Castro Meets With U.S. Farm Officials

[Osolomia]

Tuesday December 16, 2003
By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) - Fidel Castro chatted about nutrition and energy prices during a private meeting with U.S. farm officials who are in Havana for three days of talks on bringing more agricultural goods to Cuba, those at the meeting said Tuesday.

Cuba wants to sign contracts to buy American farm products worth as much as $130 million during the talks, which end Wednesday. The discussions - and Castro's private meeting with about a dozen Americans Monday - underscore the importance Cuba has put on trade with U.S. companies two years since first exploiting an exception to the U.S. trade embargo allowing direct sales of American farm products.

Castro ``didn't talk about politics, not one thing,'' Seth Hammett, Democratic speaker of the Alabama state House of Representatives, said of the Monday night meeting. He said the meeting lasted for more than three hours.

``He talked about the rising cost of energy and how that affects the rising cost of food,'' said Hammett. ``He talked about the different nutritional values of wheat.''

Other Americans in Cuba for the contract talks that began Monday said they were told more meetings with the Cuban president were likely.

More...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3514362,00.html

[Osolomia]

1. While Dems keep their blinders firmly glued to their faces

lest anyone notice their support for the Bush Doctrine, apparently Cuba is not waiting any longer for y'all to wake up and get your act together, and has gone ahead and signed a deal with China to build a new hotel in Havana since Dems don't want to do business with them.

http://www.adelante.cu/online/day/23/12/16.hotel.shangai.cuba.world.php

Deja vu anyone?

[nn2004]

2. We need Castro on our side

When we retake the nation next November we'll need people like Castro with their publicity skills to help bring the unelightened around to the benefits of social reform. With his help we can ease the shock of bringing universal healthcare to the masses. They will thank us after we get all the kinks worked out. I predict by 2006 we will have 99% of the American people on our side. The days of the rich running our country are coming to a close. We will all be happier when we have equal and honest wages for our hard work.

[Osolomia]

3. Just don't expect a Dem president to do it!

Hence the problem:

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

[Judi Lynn]

4. Really?

Maybe you could expound at length on your views.

[nn2004]

6. Dennis Kucinich is the man to do it

He will embrace an attitue of understanding with Castro and it's long overdue. Cuba set a good example of universal healthcare that we can learn from. Why not follow the lead that is working for many?

[Judi Lynn]

7. One problem I've noticed with Miami right-wing extremists

is their tendency to attempt to find Fidel Castro to be responsible for the 43 or 44 years of Cuban independence, while pretending if he were removed, Cuba would be completely open to the idea of accepting them back as the tyrants they were before the revolution.

Cuba, as it has been pointed out, is a collection of more than 11,000,000 people. Castro is not holding a gun to their heads. They have developed a method of bringing education and health care to the people who went completely ignored, living in deep poverty, suffering from horrendous problems as grisly as internal beasties, like parasites.

Propaganda mills seek to make countries look easy to knock over, implying that we only need to dash in there and slaughter a few officials at the top, and the country is ripe for picking. Right.

The idjits who attempted the Bay of Pigs found the Cuban people MEANT IT when they decided to do without the tyranny of Fulgencio Batista, his death squads, his torturing and murdering goons, his wildly corrupt government, and the elitist, and quite small class running the show.

I think Dennis Kucinich would be interested in finding a way for American health care to proceed according to the conditions prevaling right here within our own society, which are unique, and different from the ones Cuba faced at the start of their new life without Batista.

[Mika]

8. True, but not just the Miami right wingnuts.

Its very good of you to make that point, JudiLyn.

Just as Castro alone didn't revolt against the repression of the prior US puppet regimes, neither did he alone create Cuba's health care system nor the education system, and he alone doesn't defend Cuba's sovereignty, nor is any of this forced on Cubans. The Cuban people have done it through cooperative effort, marshaling scarce resources during hard times to maintain their social infrastructure for their children first. Worked long and hard, along with material sacrifices, to build a free and healthy country and a life for their progeny. They have done this despite military and terrorist attacks, resistance and opposition from the USA - each and every step of the way.

[pinto]

5. good step forward in Cuba/US relations, trade has historically

been the key factor in normalizing relationships between countries.