New Congress Tries to Ease Embargo

Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Charles Rangel, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is betting that with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in failing health and Democrats in control of Congress, lawmakers will scale back trade and travel embargoes on the communist island.

Rangel, a New York Democrat, introduced a measure Jan. 24 to end the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba. He and others say they will offer measures to relax limits on sending money to Cuba and payment restrictions on the sale of farm goods.

``Being in the majority, I think we can be successful this year,'' Rangel said in an interview. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and all but one of the new House committee chairmen voted in the past for easing the embargo, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aqSR8RPvtsxk&refer=home

Comments

[usambcuba]

Its about time.

President Bush will only show his hypocrisy, disrespect and disregard for those Cuban Americans and Americans who cannot visit and support their families in Cuba if he vetoes the legislation. Let him be allowed only to visit his family once every three years and send them $100 a month.

And in the same light, we have not declared war with Cuba. There is no legitimate constitutional reason to bar travel to Cuba.

And while I want things to change in Cuba, the embargo is an outright policy failure. Enough already.

I hope everyone reading this will let their Senators and Representative know your views on travel and trade with Cuba.

[jose]

Yes, what if Bush were only allowed to visit his family once every three years? Ha. We pray (in the USA and our family in Cuba) that cuban-american family visits are "liberated".

We have the moral and intellectual side. Those that continue to wish to restrict family visits are just the jealous ones who have lost contact with their families (the ones that came over on the first wave).

Cuban-americans must unite around the idea of liberating families to visit their loved ones on the island as they see fit. I hope they make family visits apart from general travel, which is more controvesial and is a different story altogether.

What utter hypocrisy those that wish to tell me when or when i can't visit my ailing father!

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

"I hope they make family visits apart from general travel, which is more controvesial and is a different story altogether."

No general travel is not a different story altogether. It sounds like you believe in freedom of movement and property rights ONLY when the government is restricting YOUR freedoms.

Sorry comrad we don't live in a communist system. The mantra that: "All people are equal but some are more equal then others" isn't suppose to apply in a limited government where each individuals rights are protected. Everyone is suppose to be able to exersize the common law right of freedom of movement. Not just a favored few.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Speaking of freedom of movement, that's another right that Castro has denied his people. It is illegal for a Cuban to move from one city in Cuba to another city in Cuba without first obtaining permission in writing from his master (I mean, the regime). A Cuban who attempts to "emigrate domestically" without the requisite pass is subject to "deportation" back to his hometown or imprisonment. If this pass system sounds familiar to you, it is because the same system was in place in both Cuba and the U.S. during the era of slavery.

Let Castro get rid of these restrictions before the U.S. relaxes its own restrictions on travel to Cuba.

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

No. One wrong doesn't justify another. The Cuban government shouldn't deny it's citizens their freedom of travel. Neither should the U.S. government.

The sad part is that in a totalitarian system restrictions on personal liberty are expected (although undoubtedly immoral).

But a constitutional Republic with a limited government system is expected to protect it's citizen's rights'. Especially one that is supposedly promoting individual liberty and democracy in foreign lands. This is obviously not the case.

[usambcuba]

There should be no distinction between the family travel and general travel. Its a violation of constitutional principles and the concept of equal protection. There should be freedom to travel, period. I would argue people with family in Cuba have a priority, but the concept should apply to all Americans, Cuban and all others.

Manuel - we should NOT be harming our own citizens, especially those with family members in Cuba, by denying them the full right of expression of their familial ties in visiting and supporting their relatives in the hopes that somehow it will bring Castro down. It will NOT.

Again you will not bring Castro down by harming your own people, and that is what our current policy with Cuba is doing.

[leftside]

Manuel, there is a difference between having to get permission and being denied something totally. Cubans move all the time, but making sure people have a job and housing has helped the countryside remain vital and provicial towns healthy (and prevent shacks and slums). In a country where real estate in centro havana and the countryside is priced not much different, some controls are necessary. But if you have a reason to move, you can - so I was told when I was there.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

There is no right to visit enemy countries enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, which is the reason that the travel restriction have and will withstand any legal challenge. So, as I suggested before, put your heads in the sand and wait 2 years and perhaps you will get your way.

Then there is this priceless comment from leftside in justification of Castro's segmentation of Cuba by the creation of internal borders within the island: [This policy] "has helped the countryside remain vital and provincial towns healthy (and prevent shacks and slums)."

