Rice: Cuba on brink of huge change

I don't know why these bother you so much, especially the second one. Do you expect the U.S. to sit back and do nothing when Castro dies? It's going to be messy no matter what happens, but it is in everyone's interests (U.S. included) that another dictator not be allowed to consolidate power. After 40+ years of brutal Castro, the Cuban people deserve a change.

On your first point: My memory is fuzzy, but I think the Spanish government was unnecessarily hostile and nasty to the U.S. when they took over. One snub deserved another. Stuff like this happens often. It isn't like we threw their ambassador out or withdrew ours. By your definition, all governments are childish.

 

The brilliant Condi has just figured out Castro is in poor health. Cuba is a safe enough topic for the hapless Condi.

I think the plan is to distance Condi from her lies on Iraq in order to rehabilitate her, if possible.

The GOP needs her black face to possibly pair with Jeb Bush who also is being rehabbed by keeping him as far as way as possilble from 2008 and the sinkhole of Bush-Cheney.

The changes in Cuba should be interesting. Of course, the Bush gang hardly has anything to teach about democracy to even Castro.

I assume our first goals will be to eliminate their medical care for all and their cheap education. After that we will break their unions. Thus prepared for free enterrpise, they should then be ready for tourism and perhaps assembling small products if they can keep their wages as low as rural China.

 

I've always been bothered by the US attitude in regard to Cuba. We're all for trade and engagement with the PRC, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other avowed Socialist, dictatorial and repressive states yet we won't trade with Cuba. The Cubans are well educated and industrious people and with access to bigger markets you're likely to see a Cuban middle class develop that will agitate for change. At the same time with the trade embargo there is little incentive for potential moderates in the Cuban Communist party to consider working with the US now or in a post Castro Cuba. As long as the Fidel can stand and present himself as the defender of Cuba against the Yanqui Imperialistas who have been starving Cuba there is little incentive for popular change. At the moment the US has very little influence or leverage to deal with a post Castro Cuba.

 

Yeah! Boooo capitalism. Boooo democracy. Boooo America. If only the Soviets had won the cold war, eh tovarisch?

 

Sadly, stupid moniker , it is not that simple. Capitalism does not equal democracy. When it is for sale to the highest contributors it is antithetical to democracy, unless you consider oligarchy to be the only form of democracy like the GOP leaders do.

If you read my post to which you attempted to respond, you will see that said: ,EVEN CASTRO. Castro is not a democrat, nor is Bush much of one either. I am not sure why you bring up the Soviet Union.

I guess you are the type of American that is fairly content that the USA is more democratic than the old Soviet Union and has a better distribution of wealth than a lot of the third world.

 

51st State. Or 52nd, because we know the only reason Puerto Rico's not a state already is because it would mess up the flag.

 

I want to vacation in Cuba. This embargo business is rediculous, and has been for a very long time. It should have ended with the end of the Cold War, but politics in America prevented it, not politics in Cuba.




D&D. Replicant Beaches.

 

Yeah...we get it already. She was appointed by Bush. You don't like her. Save the bravado.

Whew...I feel better. You know the plan. If only John Kerry had been so clear on his plan, maybe more people would have voted for him. You act as though she can only speak on one subject. Iraq is not the only thing going on in the world. One can expect that she will opine on them by virtue of her office. You assume that speaking on these issues is mutually exclusive.

Wow. This is a stretch even for you. You went a LONG way just to get in a racial jab.

I guess the Republicans in Congress don't know anything about democracy either. Funny how the politicians with whom you disagree don't know anything about democracy (even though they ran for office, got votes, etc). This is, of course, forgetting that we are not a democracy like Greece, we are a republic like Rome.

Imagine that...government doesn't pay for everything. Damn. What a shame. I think that the people of Cuba have had the government up their butt long enough. Besides, if things were so great in Cuba, why have people risked everything just to defect here?

Ah yes...because their wages are sooooo high now.

