[Cincinatus' Wife]

April 26, 2003 - Castro's preparing "the way for his own exit from the world stage in a hail of flames"***Still, Cuba has claimed some political victories recently.

The 53-member U.N. Human Rights Commission rejected a tougher amendment criticizing Cuba's dissident crackdown.

Maryland also is sticking with plans to send the Pride of Baltimore II clipper ship to the island to promote the state's seafood, poultry, pet food, cake mix, juices and spices. The ship is scheduled to arrive at the island on May 24.***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

April 24, 2003 - Pride II set to sail to Cuba on trade visit *** The trip -- which follows recent crackdowns by Fidel Castro against dissidents and increased tension between the United States and Cuba -- could generate millions of dollars in trade for Maryland businesses, officials say. A replica of a sleek 1812-era topsail schooner, the Pride is scheduled to leave Baltimore tomorrow and arrive in Havana on May 24. The 100-foot-long ship will take Cuban government and trade officials on sailing junkets, displaying samples of seafood, poultry, pet food, cake mix, juices and spices from Maryland companies interested in cracking the Cuban market.

"It's important that the United States, regardless of Castro's political actions, do things that make good economic sense," said Brian Alexander, executive director of the Cuba Policy Foundation, which opposes the U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba. "Expanding trade to Cuba benefits the U.S. worker and takes money out of Castro's pocket and puts it into the American economy."

U.S. businesses sold at least $138 million worth of farm products to Cuba last year, Alexander said, adding that America's economy loses up to $1.2 billion annually in agricultural exports because of the embargo. Talib Rashada, president of W.C. Dunn, a Maryland import-export company, said he sold more than $600,000 in spices to the Cuban government last year. He said he hopes to sell between $3 million to $4 million in spices and other commodities as a result of the May trip. "We have extremely high hopes for this trip," Rashada said. "We think Cuba is going to be a remarkable market." ***

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In a desperate financial gamble, Castro recently raided the $250 million set aside to pay hard currency debt to European, Latin American, and Asian countries for essential imports. Instead, he used it to buy US farm products for cash. He was apparently calculating that he could persuade the US Congress to enact legislation freeing up additional exports to Cuba, and approving a flood of tourists to Cuba. The ploy hasn't worked. Nor, given the crackdown on dissenters, does the outlook look good for improving US-Cuban ties. President Bush is threatening new punitive measures. *** Castro's $250 Million "Charm offensive" hasn't worked: It's same old cruel regime.

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"Expanding trade to Cuba benefits the U.S. worker and takes money out of Castro's pocket and puts it into the American economy."

This couldn't be more twisted or wrong. Castro wanted our Congress to pass legislation allowing U.S. taxpayer backed loans to finance shipments to his island. This would have effectively freed up his money allowing him to continue exporting anti-American terrorism.