Obama’s lifting the travel restrictions for Cuba.
With the changes, Obama aims to lessen Cubans’ dependence on the Castro regime, hoping that will lead them to demand progress on political freedoms, the official said. About 1.5 million Americans have relatives in Cuba.
This is going to be huge. And divisive.
This really will be good for Cuba. I’m not sure it will be safe for our tourists though…
I was in Cuba in 2003. It’s a wonderful place, especially if you’re willing to get outside the comfort zone a little.
Look, he’s not lifting restrictions, he’s easing them. He’s easing them for people with relatives in Cuba. If you don’t have relatives you still can’t go. The moment there is freedom of travel to Cuba there would be about 4 million trips a year from Americans who today go to everywhere else in the Caribbean. So it’s a good move but still it is just a change at the margin. And btw it’s a change that isn’t real change because it’s the Cuban American community itself that agrees with this change, thus they still have stranglehold over the ridiculous policies we have towards Cuba. Also not lifted: bans on all trade and commerce. And shit, we still can’t own hotels or property there.
Another sellout by our Marxist president, cozying up to a Communist dictator.
Remember, he only started wearing a flag lapel pin after he was excoriated for not doing so…
Remember, he sat in Rev. Wright’s church for 20 years listening to that man denigrate our country.
Remember, he knew William Ayers, a man who said he wished he could have done more than he did.
Remember, his wife said that it was only when her husband secured the Democrat Party nomination that she was proud of her country for the first time.
This is only the beginning. I urge all Americans who still care about the future of our country to get “The Obama Deception” and take action before this Marxist makes it unrecognizeable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od8bcCvX3…
Great news for all of us lovers of the Caribbeans islands, I’ve heard they have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world there and that the people are really friendly. Alongside Jamaica this is one place I would love to visit in my upcoming vacation. Beach Chair Umbrella and mojitos.
Paradise!
i’m still not proud of my country. it has lord basil and his ilk in it.
Lord Basil,
Check out Jon Stewart’s response to your rant about the tyranny of Obama: you’re confusing tyranny with losing, and it’s SUPPOSED to taste like a shit taco:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.…
Old Cuban-American patricians need to hurry up and die so we can normalize relations with that country.
@3 is right — restrictions are eased, not lifted. Loveschild can’t go yet; she’ll have to make do with watching gays getting the shit kicked out of them in Jamaica. There are plenty of other great places in the Caribbean, but I hope Loveschild never finds them.
Yeah, I don’t see how any right-winger with an ounce of economic sense could oppose this. Flows of remittances and tourism revenue into Cuba will only serve to loosen communism’s grip on the country. But that’d be instantly obvious to anyone not suffering from acute Obama Derangement Syndrome.
@4
Lord Basil, you are so adorable.
You know, I can travel to countries all over the world that have horrible regimes and spend money there. Why we allow the ex-Cuban community to completely dictate our policy towards the country is beyond me.
The way to move a country towards our point of view, frankly, is to let bloody loads of us in there. Unfettered trade, commerce, tourism… It’s just ridiculous that we’re still dealing with this nonsense.
Can we go even if we have no relatives in Cuba?
Just think of the negative impact on travel to Mexico, now that people no longer have to go there first.
lord basil, these ramblings about obama being too radical for america made *marginal* sense during the election when you still had a chance to scare away voters. but the election is over and you lost. even if obama is an america-hating terrorist-coddling marxist, the point is moot because nobody cares. your side is the one that’s out of touch with reality, not the other way around.
Damn, those sanctions were just starting to work.
LOL @ 15
About damn time.
Cuba is one of our country’s biggest foreign policy failures. This is a tiny step in the right direction, but I’m still waiting for real change.
Dear Paul Constant,
Want to go on vacation to Cuba? I understand that you are engaged, but I will be discrete. Think about it.
Love, Jocelyn.
It’s not like you can’t go now, even if you don’t have relatives there. Go to Mexico first. It’s super easy. I went last year from Costa Rica. The beaches were AMAZING and the mojitos were strong.
No Will, YOU CAN’T GO if you don’t have family there. I mean, you can’t legally go. You can in fact go to Mexico and go there illegally of course.
The travel ban “lifting” means only that if you have second cousins there or closer you can make unlimited trips. And spend money. Yes this is great but no it’s not “Real change” as the whole policy is still hostage to the right winger cuban american community, idiots that they are.
