Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Odds and ends

  • A new law permits Cubans to work two jobs, and permits students to work part-time. EFE coverage in English here, Granma’s announcement here.

  • Radio Marti: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen says the Honduran military “respected the constitution” in removing President Zelaya from power. The Martinoticias website also reports on the Obama Administration’s rejection of the coup, Cuban dissidents’ criticism of it, and Senator Mel Martinez' statement that any interruption of the constitutional order is unacceptable.

  • Bill Ratliff of the Independent Institute and the Hoover Institute calls for the end of the embargo.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ileana supports the military coup in Honduras -- that's all you need to know about the legitimacy of it -- assume she supported removing Bush by the military in regards to respecting the American constitution.

que clase de comer mierde

Anonymous said...

the flag of freedom flys proudly over the USA as they continue to restrict me from seeing Cuba for myself while the gusanos have unrestricted ability now to visit Cuba. That's what America is all about, giving rights to one group while denying them to another. And these gusanos criticize how terrible Cuba is to restrict travel. I thought we were the democracy and not the dictatorship run by a bunch of 80 year old terrorists who lost their slave plantations in Cuba.
what a joke, please tell me what right does the government have to stop me from visiting Cuba while the lousy gusanos can? (and you right wing nuts try and respond in American terms, not the baby bs "waa, Cuba restricts travel too, waa waa "

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:42AM,

What's your final solution to the "gusano" problem?

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

vecino you racist bastard, where was it ever suggested a final solution for the gusanos? why would you use those words. what a scumbag

all i want is my right to travel to cuba to be the same as the cuban americans. and the cuban americans who support rights for them but not for all amerians are gusanos. the solution is for all americans to have equal rights, or are you against that as well.

this is such typical crap from your side; absolutely refuse to address the point of the blog and try and turn it into something completely radical and emotional.

disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 10:27 AM, (9:42 AM),

You are the one who takes this matter rather emotionally. If you want to keep the discussion rational and not emotionally you should stop using terms like "gusanos". It is meant as a demeaning term. BTW this term went out of fashion in Cuba before the Mariel boatlift when Cuban living abroad were allowed to visit their families in Cuba by the Cuban government. That's when the gusanos (worms or cartepillars in Spanish) metamorphose into mariposas (butterflies), because they were so pleasant to have around with all the stuff they were bringing with them.

If you feel that your rights as an American are not fully protected, you should consider filing a lawsuit against the Federal government. In the meantime, would you please calm down a bit, and like I told Anonimo a few months ago, take a pill, dude!

I interpret your comment that you are not planning or wish to liquidate gusanos. Am I right?

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

so why should cuban americans get special priviledges over other americans.
again, you offer a potential solution, (sue the govt, boy that's helpful) but never do you seem to answer the question direct.

why don't you explain why bring up such an inflammatory comment such as final solution, it was neither implied nor suggested.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1:38 PM (10:27 AM?, 9:42 AM?),

Offering an alternative to the current US travel restrictions to Cuba is way above my pay grade, and they do not affect me personally because I am not interested in traveling to Cuba. Suing the government is the American way to do things so it's not that bad of a suggestion. BTW that may have been done in the past and there is a recollection that the winning argument was that US currency was US property and therefore the US government could restrict its use and therefore limit the spending of US currency in Cuba but not travel per se. Ring any bells?

I did not start using inflammatory language. You did by introducing the term gusanos. That term was used in the 1960s and early 1970s in Cuba to justify all kind of physical and verbal abuses against anyone who disagreed with the Cuban government. It is very inflamatory and it is a political/racial slur. Gusano can be translated into English as either maggot, worm, or carterpillar. Initially it was used to connotate maggots (parasites). In the tropics, any dead animal decomposes quickly, and moving its corpse reveals a mass of white maggots (gusanera). The proper disposal of a dead animal in Cuba was to burn it after dousing it with gasoline or alcohol creating a burning hell for the white maggots that were doing their ecological thing. That image is part and parcel of every Cuban's memory who had to deal with dead animals in Cuba. The implication of calling someone a maggot (gusano) is that for social hygiene it should be incinerated. Do you understand now why calling someone a gusano is not to be encouraged?

Whenever there is dehumanization of the other through epithets or branding (gusanos, right wing, nazi, etc), one must wonder if there is a secret wish for eliminating the physical presence of the other. That's why I inquire whether there is a final solution in the works against gusanos, the right wing, and others when the arguments break down into name calling.

BTW I have protested when posters who do not agree with me have been called names, and threatened. You can ask Leftside, and Anonimo.

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

The anonymous can always go down to Mexico and from there travel to Cuba. And while he is there, he may apply for permanent residence there, and then he can beat up and trash the gusanos there all he wants. What a rectal orifice!