Panel Seeks Steps for Cuba Regime Change

[maddezmom]

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A government commission is recommending to President Bush (news - web sites) a series of measures to cut U.S. dollar flows to Cuba as part of a broader policy to hasten the end of the country's communist system, an administration official said Sunday night.

A commission report, in preparation for six months and overseen by Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites), also calls for steps to overcome Cuban jamming of U.S.-government sponsored radio and television broadcasts to Cuba, the official said.


The official, asking not to be identified in advance of the report's public release, said it urges increased support for Cuban dissidents and families of political prisoners and also calls for measures to encourage foreign governments to distance themselves from the Cuban regime.


Last October, Bush announced the creation of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba and set a May 1 deadline for completion of a report. The concept and the timing appeared to be linked to maintaining in the November elections the solid support Bush received in 2000 from Cuban-Americans in Florida. Without their backing, the election would have gone to Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites).

~snip~
more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&ncid=734&e=2&u=/ap/20040503/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/us_cuba

[madrchsod]

1. anything for a vote....

if the Europeans start coming in droves to Cuba,Cuba may switch to euro`s and that would really piss off the Cuban Americans that send millions of dollars to their families in Cuba .maybe Kerry will come to his sense's and change this stupid policy but probably not, the cuban outfit is pretty strong

[maddezmom]

2. and Mexico withdrawls it's ambassador nt

[Vogon_Glory]

4. Euroization Was Already Underway in 2003

The acceptance of Euros as a hard currency was already underway when I visited Cuba as part of a group tour back in 2003. I'm sure that if the Boosh regime's foolish proposal gets put into effect, the Euro will supplant the dollar as Cuba's main foreign currency, and there will be little or nothing Dubya, Jebito, the Diaz-Ballart brothers, or Ros-Lehtinen can do about it.

[Mika]

8. You are right, VogonG

The transition to Euros is underway. It will be the official tourism dollar by 2007 -08. No more US dollar stores.

-

Plus, bush is about to reduce by 1/2 the amount of remittances Cuban-Americans can send to their relatives back in Cuba.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8570057.htm

A 500-page report on U.S. policy toward Cuba due at the White House on Monday recommends limiting Cuban-Americans' visits to the island, significantly cutting remittances and drastically reducing the money that U.S. visitors can spend there, activists familiar with the document said.

This will not win any votes in Miami.

The Miamicuban radio stations are ablaze with this news right now.
Caller after caller are squealling that Bush is a Fidelista.

They are just now realizing that when it comes to bashing Castro and gittin tough on Cuba and gittin millions of our tax dollars funneled their way (CANF, Cubanet, Radio/TV Marti etc) - Clinton was very very good to them

See it and weep..

CANF founder and Clinton fundraiser Jorge Mas Canosa & Bill Clinton



Just think.. If Kerry gits to talkin tough agin Castro he can get the Gusano vote. :puke:

Just how _low do you want to go?

[Vogon_Glory]

16. US Citizen Rightists vs US Citizen Remittance Senders: Numbers?

Mika, despite our strong differences about the nature of Castro's government, I think we're both interested in having the plug pulled on Dubya's, Reich's, and Noriega's little fantasies. I wonder what the ratio is between US citizen exiles who believe in squeezing Cuba until every abuela in Camaguey wails in anguish and those US citizen exiles who don't like Fidel that much but who have family back in Cuba they wish to support? Will it be enough to cost the Shrub another block of Florida voters? Those are ratios that I don't think anybody ever mentions.

It should be interesting to see how many Cuban exiles will finally decide that the tab for Bush's, Reich's, and Noriega's little power play is more than they wish their relatives in Cuba to play.

Unfortunately, the CANF does have other allies besides the Runnin' Dubya Posse in the Executive Branch. The televangelists are no doubt also enlisted in this last Commie-bashing extravaganza and it is evangelical foot soldier voters that keep Houston-area rightists like Tom DeLay in office.

[Mika]

18. Every other immigrant can send money back to their family..

Every other immigrant in the US can send money back to their family in their "old country", as much as they want/can as often as they want/can. Except Cuban immigrants.

