http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01899541.htm

The bearded revolutionary leader who turns 80 later this month handed over power temporarily to his younger brother following complicated surgery for intestinal bleeding.

The communist dictator has ruled Cuba since commanding the revolution that overthrew imperialist dictator Fulgenico Batista in 1959.  The United States tried to destroy Castro's government for nearly five decades but did not succeed.  Castro did not set out to be a communist.  What he wanted was Cuba for the Cubans, not for the sugar barons and the mafia dons.  The U.S. said no way Jose.  Castro had no choice but to seek protection from the other bully on the block, the Soviet Union

Castro's no saint.  There is lots to dislike about the Castro regime.  But I remind all, it did not have to be this way.  The United States could have avoided much angst and benefited from what would have been a thriving Cuban economy if our government was not enthralled then, as it is now, to its corporate paymasters.  If we ate a little humble pie in 1960 and said, "OK, Fidel, we don't like it, but you won, so let's work together," we would not have had for fifty years a communist dictatorship ninety miles from Florida

I always found Fidel funny, and this is no exception.

He has won every election since taking office, in a single party system.

When he staps down temporarily, he turns control over to his Brother.  Of course, his Brother is also the #2 man in the Government.  Could you imagine the howls if Dick Chenny stepped down, and Jeb BUsh was appointed Vice President?  Or if instead of Johnson, JFK had named Bobby Kennedy VP?

Of course, this is a lot like that other bastion of Marxist Freedom, where when Kim Il-sung died, his son Kim Jong-il took over.

Yep, Democracy in action.

Kinda reminds me of one of my favorite movies, "Moon Over Parador".

"I do not know if I should vote for the Simms Red Party, or the Simms Blue Party."
"Does not matter, the results will be the same."

http://www.bongonews.com/StoryImages/Fidel%20Castro.jpg

i got this from one of my email news services yesterday. i thought it was funny in light of the poo-pooing of cuba's oppressive communist system.

i wonder how much of this is true of america vs. cuba. of course we know precious little objectively about cuba because of the embargo and because just about everything said about it is propagandized in one way or another.

***

Maybe this world is another planet's hell - Aldous Huxley

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CLUES THAT YOUR COUNTRY MAY BE TURNING INTO A FASCIST STATE
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

NOTE: Some of these symptoms are found in non-fascist countries where
they should be treated as serious warning signs. On the other hand,
fascist states - unlike democratic nations - have many, if not all, of
these symptoms:

Your president asserts the right to ignore part or all of laws passed
by the national legislature.

Massive warrantless searches

Your president and other officials regularly lie to you

Fraudulent election counts

Government monitoring of letters, emails, phone calls and checking
accounts

Secret courts

A government subservient to the interests of the country's largest
corporations.

Use of torture on prisoners

Courts that support presidential use of unconstitutional powers

Massive spying on citizens, especially those involved in political
dissent

A government that uses words like democracy, freedom and peace while
engaging in acts dramatically at odds with such words

Government agencies or officials declaring themselves exempt from
portions of the law or constitution

Creation of watchlists, no-fly lists and similar exclusionary documents

National ID cards

Massive use of cameras to spy on citizens

A media supportive of, or obsequious towards, the government in
covering its police state activities

Lack of legal recourse to stop illegal government actions

Prison without trial and arrests without charges

I hope he dies peacefully in his sleep here one of these nights and then someone else takes over that poor country and turns it around into a prosporous country for people to be proud and happy to live in.

Could you imagine the howls if Dick Chenny stepped down, and Jeb BUsh was appointed Vice President? 
Yes, and I can imagine certain people on this board defending such a scenario.


I hope he dies peacefully in his sleep here one of these nights and then someone else takes over that poor country and turns it around into a prosporous country for people to be proud and happy to live in.


I have the same dream for you-know-who and a country a little farther north!
;D

Yes, and I can imagine certain people on this board defending such a scenario.

I have the same dream for you-know-who and a country a little farther north!
;D




He'll be out soon enough, don't wish death upon someone like that, it's bad omen, or at least some Indian friends I have down in Norman say so. 

He'll be out soon enough, don't wish death upon someone like that, it's bad omen, or at least some Indian friends I have down in Norman say so. 

