U.S. halts imaginary Cubans in security drill

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. halts imaginary Cubans in security drill
By Jane Sutton
Thu Mar 8, 1:41 AM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - Two thousand imaginary Cuban migrants set sail toward Florida during a massive two-day U.S. training exercise but were intercepted by federal, state and local agents armed with teamwork and acronyms.

"Operation Vigilant Sentry," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plan to halt a mass migration from the Caribbean, was put to the test by 325 agents from 85 law enforcement agencies during the exercise that ends on Thursday.

Most of the action was simulated, but the long-planned exercise took on new urgency after Cuban President Fidel Castro temporarily handed power to his brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, and underwent gastrointestinal surgery in July.

"It's a mass migration plan in general. It doesn't have to be from Cuba," said Coast Guard Rear Adm. David Kunkel, director of the Homeland Security southeastern task force known as HSTF-SE.
(snip/...)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070308/ts_nm/usa_cuba_boatlift_dc

[Kutjara]

1. Thank God! Now they'll be ready when the...

...real imaginary Cubans start heading this way. Not only that, the exercise was a "general" one, so our security forces will be ready for imaginary Costa Ricans, fictitious Mexicans, speculative Peruvians or indeed any purely notional invasion.

I can rest easy now that even non-existant threats are being met with overwhelming force.

[MADem]

2. That is a funny headline.

I've heard of people having imaginary friends, but imaginary refugees?

Of course, BushCo excels in turning imaginary enemies into real ones, so who knows? He just might be playing with his magic wand in the oval office one day, and "POOOF!" It's Mariel Boatlift II!!!

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Nice work, boys. BTW, did their inner tubes get confiscated?

I feel so safe this morning.

[Mika]

4. Story is propaganda at its worst.

It never mentions that the "mass migration" would have to be like the Mariel boat lift.

In that case, it was Miamicubans who took any boat they could beg borrow or steal to Mariel harbor, Cuba, to pick up relatives and others.

Cuba did not send them here. Miami Cubans picked them up and brought them to Miami.

Mariel was a massive illegal immigrant smuggling op perpetrated by residents of S Florida.

The USCG efforts would be to stop boats from leaving S Florida to pick up Cubans from Cuba in another mass illegal immigration operation.

Story doesn't mention that.

[robcon]

6. Story doesn't mention that...

because your story, Mika, is fiction.

[Mika]

11. So how did the Marielitos get here? Parachute? Castro's personal yacht?

Do tell.

I'm interested to hear your spin.

[Mika]

16. Robcon, I'm still waiting for your take on the Mariel boatlift.

I am waiting to see what you make up this time.

[Judi Lynn]

18. He really should know, Mika! It was SWAN BOATS.

[Mika]

23. ROFL

:rofl:

Or some disneyland fantasy. As usual.

[ProudDad]

13. Sorry, robcon

Mika's the one who's right and you're the one who's wrong (I remember it well):

"Castro then proclaimed that the port of Mariel would be opened to anyone who wanted to leave, as long as they had someone to pick them up. While news of the events was not broadcast in Cuba, Cuban exiles in the United States rushed to Key West and to docks in Miami to hire boats and rescue their relatives."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariel_boatlift

"Fidel Castro permitted any person who wanted to leave Cuba free access to depart from the port of Mariel, Cuba. Boats with Cuban migrants began departing Mariel, Cuba, in April, 1980 after Castro declared the port of Mariel "open." Hundreds of small craft departed Miami and sailed to Mariel, where they loaded up with refugees, in most cases more than the craft was designed to carry safely, and then attempted to return to Miami."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/mariel-boatlift.htm

[Judi Lynn]

15. Couldn't be clearer! Thanks for the clarification for those whose memories need a jolt of reality.nt

[Judi Lynn]

7. Who doesn't know that, Mika? It's amazing there are a few who deny it, wouldn't you say?

This new charade makes you wonder what is REALLY going on, after all.