So the Cuban countryside is "vital" and the towns are "healthy?" And there are no "shacks and slums" in Cuba." The capacity for self-deception among Castro's apologists is as limitless and expansive as Castro's own ability to feed their fantasies and illusions. This co-dependence necessarily excludes reality.

[rodr]

Manuel wrote, "So, as I suggested before, put your heads in the sand and wait 2 years and perhaps you will get your way."

nope, easing of restrictions will go through this year!! I

if not, we'll (cuban-americans wanting to visit their flesh and blood, and regular law abiding us citizens) continue to go through third countries.." Ha!! Restricting movement is a thing of a totalitarin regime (cuba) not the US.

[shan]

soy mexicano que vive en Miami y Cancun.

One question: why every time I get on a plane in Canucn going to Habana that it's completely full with Cuban-americans? (going back too).. Really it seems like 75 percent of the plane is Cuban Americans.

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

"There is no right to visit enemy countries enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, which is the reason that the travel restriction have and will withstand any legal challenge."

In 1958, the Supreme Court ruled that we do indeed have the right to travel under the "due process" clause of the fifth Amendment. So yes there is a right to freely travel enshined in the U.S. constitution.

Also I question your categorization of Cuba as an "enemy country” we have not engaged in armed conflict with Cubans for nearly half of a century. Not to mention that we spend more on our military in 12 hours then Cuba spends on it’s military during an entire year. And I doubt that anyone would agree that Cuba presents less of a threat then: Iran, North Korea, or China. All countries which American citizens can and do travel freely to.

[curt]

Classifying Cuba as a terrorist country shows complete ignorance by the U.S government. Bush is much more of a terrorist than Castro!

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

Pancho:

What the Supreme Court said was that the U.S. government cannot arbitrarily refuse to issue you a passport (as it did in the case of Paul Robeson). This is not quite the same thing as affirming that you have the right to travel at will to enemy countries without incurring whatever legal penalties the government may choose to impose.

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

I meant to say:

And I doubt that anyone would DISAGREE that Cuba presents less of a threat then: Iran, North Korea, or China. All countries which American citizens can and do travel freely to.

not: "AGREE" whoops

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

So far Iran, North Korea and China have never come close to unleashing a nuclear strike on the U.S. Castro advised Khruschev to do precisely that during the Missile Crisis. In fact, Khruschev assented to removing the missiles because he saw the danger of keeping them within Castro's grasp.

Asked years later by Robert McNamara whether he knew that such an attack would have unleashed a nuclear conflagration that would have destroyed Cuba, Castro answered placidly:

"Yes."

Since 1945 the world has come to the brink of nuclear destruction only once. And that one time was courtesy of Fidel Castro.

Maybe we should give every outlaw regime one chance at wiping us out.

[curt]

Manuel, you live in areal fantasy world. The statements you make are not supported by any facts. You should consider writin fiction.

[Juan (Pancho) Valquez]

Manuel -
Cuba never has produced nor had control of a nuclear weapon (the Soviets did). So Fidel Castro can suggest what ever he want's. His opinions' didn't matter.

Also you still havn't rationalized why it is ok to ban travel to Cuba which is not a threat to the United States. But why it isn't ok to ban travel to North Korea, Iran, or China. All hostile countries which could do us serious harm.

It couldn't be that you have a personal grudge against the Cuban government and don't mind trampling the rights of U.S. citizens to further your own personal agenda could it?

[usambcuba]

The embargo and restrictions HARM Cuban Americans and Americans, and empower the Castro regime. Get it? Your support for a policy you think hurts Castro in reality only hurts your own people and fellow Americans. Wake up and see reality.

[nonee moose]

wikiPancho:

look up the US SUpreme COurt cases that dealt directly with travel to Cuba. Theyre out there. And they don't help you. I thought I taught you all this... How quickly they forget... ah well.

Hey! It's late-January, and those pesky Democrats haven't lifted the embargo? Sheesh.

[David]

Manuel
Where does the Constitution give Federal government the right to restrict travel? You need a civics lesson. Rights are not simply the ones provided in the Bill of Rights, it is a guide as to what restrictions may not be enforced. Liberty (to travel) Pursuit of Happiness (visting who, what, when, where, how, one wishes). Even during the Cold War travel to the Warsaw pact nations/ USSR was allowed. Excpet for Cuba.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

David:

There's nothing that you can teach me, and if you are not disposed to learn from me, then there is nothing to be gained by this exchange.

[nonee moose]

Actually David, if you can find even one right granted by the Bill of Rights, it will be the first. And I will be most impressed.

You're late for civics class, sonny girl.