With his communist ally Fidel Castro of Cuba (L) on hand, leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez launched Petrocaribe, a new cut-rate oil diplomacy vehicle that could greatly increase Chavez's regional influence(AFP/Str)
Posted on 07/01/2005 1:06:30 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Posted on Fri, Jul. 01, 2005
U.S. CONGRESS House blocks efforts to ease U.S. sanctions against Cuba The U.S. House, reversing a years-old trend, dealt a heavy blow to supporters of easing sanctions on Cuba by rejecting three proposals. BY PABLO BACHELET pbachelet@herald.com
WASHINGTON - Reversing years of congressional votes that showed supporters of easing U.S. sanctions on Cuba gaining strength, the House on Thursday rejected three such proposals and gave a categorical win to supporters of a tough line on Havana.
An amendment seeking to overturn limits on Cuban-Americans' family travel to Cuba was defeated 211-208 -- the first time such an initiative was beaten back in a congressional vote. A similar amendment, also submitted by Florida Democrat Jim Davis, was approved last year on a 225-174 vote.
Both opponents and supporters of the sanctions credited the turnaround on a determined lobbying drive by Cuban-American lawmakers and the entreaties made by dissidents in the communist-ruled island such as Martha Beatriz Roque, who recently addressed the Congress members on a phone link from Havana.
Two other amendments -- all three were part of a spending bill for the treasury, housing and transportation departments -- were shot down by lopsided margins.
A proposal to ease restrictions on U.S. student travel to Cuba, presented by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., was defeated 233-187. Last year it was so heavily backed that it passed by a simple voice vote.
And an amendment that would have completely lifted the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, submitted by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., was rejected on a 250-169 vote.
Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican and always one of the strongest critics of the U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba, withdrew several amendments after the defeat of the Davis initiative.
Miami Republicans Lincoln and Mario Díaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hailed the votes as ''historic'' in a joint statement.
''The solid defeat of these amendments sends a definitive message of support for the president's Cuba policy,'' Ros-Lehtinen said.
EMBARGO PROTECTED
Since 2001, a group of moderate and farm-state Republicans have annually joined with Democrats to pass a series of amendments to spending bills that tried to chip away at the embargo, and especially the travel restrictions. Even after Fidel Castro's security agents arrested and jailed 75 dissidents in 2003, an amendment to lift the travel restrictions passed by a comfortable 30-vote margin.
The amendments were never implemented because congressional negotiators, operating under a veto threat by the White House, would strip them out of the final bill. But each year it seemed that the next would see a significant weakening of the sanctions.
But this year Cuban-American groups that support the sanctions say they have recovered some of the political weight the community had when Jorge Mas Canosa ran the Cuban American National Foundation. Some say they let down their guard with President Bush in the White House and his brother Jeb in the governor's mansion.
''The void that occurred with the death of Jorge Mas Canosa has slowly and steadily started to be filled again,'' said Ignacio Sánchez, a member of the Cuban Liberty Council. Many of its members broke off from CANF to espouse a tougher line on Castro.
In March, Cuban American lawmakers and their congressional allies arranged for three Cuban dissidents -- Martha Beatriz Roque, René Gómez and Félix Bonné -- to endorse Bush's restrictions in a phone-link testimony before a House panel.
Thursday's votes came atop other recent setbacks by those who favor relaxing U.S. restrictions. An amendment to ease humanitarian travel lost in a procedural vote in the Senate Wednesday night. Last month, a Flake initiative to lift a ban on sending personal hygiene items such as toilet paper and toothpaste to Cuba was also defeated in the House.
U.S. EXPORTS
And on Thursday, Bush threatened to veto a provision in the spending bill that would reverse recently enacted regulations making it more difficult for U.S. farmers to be paid by Cuba for U.S. exports. ''The administration is strongly opposed to any efforts to weaken these regulations, and if the final version of the bill contained such a provision, the President would veto the bill,'' the White House said in a statement.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Missouri Republican who has been leading the charge to overturn the restrictions, said she would ``keep plugging forward and see what happens.''
John Kavulich, a senior policy advisor with U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which tracks economic trends in Cuba, said the Castro government has been purchasing less U.S. foodstuff since the new restrictions were adopted, but only to put political pressure on U.S. lawmakers who want their farmers back home to benefit from trade with Havana.
''The Cuban government has a genetic need to be a part of the U.S. political discourse,'' Kavulich said.
What's your take on this?
With his communist ally Fidel Castro of Cuba (L) on hand, leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez launched Petrocaribe, a new cut-rate oil diplomacy vehicle that could greatly increase Chavez's regional influence(AFP/Str)
I agree with all of it, especially your last couple of sentences.
The next time Charlie says he supports the troops remember its the Cuban troops!
The Congressional Black Caucus kiss Castro's feet.
Do you say this about communist china when you purchase a product from that nation? Do you suppport allowing communist china into the American board room by allowing the chinese to purchase Unocal.
Castro is a wart while communist china is a cancer eating away at our society.
Are you speaking about Castro?
And what result do you think we're aiming for?
No. I ask your position.
Thank goodness! That embargo is goin' to bring him down any day now, I just *know* it is.
It's hard to discuss this with you, if you use the word embargo. U.S. companies can trade with Castro, he just has to place cash on the barrel head. He can trade with Europe. He can trade with Iran, North Korea, Zimbabwe, all of Central and South America. He trades with Mexico. He gets free gas from Venezuela/Chavez. Canadians and Germans flock to his resorts and brothels. Castro is a rich man.
The answer I'll give you if you'd read my post above, is we're doing, what we're going to continue to do, support his opposition and turn our back on him.
We gave him many, many chances and he laughed and threw those opportunities away. He likes things the way they are with his island of miserable slaves. I wouldn't give the man a drink of water, let alone treat him as a leader of Cuba.
Good grief.
Turn off CNN.
Mixing up posters.
If you go to that LINK and page down, you'll see by my LINKS what I think.
Post #17 to you.
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