Soon enough? Can't be too soon for me! If the Indians of Norman can wish no ill upon Chucklenuts, they're stronger and wiser
men than I!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/fish.gif

Yes, and I can imagine certain people on this board defending such a scenario.

I have the same dream for you-know-who and a country a little farther north!
;D


Wether I would support it or oppose it, that does not matter.  Before that would happen, first it would have to pass Congress.  And even the Republicans know that nepotism to that degree would be a bad idea.  Look at how much flack JKF-Robert Kennedy got, and that was only Attourney General.

And I do wish all the best for Fidel and his family.  Simply because somebody may be a "political opponant", that does not mean I wish for their death, or anything other then good health for them.  There is a vast difference between wanting to see a government change, and wanting their leaders killed.

I believe in revolutions that are peacefull, and where the opposition is not lined up against a wall at the end and shot.  And I would rather Castro and his followers remain in power, then to see Cuba blow up in bloody revolt.

But that is me, some people simply like seeing blood, as long as it is those they oppose.

Wether I would support it or oppose it, that does not matter. 
Whoah! Wait a sec there, pard.  Who said I was refering to you?
???

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:_xqY7NZlZTXXpM:www.abc-latina.com/personnalites/images/fidel_castro.jpg
Fidel


http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:-WTinErctmHkRM:pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00217/bush_365_217549c.jpg
Infidel



Cat

Wether I would support it or oppose it, that does not matter.  Before that would happen, first it would have to pass Congress.  And even the Republicans know that nepotism to that degree would be a bad idea.  Look at how much flack JKF-Robert Kennedy got, and that was only Attourney General.

And I do wish all the best for Fidel and his family.  Simply because somebody may be a "political opponant", that does not mean I wish for their death, or anything other then good health for them.  There is a vast difference between wanting to see a government change, and wanting their leaders killed.

I believe in revolutions that are peacefull, and where the opposition is not lined up against a wall at the end and shot.  And I would rather Castro and his followers remain in power, then to see Cuba blow up in bloody revolt.

But that is me, some people simply like seeing blood, as long as it is those they oppose.


Good for you Mush.  Too bad your geeling are noit shared by the gusanos in Miami who were dancing in the streets at the news. 

Go back to Max's post.  Batista was a bloody butcher both before the revolution and during it, and for quite a while was our dark-haired boy in Havana, made Cuba safe for the Mafia, pedophile tourism, and whatever else wealthy Americans wanted.  Ike blew it, Kennedy blew it worse.  Accomodation would have tamed Castro, but challanging Cuban sovereignty turned him into an enemy.  And the most important reason he has remained in power is that most Cubans have benefited from the revolution.  Try free med care, free education (as far as you can go), free public transport, free sporting events etc.  Cuba is no earthly paradise (ain't no such thing) but its a far step ahead of us in many ways, ie infant mortality is lower in Cuba than among black Americans.  Go figure.


http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:_xqY7NZlZTXXpM:www.abc-latina.com/personnalites/images/fidel_castro.jpg
Fidel


http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:-WTinErctmHkRM:pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00217/bush_365_217549c.jpg
Infidel



Cat


This is from a tee shirt I have.

Get well, Fidel.

Patria o Muerte
Venceremos

^ I wonder how many of those "exhiles" in Florida are Cuban farmers and workers who were persecuted by the Castro regime, and how many were the beneficiaries of the imperial occupation Castro drove from Cuba.  I don't know.  I saw a story on CNN about these "exhiles" this morning. The reporters didn't ask the onese they interviewed, "so, what business was your family in?"  Isn't that a good question?  When you talk to an exhile or a refugee, don't you want to know why he left and what he left behind?
???

^ I wonder how many of those "exhiles" in Florida are Cuban farmers and workers who were persecuted by the Castro regime, and how many were the beneficiaries of the imperial occupation Castro drove from Cuba.  I don't know.  I saw a story on CNN about these "exhiles" this morning. The reporters didn't ask the onese they interviewed, "so, what business was your family in?"  Isn't that a good question?  When you talk to an exhile or a refugee, don't you want to know why he left and what he left behind?
???


Over the last several decades, there have been several exodus of people from Cuba.  And it still happens today.  Every week the Coast Guard turns away Cuban refugees en masse.  And it is not only the US, but the other Carribean nations also send them back.  This is something that always strikes me about the most totalitarian nations.