 

Never said it did. You seem to prefer Castro's Cuba to the US. In the US we have democracy and capitalism. In Cuba they have a communist dictatorship. Hence boo democracy and boo capitalism.

Castro is a dictator for life. Bush is a president that was twice elected to four year terms and will be out of office come January '09. Your implication is that they are basically the same (In terms of coming to and wielding power, that is. You obviously prefer the policies of Castro). They are not.

Not a big history buff? The Soviet Union was the only real chance the communist dictatorships that you fancy had of spreading all over the world.

I am fairly content that the leaders of the US are chosen by a panel of electors that are in turn chosen by a vote of the people in their home states (the electoral college system), in the case of the chief executive, or more directly by a vote of the people they represent in the case of the legislature. I am also reasonably content with our somewhat capitalist economic system, though I would prefer it be a bit more capitalist.

 

I agree with almost all of this post. Imperialism of the Bush type is not very attractive.

Got to do something more exciting then respond to the other posts at this moment from Mexico, guys.

Bet you wish you were here.

Boo!!

 

maybe they boo capitalism because the farmer(in latin america),whose main crop goes to Del Monte and other US.companies,is having to live on a salary that consists of 8 dollars a day?put yourself in their shoes,feeding a family on 8 dollars a day .... you would have no other choice but to head north...The latin american people "boo" U.S' Foreign policy not the people of the U.S,that fact is often overlooked.


Now Cuba is a different topic,It's a sad issue for me.I try to remember Castro as the revolutionary who liberated the people from Batista's oppression(you do remember batista right?he wasn't much for human rights).Truth is,castro became the same person he replaced.:
What should become of Cuba?I have no idea;but the USA should not have a say in it.

 

Castro is indeed sad. What is most threatiening for the US is to have a country like say Cuba or right now Venezuela to become a Laitn Americqn version of Sweden, Holland or Germany.

Better to have Chavez become somewhat of a dictator, even if it is to fend off the collusion of the small Venezuelan elite and the US elite against democracy in Venezuela, then t have Venezuela be democratic and have sensible things like affordable education health care etc. for the masses.

Better to keep most importantly American voters focused on the theme that your choice is always Stalinist Russia or president day American captialism. Take your choices, folks. The dominance of this theme is reflected above in the comments of some to my original post.

 

That's really all I want too, Deckard. Not to mention that it would bring down the price of Cubans, which is way above market value...from what I've been told, of course.

 

LOL! At this rate, I'll be 90 before I can lay on a Cuban beach, look at the lovely Cuban ladies, eat some Cuban food, and see some of those classic American cars from the 50's they keep running there.

 

I feel for you Deckard. I love those 50's classics they drive around there too, and all those young ladies in their 50's...

 

You are really tryin' to give me the business, aren't you!




D&D. Replicant Voter.

 

I was just trying to see if you can come up with something more poignant than "Replicant Voter"...we are talking about Cuba afterall

BTW, where's DaDa these days with all those 'war' threads around? I certainly miss his anti-war ramblings...

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

 

DaDa is busy being bummed out, I would wager. He should hang out here. Heck, there are several threads he could bombard with posts. Endless topics that we haven't thought to create threads for that he can start. And I have no doubt that DD could work Billy into one of the political threads, and Van Gundy into some NewYorker banter. Heck, Sam hangs down here. They could easily raise hell together, give the friends of China a break.

What is the political situation with Greece? Does the invasion of Northern Iraq by Turkey threaten to pull Greece into a potential conflict? What does VSpan think about it? Will global warming flood New York City? Will Lady Liberty drown? Do the Van Gundy brothers stand a chance? Will Sam and NewYorker be caught without their bathing suits?

Come on, DD! Come on down!!



D&D. Replicant Lust for Young Cuban Ladies.

 

And now I shall let you retire in peace

D&D. "Poignant grief cannot endure forever” (Come on Castro, die already! Deckard and I have a memoir to get to!)