I must be missing something.

It is astounding and a wonder to me how rediculous some bootlickers can be.
Whenever anyone in any blog, brings up the real conditions inside Cuba, there is always some nut out there that brings up the embargo as the end all reason for the inhuman conditions.

First off, why is the American Embargo in place? Well, contrary to most people’s belief, the American Embargo was not placed by the angry Cuban exile community in Miami. It was put in place long before there were any Cuban-American political officials, by the American government in response to the unlawful appropriations of American properties in Cuba. These properties were valued at 1 billion dollars in 1960, as of 1996 it was estimated to be 7.7 billion dollars, I can’t imagine what it would be worth today.

Through the years the embargo has been modified so that today what exists is a whisper of an embargo, basically prohibiting the extension of any credit by an American bank and The World Bank to the Cuban Government. Cuba can purchase all kinds of agricultural, and medical supplies among other thingsssss. Don’t take my word for it, visit THIS site and you’ll see it for yourself.

These very same people that cry about how the situation in Cuba is like it is for Cubans because of the embargo fail to explain to me how the following is the fault of the embargo.

• Cubans not allowed on properties for foreigners, unless they work there.
• Cubans not allowed to travel without expressed government permission.
• Cubans not granted exit Visas when foreign countries have extended entrance visas to same individuals
• Cubans not allowed in hospitals for foreigners.
• Cubans not allowed to study what they want.
• Cubans rotting in jail for having a different ideology than that of the government.
• Cubans rotting in jail for writing news articles.
• Cubans not allowed access to the internet.
• All Cubans in general treated as second class citizens while foreigners are treated as first class citizens
• Cuba doesn’t have more than one political party.

Tell me what any of those things have to do and how they’re related to the US embargo on the island. Now as for the food, lets review all the things purchased by Cuba from the US with regards to food.

Keep in mind these are values in the “thousands of dollars” so that when the number is 59,228, we multiply that value by 1,000 as in the case of meat and poultry. These numbers do nott include the items purchased from other countries or the 100,000 barrels of oil a day being imported to Cuba from Venezuela.


(In thousands of dollars)

product

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Wheat

22,789

36,736

57,516

50,705

47,199

Rice

6,266

10,778

64,048

39,204

40,999

Meat,poultry

23,350

37,034

63,034

65,788

59,228

The list is much much longer. Where did all that food go?

And here’s an EYE OPENER,here you'll see $7,000 in pleasure boats and motors last year, and under Toy, games, sporting goods you'll see $13,000. As far as I know, none of that is digestable. There are other curious items like these, you'll see.

Did you have a look see what interesting items have been purchase by the Caribbean crybabies? So what’s all the crying and bitching about on the part of the Cuban Government? It is about credit folks. Goods and products on credit that the Cuban Government has absolutely no plans in paying once it is given.

Cuba has one of the lowest country ratings in the world, barely ahead of Sudan, and Haiti. Euromoney Magazine rated Cuba the riskiest country to invest in out of a survey of 167 countries.

The Soviet Union tubed up to $4 billion dollars a year into Cuba before the Soviet collapse. The Cuban Government defaulted on most of its international debt in 1986 and does not have access to credit from international financial institutions like the World Bank, which means Havana must rely heavily on short-term loans to finance imports, chiefly food and fuel. Because of its poor credit rating, an $11 billion hard currency debt, and the risks associated with Cuban investment, interest rates have reportedly been as high as 22%. In 2002, citing chronic delinquencies and mounting short-term debts, Moody's lowered Cuba's credit rating to Caa1 -- "speculative grade, very poor." Dunn and Bradstreet rate Cuba as one of the riskiest economies in the world. You can read the above stated here


Below a list of Cuba’s foreign debt:
FOREIGN DEBT SNAPSHOT
(All amounts are converted to U.S. dollars.)
EUROPE: $10.9 billion. Paris Club creditors (Source: Banco Central de Cuba.) In 1986, Cuba suspended payments of the debt. Despite on-going negotiations, Cuba has yet to service its debt to the Club since issuing a moratorium in 1987.
Eastern Europe: $2.2 billion.

