Al Neuharth: Why is China OK, but Cuba 'enemy'?

USA Today ^ | February 22, 2002 | Al Neuharth, USA Today founder

[Cincinatus' Wife]

In Beijing, Bush called China our ''partner.'' Cuba officially is our ''enemy.'' Why?

Because a small number of powerful exiles in South Florida cow our politicians into keeping the crazy Cuban policy. That was designed to castrate Fidel Castro and has failed for more than 40 years.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Man, your reading comprehension skills are poor today. I said that those numbers were my OPINIONS. You said I didn't know what I was talking about."

Actually, that wasn't the way the conversation went down, was it?

Let me refresh your memory:

To: GuillermoX

You don't know what you're talking about.

126 posted on 3/3/02 12:30 PM Pacific by Luis Gonzalez

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To: Luis Gonzalez

I know exactly what I'm talking about.

127 posted on 3/3/02 12:32 PM Pacific by GuillermoX

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You didn't come with the "it's my opinion" statement until after I posted the article's segment.

Prior to that, you never ONCE used the word opinion.

[Demidog]

That is exactly the cost.

The US government does not foot my bills. Hope that helps.

[Demidog]

If this were true, exporting firms would be granting unlimited credit to everyone on earth, outside the USA.

Excellent point. You would think that people believe (since perhaps the government keeps jawing about how it controls the economy) that the US government buys us things and we simply pay them back through taxes and that this is "free market economics" or "capitalism."

[Toddsterpatriot]

You're consistent. When there's a leftwing murderer to defend, you're Johnny-on-the-spot.

Anything he needs to do to be on the opposite side on the U.S.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You need to remove the idea that if we trade with Castro the Cuban people will benefit. The rest of the world is free to trade with Castro. We are allowed to give them humanitarian aid. Their relatives send them dollars and and/or go visit with a suitcase (only one allowed--Castro's dictate) filled with things they can barter. They usually don't take anything for themselves personally, so that all the room is available to take things to leave. Knowing the rest of the world is free to trade with Castro (He owns an island that can produce goods and an educated population that could provide skilled labor for a foreign business on the island. You'd think tourism would be a money maker.) so, with such prospects, how is their suffering the fault of the U.S?

Doesn't make sense does it? Well it does if you understand that Castro is a communist. People are not allowed to enrich themselves. He takes the wages (in dollars) from foreign companies that the people earn and then pays the workers one-tenth what they earned in local currency. He pockets the rest. This is Castro's communism. He also barters doctors and teachers and trainers and subversives out to other miserable hell-holes either for goods or to shore up alliances. The Cuban people are his property, they belong to him. How will trading with Castro change this?

Castro gives 5 hour speeches, orders large crowds to wherever he wants, runs the state controlled T.V., radio, newspaper and schools. He controls all information, all economy everything. He also provides a better life to those higher up in his communist circle, because after living under communism, people wouldn't choose to live under communism, so you have to have people around you who will forcefully preserve your paradise. Now when Castro dies, don't expect this wonderful event to usher in a wonderful life for the Cuban people. Castro doesn't intend for his dream to die and those close around him aren't about to let that happen either.

If we allow U.S. companies to secure loans to pay for good sent to Cuba (Castro will only give them worthless IOUs which is one reason so few countries will trade with him anymore) and the American people will foot the bill for this. In turn Castro will take the profit from our stupidity and use it to advance his communist agenda and terrorist activities around the world. How will this help the Cuban people? How is their suffering improved? They suffer because of communism and Castro and our trading with Castro will not help, in fact in will strengthen him and send the message to the world we endorse and recognize his communist government. We must not do that.

Castro controls Cuba, just as a man who own 100% of a company would control the direction of everything. Remember in Castro's "company," the "workers" don't have rights or recourse if they don't like something. You're jailed or stripped of everything, if you make trouble and are considered mentally ill if you oppose his communist regime.

Castro uses the embargo to attack us (it's a wrong-headed argument but you can see the media goes with it-I've even seen one reporter called it a blockade) and it confuses those who want to take hits at the U.S. but other countries really know the scam and they don't like to trade with him either. So if we take that away from him he'll just find another thing to rail about. But he won't make life easier for the Cuban people. And it is his to give or hold back.

If we give Castro what he wants, we take away their hope. I can't do that. It is the one thing they hang on to. So you see, the embargo hasn't failed miserably because with or without it, their lives will stay the same, but by keeping it in effect, the United States tells the people held prisoner in Cuba, that we know Castro is wrong and we won't help him in his dirty business of trading in human lives. Which is what he really does. He makes their lives miserable and then holds that over our heads. What kind of sick is that?

