Legal hearings begin for U.S. citizens accused of violating ban on travel

[Judi Lynn]

Legal hearings begin for U.S. citizens accused of violating ban on travel to Cuba

JEANNINE AVERSA, Associated Press Writer Tuesday, December 16, 2003

(12-16) 10:39 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

Vacationing in Mexico in 1999, Frederick Burks could not resist hopping a cheap flight to Cuba for a spur-of-the-moment visit, an excursion that led to accusations by U.S. authorities that he had illegally traveled to the country.

Now, after years of waiting, Burks faces a judicial hearing, though he doesn't know exactly when.

"I'm getting tired of all this stuff," said Burks, 45, of Berkeley, Calif., who contends his trip to Cuba was an honest mistake. "I broke some regulation I didn't know was there."

Eleven years after Congress authorized civil hearings for anyone alleged to have violated the Cuba travel ban, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has installed three administrative law judges to hear the cases. Budget problems and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have been cited by officials for the delay in starting the hearings.

Burks said he requested a hearing in 2001, the same year he was notified by the government that he was facing a proposed penalty of $7,590 for alleged violations of the Cuba embargo. "I thought, `Oh, boy. This is getting serious,"' he said. (snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/16/national1339EST0558.DTL

[kalian]

1. And...we live in a "free country"...?

Could somebody please explain this to me? :shrug:

On edit: So, Cubans are NOT free to leave their country...yet
Americans are NOT free to visit Cuba.... Ummm...is there something
fucked up or am I missing something? :eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

2. America is not a free country, it never was

America is less free now under Bush, and will become more authoritarian if Bush gets annointed for another term in the White House.

Freedom in American has always been based on gender, race, and sexual orientation.