While I do not support all of the extra perks the US government offers to Cuban expats (wet foot/dry foot, instant visa, instant green card, instant Sec 8 housing w/ a $41,000 income exemption, etc), I do think that banning or limiting the remittances by US residents to their family is a gross abridgement of their constitutional equal rights under the law.

Of course, native born Americans and all other resident aliens also are having their rights trampled over regarding the freedom to travel to Cuba to see the island, the people, and the Cuban government for themselves... heck.. if in Havana or Santiago de Cuba they might even see Castro driving by in an open jeep or stopping to buy some fruit at a farmers market.

[doni_georgia]

13. Let's not forget Saddam's switch to the Euro for oil transactions

on the day of teh 2000 election. First thing we did when we got in there was change the oil transaction currency back to the dollar.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Bush Will Get Support From How Many Cubans???

I'm sure that if George Deucey-U Bush enacts these harsh measures, the hard right in the Cuban exile community will rally around him. But of those who aren't hard rightists or who have taken out US citizenship papers and still send money back to "Forbidden Island," how many of these will be so thrilled with the Boosh regime's proposals that they'll vote for him again?

Not so many as the Boosh regime and Jebito expect.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. The Bush cocksuckers are trying to fuck up another country

Iraq and Haiti ain't enough for them? First of all I doubt they'll be successful because most of the rest of the world has normalized relations with Cuba. Second of all the quickest way to get rid of Castro is for the U.S. to normalize relations with Cuba. With the Cubans desiring American products they'll get rid of Castro in a heartbeat.

But then that would offend the fascist welfare bum Cuban exiles in Florida, a state G DUHbya desperately needs for the election and does not have a clear cut lead over Kerry in.

[boobooday]

6. Oh, please don't let Bush make any more "regime change" decisions

We know how he doesn't follow through.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Setting up for Bush re-redeaux

(or however it's spelled) in anticipation of Jebbie.

[lumpy]

9. Unbelievable that this foolish

administration wants to bring down yet another government, by hook, by crook or if that fails, by war. Damn Bush and his supporters to bloody hell.

[Mika]

10. More window dressing - at US taxpayer expense

Hot air

I'm pretty sure that many DUers know full well the extent of American attempts to overthrow the Cuban government. Some serious, like assassination attempts, invasion and such, but most as window dressing as cover for the US taxpayer funded anti Castro industry - which, if you have been watching the machinations of said industry, is a creation for and method of getting taxpayer money funneled to political campaigns of US politicians on both sides of the aisle. These said politicians are only too willing to expend more millions of taxpayer money on these "anti Castro" & "hastening democracy" foundations and working groups, like the CANF, Cubanet, BttR, etc.

Its a campaign funding cash cow (with our tax dollars).

Believe me, NONE of these 'working groups' or foundations really want Castro to be gone. No Castro = no anti Castro funding. (Btw, another living Cuban revolutionary war hero is Fidel's brother, Raul, the tactical brains behind Cuba's revolutionary war, headed the overwhelming defense against the US's Bay of Pigs invasion, and currently minister of defense. If the US is on a war stance against Cuba after Fidel leaves, Raul Castro is more than likely to be elected as Head of State of Cuba.)

The occasional attacks on Cuba, of late via US funded Miamicuban exile terrorists, serves the purpose of furthering of the consolidation of the Cuban people behind Fidel's "rhetoric", their sovereignty, and further unite the Cuban people in their struggle against US imperialism and percieved threats. After all, President Castro and Raul Castro are living successful revolutionary war heroes, and people do rally behind them.

It all serves a puprose. To keep the US taxpayer funding rolling in.

Remember, no Castro (including Raul) = no anti Castro funding. Keeping either Castro and maintaining the embargo is all important to the US political campaigns. For both parties.

charts from opensecrets.org

[not systems]

11. Maybe they could outsource stealing from the taxpayers.

Then the Republican party would collapse over night.

No private defense scams.
No covert resistance groups.
No welfare farming.
No export credits for moving jobs.
No tax breaks for buying a Hummer.
No offensive weapons systems.