We've told Castro to start moving toward a more open society, allow democratic elections and we will gladly start to open up relations with this new government. Now the ball is in Castro's court, where it's been for 40 years and it is he, who needs to change or step out of the way before there is any relief in Cuba. But he won't because no one is making him do it.

Read this article and think about living in a place where you are not allowed
to own property or enrich yourself. Cuba Wages Offensive on 'Over-sized' houses
It's a small window on life under Castro. Here is another. The price of milk (and sex) in Cuba

[Toddsterpatriot]

The US government does not foot my bills. Hope that helps

You're a doofus. Hope that helps.

[Cardenas]

The farm lobby is looking to Cuba for business; they don't have to go back too far to figure out that this small country is not a good credit risk. Last year, it was reported that France canceled a grain shipment of $160 million due to Cuba's non-payment and that South Africa and Thailand stopped providing credits to the island. Eastern European governments have tried unsuccessfully to get payment on their Cuban debt. Cuba has one of the worst credit ratings in the world.

The farm lobby is the main recipient of corporate welfare. As far as the taxpayers foot the bill they will be happy to sell on credit to Castro.

It does not make economic sense to sell to somebody you know that will never pay back. ADM, the biggest recipient of corporate welfare, is at the forefront along with Castro in bilking billions of dollars of American taxpayers’ hard earned money

[hgro]

Cuba is an island prison with 11,000,000 inmates, 90 miles off our shores.

[Congressman Billybob]

The interesting thing here, my friend, is that Demidog not only doesn't read other people's posts, apparently he doesn't read his own. (That's probably a wise policy across the board.)

Anyway, he claimed on this thread in front of God and everybody that Congress had "no power" under Article I to bar US trade with Cuba. There are a lot of dumb statements that get by me, because I only know a few subjects cold. But the Constitution is one of them. (It's a trade hazard of practicing in the Supreme Court.)

When someone misstates the plain language of the Constitution, that pushes all my buttons. I have no problem. Demidog has a lot of them.

Anytime I see a flat-out misstatement of the Constitution on any thread on FR, I try to clear it up on the spot. Usually I am most polite. But some folks neither understand polite, nor warrant it. The thread readers, however, still deserve a clarification re: the Constitution.

Thanks for putting up the quote from that document. I didn't have the document on my desk as I wrote, and I'm careful not to misquote the Constitution by typing from memory.

Cheers,

Congressman Billybob

New column up: "The Un-Music Man." You'll like this one a bunch.

[GuillermoX]

Words like "I doubt" and "I would venture to say " mean an opinion is about to be expressed. If one said "In my opinion, I doubt that the Dolphins will make the Super Bowl next year", the phrase "In my opinion" would be superflous.

I'm sure there are ESOL classes you can take in the evenings at your local high school.

[GuillermoX]

I'm against the gov't backing any private business venture, including farms.

[Luis Gonzalez]

You go CB!

[Toddsterpatriot]

That's why the Bush administration is denying government backed business loans

To communist Cuba.

[hgro]

Did you ever hear of charity. The wealthy Cubans bailed out of Cuba long ago and sit in the United States and snipe at everything done in our country that doesn't suit them. Their obvious aim is to eventually return to Cuba and continue their Batista style rape of the poor.

The United States would long ago have re-established relations with Cuba on the basis on humanitarian reasons alone were it not for these old cuban ruling class types as stated above.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I like the fact that you're having to resort to insults because your battle is lost.

Prior to your post where you told me that you knew exactly what you were talking about, you never once offered the fact that these were unfounded opinions coming from you.

BTW, when do you leave with the rest of the Maceitos to go cut Fidel's sugar cane?

I am amused that you also didn't know about the lottery to get out of Cuba.

Quite uninformed for someone so opinionated.

[GuillermoX]

Does it bother you that Castro has been raping Cuba for 43 years? Why is it OK for Castro to be a thie? Yes, there were thieves in Cuba prior to the revolution, but Castro was simply jealous. He wanted to be the only thief, and that he is. And his thievery superceded all prior thievery exponentially.

Prior to 1959, more Americans lived in Cuba than Cubans lived in America.

[GuillermoX]

Duh, words like "I believe", "I doubt" and "I would venture to say" automatically mean an opinion is about to be expressed, does it not?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Hi all! We're having quite a spirited discussion, please join us.

[Willie Green]

Lifting the embargo would only serve to prop up Castro.

Our domestic agriculture "interests" who claim they want to export to Cuba ACTUALLY want to import FROM Cuba.

That would give Castro (and any hand-picked successor he names) the hard cash needed to maintain his regime.

Lift the embargo and there will never be any restitution.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The Constitution says (Article 1, section 8) :

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

I say : What's the problem here?

Don't confuse doggie with logic. He's like that character on Saturday Night Live. The tobacco lawyer played by Martin Short. "I never said that, why would you think I said that?"