime since its existence. Unesco would have used statistics and information provided by the Cuban dictatorship, which it would have been biased. You must remember that, that totalitarian government control every aspect of every thing in that country. Most universities in the world seek and hope to have a trading relationship with universities of a variety of countries; it promotes variety and enlargement. Cuba doesn’t do that; why would they want a professor to go and start planting seed of freedom and democracy, when is not what they want.You seem to put a lot faith in Wikipedia, remember any one can put anything they want in there, I would use discretion in quoting Wikipedia.
Mickey and Delia almost 9 years ago
Mr Castro is smiling because there will be lots of jobs for Cubans doing support work at Guantanamo. The US won’t pay them nearly as much as they pay US citizens, so that should save money for the US and also help the Cuban economy, clearly a win-win situation (and two out of three ain’t bad).
kurt.zwicky almost 9 years ago
If you have a neighbor, and you don’t like the way he behaves, what should you do? Cut him off completely, don’t talk to him, don’t greet him, ignore him. Or maybe smile occasionally, exchange a few pleasantries, try to get to know him better and maybe understand the difference and talk about it. Isn’t it about time ??
canFunny almost 9 years ago
@PainterArtYou ARE defending the Cuban regime, and you don’t even know what you are defending, you are still using the same biased source, you are taking everything they say as the a Gospel truth. The leaders of the Cuban dictatorship are the masters of lies and misinformation and distortion. You want facts? Find a Cuban refugee and ask him/her to sincerely talk to you of their life in Cuba. They will tell you of their own experience, which is where you are failing. You are still relying on way too much on what you read, even though we all know they could be lying. It’s a very common practice, you alter the facts to get the message across. Newsmen do it a lot. You have not experienced how it is, you are rumbling and babbling rummiations of a dedicated source. Go to Cuba and see for yourself.Now ask yourself this, where will the Cubans get their money to travel abroad? They can bearly afford to buy extra groceries, let alone having the luxury to travel. Cubans who work for any one other employer other than the government, do not get paid by their employers. The employer pays the government, which in turn later pays the workers, keeping a percentage to themselves. It’s a dictatorship kind of tax. Source? the workers themselves who pass this along to the tourists. That is why I said that the best tip is to leave things behind, because if they get caught with foreign currency they will end up in jail. Since 1959 the Castros have created a distinct conscience in Cuba, now then, many of you posting comments in this here forum, seem convinced that bringing capitalism to Cuba is going to destroy the Cuban system, even though for decades they have murdered, harrased, eliminated, and chased away any one who dares to say or think opposite to them. And you really think they are going to give up that tit. NEVER, they would have already their secret police in place, it’s a dictatorship people, they control everything and they will continue doing it for a long, long time. The new so called US embassy will be surrounded by military personel, perhaps dressed as civilians. A third of the country is totally willing to tell on the other two thirds to the government. Source: tourism industry workers. Cubans are tired of it, but they terrified. So when the Darthmouth students get to Cuba where will they reside, who is going to be their neighbors, what classes will they take? You really think a dictatorship is going to let loose in their country? They are going to be controlled in every thing they say, do and even what they think. Their own class mates will tell on them, again, is a dictatorship, source my own personal experience. My mother was chosen to be the neighborhood snitch, she refused and almost got killed. What saved her we’ll never know.
d_legendary1 almost 9 years ago
@canFunny1. A co-worker of mine just got back from Cuba visiting family who live in a house up in the Cuban hills. His family caters to tourist who visit the island. The only people who live in the ghettos are those who want to live in the ghettos (those that live off the government). Most people have family in the states who send them money. This in turn…2. Allows people to leave the island! Most people FLY over here and simply stay and apply for asylum status. If not through Cuba they go through another country and end up here. Only the truly destitute go through the water with their makeshift rafts (almost all the Cubans I’ve met say this). 3.No one gets jailed for having foreign currency. As a matter of fact some places will only accept foreign currency as payment for their goods/services. In Negril (Jamaica) they’ll only accept dollars, pounds, or Euros. They won’t take Jamaican dollars.4. Totalitarian regimes are not going to jail their guests unless they engage in overthrowing their government. People visit China every year and the only way they get arrested is if they break the rules. If you’re going to a foreign country to spread democracy, be prepared to be jailed. Everyone going in knows this.