That would solve somewhat more than half the stealing problem.

[doni_georgia]

12. And CNN reports Cuba as one of the most dangerous places

for journalists (with Iraq and Zimbabwe). Also Peru withdrew its ambassador to Cuba as well. See my prediction thread on the GD board. Remember that Iraq is just "one theater" in the war on terror. It's a theater that's not going well. You can expect another theater to be opened up before Novemeber. What better place to divert American attention than Cuba - a nation 90 miles off our shores, a nation who once pointed missiles at us, a nation whose refugees in Florida vote decidedly Republican even though all other Hispanic groups vote Democrat. The Cuban population in Florida have been demanding a US authored regime change for years (remember the Bay of Pigs). Bush needs Florida to win in 2004. He needs the Cuban vote to win Florida. Iraq isn't going well, we need another theater where we can easily launch attacks, and where we already have a base. This isn't brain surgery. For all of this administration's secrecy, they really are transparent sometimes.

[Mika]

14. If W*'s Crime Inc. thinks Iraq is going badly, they better not try Cuba

Attacking Cuba won't be an attack on Castro - it will be an attack against the hard won sovereignty that the Cuban people have worked 45+ years to build.

They will not just roll over. They never have (since 1958) and never will again. It would be a bloodbath.


The whole planet (except the USA) has good relations with the Cuban government - and especially with the Cuban people. NO ONE will accept a move like an attack on Cuba by the US. NO ONE.


Attacking Cuba will turn the USA into the official pariah of nations.

[0007]

15. Ah, the ghost of Myron Lansky and organized crime is still

controlling the Republican party, in fact organized crime is in the White House. Lucky doen't have to twist junior's arm, 'eh?

In 1992 the U.S. media was claiming that Castro would fall in just a matter of months. I distinctly remember Bob Novak saying that it would fall within six months.
And that was an election year also. So it appears that the exiles are being shook down just like the mob did in Havana before Castro cleaned house and ran out the undesirables and Fulgencio Batista's money makers. CANF knows how to make money with false promises. You'd think those persona non grata would wise up instead of catching dummies?

[Iceburg]

19. You'r right on Mika! NO ONE will accept an attack on Cuba ...

and the Canadians won't "need no stinkin' draft" to prove that point.


Former Prime Minister Trudeau, his wife Margaret and their first born - Justin, and friend Fidel Castro


Prime Minister Trudeau's funeral - Fidel Castro (honourary paul bearer), Justin and Margaret Trudeau



more on Trudeau's funeral
http://www.nctimes.net/news/100400/w.html

[peacetalksforall]

17. Well, it's got to be either Syria or Cuba

you pick their pick

[Jacobin]

20. S'plain to me again exactly how Cuba is a threat to the U.S.?

:shrug:

Are they an "imminent threat", a "gathering threat", a "possible threat", a "potential threat" or are they involved with "weapons of mass destruction related activity program possiblity thoughts" or.........

Huh?

[Vladimir]

21. It must be aweful

watching all those Cuban doctors working for near gratis throughout the third world and daring not to ask a sick person for their credit card before they treat them. And did you know that Cuban kids get a decent education whether or not their parents earn a lot of money? I mean, what kind of country is that anyway??? And why don't they worship the pipeline?!

All hail the pipeline!
Hail the mighty pipeline!

[daleo]

22. Imagine if other countries had such commissions

Just think of the reaction if some foreign nation had a government sponsored commission whose purpose was to recommend ways to hasten the end of the American capitalist system. Then imagine that some country broadcast signals into the U.S., to subvert the U.S. government and constitution. And, pressured other governments to join them in this effort.

What would people refer to such actions as?

[Mika]

23. Then DEMAND changes in the Democratic Party!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its OUR OWN DEMS THAT ARE UP TO THEIR NECK IN THIS CRAP!

We MUST demand that our own party stops pandering to the very worst interests of America and Cuba.

We cannot just point our finger at Bush - our party is filled with Miamicuban "exile" bootlickers too.

Each and every one of you should contact your representatives to make your voices be heard.


Silence is assent!




<rant off> Thanks for listening