I fully agree that the Castro regime in Cuba is a repressive, evil bunch of bastards, and we’ll all be better off when he and they are gone.
That said, US foreign policy viz Cuba remains bizarre due to the truckling of both parties to the vocal Cuban-American population in swing state Florida. For all that Cuba is and does (and shame on those glitterati who hob-nob with its leadership whilst dissidents rot in Cuban prisons), it is certainly no worse than other countries that the US does business with (China and Saudi Arabia come to mind).
Which means that oddities like this news blurb just makes me roll my eyes:
The [US Treasury Dept.] notice also clarifies that Americans are barred from not only purchasing Cuban goods in foreign countries, but also from consuming them in those countries.
The penalties for violating the prohibitions include maximum criminal fines for individuals of $250,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years. Corporations can be fined as much as a million dollars.
See? Not only are US citizens barred from importing Cuban goods (except with certain restrictions), but they are barred from buying them when in another country, or even consuming them while there.
I don’t smoke, but the next time I’m overseas, I’m tempted to buy and smoke a nice Cuban cigar in protest to such silliness.
I’ve never understood how the Cuban-Americans have so much pull. They can’t be that rich, there aren’t that many of them, so what the frell?
They are a very active community, and an active and unified voting block, as I understand it. There are also not a few of them with some substantial wealth. I suspect their influence is waning on the national scale except insofar as Florida remains a sizable electoral catch. The GOP certainly doesn’t want to be the party to “lose” the Cuban-Americans, and the Dems certainly would like to “win” them. Hence the pandering.
What Randy, Don’t you like our entire foreign policy being shaped by the folks living in Dade county?
How many of them — the first generation — were the elite of the ultra-corrupt and ultra-dumb Battista regime? Not that they would tell their children or grandkids the truth about the good old days of the thugocracy. And not to imply that Castro’s rule has been any better. I’m just not sure it’s been much worse for the average Cuban. Aside from the incredible half-day to all-day speeches. Has anyone in history loved to hear himself talk as much as Fidel Castro?
Back in the day all speeches used to be that long. One of the reasons Lincoln’s Gettysburg address was considered such a great disappointment (until after he was assassinated) was because it was so short. The other guy asked to speak that day spoke for 3 hours.
As to Cuba…
It’ll be the same Bautista-ites we put back into power when Castro dies so that we can turn Cuba into the new Haiti.