Russia: Estimated at roughly $20 billion.
Canada: $73 million (Excludes short and medium-term commercial debts to Canadian suppliers.)
ASIA
Japan: $1.7 billion (Japan is Cuba’s principal creditor, excluding the former Soviet Union.)
China: $400 million.
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina: $1.58 billion. (Cuba’s second largest creditor behind Japan.)
Mexico: $380 million.
Chile: $20 million.
Venezuela: $266 million. (Mostly in unpaid petroleum purchases, even under highly favorable terms.)
South Africa: $85 million
Folks that is over 39 billiong dollors in debt!
Now with all of this why should the US lift the embargo and extend Cuba any credit?


If you’re interested, here’s some more background on Cuba.

GIVE UP THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR FREE TUITION?

Well here is what a poll at NYU revealed: POLL . Am I in the Twilight Zone?? If this poll is acurate and 66% of our college students are ready to give up their RIGHT to vote in exchange for free tuition, we have got BIGGER problems than the war in Iraq or Iran and nuclear weapons. That's just my opinion.

SLEEP WITH PIGS, WAKE UP IN SHIT...

HISPANIC??

The police in Chandler Arizona are offering $25,000 reward for the help and capture of a suspected serial rapist, dubbed the "Chandler Rapist" . The suspect is described as Hispanic, 28 to 40 years old, short with a muscular build, dark hair and hazel or brown eyes.

Personally, everything else after the part of "Hispanic" is much more helpful than the word hispanic on its own. I don't have a problem with the police describing the guy as a hispanic male, as long as it comes with the rest of the description, as stated above, but in my town, that will not get you an arrest.

I don't know how it is out in Arizona, but where I live [Miami] most of the people are Hispanic. This being said, a white, black, brown, red, and olive skin person could fit that description fine. You see, having a Hispanic ethnicity doesn't guaranty your skin color. In essense, the Arizona police's description of the suspect, umbrellas every Hispanic, whether you're white or black. You can be 28 to 40, have a short muscular body with hazel to brown eyes and be white, black, grean, purple, and still be hispanic.

What I'm saying is that the "Hispanic" term is so broad, at least in my home town, it would get you nowhere fast when trying to catch a suspect. I think the Chandler Police Department should have included the color of the suspect's skin in their information report and not just the man's ethnicity, which I believe should very well be included in their report as that is another helpful detail in helping catch the suspect.

PORQUE NO TE CALLAS?!?

I don't agree wiht most of the opinons of Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain, but I must congratulate the man for having called out the ape B/K/A Hugo Chavez at the Iberoamerican Summit in Chile yesterday, after the ape called Aznar the previous prime minister, a fascit. I love the way he said, "Mr. Chavz, Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish Citizens"

Check out the 3 plus mintue video here:

THE FACE OF A TERRORIST MASS MURDERER at THE REAL CUBA

Che Guevara was an international terrorist and mass murderer.
During his vicious campaigns to impose communism on countries throughout Latin America, che Guevara trained and motivated the Castro regime's firing squads that executed thousands of men, women and children.
This poster reveals the truth of this criminal's cruel, murderous hypocrisy and acknowledges his countless victims, known and unknown.
All individuals used in this photo montage were murdered by che and the Castro regime.

To see the image that was created using the photos of the peolple he murdered CLICK HERE

Who is Oscar E. Biscet?

Get your answer here , here and here here.

Then tell my why there are people who say they want the truth to be known, yet are finding idiot reasons for bashing this action.

You can read the The Miami Herald's piece on the medal here , where you'll find they've quoted Dr. Biscet's wife:

In a phone conversation from Havana, Morejón thanked Bush for the award and called it ``a recognition of our political prisoners.''
''It is important that in this world someone remembers us,'' she said.

