Obama to ease travel restrictions to Cuba, allow more U. S. cash to island

Miami Herald ^ | 1/14/11 | Lesley Clark

[Nachum]

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Friday said it will allow for more U.S. travel to Cuba, making it easier for schools, churches and cultural groups to visit the island. A senior Obama official told The Miami Herald the much-expected move to expand cultural, religious and educational travel to Cuba is part of the administration's continuing ``effort to support the Cuban people's desire to freely determine their own future. President Barack Obama is also restoring the amount of money ($2,000) that can be sent to nonfamily members to the level they were at during part of the Clinton and Bush administrations.

[Nachum]

O- bamaa is a Com-u-nist Doo-dah! Doo-dah!

Goonna slam the right
Triangulate tonight

O-bamaa is a Com-u-nist, Castro says all right!

[Nachum]

The list, ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[Right Wing Assault]

Oh, cool! Let’s bail them out, too. How about 500 billion for starters?

[Michael.SF.]

I know I am going to catch hell for asking this, but where in the Constitution does the government have the authority to limit my ability to travel in a foreign country.

Preemptive answers follow:

1) I have no desire to go to Cuba.

2) No I do not love Fidel.

3) I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the communist party.

4) I just do not believe the government has this authority.

[USSR Didnt Fall]

Oh great all those so called laid off government workers have a place now to settle and wait to become citizens in the meantime vote, protest and collect benefits.

[airplaneguy]

You can go to CUBA if you want now. you just cant get there through a US gateway. Americans go to cuba all the time through other countries like from Mexico city, other places in the Carribean, etc.

[Huskrrrr]

Who the hell wants to spend time in Cuber?

[airplaneguy]

Also, just don't get a passport stamp if you travel on a US passport. Cuba immigration knows the drill for Americans. a wink and a nod. get it? as long as you're bringing dinero to spend almost anyone will look the other way. same goes for places like Lebanon, Venezuela, etc.

[luckybogey]

Might be a good time to visit and invest in real estate.

http://www.escapeartist.com/Live_In_Cuba/

[ColdOne]

The official dismissed speculation that the administration delayed the changes until after the November election because Democrats in Florida feared it would hurt them among Cuban-American voters -- many of whom back tough sanctions against the Cuban regime. . Once again doing something against the will of the people! .......The White House said the changes do not require congressional approval and the changes will be published in the Federal Register.

[pallis]

Maybe Cuba can sell us some Gulf oil at sub $100 per barrel prices.

[Michael.SF.]

just don't get a passport stamp if you travel on a US passport.

Yes I am aware that I can fly to Mexico City or other locations then go to Cuba, but your comment above gets me back to the original question. If I decide to go to Cuba, and I do get my US passport stamped, by what Consitutional reasoning would I then be in violation of any US Law?

Mind you, I support a boycot of Cuba, I just do not agree that the government has the right to make that determination for me.

[bert]

The super pigs are lining up the choice opportunities for the redevelopment of Cuba

The Florida Cuban Republicans will be shut out in favor of New York Jews and Chicago thugss

[AU72]

The prohibition technically is on spending US dollars in Cuba. Having a stamped passport will get you interrogated and searched for that evidence.

[airplaneguy]

I'm not an Attorney so i don't know for sure but I'm betting there's some US CFR in some rules governing the state dept. that addresses this. But even if there isn't it doesn't matter if you ends up in jail or detained and harassed by US immigration. But I agree with you. our federal govt shouldn't have a say.

[castlegreyskull]

I guess we will have a new entrance for terrorist to enter this country.

[patriot preacher]

Oh good! Now we’ll bail out Cuba! Joy!! <—SARCASM

[Riodacat]

Not only do I support this, but I would support complete normalization with Cuber..
It would be the quickest way to full democracy and freedom for the people of that country.

[Steel Wolf]

However you want to slice it, here’s the bottom line. Castro won. The Cuban people lost.

Our embargo may have served a purpose at one time, but that time is past. There’s really no point in doing anything other than going about our business with Cuba as though Castro’s no longer there. He got decades of tyranny, money and wealth, there’s nothing we can deny his senile old mind the sense of victory now.

There’s nothing to be done now than to look to the future. Seriously. What’s to be gained anymore by an embargo of Cuba?

[alexbg]