Don’t know what it means but he’s retired / resigned. At least they are getting someone younger and more vibrant in, at 76 Raul will have just the sort of youthful exuberance that Cuba needs…
Just proof of the correctness of the US position on the Cuba embargo lo all these years (almost 50). Boy, we sure as heck showed Fidel who’s in charge.
Since we’re all about spreading democracy near and far, King Abdullah might be next. That’ll show 'em: embargo Saudi Arabia.
Don’t know what it means but he’s retired / resigned. At least they are getting someone younger and more vibrant in, at 76 Raul will have just the sort of youthful exuberance that Cuba needs…
Just to throw a little fuel to fire out there, I’ve been against the US sanctions on Cuba for quite a while now. I think the best way to bring down the communist government is to open the flood gates of information and products into Cuba to let them know what the US is really like instead of the evil empire propaganda fostered by Fidel & Co.
JJ
Yes. Raul’s youthful leadership will give Cuba the fresh ideas they need. LOL!
“I’ve been against the US sanctions on Cuba for quite a while now.”
Having been to Cuba a few times as a scuba diver/tourist, IMHO the US embargo towards Cuba is absolutely the stupidest aspect of American foreign policy. Wasn’t the missile crisis almost fifty years ago? It’s a policy that is isolated and totally out of touch with the rest of the world.
Cuban tourist resorts are full of Canadian, European and South American tourists, all seeing for themselves that Cuba is not the evil threat that conservative Republicans want the world to believe.
The USA is the only country in the world that restricts it’s citizens from visiting Cuba. What is the US government so afraid of that American citizens can’t visit and make up their own minds about Cuba?
CG
To go back on some of our policies/methods would be to admit that they were wrong or were not effective. We don’t admit we’re ever wrong.
We try too much muscle, not enough brain. We’re stuck in the Wild West mentality of politics. Our (seemingly) response to everything is of the musclehead, “Shuddup or I’ll your ass”. BUt, it reflects our society where we’re all about perception and posing and not about getting to the heart of the matter or really solving substancial problems.
**What is the US government so afraid of that American citizens can’t visit and make up their own minds about Cuba? **
Why is it you think that the sanctions are in place to brainwash American citizens?
And remind me not to take any guff from “the rest of the world” for doing business with oppressive regimes.
**Cuban tourist resorts are full of Canadian, European and South American tourists, all seeing for themselves that Cuba is not the evil threat that conservative Republicans want the world to believe. **
JFK was a conservative republican?
Why is it you think that the sanctions are in place to brainwash American citizens?
And remind me not to take any guff from “the rest of the world” for doing business with oppressive regimes.
I think the big question here is what are we accomplishing with the sanctions? The objectives were clear 50 years ago when the red menace wanted to put nuclear missiles in Cuba. Now, the only thing I see is some moral high ground against a dying, communist, “oppressive regime”. Doesn’t stop us from doing business with China.
JJ
the only thing I see is some moral high ground against a dying, communist, “oppressive regime”.
I don’t know why you put the quotes there. And I don’t think the moral high ground is all that trivial. Nor does “the rest of the world” when it suits them to criticize the US.
Doesn’t stop us from doing business with China.
Sad but true. That’s going to come back to haunt us.
I think McCain voiced the Repubs stand on this policy. We will be there a 100 years if that what it takes. So we are halfway there in Cuba now. That’s really worked out well for us…
Don’t know what it means but he’s retired / resigned.
We win.
.
**Cuban tourist resorts are full of Canadian, European and South American tourists, all seeing for themselves that Cuba is not the evil threat that conservative Republicans want the world to believe. **
JFK was a conservative republican?
good catch LTI83!
Just what are we going to do with all the Cubans that landed on our shores and now probably don’t want to go back?
Here is what McCain actually said about Castro and Cuba:
Today’s resignation of Fidel Castro is nearly half a century overdue. For decades, Castro oversaw an apparatus of repression that denied liberty to the people who suffered under his dictatorship.
Yet freedom for the Cuban people is not yet at hand, and the Castro brothers clearly intend to maintain their grip on power. That is why we must press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections.
Cuba’s transition to democracy is inevitable; it is a matter of when – not if. With the resignation of Fidel Castro, the Cuban people have an opportunity to move forward and continue pushing for the moment that they will truly be free. America can and should help hasten the sparking of freedom in Cuba. The Cuban people have waited long enough.
Here is what McCain actually said about Castro and Cuba:
Today’s resignation of Fidel Castro is nearly half a century overdue. For decades, Castro oversaw an apparatus of repression that denied liberty to the people who suffered under his dictatorship.
Yet freedom for the Cuban people is not yet at hand, and the Castro brothers clearly intend to maintain their grip on power. That is why we must press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections.
Cuba’s transition to democracy is inevitable; it is a matter of when – not if. With the resignation of Fidel Castro, the Cuban people have an opportunity to move forward and continue pushing for the moment that they will truly be free. America can and should help hasten the sparking of freedom in Cuba. The Cuban people have waited long enough.
Clearly, a right wing reactionary…
"JFK was a conservative republican? "
LOL. But there was a reason fifty years ago. This is now. The cold war is long over. What threat is Cuba to the USA now?
It seems that Republicans are the most vehement about maintaining the Cuban embargo. Those few votes around the Miami area are more important to them than dropping an archiac foreign policy initiative that is laughable to the rest of the world and hurts American diplomatic credibility.
“you think that the sanctions are in place to brainwash American citizens?”
I don’t know why the sanctions are there, but I certainly see no logic in them.
And for a country that rants and raves so much about freedom and democracy for its citizens, I don’t see much of either when the government is the only one in the world that restricts ordinary citizens from visiting Cuba.
I think our relations with Cuba has less to do with the idea that they are a threat and more to do the facts that they hold political prisoners, torture dissidents, no free media, no elections, etc. I know, China, Suadia Arabia, etc. I’m just saying it is not right for the US to support Castro’s oppressive regime by allowing US money to flow to Cuba. And it isn’t a Republican\Democrat issue. Carter and Clinton didn’t make any Cuba policy changes either, and neither of the Democrat’s in this year’s race are calling to lift the embargo without the relaease of their political prisoners.
I personally can’t wait for the day I can visit Havana with my family on a vacation, but I will only visit a democratic Cuba.
**And I don’t think the moral high ground is all that trivial. Nor does “the rest of the world” when it suits them to criticize the US. **
It may not be trivial but if your reason for sanctions is the leadership’s repression of it’s citizens, I’d argue that opening up trade and relations, in the long term, will do more help the populace pressure the government for change than holding on to the sanctions. If we had begun normalizing relations at the end of the cold war I believe this process would be much further along. It’s happening slowly now because of the influence of other countries.
Doesn’t stop us from doing business with China.
Sad but true. That’s going to come back to haunt us.
I think the same process holds true for China. We stand a better chance of getting China to improve the treatment of it’s citizens as a huge trading partner than we do as an isolationist enemy.
JJ