After seeing what little good the embargo of Cuba has done regarding regime change, I have to assume that we’ve wanted Cuba to be the way it is — a Communist bastion. Why? Just lift the whole embargo and let everyone go there. This didn’t work to anyone’s benefit.
President Barack Obama directed his administration Monday to allow unlimited travel and money transfers by Cuban Americans to family in Cuba, and to take other steps to ease U.S. restrictions on the island, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.
The formal announcement was being made at the White House Monday afternoon, during presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs’ daily briefing with reporters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the president’s announcement.
Let’s see.
Cuba has 1957 Chevy’s and 1959 Cadillacs that Americans want.
America has 2009 Jeeps and Explorers that Cubans want.
I see some business potential here.
This is the first step; next step is to open it up to everynody and get the resorts open.
By complete and utter coincidence, I’m sure there are some guys in Chicago with names like “Timmy The Chin” and “Knuckles” who will be very happy to help get the casinos running again!
ObaMessiah didn’t make it to the top in Chicago without help, and he’s going to have to repay those people sometime.
Cuba should have been killed with kindness from the start.
No dictatorship lasts once you give people economic and social freedom. Look at the USSR. Between their inept handling of their nation and our enticements they collapsed.
Cuba will do the same. No people can remain thralled forever.
Ike screwed up in the first place. Just like Wilson did with Minh.
That’s what happens when you let bigots in power.
Cursor_
Look at the bright side, Star baseball players for the MLB by the bucketfull.
So we gonna get to see Elian Gonzalez again?
I’ve always wanted to scuba dive in Cuba, looks like I may have a chance. Not to mention we’ll have another influx of lawn care professionals.
Great news. I may go there soon before Castro kicks the bucket and it becomes a madhouse to visit.
Obama change is happening fast in less than 100 days. WOW. Does he have enough Bush De-Crapper spray? I think so.
The sad truth is the Cubans in Miami are in a generational clash. The old farts want to keep the embargo (rather cut of their nose..) while the younger generation (less than 50 yrs old) wants the embargo lifted. It’s about time we we stop kissing the FLorida Cuban’s ass every four years to get their vote like a frigg’n election pilgimage. This is the right steps to finally freeing this Island of a tyrant who is effectively dead- flood the country with capitalism.
Do business. If things are better elsewhere people will want change. Maybe they can make things better. If not then let them have what they want.
Of course in Cuba power still comes out of the barrel of a gun.
#3 – well, I think the biggest downside for republicans is that it might get Obama re-elected.
So there will be freedom to go to Cuba, but how about freedom to go FROM Cuba?
I always thought that the embargo did more to keep Castro in power than anything else.
#41 If that stoopid cuban government stops existing, those maintining those old chevy’s could be paid as they should for their work and not the measly pay they get (if any)
#42 I like the way you think.
#45 Hardly. The kid hates the Empire and loves uncle fidel… or so he says.
#47 Yes, because the Florida Cubans are the murderers & oppresing ones. You should marry fidel and love the spousal abuse later.
#50 Have a chair? It could take some time for that to happen.
39,
Yes they do. At Jibacoa the reef is about 10 metres from the shore. You just walk out into the water and stick your head in.
Might be fun to go to the town of Daiquiri and taste its namesake…
Naive, Naive, Naive.
As I said before, just because the US government will allow us to go there doesn’t mean that the Cuban government will allow us to go there!
Except for visiting the closely controlled tourist spots, not one American will see an inch of Cuba.
No 50′s cars to take home, no finding that-out-of-the-way reef, nothing.
Most Cubans will probably not know the embargo has been lifted.
Remember, the Cuban government wants to stay in power, and letting a bunch of Americans run around willy-nilly isn’t in their best interest.
The real reason lefties like the Hollywood people who visit love CUba is that the slave labor force produces high quality prostitutes.
#56 You might want to do some research what Cuba was like under Batista and the other despots before Castro. It was pretty much as you seem to think it is under Castro, kind of a playground for rich sleazy Americans. Which just shows your ignorance.
#57 Unlike what it is today, the haven for European sex tourism. Same thing, different customers.
#58 Yes, unfortunately so, in recent years, probably as a result of losing their allowance when the Soviet Union fell. As are many of the Caribbean countries, though — witness a few years ago Rush getting busted coming back from the Dominican Republic with fistfuls of Viagra. Guess it’s getting hard to find boys who won’t tell here in the U.S.
Hopefully their economy will improve once we start trading with them so they won’t have to resort to prostitution any more.
#59 Right. Because all of the sudden, fidel and cohorts will no longer use the money they get for the communist party member’s vida loca & pay for terrorist worldwide as they did with the money the soviets and the Europeans/Canadian/venezuelan gave them while the whole country starves with that well known and worn out lie about holding up for the revolution.
American money will be different and they won’t be doing what they’ve have done for over 50 years.
You born yesterday?
BTW, your simile regarding cuba and the US has been noted: fidel is to Batista what Obama is to Bush. Change, isn’t it? You must be a member of the Mexican branch of MENSA called MENSO.