US (Catholic) Bishops call for end to ban on travel to Cuba

[Mika]

Source: Independent Catholic News

In a letter sent to Rep Charles B Rangel of New York, Bishop Thomas G Wenski of Orlando, Florida, chairman of the US Bishops' Committee on International Policy, commended Rep Rangel, Rep Jeff Flake of Arizona and other lawmakers for sponsoring HR 654, a bill that would allow travel between the US and Cuba.

"The USCCB has for many years consistently called for relaxing the sanctions against Cuba," Bishop Wenski said. "These policies have largely failed to achieve greater freedom, democracy and respect for human life. At the same time, our nation's counterproductive policies have unnecessarily alienated many in the hemisphere who should be our friends and allies, and brought needless hardship on the Cuban people. It continues to be our position that the goals of improving the lives of the Cuban people and encouraging democracy in Cuba will best be advanced through more rather than less contact between the Cuban and American people."

Bishop Wenski described the travel restrictions on Cubans living in the US as particularly objectionable.

"No one should be prevented from visiting a dying relative or attending a loved one's funeral simply for having travelled to Cuba once in the previous three years," he said. "It is an inhumane policy that does no honour to our country. These most recent restrictions have increasingly made more difficult and onerous the legitimate travel of academics, journalists, religious leaders and other U.S. citizens to the island."

Read more: http://www.indcatholicnews.com/cuban328.html

[saltpoint]

1. Good for Bishop Wenski. An excellent proposal.

I hope some headway can be made with this.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Mika, no wonder we haven't been getting more information on Rangel's travel to Cuba bill.

It looks as if some big papers are burying any news of this in the TRAVEL SECTION.

What better way to keep conventional Americans from really knowing this is being seriously considered AGAIN during the _Bush administration than to sweep any information on it into the travel section, which most people don't have time to read, anyway? Figures.

Congress reconsiders ban on Cuba travel
Ed Perkins On Travel

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Cuba -- long off-limits to ordinary U.S. tourists -- may once again become an enticing vacation option. Last month, Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., submitted a bill that would require the administration to allow U.S. citizens to visit Cuba and allow U.S. travel agencies to book them; a similar bill was subsequently filed in the Senate. Both bills reportedly enjoy bipartisan support.

Although the measures represent a potentially major policy change, final implementation is by no means certain. U.S. policy toward all things Cuban has been largely controlled by the Republican power structure in Florida, which is responsive to the fiercely anti-Castro exile community. It remains to be seen whether Congress can come up with enough votes to pass a final bill, and if it does, whether the president will sign it.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/22/DDGCNOOPJH1.DTL

[Amused Musings]

3. What a strange left over of the Cold War

The US needs to get over it and allow Americans to go to Cuba.

[Judi Lynn]

4. There is a great Cuba travel bill pending, Charles Rangel sponsored:

~snip~
On January 24, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced HR 654, with the following original co-sponsors: McGovern (D-MA), Emerson (R-MO), Delahunt (D-MA), Ramstad (R-MN), Snyder (D-AR), Moran (R-KS). This bill allows the freedom of travel between the United States and Cuba ; it ends all restrictions on travel to Cuba . You may view the full text of the bill at: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . From there, type HR 654 in the "Search Bill Text" and check the "Bill Number" circle.
(snip)

HR 654 is an ideal vehicle for congressional work and has great prospects for passing with strong bipartisan support. It would signal the beginning of the end of the full embargo.
(snip)

Other bills pending:

HR 757, introduced January 31 by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL), with seven additional cosponsors. To allow United States nationals and permanent residents to visit family members in Cuba , and for other purposes.

HR 624, introduced January 22 by Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-MA) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). To lift the trade embargo on Cuba .

HR 217, introduced January 4 by Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY). To lift the trade embargo on Cuba .

HR 216, introduced January 4 by Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY). To waive certain prohibitions with respect to nationals of Cuba coming to the United States to play organized professional baseball.

HR 177, introduced January 4 by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), with three cosponsors. To provide that no funds made available to the Department of the Treasury may be used to implement, administer, or enforce regulations to require specific licenses for travel-related transactions directly related to educational activities in Cuba .
(snip/...)

http://www.americas.org/item_30733

[Amused Musings]

5. I hope it has enough

strength to neutralize the president's inevitable veto.

[Peace Patriot]

6. Thanks for the info!

I hope that Cuba doesn't allow the dreadful corporate tourist hotel blight that has been inflicted on other beautiful areas (Hawaii, Cancun and Miami come to mind). Cuba has been mostly free of this particular kind of corporate destructiveness. I hope they keep it low-scale and environment-friendly, and make it possible also for the poor to visit and enjoy this paradise.

We have much to learn from Cuba--where everyone has medical care, everyone has the opportunity for a free university education, everyone eats, everyone has shelter, and where there is a communal sense of everyone's welfare and of the country's welfare as a whole. They may have achieved these things by an initial violent revolution, but we, too, had an initial violent revolution. That is nothing to condemn them for, considering the horrid oppression and corruption of the fascist dictatorship in the pre-communist era. And they may not conform to our idea of democracy--political democracy, as opposed to economic democracy--but neither are they a Stalinist state (like No. Korea, or like what the Soviet Union became). They are something betwixt and between, a unique Cuban creation. No reason why we can't learn from them, even if we don't agree with some government policy--and, bearing in mind, how the giant in the north has been threatening them all this time.