This is for those out there who actually questioned Dr. Biscet's reaction to receiving this award and recognition. Why else you idiots, would he be writing to the press rather than his wife when he's allowed to write if he didn't want attention to the horrors that are going on in Cuba? Why else whould she have put out a video some time back about the cell that he was confined to and shoved it off for all in the world to see, for shits & giggles???

Here's another piece by a very well known Cuban writer who resides in Spain, click here

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

How would you feel if a well known rich man jails your mother in his basement because she doesn't think that he ought to take his children’s food away from them and give it to the poor down the street? What would you think of that same rich man if he’d jailed one of his children for saying he wanted the food his father was giving to other children?

He doesn’t feed his two prisoners, or his other children. He beats his two prisoners and tortures them, but everyone up and down the city loves this rich man to death because he's been so good to everyone and has stood up to another man they all hate.

The press conveniently ignores that he’s got his maid, your mother, and one of his children in a jail. Whenever they see you coming they close their doors, so as not to here your ranting and raving, or to deal with your rabid hatred of this man, who is so good to everybody else. Some have even told you in your face that what’s a little beating when he does so much good around the city. You tell them that the children he has not jailed are starving, but they answer you back with, “Oh but he sends them to school and they have very good healthcare.”

You know his children are not that well taken care of medically because it costs him too much, and your mother, you cry for her, she nurtured you, you were born from her and you know she is deteriorating by the day, soon there will only be a whisper of what that great lady use to be.

You sit there and run up and down the street telling these people that your mother is dieing, and that his children are also, that this isn’t the great man he wants everyone to believe. You try to save your mother and his children on your own, believing that if nobody else will do something, you might as well do something.

The city folk, learn of your plan and hold you back. Finally one day, the rich man that everyone hates, heads your call, and starts yelling it from the ramparts. He starts bombarding the people with the truth, yet because they hate him, nothing he says is heeded.

Since he can lose a lot, the hated rich man tells you that the scum’s children must come out and tell the people what is happening to them. The children and the babysitters must do something for themselves before he can lift a finger to help them.

You try to get these messages to his children and the babysitters through any means possible and a group in the city says that you’re trying to outsmart one man’s sovereignty over his house.

You’ve tried screaming, crying, talking, showing, but nothing. How would you feel? Can you even imagine something like that? Can you come up with a reason as to why so many are willing to look the other way? Can you rationalize that they do it because they hate the other rich man, the one who’s willing to help? Who will you go to, if he’s the only one willing to help? He’s the ONLY one who gave you a bedroom to sleep in when your mother was taken from you.

**Now go back and read it, but this time you're Cuban, your mother is Cuba, the children are Cubans and the city is the world**

AT MY FAVORITE BLOG

Discussing Racism is Cuba pre and post Jan 1, 1959. Poster Manuel A. Tellechea sited the following EXCELLENT piece by Mr. Fontava. I would like to know how Hollywood's, Washington's and the MSM's experts in licking fidel's boots, would answer this. Too bad they're too busy licking to take the time to think rationally and save their tongues the bad taste of shit.

Mr. Fontava's answer to the question of racism in Castro's Cuba.

