Bush vs. Cuba: The Quiet War (Democracy Now)

[struggle4progress]

June 30 .. is also a key date in the Bush administration's newest adjustments to the blockade against Cuba.
<snip>
ART HEITZER: ... So, you see, for example, that Cuban-Americans who want to go back and visit their relatives are told that they cannot do so more than once every three years and they can only visit their immediate family. If you have an aunt or niece or cousin or something like that, you can't go at all. And if your mother is there and she is very sick and you visit her and then you find out two years later that she is dying, they say tough luck. You’ve made your choice. You have to wait another year until she's been dead for a year. And this is causing massive unrest within the Cuban-American community, even in Florida, which is very interesting because I think it's a political miscalculation. But academic visits are extremely restricted so that now only full semester courses are allowed. Typical course for someone -- seminar would go for a couple of weeks, those are not going to be allowed anymore ...
<snip>
ART HEITZER: ... But there's control of exchange, even for a U.S. Publication to print a Cuban article that they edited or translated, they've been warned not to do that. They might face criminal sanctions. There's been -- Jesse Jackson has talked about the potential and others the potential that Cuba is on the list of U.S. Targets for even military action. You have this commission that was appointed, that has come back, and talking about really Regime Change in Cuba and that is their goal to change the Cuban government. And within the Cuban-American community, I mean, we're actually -- people on our side of the fence who want to change the policy are talking about voter registration within the Cuban-American community. Because those who have come in recent years are really much different than those who left in 1959 and 1960 who were in very powerful positions ...
<snip>
ART HEITZER: ... For the first time in 11 years, since it now started, but you have in key west criminal indictments for the charge of organizing and promoting a sailboat race to Cuba. Not even spending any money in Cuba, but sending e-mails about scheduling, putting on a website that this regatta is going to happen and people are facing 15 years in prisons this is just dimes that came down in the last couple of weeks. You see a great threat against the American people. And there are responses. For example, there are three major travel challenges going on this summer. Pastors for Peace, you can get on their website, www.pastorsforpeace.org for example, is one of the larger ones. They are leaving from Texas on July 8, they're coming back and the other travel challenge is coming back July 19. These are very important for people to support. Hopefully this policy will be on the front page and the average American doesn't understand why, after 40-some years we can't go to Cuba and the policy has no popular support, it doesn't have support in Congress, and this administration hopefully will be cut off on the short string.
<snip>
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/21/1410231

[Lefty48197]

1. Bush has really hurt his standing among Miami's Cuban population

The increased travel restrictions and the increased limits on money transfers have riled up the Cuban-American community. This may just push Florida into Kerry's column.

[Mika]

2. Aside from annual family visits, Kerry's policy isn't much different

Kerry says he will continue to sanction Cuba and Americans, despite the fact that a majority of Americans desire an end to such sanctions

The headlines blare that Kerry would open up travel to Cuba, but read what he actually says.


Mr Kerry, Tear down the wall!


Kerry's stated policy on Cuba:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/8848574.htm

Under Kerry Cuba will remain under US sanctions

Under Kerry we will still be travel banned unless our travel is deemed politically worthy by US gov jackboots