When it comes to "enlightened" nations, they tend to have to put restrictions on movement to the nation, but not from the nation.  We had around 200 people killed (and over 5,000 successful) while attempting to cross the "Berlin Wall", going from Eastern Germany into Western Germany.  Yet I can't recall hearing of anybody killed trying to enter Eastern Germany.  And it is the same thing in North Korea.  Citizens are free to enter, if they want to enter the "workers paradise", but it is damned near impossible to leave.

In this country, people are free to leave if that is their desire.  There are no requirements to leave the US, or to renounce citizenship.  Nobody will stop you, and nobody will try to arrest you if you return to the US at a later time.

And that is my problem with Cuba.  I also have problems because I see Castro as an unsettling force in politics, just like N. Korea, Venezuela, and Iran.  Personally, I do not care if somebody loves the US or not, just don't go around trying to encourage acts of violence against us (or any other peacefull nation).

Personally, I think that Castro's worst enemy is Castro himself.  If anything has been shown in US history, we are often quick to forgive anything that happened in the past, and embrace our former enemies.  England, France, Spain, Japan, Lybia, Russia, Germany, we have fought wars (or near wars) against each of these nations.  And as long as hostilities towards us ended, we often openly embraced peacefull cooperation.  This is because deep inside, we are still the nation of "Yankee Traders", and simply want to get along and exchange goods and money.  15 years ago, if somebody told me that we would be having free trade talks with Mommar and the government of Lybia, I would have told them they are crazy.  If you told somebody during World War II that within 20 years Japan was our biggest trading partners, they would have told you that you were crazy.  If in 1870 you told somebody in the US that England would soon be a major ally, they would have thought you were crazy.

I would bet money that if Castro tried a form of "Glasnost", almost all of the embargos and limitations in place by the US Government would end within a decade.  To me, he seems like a caricature of Nikita Kruschev, pounding his shoe on the table and screaming that the US will soon be on the ash heap of history.  I am sure that if the shoe was put away and a hand stretched out, he would be shocked at how quickly it was grabbed and shaken in friendship.

And I do have to say this for Cuba, it has been relatively stable, unlike many other of the Carribean and Central-South American nations.  There have been no bloody revolutions, no mock trials with the bodies of defeated enemies of the state shown on public TV, and other then the little adventures like in Angola, relatively few exportations of "Revolution" into other nations.  As bad as he may be, he could have been a lot worse.

And Carlos, to be honest "Free this and free that" really does not impress me.  Nothing personal, but to me it just seems to be a modern form of "Bread and Circuses".  It keeps the people happy and tranquil, while the interior rots.  And when the end comes, it tends to be even worse then it could have been.  I hope that when Fidel does die, his country does not go up in flames with him.  And from what I have read about his brother, he is much worse then Fidel is.

My sister-in-law (who lives in Puerto Rico) thinks that after Fidel goes, Cuba will become the "next Puerto Rico" meaning a colony of the U.S. Of course once that happens, PR is will forgot more than it is now-unless it becomes either a state or an independent nation.




Cat

Over the last several decades, there have been several exodus of people from Cuba.  And it still happens today.  Every week the Coast Guard turns away Cuban refugees en masse.  And it is not only the US, but the other Carribean nations also send them back.  This is something that always strikes me about the most totalitarian nations.
Yes, I see that. So, what qualifies a Cuban to stay? Hmmm.....

When it comes to "enlightened" nations, they tend to have to put restrictions on movement to the nation, but not from the nation.  We had around 200 people killed (and over 5,000 successful) while attempting to cross the "Berlin Wall", going from Eastern Germany into Western Germany.  Yet I can't recall hearing of anybody killed trying to enter Eastern Germany.  And it is the same thing in North Korea.  Citizens are free to enter, if they want to enter the "workers paradise", but it is damned near impossible to leave.

In this country, people are free to leave if that is their desire.  There are no requirements to leave the US, or to renounce citizenship.  Nobody will stop you, and nobody will try to arrest you if you return to the US at a later time.
This will change as America itself becomes a military dictatorship. The government will also require internal passports as well.  It will start under the guise of "national security," as it does under the other military dictatorships.  It's comeing, you can see the roots now planted.  You may still be in denial.

