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Of course the embargo has been and continues to be harmful to the people of Cuba. Moreover, I doubt it was ever defensible as it certainly never accomplished what the US government said it was intended to accomplish. There is no shortage of villains and irrespective of the lack of willingness to accept responsibility, the US does bear some responsibility for the plight of the people of Cuba, as well as many other countries. That doesn't negate the good the US has done, but the good doesn't negate the harm either.

LOL Simon. Sharpe as usual.
Since this has now turned into a completly different subject as was intended.

"After the shootings of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, a bi-partisan coalition in the United States Congress approved the Helms-Burton Act. The Title III of this law also states that any non-U.S. company that "knowingly traffics in property in Cuba confiscated without compensation from a U.S. person" can be subjected to litigation and that company's leadership can be barred from entry into the United States. Sanctions may also be applied to non-U.S. companies trading with Cuba. This restriction also applies to maritime shipping, as ships docking at Cuban ports are not allowed to dock at U.S. ports for six months. It's important to note that this title includes waiver authority, so that the President might suspend its application. This waiver must be renewed every six months and it has traditionally been. It was renewed for the last time July 17, 2006,[7] therefore the suspension of this provision will remain effective for, at least, another six months following that date.

In response to pressure from some American farmers and agribusiness, the embargo was relaxed by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which was passed by the Congress in October 2000 and signed by President Bill Clinton. The relaxation allowed the sale of agricultural goods and medicine to Cuba for humanitarian reasons. Although Cuba initially declined to engage in such trade having even refused US food aid in the past,[8] seeing it as a half-measure serving U.S. interests, Castro began to allow the purchase of food from the U.S. as a result of Hurricane Michelle in November 2001. These purchases have continued and grown since then. By now (2007) The US is the largest food supplier of Cuba[9]and its 6th trading partner.


The 1998 US State Department in the report Zenith and Eclipse: A Comparative Look at Socio-Economic Conditions in Pre-Castro and Present Day Cuba[13] stated that the U.S. embargo has added, at most, relatively small increases in transportation costs. It claims that the main problem is not the embargo but the lack of foreign currency due to the unwillingness to liberalize the economy, diversify the export base, and the need to pay off substantial debts owed to its Japanese, European, and Latin American trading partners acquired during the years of abundant Soviet aid.

Why on earth are you letting facts get in the way of partisan talking points Bill?

I know that given a choice (which thank God I have) I'd choose to live in a country that has to try to fence people out rather than a country that has to fence them in!

I remember being in Berlin in the mid 70's: It was a wonderfully decadent city, as the (West) Berliners lived each day like it could be their last, and my strongest memory was of sitting in the rooftop bar of the Hilton looking out at all the bright lights, and then at the nothing beyond them, like any Caribbean island, except that the blackness out there wasn't the ocean, it was communism.

While many in academia will espouse the wonders of a theoretical utopia, communism has failed every time the social experiment has been tried, and very few people who have actually seen both alternatives will ever decide against capitalism and freedom of ideas.

hear hear!

And, to pugs point -- one needs to actually see both alternatives. Thus, the reason why free and open trade with Cuba must be allowed.

The boat at 6:30 this morning is even worse( someone stole the prop) and not being repaired.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa3/elbertgreer/DSC_0059.jpg
I think the PR release is to pacify the public and the Cuban Embasy pressure on Belize to deport them is working.
I have a philosophical difference with most of the posts on this Thread.
Hide behind lies, sneak not speak of the wrong is not IMHO the way to positive change. Right this wrong by shining light on it.

"Why on earth are you letting facts get in the way of partisan talking points Bill?"


LOL!! one of the many Flaws in my caracture!

"Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story!"

I lived in Berlin in the 70's. We lived in the West but visited the east on occassion.

A small glimpse of communism at its finest was all I needed to know I am priviledged to be free.

Thanks Amanda,

It's somehow validating to have some one with a well deserved reputation for being reasonable share my opinions!

Wasn't Berlin an amazing place back then? I've never been anywhere else like it.

Purchasing food from the US helps US farmers, thank you Cuba!

In any case, Cuba's economy is not in immediate danger. Wages are stagnant and prices are high, but the country continues to get by with a little help from its friends.

Hugo Chávez's Venezuela now plays the role once held by the Soviets. Over the past two years, it has delivered more than $2 billion in aid and about 92,000 barrels of oil per day.

After Venezuela, China is now Cuba's largest commercial partner. Trade between China and Venezuela doubled in 2006 to $1.8 billion and pushed past $2.2 billion in 2007. Beijing has extended credits to help ease shortages across the island; Chinese-made trains, buses, appliances and other consumer products have become common across Cuba.

Others have helped as well. Spanish companies have invested in Cuba's tourism; Canadian firms are involved in Cuba's mining sector; Dubai Ports World, the state-owned Arab company that set off a firestorm in Washington two years ago with a bid to operate several U.S. ports, is reportedly considering a plan to invest $250 million in creating a modern container facility at Mariel.

Nor will we see a substantial near-term shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba. Washington is preoccupied at the moment with a presidential election, a slowing economy and the war in Iraq. The only part of Cuba that figures prominently in the American political debate these days is the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay.

Though the Bush administration has tightened rules on cash flows between Cuban-Americans and family members on the island, remittances still add hundreds of millions of dollars to Cuba's economy each year. And thanks to loopholes in the embargo, U.S. farmers are already Cuba's leading food supplier. Agricultural shortages in Cuba may open the door a bit wider to U.S. exporters this year.

So a year from now Cuba is likely to still be a police state with a centrally planned economy, and the United States will still have an embargo. Only when Cuba has fully escaped from the Castros' long shadow will demand for change reach the boiling point. And only then might a consensus develop in Washington to reverse four decades of failed policy.

International Herald Tribune

"....and the sheep march on right over the precipice, following one and the other like raindrops from a thundercloud"

Karl Marx-1858