Congressional Visit to Castro

[faceking]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/was...ers-meet-with-the-castro-cousins-in-cuba.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21008.html

this is... just bizarre.... what next ...Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are going to visit Charles Manson and tell the American ppl "enough is enough" and he's a gentle soul who can drum up a nice zesty lasagna on the shores of the San Pablo Bay.

Is this Barbara Lee.... who comes from a constituency that either condones cop killing, or does little to condemn and outcry...

Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) and Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) were the first U.S. officials to meet with the 82-year-old former dictator since his intestinal surgery in July 2006.

“It was almost like listening to an old friend,” [dawwwwwwwwwwwwww] said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro’s home to be modest and Castro’s wife to be particularly hospitable."

Shame ol Bobby missed Hitler's or Hussein's fireside chats. Dumb ass, you were led to one of Castro's homes, much less one of Castro's wives.

""I'm convinced Raul Castro wants a normal relationship with the United States," Lee said"

any specifics or terms to that, babe?

""I think that what really surprised me, but also endeared me to him, was his keen sense of humor, his sense of history and his basic human qualities," Rush said.

By the way... Bobby Rush and Barrah Obama ... nevermind. It's a Chicago class-structure manipulation facade thing they gots goin' on.

Rush goes on with this ""I intend to do everything that I can ... to make sure that normalization with our relationship with Cuba is given proper consideration both within... and the neighborhoods of America."

Interesting no members from South Florida took a stroll. Curious what their constituents would say/feel about it. First let Castro allow ppl to freely immigrate to the US, like we care so much for Mexico to do, Barbara....

 

[B_Nick8]

Have you been to Cuba, face? I have, twice. And while my uncle had to get special dispensation papers from the State Department for me to do so, I still had to sign all sorts of things saying I wouldn't spend one single American dollar there and had to fly via Mexico where I picked up a Cuban visa which was held by the authorities and then destroyed by them so no one could prove I'd ever been there.

I've spent nearly 4 weeks during the past five years in Cuba. I've stayed in Cuban homes (illegally), I've met tons of Cuban people. I've toured their hospitals where the level of medical training and care is among the highest in the world. All I heard from everyone, government officials included, was how much they want friendship with the American people, how much they admire our system of government, how hurt economically--and personally--they've felt by our ridiculous embargo.

There is construction and development going on everywhere you look. Hotels and apartment buildings and shopping centers and casinos and beach-side restaurants. The Germans are there. The French and British are there. Japanese money is all over. The only ones not there is US.

And why? Because we have held onto an antiquated concept that ought to have died 15 years ago. The Soviet Union abandoned Cuba in the early 90s utterly and completely and left them to suffer as they had never before. There's a name for the period which, unfortunately escapes me just now, but it's one of those Time of the Great Troubles things. It would have been ripe then for us to make overtures then. It's beyond ripe now but typically, American pride and ego are too great. We're like a spurned lover who needs to be begged to come back and won't give them the satisfaction of meeting them half-way.

I've been hearing for years, from them, that Castro dying and was on his way out . That his brother would step in and attempt to carry on but would be weak and that some reforms would take place during his tenure. But that real change would only occur once all Castros are gone.

If I'm hearing these things and responding to them can you tell me that elected officials of these United States should not also? That out of misguided "pride" and hubris that backs a bad policy that's been kept in place too long we should simply wait until an "appropriate time" when "conditions are right" to normalize relations, much less take a step in that direction? Why are we missing yet another opportunity to be a leader in our own hemisphere and continuing policies of belligerence and disrespect which only serve to alienate the very friends we ought to have?

The South Floridians to whom you refer and as you ought to know, are primarily or are descended from the Cubans who fled in the wake of the revolution. Many were of the upper classes and wealthy, many of whom were lucky enough to take good sums out of the country but whose resentment at Castro's government for having seized their lands and homes remains. They were also the people who'd kept Batista in power, a US backed "presidente" who was one of the most corrupt and avaricious on record. Of course they suffered losses and continue to suffer ramifications of Castro's rule and they have long memories and longer resentments. But I can't believe the feelings of this relatively small group of disaffected expats and even their American-born children ought not to be allowed to dictate a foreign policy that is important for our country as a whole as well as for the Cuban people.

Normalization is simply a matter of time. Time until then is a waste of time. The obvious logic of this inevitability is inescapable and I do not understand those who stand on ceremony and attempt to put silly, even absurd roadblocks in its path.

Perhaps I'm tired, but sometimes I just don't understand certain groups of what I benignly call "you people".

 

[Guy-jin]

Hitler

Here's the thing, man. When you compare anyone to Hitler in order to make your point, you just gave up all of your credibility.

Not that you had any to start with, but I digress.

 

[tripod]

Comparing Castro to Charles Manson and Hitler?

Cuba is full of people that do not deserve to live in isolation... America's policy is gonna change regarding Cuba whether anyone likes it or not.

There is no logical argument against normalizing relations with Cuba in the 21st century.

Being against Castro and not being Cuban is just rehashing old Cold War sentiments.

It's kind of played out, don't y'all think?

 

[joyboytoy79]

I can't add anything more than Nick8 already did.

We have a relationship with China, who is across the widest ocean in the world, but Cuba, only 50 miles from our border, is in exile. Why?

 

[houtx48]

whether it would be democrat or republican, it's been 50 years and it's probably time to rethink this Cuba thing.