Posted on 04/07/2009 5:00:24 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for an end to U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, just hours after a meeting with former Cuban president Fidel Castro in Havana.
“The fifty-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) told reporters this evening at a Capitol press conference after returning from a congressional delegation visit to Cuba. “The bottom line is that we believe its time to open dialogue with Cuba.”
Lee and others heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion. But the lawmakers disputed Castro's later statement that members of the congressional delegation said American society is still racist.
"It was quite a moment to behold," Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro.
“It was almost like listening to an old friend,” said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro’s home to be modest and Castro’s wife to be particularly hospitable.
“In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor,” Rush said.
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Ca.) said Castro was receptive to President Obama’s message of turning the page in American foreign policy.
"He listened. He said the exact same thing" about turning the page "as President Obama said," said Richardson.
Richardson said Castro knew her name and district. "He looked right into my eyes and he said, 'How can we help? How can we help President Obama?'"
President Obama vowed during the 2008 presidential campaign to loosen the longstanding travel embargo on Cuba, and Lee – who has been pushing for an end to travel and trade restrictions for some time - said now was as good a time as any to change the way the two countries did business.
There is now serious momentum in long-standing efforts to overturn the nearly five decade ban on travel and trade with Cuba. Previous efforts have been blocked by a vocal and influential Cuban American community, and former President Bush's veto threats on legislation to overturn the prohibitions have kept such proposals at bay.
In a statement following the meeting today, Castro said that the delegation had expressed to him that a segment of American society “continues to be racist,” and is at least partly to blame for the travel restrictions.
But the delegation this evening said those remarks were not expressed in the meeting.
“That did not happen,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), told reporters.
The Cubans in Miami won’t be too happy.
Perhaps they should be sent copies of extracts from the diaries of the great Che, the passages where he explains the inferiority of the African to the European.
Are they really that stupid? It boggles my mind.
yes, the Cubans who ran for their lives and lost all they owned to a dictator.
but he sure is polite...
Why not end the embargo? After all, we are fast becoming about as socialist as Cuba, so we might as well get some cheap vacations in Havana out of the deal. We can probably find some nice classic cars down there as well, and maybe some cheap beachfront property to boot!
Should I add /sarc to that? I don’t even know anymore...
Two quotes from Che:
“We’re going to do for blacks exactly what blacks did for the revolution. By which I mean: nothing.”
Che wrote, “their different attitudes of life separate them completely: the black is indolent and fanciful, he spends his money on frivolity and drink; the European comes from a tradition of working and saving which follows him to this corner of America and drives him to get ahead.”
and from another source:
‘Sanchez recalls how Che constantly tormented the black Cuban rebel, Juan Almedia. “Almedia would get furious!” says Sanchez. “So finally I told him: look Juan, if Che keeps calling you “el negrito,” turn around and call him “El Chancho” (”The Pig”; among the bourgeois debauchments most disdained by Ernesto Guevara were baths.) Sanchez reveals all this in the fascinating documentary “Che; Anatomia de un Mito.” ‘
Many of them voted for Obama.
Never could understand the CBC’s support of Castro, who often boasted of his 100 percent European blood; though he was a bastard child, Fidel was grateful for having a peninsular Spanish father.
The Cuban military has for decades been described as one where the officers are white, the sergeants are mulatto, and the private soldiers are black.
And Rep. Charlie Rantel Wrangel? He goes absolutely ballistic whenever El Maximo Lider Caudillo is criticized in any way.
I know and they won’t be happy this administration is kissing up to any Castro.
Why don’t all the blacks simply go there. That can be their ‘reparations’, they get the whole island, to set up whatever fine society they would like, with whatever system they choose. Maybe it will turn out as nice as Somalia.
Anybody could have told them that Obama would kiss up to Castro. Carter did it, Clinton too. It's a liberal disease to cut America down to size just so the whole world likes us
Democrats run in P.A.K.S...they are know as The Party of Azz Kissers.
Probably the entire Congressional Black Caucus will attend Fidel's funeral. Barbara Lee may be angling to be the official head of the delegation, but I think Obama will pull rank on her.
How heartwarming. A hard-core Communist dictator wishes to be of assistance to our President.
However can we re-pay him...???
Actually, it's quite easy to understand.
They are all Communists...first.
Ideology is thicker than blood...
We have a CBC-like ghetto hustling commie in the oval office that adores Fidel.
That's one funeral that Obama won't delegate to his faithful servant, Joe.
Not surprising. The Communists usually have pretty good control over where their sleepers are.
Why doesn’t the CBC go to Africa and deal with Darfur and the other hellholes where their relatives are
dying instead of sucking up to Castro ?
( I know the answer-we all know the answer.)
They’re all communists now.
Yeah, I got my eye on one of these Castro Convertibles. (:^*)
Traitors. You know we are actually in the minority when Congressional members have no fear of openly praising a communist tyrant. The Republic may be too far gone.
Well, between you, me and the fence post every member of the traitorous congressional black caucus should be hanged or sent to North Korea - one way.
There is not a more seditious bunch in America than the putrid, racist CBC.
Of course they didn’t say those things. And neither has barack during his overseas visit. Bow, what bow? We’re not a christian nation, never said it. Besides do you think the CBC is anything but rabid america supporters? Lets hear now from the white caucus.
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