Thursday, November 19, 2009

Time to end the travel ban

My testimony in a hearing today before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs is here (pdf).

Chairman Berman’s opening statement is here.

A statement on the subject from Yoani Sanchez is here.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

good points, makes sense, of course americans should travel to cuba, like cuban-americans can now without restrictions. it's a no-brainer, and now those no-brainers will chime in with their 50 year old crap to try and keep the restrictions on.

what utter, absolute hypocrites they are, and all they have on their side now is name calling.

but like everything in Cuba- America relations, it's about a small group of fanatics trying to control the message and policy for the vast majority of the rest of us. This is how they perceive democracy, by dictating to others what they should think about cuba. only because they tell us so, because they are scared to death of the rest of america finding out for themselves, making up their own minds.

and of course, pseudo-gusanos like democrat debbie schultz (where's she from again?) who has never been to cuba, knows nothing about cuba, but takes just enough dirty money to send a letter demanding americans shouldn't be allowed to travel to cuba. think about it, the desperation and thought-control it must take to actually fight to prohibit americans from travelling to cuba. incredible. the land of the free.

and all they have is the same old crap about 'freedom' and 'change' -- code words for the demands of internal change from a sovereign country, imposed by economic terrorism and hostile policies. we don't hear those demands from egypt or saudi arabia or china, but cuba's different we're told. so just because we don't do it to those other countries doesn't mean we shouldn't stop doing it to cuba. now there's a special kind of logic. a sick, punishing kind of logic.

and the closer the lifting of the travel ban comes to reality, the more harsh and shrill will be the invectives from the other side. think about it, how desperate they are to prevent a million americans from visiting cuba in the first year or so -- desperate because it may turn into a force for reform instead of destruction. and all they've ever wanted to do is destroy.

so of course, it's a no-brainer for americans to be permitted to come to cuba. anyone who says otherwise is only interested in continuing to punish the cuban people, and continue their influence and power over the rest of us. nothing else they say, no justification, will be anything else but lies. and there's nothing new there either.

Anonymous said...

Speaking about "nothing new," Bootlicker, you've punished us with your same vapid blather for months now.

chingon

Anonymous said...

pidgen; you are perfect, always consistent. you prove my point exactly -- rational thought responded with complete vindictiveness and name calling. it just shows how much more desperate your types are as things move beyond your control. all you do is show us exactly why americans should be able to come to cuba, just to finally shut you up

Anonymous said...

and chingon, we've been listing to your same old crap for 50 years. step aside old man, and let reality sink in. i want to travel to cuba legally, without the government interfering. tell me what's wrong with that?


mitio

Anonymous said...

yes, bootlicker, that is really two different people posting here...is that the way you increase the number of people who agree with you?

chingon

Anonymous said...

On Planet Mojon, Americans and Cuban-Americans actually think traveling to Cuba will enervate the fear and loving convictions the Cuban massess have for Fidel and the Revolution. As if, for the past 50 years, foreigners from democratic nations have not been vacationing in Cuba. Leave it to the tourist Americans to think they are principled enough to dictate the future of the island, as if it were their decision to make in the first place.

Tu Madre

Anonymous said...

Bravo Philip!

Anonymous said...

Fidel, why don't you have the guts to sign your posts?

Anonymous said...

LA INTERMEDIARIA BY ZOE VALDEZ

no se lo pierdan en el blog de Zoe

Anonymous said...

Peters, please don't try to associate your views with those of Yaoni. She wants something completely different for Cuba than you do, as one can tell from this blog. She gets assaulted on the streets of Havana. You get a visa. Enough said.

chingon

Anonymous said...

chingon (that name says it all):
Yoani doesn't need you to interpret her objectives, which she clearly stated:
Free travel by all Americans.
If you and your ilk prefer to stay home, no one keeps you from doing so.
After being welcomed by Americans with open arms in your hour of need, you are thanking them for their generosity since 50 years by bribing US congresspeople so that US citizen's constitutional rights can be trampled on.
What counts is not what 'Cuban'-American extremists want, but what Cubans actually on the island want. And all respected dissidents concur that they want free travel.
You hardliners are not at all interested in the Cuban people, as demonstrated by your heartless policies. And you know that the Cuban people know. Hence you need the embargo on Cuba as as negotiating chip, not to 'improve Human Rights' (for you couldn't care less), but so that you will be let in to participate in the money to be made in the post- Castro reconstruction.
Fat chance.

Anonymous said...

Peters, why is it that whenever anyone criticizes you, the most ardent regime bootlickers come rushing to your defense?

chingon

Anonymous said...

pidgen champions freedom by supporting a dictatorial policy on who can and can't visit cuba; gusano thy name is pidgen.


what are you gusanos so scared of? the death of your influence and hope for control. of course.

Phil Peters said...

Chingon, get with it, you left out "Dime con quien andas" and all that.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Mr. Peters. Your blog in one of the best on Cuba. Don't pay attention to this dim-witted who believes he is a "chingon".

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I also agree. Yes, thanks Phil, and "The Cuban Triangle" is without question one of the best blogs on Cuba. BravĂ­simo!

Brownie

Anonymous said...

Bootlicker, thanks for proving my point. And remember, no matter how many handles you try to use on this site, everyone knows you are still just one bootlicker sitting in front of your computer.

Peters, I am actually curious as to how you feel about these whack-jobs like leftside and bootlicker, whose views would be laughed out of any serious conversation on Cuba in Washington or any European capital, that rush to align themselves with you whenever you are criticized.

chingon

Anonymous said...

and pidgen's opinion are of course much more valuable than anyone else
maybe in 1961 just before the bay of pigs.
now, he can't even articulate why americans should be prohibited from visiting cuba.

but he is an expert at nonsense. just ask him about reality, that's where he has a problem.

leftside said...

Peters, I am actually curious as to how you feel about these whack-jobs like leftside and bootlicker, whose views would be laughed out of any serious conversation on Cuba in Washington or any European capital...

No Chingon, my views are pretty well represented in Europe. But even the far right in Europe does not share your pro-blockade, pro-travel ban, pro-regime change policies.

And rest assured that Peters is not very fond of me, my views, or me posting here. I won't violate confidence by going beyond that. But fear not. Peters is not a socialist.

Many of us here "stick up" for him against idiotic attacks because it is often so tempting to blow up the "logic" behind the attacks.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, leftside, I guess I missed it when European leaders defended the assault on Yaoni, as you did.

and my question still stands: why does Peters attract such support from Castro bootlickers whose views he wouldn't be caught dead espousing?

chingon

Anonymous said...

because pidgen there are two sides to the story, and so many are sick and tired of only hearing the gusano side, you know the ones that is nothing but lies

and we all still await actual photos of yoani's assault. but that has nothing to do with what leftside was posting, nothing new there either, pidgen never could answer what was posted.

and as the USA tortures defenceless innocent prisoners, continues with rendition, illegally invades countries and kills thousands, your condemnations of cuba are absolutely pointless.

it's the embargo, the hostility, the necessity of a siege mentality that was posted, but pidgen just ignores

again pidgen -- why shouldn't americans travel freely to cuba; why are you against it.

read it slowly, then maybe you can understand it. or are you still writing pidgen english?

Anonymous said...

Will you guys please give it up? Chingon plays you guys like violins. Basta!

Anonymous said...

Upright testing to see if your clarification fuctinon works, supply doesnt!