And that is my problem with Cuba.  I also have problems because I see Castro as an unsettling force in politics, just like N. Korea, Venezuela, and Iran.  Personally, I do not care if somebody loves the US or not, just don't go around trying to encourage acts of violence against us (or any other peacefull nation).
America is not a peaceful nation. Never was.
I see problems with the countries you mentioned.  I also notice these are the countries the right-wing always mentions as unsettling forces in politics.  If you invite U.S. corporations to plunder your resources and exploit your population, you're alright by the Right!  I wouldn't trade my U.S. citizenship for Cuban, but I would rather live in Cuba than Haiti!

Personally, I think that Castro's worst enemy is Castro himself.  If anything has been shown in US history, we are often quick to forgive anything that happened in the past, and embrace our former enemies.  England, France, Spain, Japan, Lybia, Russia, Germany, we have fought wars (or near wars) against each of these nations.  And as long as hostilities towards us ended, we often openly embraced peacefull cooperation.
Again, a "peaceful" nation is a corporate friendly nation.  If your country resists the military/corporate pleasures of the U.S. government, it is hostile.  Bill O'Reilly told the American nitwit class to hate France, and by golly, they did!

  This is because deep inside, we are still the nation of "Yankee Traders", and simply want to get along and exchange goods and money.  15 years ago, if somebody told me that we would be having free trade talks with Mommar and the government of Lybia, I would have told them they are crazy.  If you told somebody during World War II that within 20 years Japan was our biggest trading partners, they would have told you that you were crazy.  If in 1870 you told somebody in the US that England would soon be a major ally, they would have thought you were crazy.
Oh come on!  You don't actually believe this stuff, do you?

I would bet money that if Castro tried a form of "Glasnost", almost all of the embargos and limitations in place by the US Government would end within a decade.  To me, he seems like a caricature of Nikita Kruschev, pounding his shoe on the table and screaming that the US will soon be on the ash heap of history.  I am sure that if the shoe was put away and a hand stretched out, he would be shocked at how quickly it was grabbed and shaken in friendship.
Begs the question, if the free market is so inherently superior, why not lift the embargo?  Castro always had the embargo as an excuse for why Cuba remained poor.  If the embargo was lifted, Castro would have to step up to the plate, so to speak! He would have to say, "Starbucks wants to open in Havana, but I refuse to allow those imperialist pigs!"  Castro would reveal himself to be acting against the wishes, not in accordance with the wishes of the Cuban people. 
Or is there something else going on with that embargo?

And I do have to say this for Cuba, it has been relatively stable, unlike many other of the Carribean and Central-South American nations.  There have been no bloody revolutions, no mock trials with the bodies of defeated enemies of the state shown on public TV, and other then the little adventures like in Angola, relatively few exportations of "Revolution" into other nations.  As bad as he may be, he could have been a lot worse.
This is true. The freedoms of expression for Cuban citizens are more restricted than they are here, but Cubans are better off than most in Latin America.

And Carlos, to be honest "Free this and free that" really does not impress me.  Nothing personal, but to me it just seems to be a modern form of "Bread and Circuses".  It keeps the people happy and tranquil, while the interior rots.  And when the end comes, it tends to be even worse then it could have been.  I hope that when Fidel does die, his country does not go up in flames with him.  And from what I have read about his brother, he is much worse then Fidel is.

I'm not so sure Castro's government will outlive him.  I see a succession problem.  The people of Cuba are probably ready for a change.  It doesn't seem like they're going to want Raul, especially if Raul institutes oppressive measures to rule over an unwilling people.  Hard to say what is in store for Cuba when Castro dies.  He'll probably die within a couple of years.  Who knows? He could hang on for another fifteen!  Some people appear to be on the verge of death, and then rally.
At several times it seemed certain my grandmother was going to die over a 40-year period. Heart disease, heart disease again, cancer and cancer again, cirrhosis, and cirrhosis again.  She quit smoking, never quit drinking, so she died a lingering death of cirrhosis over three years, with a dozen close calls in that span alone.  Each time she rallied...until the one time she didn't! She was 88 years old.

