Lawmakers Try to Curb Pro-Cuba Lobbying

[Judi Lynn]

Lawmakers Try to Curb Pro-Cuba Lobbying
Fri December 5, 2003 01:50 PM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - Two pro-embargo Democrats said on Friday they plan to introduce a bill that would bar U.S. companies from lobbying for a change in U.S. policy toward Cuba as part of lucrative deals to sell food to the communist island.

Reps. Peter Deutsch of Florida and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the first Hispanic to chair the House Democratic Caucus, said Cuban leader Fidel Castro's government was forcing U.S. companies to agree to lobby against a four-decade-old embargo in return for contracts.

"What happens here is they become an agent of a foreign government," Deutsch told reporters at the Miami airport.

U.S. food and agriculture companies have traded with Cuba for two years under a humanitarian exemption to the embargo, selling millions of dollars in soy, beef cattle, mayonnaise and other products. (snip/...)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3946964

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Menendez is a Cuban "exile." Deutsch gets buckets of campaign contributions from South Florida Cuban "exiles" and undoubtedly MUST bend over for them to get elected there. Jeez.

These guys are going to HAVE to give it up, and probably sooner than they think.

[Kitsune]

1. Wouldn't that violate the first amendment?

Like, rather blatantly?

[Say_What]

2. Dems proposing 100% tax on profits. How *democratic* of them.

The Gusanos are getting VERY deparate.


...The proposed legislation, drawn up by Deutsch and backed by Menendez, the No. 3 Democrat in the House of Representatives, would penalize companies signing such commitments by placing a 100 percent tax on their profits from any Cuba deal.

[NashVegas]

3. How About We Just Yank All Corportate Lobbyists Across the Board

too funny, these guys.

[Say_What]

4. This kinda strikes me as Helms-Burton Lite--with H-B they

wanna sue anyone on the planet who does business with the island and here they wanna tax all of the profits of the US businesses who are saying F*ck you to the Bushistas and doing business anyway.

Yesterday Bolton told his tired old biological weapons LIE and today the bought-and-paid-for-Dems are proposing something that is so UNDEMOCRATIC that it's laughable.

Editorials over the next week or so ought to be interesting. Meanwhile, business with Cuba continues and the Gusanos are getting mighty desparate as this crude attempt to hold the embargo up illustrates. Anyone listening to Radio Mambi? Oughta be hysterical right about now...

[Judi Lynn]

5. I would hope our great farmers who are currently involved in Cuba commerce

will plow under this pathetic piece of crap legislation as soon as it rears its ugly head in Washington.

Deutsch may find it's going to be a little harder selling this to Americans in Washington than it was to a gathering of Cuban hardline "exiles" in Miami.

AFTER ALL, this year both the House and the Senate voted to remove our travel to Cuba ban. It would have made it through, had it not been sabotaged by _Bush slaves in committee.

This REALLY takes some gall.

[pinto]

6. I e-mailed Indiana Farm Bureau,

which is mentioned as one example of an organization "forced" to sign a lobbying agreement by Cuban government and thereby become an "agent".

Indiana exports (duh) corn to Cuba, as permitted by US law and established by Congressional oversight (TPA).

I simply asked if they were forced to sign any extra contractural agreements and forwarded Reps. Deutsch and Menendes comments. If IFB responds I'll post here.

Like the post above I smell profit heist and votes.

(edited for spelling)

[Judi Lynn]

7. Great! It'd be really good to get their thoughts on this.

It STILL seems too obnoxious to believe. Some truly stupid people apparently sat up all night to come up with this pathetic plot.

[Osolomia]

8. More "democracy" Dem style

More national disgrace. The Dems position on Cuba is becoming more revolting by the day. No wonder Americans are still travel banned.

[pinto]

9. House and Senate, bilaterally, voted to lift ban this year....

these two Representatives are dancing to another tune.

(edited for clarity)

[Osolomia]

11. But the same tune as all the leading 2004 Dem prez contenders

so don't be fooled:

Democratic Presidential Candidates on Cuba

Of the ten current democratic hopefuls, Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is the only one who supports an end to the embargo.

Much more...
http://www.lawg.org/pages/new%20pages/Misc/prez-candidates1.htm

[Osolomia]

12. Clark too is in cahoots with the extremist minority

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=250379#250431

[pinto]

13. thanks, but thought you were talking about ban on travel...

links are to general embargo, so it is a little confusing.