"Unlike Charlie Rangel, Maxine Waters, Dannie Glover, Harry Belafonte, David Kesting and those multitudes of Harlem Castro fans, Eusebio Penalver, a black Cuban, actually lived in Castro's fiefdom. "N----er!" taunted his all-white Castroite jailers between tortures. "Monkey!" they laughed. "We pulled you down from the trees and cut of your tail!" They taunted while throwing him in solitary confinement. For opposing the re-installation of slavery in Cuba, Penalver suffered longer in Castro's dungeons than Nelson Mandela suffered in South Africa's, and more defiantly and heroically.
The man honored by Harlem for his "humanitarianism" and "dedication to civil rights" jailed more of his subjects [per capita] for political crimes than Hitler and Stalin. More uproariously ironic, he is (or was) a lily white European soldier's son who — not only jailed Penalver, the longest-jailed black political prisoner in modern history — but also overthrew a Cuban government where blacks served as President of the Senate, minister of agriculture, chief of Army, and as head of state (Fulgencio Batista).
Today the prison population in Stalinist/Apartheid Cuba is 90% black while only 9% of the ruling Stalinist party is black. Most of Cuba's current political prisoners are black, including Jorge Antunez and Dr. Elias Biscet, a Martin Luther King and Gandhi disciple. Antunez’s 18-year sentence and daily tortures resulted essentially from quoting Martin Luther King in a public square. Biscet's 25-year sentence and daily tortures result from being overheard saying about Castro what the Dixie Chicks, Nancy Pelosi and Charles Rangel bellow into microphones about President Bush.
It’s worth repeating: the November 8 unveiling and celebration is motivated by “Harlem's acclamation for Castro’s contributions to civil rights."
I'll defer to Jorge Antunez's sister, Berta Antunez: "The Cuban government tries to fool the world with siren songs depicting racial equality in our country," she reports clandestinely via a Cuban Samizdat. "But it is all a farce, as I and my family can attest, having suffered from the systematic racism directed at us by Castro's regime. My brother suffers the scourge of racial hatred every day. The beatings are always accompanied by racial epithets. They set dogs on him. They deny him medical attention. They kept him from attending his mother's funeral."
"The racist mentality is so ingrained among Cuba's agents of repression," reports Antunez, "that when mixed race groups are stopped on the street, only the blacks are asked for their identification papers. … The only think I have to thank the Cuban revolution for," she quoted her brother, "is for restoring the yoke of slavery that my ancestors lived under."
The Left's Pin-Up Boy
Please, please, please don't waste your time looking for any mention of these valiant blacks in the mainstream media. Please, please, please don't bother looking for them hailed during Black History Month on NPR, CNN, the History Channel or Oprah. These heroes defied the hemisphere's premier slaver, you see, who also happens to be the left's premier pin-up boy. So their courage, sacrifices and suffering don't qualify as politically correct news and documentary fare.
If the term "slaver" strikes you as hyperbolic, consider this story from last week's Miami Herald: "In reality we were slaves," says Cuban refugee Alberto Rodriguez who before escaping was forced to labor 116 hours a week at three-and-a-half pennies per hour. Amazingly, this labor went on in a shipyard in Delray Beach, Fla. Rodriguez and two other escapees were "employees" of Curacao Drydock Co., headquartered in Curacao but who obtained some of their laborers from the Cuban government. This government, lauded worldwide as a champion of the laboring classes, pocketed the difference between the three-and-a-half pennies per hour and Curacao Drydock's normal wage.
The forced-laborers were rounded up in Cuba and shipped to Curacao where their passports were promptly confiscated. Their "supervisor" was a Fidel Castro nephew. "We worked in broiling heat, in the most dangerous part of the ship, where all of the regular workers refused to go--that's where they forced the Cubans to work," recounts Mr Rodriguez. His co-slave, Luis Casanova, was badly electrocuted but forced to work with blood pouring from his tongue. "They said if we slacked up we'd be taken back to Cuba and thrown in jail."
After these men were shipped to Florida to work for a Curacao Drydock agent, they escaped their slavers and have filed suit against them in Miami federal court under the Aliens Tort Act. Please don't confuse their case with those of illegals who sneak in, clamor for a job, then sue the employer for "discrimination," or some such. This is a totally different animal.
Charlie Rangel raves against Republicans as closet Klu Kluxers. This July on the floor of the House he denounced Republicans' "stinking hypocrisy" for refusing to vote to raise the minimum wage to $7.35 per hour. I’ll be surprised if Charlie Rangel isn’t the keynote speaker at the Central Park celebration for the Stalinist/racist who jailed and tortured black political prisoners longer than apartheid South Africa, and who kidnaps his subjects and rents them out for three-and-a-half pennies an hour."

Exquisite!