Monday, July 27, 2009

Everybody wants in (Updated)

The mayor of New Orleans wants direct flights from his city to Cuba.

In Florida, county officials are lobbying for the same for Key West International Airport, and Tampa officials are just back from a trip to Havana where they promoted trade and called for normalized relations, which they believe would benefit Tampa’s port.

And in Colorado, they are promoting increased farm exports to Cuba, undaunted (or maybe supported – the article doesn’t say) by the 3,701 Cuban Americans living in the Centennial State.

[Update: The Houston airport wants in too, and the governor of Arkansas is on his way to Cuba to promote trade.]

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

obama delivers a big speech regarding how important china is to america.
america engages china despite all their human rights abuses, jailing opponents, and they are still one party communist. all the ills that these Cubanologists damn Cuba for, China has them moreso.
obama says he won't engage Cuba until certain conditions are met, conditions that the Cubans have said time and again are non-starters.

the difference. size does matter. more importantly, cuba has all justifications to protect itself and its citizens under the siege the americans have put them under for the past 50 years. china has less reason for their civil rights restrictions et al. because they are not under attack from the americans, there is no Commission for Assistance for a Free China, there is no embargo or blockade.
there is just the naked hypocrisy of American foreign policy at work -- the strong do what they want and the weak do what they have to.
and those who post on this blog with their incessant anti-cuban rhetoric, without taking into account one iota how american policy has affected things, (unless only to discount any influence) are disingenuous at best and helping support a criminal foreign policy at worst.
cuba is neither black nor white, but those who see it only in black should go back to the 1950s. or the university of pittsburgh. your song is old and worn out. i hope the CANF pays you all very well.

you continue with your science fiction if it helps

Anonymous said...

oh ok dimwit, because China grossly violates the human rights of its people and the US trades with it that means its ok that we trade with Cuba even though it grossly violates the human rights of its people. Some world you want...

Anonymous said...

"Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the hotel california
Any time of year, you can find it here ...
... You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

Courtesy of The Eagles

"Roaches check in -- but they don't check out!"

Courtesy of Roach Motel

Follow the pheronomes guys!

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

oye moron, the point is the Americans are unbelievable hypocritical --and the only reason they continue to punish cuba is because it's small and insignificant. and the USA also wants to re-establish hegemony. So cut all the crap about American policy against Cuba designed in objection to Cuba's alleged civil rights restrictions, etc eetc. Has absolutely nothing to do with that at all -- as evidence by how they treat other countries. The point was to call attention to the hypocrisy of those who support American policy against Cuba. Sorry you couldn't grasp it. Next time a graph and pictures may be needed.
But then it's always easier for bullies to pick on the weak and cowtow to the strong.

Anonymous said...

please send some of those drugs you're taking then maybe we can make sense of your comment

Anonymous said...

anon 847 -- now there's the typical reaction from someone who only cares about hurting the cuban people. i hope you wear your gusano badge proudly.

Anonymous said...

Would the people that use the word gusano please put in parentheses which English translation you are suggesting: caterpillar, worm, or maggot?

Much appreciated!

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

translation of gusano:

someone the regime drove out of the country who they and their apologists now expect to return to bail out the regime economically

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 3:57PM,

Your translation of gusano was the one used in the late 1970s to describe the Cuban-Americans who returned to Cuba prior to Mariel bringing goods to their families there. Vox populi was that they left Cuba as gusanos (carterpillars) and return as mariposas (butterflies).

Vecino de NF

Anonymous said...

yes, Peters, "everybody wants in" -- and three-quarters of the Cuban population want out

Anonymous said...

dimwit 11:54, somehow you think invoking China is an argument- stopper, and I guess it is for people who have such a simplistic view of the world. (Even Peters likes to impress himself by pointing out the supposed contradictions.)

Let's see if you can stay with me on this...

Is China a dictatorship? Yes. Does the regime violate the human rights of the Chinese people? Yes. Has the Chinese regime instituted reforms whereby trade and commerce can possibly push the limits on freedom set by the regime? Arguably yes. I don't buy it but its a valid argument.

Is Cuba a dictatorship? Yes. Does the regime violate the human rights of the Cuban people? Yes. Has the Cuban regime instituted reforms whereby trade and commerce can possibly push the limits on freedom set by the regime? Absolutely NOT -- and therein lies the difference.

Understand, Pancho?