Cuba to Purchase More Food From Nebraska

[Rose Siding]

HAVANA -- Cuba agreed Wednesday to buy another $30 million in food from Nebraska, strengthening trade relations with a U.S. farm state already selling corn, wheat, soybeans and other products to the communist island.
....
A 45-year-old U.S. embargo against communist Cuba severely limits travel and trade with the island, but an exception created in 2000 allows food and agricultural products to be sold directly on a cash-only basis.

Alvarez said Cuba expects to spend between $450 to $550 million on U.S. food products this year from a total of about $1.7 billion allocated for food imports.

For the past four years, Cuba has contracted to buy more than $1.4 billion in farm goods from 38 U.S. states, including shipping and hefty bank fees to send payments through third nations, according to Alimport.

"Cuba has been a very valuable trading partner for us," {Nebraska Gov.} Heineman said via telephone at a news conference later Wednesday. He also announced plans to visit Cuba in the fall.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-cuba-us-trade,0,5903309.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[muntrv]

1. The repukes must be having a fit over this.

[ClintonTyree]

2. Nebraska is a RED, RED State.........

one of the 4 that still gives Bush a positive approval rating. Yet they'll take that Communist money without a blink of an eye. :eyes: Hypocrite...thy name is Republican!

[justice1]

3. It's typical government hypocrisy

Republican run companies have been doing business there for quite some time. The rules about visiting there are set up for us peons.

[roody]

4. Go anyway.

Either go through Mexico and don't tell, or join Pastors for Peace and make a public statement as well as commit civil disobedience, in July.

[justice1]

6. Thought about it, I'm an undeclared Canadian citizen

I want to do it as an American. Our policies concerning Cuba are ridiculous. They may have made sense at one time, but now they are antiquated.

[Ghost Dog]

7. Recommended.

Very beautiful, very special country.

You need to spend minimum a coupla months there, move around. There's no paranoia. Take your time...

[ima_sinnic]

8. but doesn't U.S. customs see Cuba stamped in yr passport

when you come back and then arrest you?
I am married to a Jamaican citizen and when in Jamaica I see ads for travel to Cuba -- would love to go but am paranoid.

[pokercat999]

10. Having never traveled anywhere that requires a passport my

question is:

Couldn't you visit Cuba return to Jamacia, "lose" your passport and get another through our embassy there? The new passport wouldn't have any stamps in it correct? You could then "find" and mail your orginal passport home so you would have a keepsake?

Just a thought probably really illegal.....which makes it even better.

[Ghost Dog]

12. Anything's possible, I guess,

But I can tell you that the last time I entered Cuba I had to beg the man manning the frontier for a stamp in my (European) passport. He was reluctant, but in the end gave me a stamp (from the Province of entry) of which I have always been proud.

Seems, normally, they leave no trace.

(On the other hand, my father, when he was doing some business in both Egypt and Israel back in the '60's/'70's, required a special administration dispensation to carry two passports (one for each))...

[Bacchus39]

11. I believe that Cuba will stamp another piece of paper

and not your passport if you are a US citizen. you keep it until you leave but when you enter the US you do not show them the piece paper that has the Cuban entry and exit stamps.

[0007]

5. You got it!

[rfkrfk]

9. the trade embargo is meaningless in the modern era .n/t