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Politics : About that Cuban boy, Elian -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dayuhan who wrote (9044)	1/26/2002 4:56:47 PM
From: marcos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9127

Fidel, you two-faced lying old coot, smarten the F up - [mind you, in advising that i am taking the following article at face value, know nothing of the specific case otherwise, still we could all use a little smartening up, especially yourself and those Helms/Burton type morons imho] [and your new buddy Chávez as well, and yes by all means tell him i said so] - 'Elian and Elizabeth Perhaps Fidel Castro needs to see a picture of Elizabeth Manero Sixto. In light of the plight of Elizabeth and other Cuban children, the hypocrisy of Fidel's Elian-era family-values media blitz is difficult to fathom. Elizabeth's story is regrettably familiar. Her mother, Maritza Sixto, defected to the United States after coming to Washington to complete a computer software project at the Pan American Health Organization. Elizabeth's father, Fernando David Manero, then applied for and was given U.S. visas for himself and Elizabeth to join Mrs. Sixto in America. But Fidel, whose appreciation of family reunification is glaringly one-sided, won't allow Elizabeth and her father to join Mrs. Sixto. So where, it seems quite appropriate to ask, is the outrage from the National Council of Churches and the lawmakers and pundits who were so eager to make pronouncements on Elian Gonzalez while he was in the media spotlight? For these parties, Elizabeth's separation from her mother, which now totals over one year, doesn't merit the same concern as that of Elian, who was found floating on an inner tube on Thanksgiving Day 1999 off the coast of Florida. Somehow, a child's reunion with her mother in a free, democratic country is apparently less desirable and newsworthy than a boy's return to a dictatorial, communist country to be with his father. Elizabeth's mother had been forced to participate in rallies in Cuba calling for Elian's return to the island. But she clearly miscalculated Fidel's potential for hypocrisy. "After that six-month campaign, I thought I'd have no trouble getting my family out of Cuba," said Mrs. Sixto. Defectors' families, however, must wait three years to leave Cuba. For Mrs. Sixto, this means that the toddler she last saw at age 2 will be a 5-year-old by the time of their reunion. She will have completely missed her girl's formative, early childhood. While this three-year, defectors' penalty is clearly arbitrary and punitive, Fidel has, astonishingly, tried to cloak it in an air of legality. "Cuba has its immigration laws, like any country. You have to respect these laws," Luis Fernandez, press officer at the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, told The Washington Post. But Cuba's "immigration laws" are clearly unlike those of other countries. According to Article 13 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country." But this common-sensical declaration causes quite an inconvenience for Fidel. Although he maintains that he has created a communist paradise in Cuba, his need to imprison Cubans on the island speaks for itself. In his scheme of things, little Elizabeth is just another inconvenience. ' washtimes.com I see where Raulito says the russkis are gone now, so it's time [well, way past time really eh] for the US to consider pulling out of cubano territory they occupy by force of arms at Guantánamo .... but you Fidel, it is time [well, way past time really eh] for you to consider how you will be treated by the history books, you could start with some basic respect for the dignity of your people ... and this canehjun is more than willing to help you, just PM me for advice in detail ..... cháu

To: Dayuhan who wrote (9044)	8/21/2002 7:23:11 PM
From: marcos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9127

' Support for Cuba embargo breaks down in Congress By KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite President George W. Bush's tough line on Cuba, support for trade sanctions is crumbling in Congress, with anti-Castro activists struggling to preserve an embargo that has lasted more than 40 years. "We're working hard and we know the odds are against us. It's like David vs. Goliath," said Cuban-born Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican of Florida. The House of Representatives in late July approved proposals by two Republican lawmakers that, while leaving the embargo in place, would effectively ease travel and trade restrictions. The Senate is considering similar changes. Last week, House Majority Leader Dick Armey told reporters in Kansas that the United States needs access to Cuban markets. If economic sanctions continue for another year, he said, "it will be the last year they last." His comments dealt a blow to pro-embargo lawmakers who were counting on Armey to use his office to derail efforts to weaken the sanctions. "I think because he is an economics professor, he should know better than to pump money into a failed, totalitarian regime," Ros-Lehtinen said. Armey, who is retiring from Congress this year, once chaired the University of North Texas' economics department. If the changes get through Congress, pro-embargo lawmakers have a big ally in Bush, who has threatened a veto. Bush has had strong support from anti-Castro Cubans in Florida and his brother Jeb is seeking re-election there as governor. But a veto would have consequences beyond Cuba. The proposals to ease the embargo are part of a Treasury and Postal spending bill. A veto would affect billions of dollars of unrelated programs. "We know we're asking the president for a lot," Ros-Lehtinen said. The embargo is intended to force democratic changes on Fidel Castro's communist island. It prohibits most business dealings with Cuba and limits travel to certain categories of visitors, including relatives of Cubans, researchers and working journalists. For many years, liberal Democrats were practically the only opponents of the embargo, considering it ineffective and too harsh on Cuban citizens. But after the Cold War, with Cuba seen as less of a threat to the United States, some conservative lawmakers became uneasy about government-imposed travel restrictions. And farm state Republicans saw Cuba as a potentially lucrative market for agricultural products. Congress loosened the embargo in 2000 to allow the sale of agricultural products on a cash-only basis. Cuba has since become the United States' 54th largest agricultural export market, importing products from 30 states, said John Kavulich of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "The issue of Cuba has shifted from being one of politics to being one of commerce, has shifted from being conservative vs. liberal and has shifted from Democrat vs. Republican," Kavulich said. Pro-embargo lawmakers can no longer count on the rock-solid Republican support they once enjoyed. "The coalition of the traditional leftists, big business and farm states is a difficult coalition," said Steve Vermillion, an aide to Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida. Last year, the House voted to prohibit the Treasury Department, which oversees the embargo, from enforcing the travel ban for a year. The provision, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jeff Flake, was dropped in the name of national unity after the Sept. 11 attacks. But it was included in the 2003 Treasury spending bill approved last month. Another Flake proposal approved by the House would lift the $1,200 a year cap on what Cuban-Americans can send to relatives in Cuba. And a provision by Republican Rep. Jerry Moran would allow U.S. private financing of food and medicine sales. Ros-Lehtinen said these proposals passed because of heavy spending by lobbyists. "Money talks," she said. "Those people are voting because they know where the money is." But Wayne Smith, a former U.S. diplomat and longtime embargo opponent, said lawmakers recognize that the embargo has failed. "It's not rational. It doesn't serve its purpose," he said. Even if these provisions are approved, their effect is uncertain. Kavulich said that most travel to Cuba still would be illegal -- only Treasury wouldn't be allowed in 2003 to penalize travelers who violate the ban. If lawmakers allow Treasury in future years to enforce the travel ban, it could go after people who traveled illegally in 2003 -- or the companies that had arranged their trips. "Few if any U.S. companies would alter the manner in which they conduct transactions with Cuba and travel to Cuba because of the potential liability," he said. Pro-embargo Cuban American National Foundation: canf.org Anti-embargo Cuba Policy Foundation: cubapolicyfoundation.org ' ca.us.biz.yahoo.com