Legalities under US law or US interpretation of international law will not cut it on Guantánamo - it was a gun to the head contract, signed under duress and therefore invalid ... in perpetuity for usd two thousands, geez get real, and who says cubanos want to lease it to anybody anyway, least of all an hostile foreign military
In terms of Realpolitik if you prefer - the cost/benefit is working against you, the hypocrisy evidenced by your behaviour outweighs considerably any strategic or tactical benefit you derive from occupying somebody else's harbour .... don't think we don't notice these things, we do, even on days we don't comment on them ... if you want a military base in the Caribe [when you've got Florida right there very few kilometres away], then negotiate for one in a free enterprise manner consistent with the ballyhooed rhetoric of your Cradle of Liberty
'And there are NO CUBANS living within Guantanamo boundaries'
Pretty funny that Hawk, place is occupied by an hostile military, got big steel fences around it, machine guns all over, dogs, frowns on guards with pistols ..... needs somebody with authority and guts to stand up and say in firm voice, i am a jelly doughnut, tear down that wall mister presidente, then you will see cubanos there, on what always was and will always be territorio cubano
'So what you recommend is that we don't engage in sanctions,'
The US as a state, you mean? - no definitely not ... name is tainted now, doesn't do any good anyway, look how many of your presidentes the old bugger has outlasted, what is it, ten now ... how many will it take, before you elect a bright one
' ... hostile language towards Castro, or make any other form of criticism..'
The US as a state, no, it does no good, only supports the old fart .... but as individuals, yes by all means ... best to do this in an effective and intelligent manner that stands a chance of decent cost/benefit though - got to be friendly, open, be a traveller not a tourist sheep .... listen a lot, preach a little when comes an opening, and not until, set an example as a free human being, make some friends .... get around - Castro wants to bottle you up in the gringolandias like Varadero, well push the limits always, say you want to check out that village in the sierra so gloriously famous from La Revolución, you'd like to stay there a few weeks please .... then you've got to check your stocks of course, and/or type at somebody, so could you please be directed to an internet connection, preferably with good food as a cybercafe .... and there is the crux of it - the net ... both symbol and promoter of freedom, the net
Meanwhile in between you're experiencing the sun, the warmth of the people, the dance, the theatre, the music ... the music is deadly, this is not a real hard thing to go through
Take little money, very little ... you're an old hippy traveller, remember, you don't have much money as you're not Donald Trump's son [even if you are] ... the less you spend travelling the more you experience anyway - stay in hostels and pensiones, not big hotels, eat what the people eat, and when you hear english, move on
Castro won't like you venturing out of the gringolandias, and he won't like you speaking your mind, but what can he do on either account, in the longer term? ... the economy is dependent on tourism, thusly on the first rule of free enterprise [nothing more free enterprise than tourism, people go where they choose] - 'find a need and fill it' ... ultimately the walls break down as the cost/benefit becomes evident to cubanos themselves ... what is he gonna do, arrest thousands of the very sort of cash-bringers on which the economy is built? ... well perhaps a few thousands, but wouldn't it make a fine story to tell your great grandchildren, eh
You wanna take Playa Girón, and hold it effectively this time? ... not so difficult, just come in inconspicuous numbers and hold your mouth right .... there's even good anchorage right there, and docks, if you'd really like some adventure .... we have family who fish the Caribe, they can get you great cigars wholesale, because there are cubanos fishing out there too, and more than a few passengers have passed back and forth [see, cubanos come to México to make money too, less money but an easier trip] .... lots of air connections too, from all over [except the US], no problem
'All the foriegners should just shut up'
Nope, you're not clear on the concept, maybe read again what i typed ...it's quite the opposite i'm proposing, that we stop shutting up, that we call it as it is - defy Uncle Sam where he's wrong, and defy Castro where he's wrong ... in a sensible manner with both of course, no advantage gained in suicide, but firmly and steadily, in the tradition of Thoreau .... there is a beautifully righteous symmetry in US nationals doing this, over and above those of any other nation, because they get to defy both the demented embargo, and the demented dictator ... so how about it |
