Block on Cuban Scholars Sparks Protest

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The State Department's decision to deny visas to 65 Cuban scholars seeking to attend a conference in Las Vegas drew protests Wednesday from Congress and academia.

Reps. William Delahunt, D-Mass., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to reconsider the decision to prevent the Cubans from taking part in the Latin American Studies Association annual meeting, which was beginning Thursday.

Cuban scholars have participated for years; about 100 attended last year.

"We do not believe that the way to encourage democracy in other countries is to close our border to their scholars," the lawmakers wrote. They said this is the first time in 25 years the government has blocked all invited Cuban scholars from the conference.
.............
"These Cuban scholars are experts in their fields. They do research, they have the data," said John Coatsworth, the center's director. "This is something our association takes very seriously -- when the government interferes with our capacity to interact with other scholars."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-cuba-scholars,0,1422688.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[StupidFOX]

1. Just another battle...

In the Repug war on the free exchange of information. Glad there's outrage.

[Grillymom]

2. Isn't this administration's stance

that democracy breeds freedom? Didn't Dick Cheny say Tues night that democratizing Iraq was imperative b/c that is the only way for the Iraqi people to attain freedom? While his administration continues to maintain that the only way to bring freedom to the Cuban people is through strict ecomonic sanctions. And it seems now we must prevent the intellectuals from participating in any sort of exchange of ideas. Oh the horrors!

[wellstone_democrat]

3. Except in the case of Cuba

Everywhere else our "visits" and cash will instruct "locals" in the joys of democratic capitalism...except Cuba.

Apparently, the thinking here is that denying scholars access to the free exchange of ideas will cause them to topple that government pronto!!! Ridiculous and punative simply for the sake of saving a voting block of old men in Miami.

Its an embarrassment