I just discovered this LTTE in a search, which is worth mulling over, to understand whether it could be true, or not:

CAPITAL-TIMES
Madison, Wisconsin
December 5, 2006

Carol Bracewell:
Keep eye on U.S. actions toward Cuba

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/letters/index.php?ntid=109909&ntpid=3

A letter to the editor

Dear Editor: There have been many reports of Fidel Castro's ill health and, as always, that raises speculation on what will happen when he dies.

Clearly the Miami Cubans are ready and waiting. Note that Cuban dissidents who work with the U.S. government have recently called for a lifting of the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. This is interesting because in the past they have supported the travel ban, explaining that it kept Castro's government from receiving U.S. tourist dollars. They have recently changed their tune, but in an interesting way ... some call for more free travel for Cuban-Americans, but not other U.S. citizens.

I can't help but think that, with a sense of Castro's impending death, they want to have as many Cuban-Americans who oppose Castro free to be in Cuba when he dies.

There is widespread speculation that the Miami Cubans, who for 40 years have dreamed of getting their old Cuba back, will try to create chaos in Cuba and retake power, something that the U.S. government would clearly support (with millions of our tax dollars).

So, while we keep our eyes on Castro's health, we should also closely monitor the activities of those who seek a U.S.-controlled "transition" in Cuba, rather than a peaceful succession of power to the current vice president, as the constitutions of both our countries describe.

We have already seen what a U.S. transition to democracy looks like in Iraq. No thanks.

Carol Bracewell
Madison

http://www.walterlippmann.com/wl-11-19-2006.html

[Thor_MN]

5. With what * and Co have done to our defense forces, imaginary invaders are about all we can stop

And what is being done to stop those sneaky hallucinatory Canadians from slipping over the border and calling our ham "bacon"?

[Eugene]

8. Reuters: Cubans sneak ashore during U.S. security drill

Cubans sneak ashore during U.S. security drill
08 Mar 2007 21:53:49 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Updates with Cubans sneaking ashore, drill ended)

By Jane Sutton

MIAMI, March 8 (Reuters) - While hundreds of U.S. law enforcement agents
intercepted imaginary Cuban migrants during a massive training exercise in south
Florida, two boatloads of actual Cubans sneaked ashore on Miami Beach on Thursday.

Boaters dropped off 21 Cuban migrants at a popular nudist beach and left 19 others
on another beach a few hours later, the Border Patrol said. Both vessels escaped.

"It's our belief that they were the result of organized smuggling," Border Patrol
spokesman Steve McDonald said.

The Cubans arrived on day two of a training exercise to test "Operation Vigilant
Sentry," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plan to halt a possible mass
migration from the Caribbean. About 325 agents from 85 federal, state and local
law enforcement agencies took part in the exercise, which ended on Thursday.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08302135.htm

[ret5hd]

9. Oh that's just TOO FUCKIN' RICH!!!

I couldn't make this stuff up if i tried!

[0rganism]

10. that's priceless

"So what if 40 real Cubans made it? We caught 2000 imaginary Cubans!"

you just can't make this shit up

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Well, if the imaginary Cubans team up with the real Cubans, you'll have complex Cubans! -nt

[entanglement]

25. At Enron, they introduced imaginary numbers in accounting

Gave a whole new meaning to applied mathematics, LOL

[ProudDad]

14. ROFL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Keystone Koast Guard...

[maddezmom]

19. Classic

:D

[MADem]

21. That is a total SCREAM!!!! NT

[nick303]

24. But- But- That never happens!

Oh wait I forgot, the refugees weren't RealCubans(TM), they were just MiamiCubans(TM). My bad.

[ProudDad]

12. Self-delete

stupid irrelevant post... Gone Pooof...

[Vidar]

20. Hope the imaginary Cubans don't find Iraq's imaginary WMDs.

[rec_report]

22. I wish we could halt Bush, the imaginary president.

The Rec Report