Well, you get one of those kewl Che t-shirts. And if you’re really lucky, a Che banner, too!
Of course you realize, half the lefties on the Board are sobbing into their bankies right now, after your sharp sarcasm dissing our beloved Che.
The embargo didn’t work. Now let’s declare that it did, and remove it.
Naah, that’s too easy. And it would make too many people happy.
[QUOTE=elucidator]
Of course you realize, half the lefties on the Board are sobbing into their bankies right now, after your sharp sarcasm dissing our beloved Che.
[/QUOTE]
Sure, but 2/3rds of them only know the man because they have a tee shirt or poster with his silhouette on it (and probably think he’s some sort of Jamacan singer or something). 
-XT
Sadly, I don’t not see the relevance.
It was 100% joke. No swipe at the lefties. I’ll try better next time!
Historically speaking I will have to say that the US is in the wrong here.
The impression I got after all these years is that Cuba is the exception because rightists Latin American countries (the good “friends” of the USA in those days) and then Cuban American groups pressured and continue to pressure to demand compensation and no negotiations. What it is clear to me is that that compensation would had been negotiated and still would if knuckleheads in congress would just realize that it is the embargo that kept Castro in power and after, just like the unification of Germany showed, eventually a good number of the people that lost property will have to accept a settlement just to keep the peace inside Cuba and between it and the USA.
Oh. Well, that’s very different.
That’s a possibility. I won’t deny that the anti-Castro Cuban community in Florida has an undue influence in American politics. But it’s also possible that the intransigence is coming from Havana. Perhaps Cuba, unlike Iran or Vietnam, has refused to listen to any reasonable offers. After all, Cuba has a lot more motive not to pay than the United States does to refuse payment.
I’m pretty sure that the Cuban government has consistently refused to negotiate compensation until after the embargo is lifted. And the sticking point isn’t compensation to Cuban-Americans. It’s compensation to Americans and American companies that held property that was appropriated.
With the exception of the Cuban government consistently refusing to negotiate (very likely I grant you that), that is what I also said.
“Hello, is this Mr. Soprano, Mr. Anthony Soprano? Good day, sir, my name is Marvin Buttondown, I’m with the US State Departement…no, sir, no, we have no connection to the FBI…well, do you recall if your grandfather had any business dealings or investments with a Mr. Meyer Lansky?..I don’t understand, sir, you say he was your grandfathers gumball?…goombah!..ah, yes, well, its seems several of those investments were made in Cuba…”
And why are you dragging Israel into a thread about Cuba and its relations to the US?
And I already do drink decaf. Actually I prefer ice water to be honest. Although I do not see what my beverage preferences have to do with Cuba abd the US embargo, unless you are offering me a decaf cubano.
Drop the embargo. The USA freely trades with China and Vietnam, so why not Cuba?
I think everyone is waiting for the Castro brothers to die. Problem is that these guys wont die. Fidel especially. I think if those two old bastards die off, then the country can be quickly transformed into something else. I think now it is so far into the future, that Fidel just admitted that Communism did not work and it is time to do something else.
Cuba really tried Communism for a long time. People’s communes, quotas, everyone works for the State, the elimination of private enterprise and most private ownership. This economic model simply doesn’t work. It’s shit. The Edsel of economic theory that ends up making everyone poor and requires the respective government to restrict the people and repress them to work harder, or do something that is against free will and human nature.
Concerning Vietnam and China, the one party state is still there, but the economic strings have been loosened, which has allowed millions of their people to come up from nothing into middle class. If people have money, food, and entertainments, they do not really give a shit who runs the country. If the people are satisfied, then they wont revolt and all the little commisars and dictators keep their job.
My concern is that when Cuba opens up that it doesn’t turn into a narco-state like Mexico with most of their population heading to the USA because their government is now anarchist, corrupt and violent (like Mexico!)
[quote=“Captain_Midnight, post:54, topic:553690”]
Drop the embargo. The USA freely trades with China and Vietnam, so why not Cuba?
That’s what I’ve always wondered.
N.B.: AFAIK, Mexico does not produce drugs – except marijuana, and that can be grown in the U.S. just as easily. Mexico is a “narco-state” because it’s convenient to smuggle cocaine from South America (coca plants won’t grow anywere else but the Andes) into the U.S. (where the market is) through Mexico – nice overland route, border too long for complete interdiction. I doubt it will ever be so convenient to smuggle it through Cuba. If you’re smuggling it in a boat, why not just go around Cuba?
It really sounds like Cuba is trying to get Chinese Communism, private prosperity under the thumb of State control.
I agree with Sam Stone about dropping the embargo now. It does not matter about why the embargo was first set, up, it does not work, and realistically, the property that was taken is never going to be returned - it does not matter if this is officially announced or not, it’s just not gonna happen. Recent events would be good political cover to use this excuse to end it - It does not even matter what Castro said later, as long as this is spun the proper way.
However, I also agree with Ravenman. Given the current partisan climate in federal US politics, the Republicans will be against whatever the Democrats propose. Not just “no”, but “HELL NO”.
-Fox news would be spinning this idea in the worst possible light.
-Talking heads would be brought on that would explain how this Democrat idea would destabilize the Caribbean, Destroy Florida, and give everyone in Des Moines diarrhea.
-Glenn Beck would make up some particularly egregious lies, which would be repeated by bloggers until they became the truth.
-The various Tea Party groups would mysteriously and suddenly take an interest in Cuba, and organize demonstrations.
-Sarah Palin would declare in a speech that “We should protect Cuba because it was one of the founding states of the good ol’ USA!”
Well, there’s no reason for the U.S. to stand in the way of that, is there?
In fact, I bet a lot of American CEOs already are speculating about what manufacturing jobs they can outsource to Cuba. More convenient than China or Indonesia – the shipping costs are so much lower! And guess where all the tech-support call centers for Spanish-speaking customers are going to ring to . . .
I forget, would that be 57 or 58 states in Obama’s count?
Oh ho flickster, you witty purveyor of bon mots! However it only works if the intended target of sarcasm is renowned for stupid statements.
You forget of course that Ms. Palin can see Cuba from her BACK porch, to see if the giant head of Fidel will come floating over the horizon! And she knows all about Cuba because she reads ALL the magazines and newspapers. ALL of them I tells ya!