Another worry is that opening Cuba to North American travelers will open them to a Bush-controlled CIA--troublemakers, assassins, destabilizers, drug traffickers, arms dealers, rightwing plotters. I do think that the new South American left, and its goals of Latin American self-determination and regional cooperation, will help protect Cuba from fascist/corporate interference--and I presume that Cuba will have its own visa policy--but just think for a moment WHO might be traveling to Cuba and why, if the restriction was lifted. Ironically, I think the US restriction has protected Cuba from the sort of plotters we've just learned of, in Colombia (where rightwing paramilitaries had a plot to assassinate Hugo Chavez), the plotters of the violent military coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002, the massive interference that the Bushites attempted there (with our taxpayer dollars), and the on-going murders of leftists and peasants in Colombia, Guatemala, Oaxaca and other places. Overall, I understand the benefit of lifting travel restrictions and other sanctions. These truly are ugly relics of the Cold War, and of the undue influence of rightwing Miamians on foreign policy. But, well, I guess I'm feeling like a jittery old lady about it, just a bit afraid of change. Will it benefit the Cuban people? Dunno. The Catholic bishops seem to think it will. Other issues aside, they've been pretty good on social justice and war--and Catholic clerical influence in Latin America in modern times has been more on the side of the poor, and of social justice, than not. It's been a pretty positive influence on the whole--and Catholic bishops, priests and nuns have died there in the cause of social justice--although I don't know how the Church will handle itself in a communist country (not a good record).

[Robbien]

11. Wow, exactly all my thoughts

First one thinks it may be good, but then think there are serious potentials for problems. Then one's thoughts go back to the potential good.

back and forth.

I don't know.

[robcon]

7. Good idea.

And about time!

[Mika]

8. On this issue, we agree.

:toast:

[Judi Lynn]

9. Is this good news, or not?"With Dems in Charge, GOP Congressman is Optimistic on Cuba"

February 27, 2007
With Dems in Charge, GOP Congressman is Optimistic on Cuba
By Pierre Atlas

The US embargo on travel and trade with Cuba has not achieved its goals, but instead has helped facilitate the Castro regime's political longevity. If anything, it has been one of the most counterproductive foreign policies in American history. And it is a policy that is opposed by the majority of Americans. According to a December 2006 Gallup Poll, 67% of Americans favor reestablishing diplomatic ties with Cuba--an increase of 12% since 2004.

I recently spoke with Flake from his office in Arizona. I asked the Republican congressman, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, how the Democratic takeover of Congress might impact on US Cuba policy and on his longstanding goal of ending the Cuba travel embargo. "The change will help," he said. "Tom DeLay was always strong on keeping this policy."

"With the Democrats in charge, an amendment will probably make it through conference committee," Flake told me. "So the president would have to either veto the legislation or negotiate."
(snip)

Flake thinks Bush may see the writing on the wall. "I think the president will move preemptively to change the {travel} regulations before having to face a veto or no-veto." A spotlight of public and media attention will be focused on a veto threat, "and he would have to explain to Americans why they can't travel to Cuba." Because there is no longer any logical justification for the embargo, Flake thinks this would be a losing proposition for Bush.
(snip/...)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/with_dems_in_charge_gop_congre.html



Jeff Flake, with Missouri Republican Congresswoman, Jo Ann Emerson

[Judi Lynn]

10. Saturday demonstration in Miami: Dozens protest Cuba travel restrictions

Posted on Sat, Mar. 24, 2007
Dozens protest Cuba travel restrictions
By ELIAS E. LOPEZ
[e-mail]

A small crowd of mostly Cuban exiles gathered on a sidewalk on Flagler Street Saturday to express frustration with the Bush administration's restrictions on traveling to the communist island to visit family.

The protest is part of a stepped-up effort to ease the restrictions after federal lawmakers in Washington filed legislation that would allow Cuban-Americans to visit the island at will and lift a general Cuba travel ban for all American citizens.

''It's crazy and it's criminal,'' said Manuel Rey, 51, who has an uncle and cousins in Havana. ``It's an erroneous policy that makes no sense.''

On Jan. 25, Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., submitted a bill that would lift the general travel ban. Six days later, Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., and Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., filed legislation to permit Cuban Americans to visit Cuba anytime they want.
(snip/...)

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/16967994.htm

[Judi Lynn]

12. Re-examine policies that no longer apply

Re-examine policies that no longer apply

By Marika Csapo
Posted February 28 2007

The U.S. economic and travel embargo against Cuba has been in place now for over four decades and has been strengthened under the last three administrations. It is surprising that at least the travel ban -- a limitation of the freedom of the people of the United States -- is not more contested, or even discussed, by the American people and media.

On a recent three-month research trip to Cuba, I became more familiar with the depths and lengths of U.S. policy against Cuba than I ever desired to be.

The application process (for an educational travel license awarded the University of California system by the federal government) lasted three months. One week after receiving this travel license, I received notification that the license had been revoked.

The reason cited was changes based on a report from the Bush administration's "Committee for Assistance to a Free Cuba." I appealed, as I believed myself still qualified under the new criteria, thus beginning another three-month process. Luckily I received approval just one and a half months before my proposed departure date.

Having a license, I was eligible to book a flight from Miami to Havana through the only company in the U.S. legally permitted to offer flights to Cuba. After three weeks of dealing with this company and still not having a ticket, I decided to exercise my supposed right to consumer choice and looked up flights online through Mexico and Canada. When I went to purchase a ticket through a non-U.S. company, a pop-up screen announced, "This page is restricted due to U.S. government regulations."
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-26forum30feb28,0,6219120.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion

[Mika]

13. So, your article shows that the USA censors/restricts the internet to Americans.

Interesting article to post on the next "US gov: Cuba restricts the internet" thread.

[matt007]

14. FULL NORMAL RELATIONS

Engagement is much more effective. Plus I would like to visit Cuba.