Castro's no saint.  There is lots to dislike about the Castro regime.  But I remind all, it did not have to be this way.  The United States could have avoided much angst and benefited from what would have been a thriving Cuban economy if our government was not enthralled then, as it is now, to its corporate paymasters.  If we ate a little humble pie in 1960 and said, "OK, Fidel, we don't like it, but you won, so let's work together," we would not have had for fifty years a communist dictatorship ninety miles from Florida


I agree Maxwell.  Personally I could care less about Castro, and I wish that both Democrat and Republican politicians would grow a set of 'nards and tell the Cubans in south Florida to go pack sand. 

A rational policy towards Cuba would be normal trade, tourism, the whole bit.  Instead we attempted to isolate them and basically that became the source of Castro's enduring power.

I gave Clinton and whats-her-name alot of credit when they repatriated Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba despite the BS of the Cuban Floridians.  They did the right thing and told the Cuban expatriates to jam it.

I agree Maxwell.   Personally I could care less about Castro, and I wish that both Democrat and Republican politicians would grow a set of 'nards and tell the Cubans in south Florida to go pack sand. 

A rational policy towards Cuba would be normal trade, tourism, the whole bit.  Instead we attempted to isolate them and basically that became the source of Castro's enduring power.

I gave Clinton and whats-her-name alot of credit when they repatriated Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba despite the BS of the Cuban Floridians.  They did the right thing and told the Cuban expatriates to jam it.

Oh, I forgot about him...finally!  Little Elian was a perfect Sean Hannity story, you know, like Terry Schiavo.  I've got no dog in the fight, you've got no dog in the fight, but suddenly what side you take is a referendum on your character.  Whatta buncha crap!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/11/bs.gif

I know a man who escaped from Cuba with his wife and son, you'd have to shoot me and them to make them go back. 

I am just curious how many of them will go back in a heartbeat when Castro is gone. Isn't nice that they can use the U.S. when it suits their needs.




Cat

I gave Clinton and whats-her-name alot of credit when they repatriated Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba despite the BS of the Cuban Floridians.  They did the right thing and told the Cuban expatriates to jam it.



Oh, I forgot about him...finally!  Little Elian was a perfect Sean Hannity story, you know, like Terry Schiavo.  I've got no dog in the fight, you've got no dog in the fight, but suddenly what side you take is a referendum on your character.  Whatta buncha crap!


This was one of the things that I felt that President Clinton was absolutely right in doing.  A lot of people saw his return as being akin to putting him in prison for life.

Myself, I saw this as a tragic story of child kidnapping.  Elian's mother did not have custody, and she illegally took him from his father.  She then got on a boat with him to take him out of the country, away from his custodial parent.  And she did this, knowing how dangerous it was.  And she and several others on the boat died in the attempt.

I do not see a heroic mother, trying to escape the evils of Castro, I see a bitter woman, who tries to taje her son away from his father, the parent that was given full custoday.  And in the attempt, put his life in great peril.  Even if she had survived and arrived safely, I feel that he should have been returned to his father, the same as in any case where a non-custodial parent kidnaps a child and takes them out of the country.

And I could not give a danm what the country of origin was, or what politics or religion were involved.  Unless the child was in some form of danger or about to undergo some kind of mutilation (say the genital mutilation of some countries), that is the only reason I could even consider to allow a non-custodial parent to remove the child illegally.

My only problem with this is that President Clinton sat on this for to damned long.  There should have been a quick custody hearing once the child was healthy, then send him back home to his father.

I am just curious how many of them will go back in a heartbeat when Castro is gone. Isn't nice that they can use the U.S. when it suits their needs.


Some may, and most likely I expect it would be the older ones, who were actually born in Cuba.

For most of their children however, I expect a large number of them to stay here.  Like any immigrants, a lot have come to accept the US as their home, and will not want to go back to Cuba under any circumstance.

My ex and I had only been married a year when the Government that put her and her family under a death sentence was finally replaced by another.  I remember asking her if she ever planned on returning, and she said no.  The US was her home now, and that is where she was going to stay.  Even 15 years later, her entire family still lives in the US.  Her daughter, mother, and sister did return for a vacation in 1992, but that was the only time any of them ever went back.

But I am sure there were also a lot of expatriats that did return after the fall of the military junta in Argentina.  And there were probably a large number that stayed in whatever country they settled in, making it their new home.

This was one of the things that I felt that President Clinton was absolutely right in doing.  A lot of people saw his return as being akin to putting him in prison for life.