Another part of the easing of restrictions if you have family is you can send them cell phones and pay for it! So this will deluge Cuba with cell phones and end up opening them up to our communications freedom, etc., much as faxes and limited travel abroad helped bring down commie states in e europe.
what we have to work on is when castro dies and we have all these usa citizens there visiting their family members, you just know some of them are going to protest and ask for democracy the regime will shoot them up and bingo we got usa citizens being shot by commies and sure as shit we will have to invade…..those right wingers definitely plan on getting back all their huge plantations and shit, shit I know one of them who salivates over this even today, his dad was a prisoner of castro and they got out in about 1965…he imagines he will end up owning the 500000000 acres again….being a usa citizen who owns lots of guns no, he and others are not going to sit idly by and not try for a takeover when castro goes……i would suspect they even have their armies in waiting in training now….
btw what the fuck is up with this family based discrimination that I can’t go there but some American who has relatives there can go there?
See, I told you Obama is a terrorist
How the fuck can our government tell us where we can’t go? Poeple should go and use Canada to get there.
Big Deal… When will WE get enlightened enough to execute property owners and kick out all foreigners? Cuba trades with every single other country in the world. Why do they need our dirty money?
Technically, it’s not illegal to travel there.
But unless you’ve got family, it’s illegal to spend money there.
This isn’t really that huge or divisive. As the older Cubans in Miami die off the younger ones have brought more moderation in our policies. Mostly they want the right to visit their families in Cuba and send them money. Bush made a huge mistake in making both those activities more difficult.
It will only be a matter of time before the embargo is totally lifted. I suspect that Obama has more important things to deal with first. I suggest those of you who are thinking of visiting to go now before all the other Americans start going. It is one of the pleasant, safest places you can visit, and cheap, too.
Please Lord Basil, Obama isn’t brining Marxism to America he is bring Nazistic Islamo-Facism to America.
Christ, get it right will ya?!?
@26
Marxism and Nazistic Islamo-Fascism are the same thing:
A LOSS OF FREEDOM!
The country I proudly served in Vietnam is slipping away from me every day.
When young men were once eager to serve their country, now they are only eager to smoke pot, chase girls, experiment with homosexuality, and spit on our troops returning home from battle.
I am going to cry.
I’ve really been Fnarf all along. Also Loveschild.
Thanks for playing Slog.
@28 is a forgery.
@29 is a forgery
@20 for the win. Forgeries for the EPIC FAIL.
The US-Cuba embargo affects other countries doing business in Cuba as well; ships coming Cuban ports aren’t allowed in ours for at least 6 months or so, if at all.
So far the travel ban is being eased for Cuban-Americans only. If the ban was lifted outright it might make Cuba show its hand and put a limit on US tourists- there’s no way their infrastructure can handle that kind of influx.
@28, 30 FTW
@31 is a forgery
What’s with the preferential treatment to those with relatives in Cuba? This policy doesn’t go far enough. Normalization now!
I always thought that Cuba would be a great place to visit. Think about it; all the fascist capitalists left, the food is terrific, the music is terrific, and the beaches are among the most beautiful in the world!
Some of you stupid Obama hating fags really kill me with your “if he was white I would accept it” asses. You’re not rich nor wealthy otherwise you wouldn’t be blogging here girls you’d be in LALA land with The Limp Kook Rethuglicans. Just a bunch of bitter queens who are Gay but loves the vitriol of The Rethuglican Party so you spew hate to Obama
With a name like Lord Basil no wonder I won’t put any of it on my food. U R one crazed hateful fag!
Lord Basil is a classic douche bag.
Yes you can go to Cuba, Will in Seatle, but it’s a thrash. First, you can’t go directly from here. You have to depart from another country, like Canada or Mexico. When you arrive in Customs, you have to pay a small bribe so they don’t stamp your passport. Finally, you can’t spend Yankee dinero in Mexico, and your plastic won’t work there. Bring lots and lots of Canadian animal $$ or Mexican pesos, because you will need to be a cash bum, and Cuba ain’t cheap for gringos.
@5 & 9
Gays in Jamaica are lucky to get the shit kicked out of them. Usually they get just plain murdered. Nobody I know (gay or straight) would ever go there. @9, I genuinely hope if you go that you have successfully erased any hint of your (ex-)lesbianism. If not, you will have much to fear.
@ 36: Yeah, and don’t forget all those cool “Che” posters everywhere! It’s a goddamned soul-sucking TERRORIST DICTATORSHIP, for Christ’s sakes! Why do you think every poor Cuban S.O.B. wants to come HERE?