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Ear to the Ground

Cubans Hoping for a Thaw

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Posted on Jan 7, 2009
Cubama
wsj.com

Cubama: Obama, at the Cuban American National Foundation, criticized the Bush adminstration’s policy toward the island.

The 50-year U.S. relationship with revolutionary Cuba may warm up this winter, with some on the island seeing an Obama presidency as an indicator of potential change in the two countries’ diplomatic and trade status. A Havana barber is quoted as holding hope for reconciliation despite the fact that Obama “is a capitalist and likely an imperialist.”


The Washington Post:

Vicente González says that although Barack Obama is no Karl Marx—“he is a capitalist and likely an imperialist”—he has high hopes that the new president could begin to warm the relationship between Cuba and the United States, which remains frozen in a Cold War time warp. “It is time,” the Havana barber said, perhaps unwittingly repeating the Obama slogan, “for a change.”

The world has numerous expectations of the incoming president, but many Cubans, who live on state salaries that average $20 a month, seem to possess an outsized hope that Obama will somehow transform their lives.

All along Neptune Street, a chaotic, dusty, crowded avenue that runs through the heart of central Havana, people in ration-card shops, state-run cafeterias and crumbling hallways spoke relatively openly about their desire to see the new U.S. president do something—almost anything—to help end the official hostilities between the two countries.

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By coloradokarl, January 8, 2009 at 7:39 pm Link to this comment

Let’s make Cuba a Territory!!!!

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By elizabethe, January 7, 2009 at 8:08 pm Link to this comment

I voted for Nader to WIN not LOSE.  When the country is agreed OFF TRACK and CHANGE is due, it is not from the powermongers who are in power, it is for the people to choose the REAL CHANGE AGENDA at a democracy level of HONEST GOVERNMENT.

Obama is a hypocrit and liar and cannot begin to uphold the duties of our Constitutional Presidency.  Bush usurped the Constitutional Presidential office, and the government and offered illegal war and illegal war funding requests of RED INK for RED BLOOD and DEFICIT SPENDING UNCONTOLLED by any proper policy.

TruthDig’s “Editor’s Pick” checked today, showed a news brief without shame, that the U.S. is number one in weapons sales worldwide. 

THE WORLD SHOULD TELL THE U.S. to “stuff it.”  Hugely refuse the red ink spending for damage and danger.  Obama wants MORE, and has said so, and that is why he cannot take the Oath of Office because what he intends is a LIE, he has no intention of proper Presidential RESPECT for the PEACE CHANGE that the media lied when they allowed Obama to tender war and red ink and no real healthcare, just weapons increasing and military increasing, he offered that, and yes, the audience wanted OBAMA because the media told them they had no choice but OBAMA and the MEDIA lied when they said he was a challenge to the BUSH DAMAGE, he is a CONTINUATION of usurption. He intends to dishonor the constitution, by his words and agenda.  He is hypocrisy personified as is the media.  WE DID NOT HAVE NO CHOICE, we had SIX and NADER wanted to offer a budget in the black (no red ink, no bailouts, taxes spent on what is for the people, not corporate war racketerring with no conscience).Obama wants war.  The people hear him and still think they can war and net money for “their peace.”  That is Obama’s hypocrisy and the media’s and they own that at a majority “mainstream hypcrisy level.”

Imperialsim is not proper constitutional democracy.  It is hypocrisy.  Under oath, a liar intentional in our faces, heading for January 20th, when BUSH BEGAN AFTER THE OATH.  BUSH broke his oath of office to uphold the Constitution.  OBAMA HAS NO INTENT TO UPHOLD< but he will lie, as he is showing very clearly and heinously with treason of imperialism and NO CHANGE FROM BUSH AND THE MILITARY IN VIEW.

Peace and DEMOCRACY by our CONSTITUTION with SIX and the contest to net a WINNER for PRESIDENT and TRUTH under OATH, DUE!

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By Xntrk, January 7, 2009 at 8:02 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

This article, like so many is either written by someone who knows little about the Boycott, or it was edited to reflect our story line:

“And many modern products desired by Cubans—cellphones, sneakers, MP3 players, cars—are not made in the United States but in nations such as China, which has a friendly relationship with Cuba and has extended it an $800 million line of credit. “

How many are aware that any ship docking at a Cuban harbor cannot enter the US for six months? It cuts down on the shipping, by 3rd parties!

Then there are all those foreign made goods. Any company making items with patents held by US citizens cannot legally ship those items to Cuba. Any country with a trade agreement with the US cannot trade with Cuba or it will be sanctioned and fined heavily.

Even WEB companies, owned by citizens of other countries who live in those countries have been shut down by the US. Just last year, a Spanish Company dealing in travel packages to Cuba, and offering them for sale on-line, was shut down by thew US because US citizens were using that company to make travel arrangements for them. Except for the tourist, none of the travel etc. involved the US. It seems, customers were using their US bankcards to pay, and that is illegal under the embargo. Spain of course is a member of the EU, and therefore has to conform to EU trade agreements.

Needless to say, we did not make friends with the man who owned the travel agency.

These are just a few of the reasons the blockade has been so damaging to Cuba. It also helps to remember that for the first 30 or 35 years of the embargo, Cuba was an outcast from the OAS and most of Europe…

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PatrickHenry's avatar

By PatrickHenry, January 7, 2009 at 5:47 pm Link to this comment

Lets close and turn over NAB Guantanamo as a peace gesture.

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By ProgCat, January 7, 2009 at 4:33 pm Link to this comment

Perhaps it’s not such a bad idea to be less “frozen” towards Cuba.

Still, I don’t know though. Many Republicans like the idea of opening up for business with Cuba, so that might not be a really good thing. Republicans never do anything unless it’s to promote more hugely pro-corporate capitalism.

I don’t know if that’s so good for the impoverished Cuban people. Still, can we find away to do away with this 50-year grudge already? Surely there are better ways to deal with the U.S.A./Cuba problem?

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