Myself, I saw this as a tragic story of child kidnapping.  Elian's mother did not have custody, and she illegally took him from his father.  She then got on a boat with him to take him out of the country, away from his custodial parent.  And she did this, knowing how dangerous it was.  And she and several others on the boat died in the attempt.

I do not see a heroic mother, trying to escape the evils of Castro, I see a bitter woman, who tries to taje her son away from his father, the parent that was given full custoday.  And in the attempt, put his life in great peril.  Even if she had survived and arrived safely, I feel that he should have been returned to his father, the same as in any case where a non-custodial parent kidnaps a child and takes them out of the country.

And I could not give a danm what the country of origin was, or what politics or religion were involved.  Unless the child was in some form of danger or about to undergo some kind of mutilation (say the genital mutilation of some countries), that is the only reason I could even consider to allow a non-custodial parent to remove the child illegally.

My only problem with this is that President Clinton sat on this for to damned long.  There should have been a quick custody hearing once the child was healthy, then send him back home to his father.



I agree with you 100% on this issue. Another thing that really bothered me about the whole episode was how the uncle and cousin exploited that poor little boy and how the news media played into that circus.



Cat

I agree with you 100% on this issue. Another thing that really bothered me about the whole episode was how the uncle and cousin exploited that poor little boy and how the news media played into that circus.



Cat


It shouldn't surprise you though, the media plays into everything. You burp and fart at the exact same instant it'll be  on the news in an hour and the tabloids by morning.

It shouldn't surprise you though, the media plays into everything. You burp and fart at the exact same instant it'll be  on the news in an hour and the tabloids by morning.
ive never burped and farted at the same time. if it happened it might actuallly merit media attention.

ive never burped and farted at the same time. if it happened it might actuallly merit media attention.



Wouldn't you be scared you'd blow something out if you tried to burp and fart at the same time?

ive never burped and farted at the same time. if it happened it might actuallly merit media attention.


"Ever notice how you can't sneeze and fart at the same time?  It's your body saying you might lose complete control and have to clean far more of the house than you ever intended to!"
--George Carlin
:P

I saw something on tv last night about Castro. Many of the people they interviewed said that if the U.S. really wanted Castro to fall, they should lift the embargo. Here they are trying to keep Castro isolated but yet, if they opened Cuba up, more "western" ideas and such would come into the country and Castro would probably fall under. Ironic isn't it?




Cat

I saw something on tv last night about Castro. Many of the people they interviewed said that if the U.S. really wanted Castro to fall, they should lift the embargo. Here they are trying to keep Castro isolated but yet, if they opened Cuba up, more "western" ideas and such would come into the country and Castro would probably fall under. Ironic isn't it?


They said the same thing about China, and that sure has not happened yet.

And as recently as 2002-2003 we had the Proyecto Varela , which tried to use rights given by the Cuban Constitution in order to pass more liberal freedoms for it's citizens.  Then in mid-2003, the Government cracked down, arresting most of the founders of the movement.

As far as the EMbargo, I really do not think it has much effect on the Cuban economy any more.  At the time of the Revolution, the US was Cuba's largest trading partner, and bought the majority of their exports.  Once the embargo went into effect, the US was largely replaced by the USSR.  And the US is the only country that participates in the Embargo.  If you want Cuban Cigars, you only have to travel as far as Canada or Mexico.  And it is legal to bring in a small number of cigars, as long as they are for personal use.

Most of the goods that Cuba made that were bought in any large quantity by the US have already been replaced by other sources.  The loss of Cuban sugar was replaced by an increase in domestic sugar production, including improved processes of harvesting sugar beets, and increasing domestic cane sugar production.  Fruits were replaced by imports from other Central and South American countries (and also South East Asia and Africa).  Rum imports were quickly replaced by rum from other countries in the Carribean.

About the only things that would resume being exported if the embargo was listed would be Cigars.  Having had Cuban cigars on many occasions (the first was in Japan in 1988), I admit that it is one thing they do better then any others I have had.  But for most of the rest of their products, we already have suppliers that we are doing business with.  Even Russia found itself buying products from Cuba just to keep them afloat, then selling them elsewhere because they simply did not have the demand to use them themselves.