My point is that the ban on travel, and the general embargo, is amendable by both houses of Congress. I would expect a Dem Pres, given a reversal from Congress of either, to sign.

[Osolomia]

14. You "expect" them to

but what evidence is there that they will? It was Clinton's America that gave us the Helms-Burton Act for example.

The travel ban is part of the embargo. Lift one part and you'll have to lift the other. You can't do business if you can't travel there, and if millions of Americans do travel there then Cuba needs to import food to feed y'all. Lifting the travel ban is just the first step to lifting the trade embargo.

[pinto]

16. we do trade with Cuba under the TPA

primarily agricultural products. Soybeans, corn, etc.

Congress can amend restrictions line by line, as they have for trade.

[Osolomia]

18. Congress eased the restrictions on food and medicine

only after the Pope pleaded with them to do so.

[Mika]

19. Got a link?

"Congress can amend restrictions line by line, as they have for trade. "

Got a link? Thanks

[pinto]

22. here's US notification of international tade agreements, amendments

see:

http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/IB10077.pdf

pages 18-19 discuss agricultural and pharmaceutical trade exemptions for Cuba.

[Osolomia]

24. Heads up!

Presidential Candidates Gather at Convention in Orlando 12/5/2003


Nine presidential candidates will be on hand to speak to delegates from all over the state as the Florida Democratic Convention is held in Orlando this weekend. Alachua County Democratic Party Chair Chuck Floyd says it is usually known who will gain the support for the Presidential nomination before the convention, but this year the race is wide open.

... Vital issues to be discussed at the convention will deal with social security and foreign policy, especially in regards to Cuba and the ongoing campaign in Iraq. Floyd expects a large turnout of Alachua County delegates to attend the convention.

http://www.am850.com/main.asp?News_Id=8874

[pinto]

25. Thanks! eom

[Osolomia]

15. You are free to travel to Cuba, but it's illegal to spend money there

because that's considered to be "trading with the enemy" and is prohibited under the embargo.

[pinto]

10. "defying a threatened Presidential veto"...(here's info)

see:

http://cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/23/cuba.travel.ap/

[Osolomia]

17. Lieberman voted AGAINST your freedom to travel

All the rest of the Dem candidates were absent for these bipartisan majority votes on the travel ban and haven't had a word to say about it.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Perhaps a $100,000 bribe will make them change their minds...

Now that we know the price of buying a Congressman's vote, as we saw with the Medicare vote, a $100,000 bribe will bring these two Cold War idiots to their senses.

[Mika]

21. I thought it was fear of a car bomb

The intransigent "exiles" have a well known way with plumbing and plastic explosive.

[Osolomia]

23. Ought to be illegal to take a nickel in campaign contributions

from organizations with such well documented links to terrorism but when it's the USA's own terrorists it's okay.

More "democracy" Dem style.

[Gman]

26. Like Israel doesn't have a ton of lobbyists lined up

along K Street.

[Judi Lynn]

27. The Cuban President got off a good one!

(snip) Posted 12/5/2003 11:59 PM

Castro: Socialism will survive in Cuba
CARDENAS, Cuba (AP) — President Fidel Castro insisted Friday that his socialist system will survive him, as he celebrated the 10th birthday of Elian Gonzalez — the shipwrecked boy who was the center of a fierce international custody battle.

Castro characterized as "idiots" those who believe that socialist rule on the island will end with his death.

"This revolution does not depend on one individual, or two, or three," Castro declared in a speech of more than two hours at a birthday celebration in the courtyard of Elian's school in the child's hometown of Cardenas, about 85 miles east of Havana.

Speaking about a meeting he said occurred earlier Friday in Washington between Cuban Americans and U.S. officials, Castro said "that group of idiots ... would die of bitterness, of frustration and even shock to see how this country has resisted 45 years of blockade." (snip/...)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-12-05-castro-elian_x.htm

Very interesting hearing he's still so focused, after knowing _Bush appears to intend to destroy the revolution the Cuban people have preserved under so much hardship for all these years.

From what I've heard and read, the real Cuban people will NOT welcome anyone barging in and trying to take them over. Not now, not ever.