I even remember one Byzantine trade done in the 1980's, where USSR paid for part of a US wheat shipment with Cuban Sugar.  Because the payment could not be sent to the US, it was then donated to the UN for use in an anti-hunger program.

Free trade might have made a huge difference in the 1960's, but by now both Cuba and the US have replaced most of their old trading agreements with agreements from other nations.  Other then US smokers being able to get better quality cigars, there would not be much to gain on the US side.  And with the currency as low as it is in Cuba, they may find themselves in even worse monitary trouble if they tried to buy any large amounts of US goods.  I can't see any exports they would send to us that would offset what is sure to end up being a huge trade defecit which would work against Cuba.

I saw something on tv last night about Castro. Many of the people they interviewed said that if the U.S. really wanted Castro to fall, they should lift the embargo. Here they are trying to keep Castro isolated but yet, if they opened Cuba up, more "western" ideas and such would come into the country and Castro would probably fall under. Ironic isn't it?




Cat


Casgro is a great bogeyman.  He doesn't present any real threat, but he gives the fear mongers something to sell.

I found this little news item today:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1132922006

It seems that a lot of VooDoo worshipers are sacrificing doves, chickens, and goats to ensure the health and wellbeing of Fidel.

We do the same thing here in Alabama, but we call it "Bar-B-Que".  And instead of sacrificing to the gods of VooDoo, we sacrifice to the gods of NASCAR.  8)

I found this little news item today:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1132922006

It seems that a lot of VooDoo worshipers are sacrificing doves, chickens, and goats to ensure the health and wellbeing of Fidel.

We do the same thing here in Alabama, but we call it "Bar-B-Que".  And instead of sacrificing to the gods of VooDoo, we sacrifice to the gods of NASCAR.  8)



LMAO!!!!    ;D ;D ;D




Cat

This just in.

Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still... umm... gimme a day or two, 'k?

This just in.

Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still... umm... gimme a day or two, 'k?


ROFL!!!!!

I am Chevy Chase, and you are not.  I wonder how many in here even remember (or are old enough to remember) that old bit!

ROFL!!!!!

I am Chevy Chase, and you are not.  I wonder how many in here even remember (or are old enough to remember) that old bit!

Never saw it on the original broadcasts, I heard people quoting it at the time.  Sometimes they show SNL reruns from the original cast, so I've seen it there. A lot of people say the earliest years were the best.  I say SNL hit its peak in the '84-'85 seasons.  Lorne Michaels should have called it quits around 1990.  A good fifteen year run and no slow descent into perpetual mediocrity would have cemented SNL as a TV legend. From there, Michaels could have gone on to other projects in the live comedy genre as "the guy who did SNL."  Now he's a joke.

It's like National Lampoon.  They should have called it quits in 1985.  The talent that made NatLamp succeed was gone, and times had changed. The should have let fifteen years of rude spoof stand on its own.  Instead, they went out with a wimper instead of bang!

Oh well.  This has got nothing to do with Castro!

Oh well.  This has got nothing to do with Castro!


Look, Fidel, you'll be stone dead in a moment.  You're not foolin' anyone y'know! 

Look, Fidel, you'll be stone dead in a moment.  You're not foolin' anyone y'know! 

The Dead Collector: Bring out yer dead.

Large Man with Dead Body: Here's one.
The Dead Collector: That'll be ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.
The Dead Collector: What?
Large Man with Dead Body: Nothing. There's your ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.
The Dead Collector: 'Ere, he says he's not dead.
Large Man with Dead Body: Yes he is.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not.
The Dead Collector: He isn't.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm getting better.
Large Man with Dead Body: No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment.
The Dead Collector: Well, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I don't want to go on the cart.
Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, don't be such a baby.
The Dead Collector: I can't take him.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I feel fine.
Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, do me a favor.
The Dead Collector: I can't.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, can you hang around for a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
The Dead Collector: I promised I'd be at the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, when's your next round?
The Dead Collector: Thursday.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I think I'll go for a walk.
Large Man with Dead Body: You're not fooling anyone, you know. Isn't there anything you could do?
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I feel happy! I feel happy!

Large Man with Dead Body: Ah, thank you very much.
The Dead Collector: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
Large Man with Dead Body: Right.

--Courtesy of your local 24-year-old virgin.
Next: your favorite Star Trek episode verbatim (classic cast, of course!)