Snow launches U.S. crackdown on Cuba dealings

[Osolomia]

Reuters, 02.09.04

By Glenn Somerville
MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow Monday unveiled tough action against 10 business groups that promote travel and trade with Cuba in violation of a more than 40-year-old embargo on dealing with the Communist-run state.

Appearing before about 100 Cuban-American businessmen in vote-rich southern Florida, a key state in President Bush's election in 2000, Snow blasted Cuban President Fidel Castro while naming the organizations to be put on a Treasury list that makes it illegal for Americans to deal with them.

... The administration has made no secret of its wish to hasten the departure of Castro, who seized power in 1959, and the latest action was described as a bid to further that objective "and to hasten the arrival of a new, free, democratic Cuba."

... The latest organizations listed by Treasury as owned or controlled by Cuba include entities in Cuba itself as well as in Argentina, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, the Netherlands and Britain.

Those named are: 2904977 Canada Inc. of Montreal; Corporation Cimex S.A. of Havana; Havanatur S.A. of Havana; Havanatur S.A. of Buenos Aires; Havanatur Bahamas Ltd.; Havanatur Chile S.A. of Santiago; La Compania Tiendas Universo S.A. of Cuba; Cubanacan Group of Havana; Cubanacan International B.V. of the Netherlands and Cubanacan U.K. Ltd. of London.

More...
http://www.forbes.com/markets/bonds/newswire/2004/02/09/rtr1251862.html

[Osolomia]

1. U.S. announces crackdown on companies selling trips to Cuba

Feb. 09, 2004
U.S. announces crackdown on companies selling trips to Cuba
Associated Press

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The U.S. Treasury Department is cracking down on 10 companies controlled by the Cuban government or Cuban nationals for allegedly providing Americans with illegal travel packages to the communist island, officials said Friday.

... Snow said in a statement that the companies "provide easy access to Cuba to those U.S. individuals who choose to break the law." Americans, with few exceptions, are prohibited from traveling to Cuba.

The action is part of President Bush's initiative announced in October to strengthen the enforcement of the travel ban.

Officials said the companies use the Internet to advertise and sell Cuban tourism to the U.S. public. Law enforcement officials have intercepted a number of unauthorized travelers whose tour packages were bought through one of these companies, Treasury officials said.

More..
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/7911600.htm

[Osolomia]

2. More US government propaganda for biased DUers to swallow

hook, line and sinker, no questions asked, no dissent:

"Until Castro's reign has ended, any money that is spent in Cuba for products or tourism benefits only that oppressive government, not the hardworking people of Cuba," Snow said.

http://news.nasdaq.com/news/newsStory.aspx?&cpath=20040209\ACQDJON200402091015DOWJONESDJONLINE000579.htm

[Bridget Burke]

3. Most DUers DON'T swallow this garbage....

Just the usual suspects.

I appreciate your bringing this information to our attention, but why do you keep slamming everybody here?

[Osolomia]

5. Here's a typical example

Unlike DUers, the freepers took a stand in support of the Grammy award nomineees denied visas while DUers sound exactly like the freepers on letting the unemployed boat people in:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=348528#352582

So long as trying to econmically cripple our next door neighbors is the best the Democrats can do then you deserve all the "slamming" you can get imho:

Candidates on the issues: Cuba
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=338191

[Judi Lynn]

10. Once people get acquainted with this story,it'll be easier to see the lies

that have kept some of the slower Americans completely befuddled about US/Cuba relations, in the dark, and living in ignorance.

Only an informed public can finally push these bullies back into their proper place.

From your article:

(snip) The renewed attention to enforcing the long-standing travel ban comes just as campaigning is getting underway for presidential elections in November. Cuban- Americans have traditionally been strong supporters of Republicans in a key state rich in electoral votes. (snip)

Your link, shortened:
~~~~ link ~~~~

[Osolomia]

11. Dems have had over 10 YEARS to "get acquainted with this story"

Evidently Bush can do whatever the hell he wants and the Dems are too stupid to know any better.

While hundreds of thousands of Florida's "exiles" freely travel back and forth across the Florida Straits each year and spend all the money they want in Cuba to the tune of over $1 Billion annually for several years now Dems let the Bushistas get away with this bullshit:

Gov. Jeb Bush issued a statement following Snow's remarks. In it he said:

"I applaud the Administration's continued commitment to halt the flow of money that helps support the communist Cuban government. President Bush has made it clear, in both word and deed, the U.S. will not support Castro's tyranny with tourism and trade.

"Illegal travel is not a victimless crime to the 16 million people of Cuba who dream of liberty for their country. Americans who travel to Cuba in defiance of U.S. law aid and abet Castro's strangulation of the people of that nation. The money they spend in Cuba feeds the dictator's power to oppress and starves his people of dignity and freedom.

"Today's announcement intensifies the pressure on Castro's regime as well as organizations that seek to circumvent U.S. policy. Ten companies in business to help Americans break the law are now blocked from channeling tourists and products to Cuba. By stopping them, the Administration breaks the pipeline of cash to Castro, bringing freedom closer for Cuba and the Cuban people who continue the fight against his tyranny."

More...
http://www.local10.com/travelgetaways/2833845/detail.html

What's next?

[Osolomia]

12. Why is the "Democratic" party trying to economically cripple Cuba?

Cuba's Entrepreneurs Come Creeping Back By David E. Gumpert
Jan. 26, 2004

... I learned about Cuba's unusual approach to entrepreneurship during a recent five-day tour of Havana and environs. I was there as the closest thing to a tourist American law will allow -- I went with a group from my synagogue under a special "license" issued by the Treasury Dept., to visit and support Cuba's Jewish community. But, of course, I played tourist as well, and could only marvel at the revised economic order Fidel Castro has created.

... Today, tourism accounts for about 60% of the country's "exports." In the process, though, Cuba's supposedly classless society now consists of two classes: the destitute class, including many professionals, who rely on Cuba's nearly worthless pesos, and the entrepreneurial class, which works in Cuba's tourist industry, earning the dollars that make the wheels go round. The most enterprising Cubans find a way to work with tourists, and acquire dollars via tips. Bellhops, waiters, hotel maids, tourist guides, and street musicians earn anywhere from $150 to $1,500 a month from tourists, astronomical sums in a country where the typical salary is $20.

The maids in our hotel scrawled daily notes, in English, wishing us a nice day, and arranged towels into heart shapes on our bed. Professional tango dancers performed extemporaneously at a restaurant during lunch, then passed the hat. A parade of clowns on stilts, complete with trombone players, ambled down a side street during the same lunch, with the last clown holding a pail that quickly filled with dollars. A teenage boy with some artistic talent appeared out of nowhere as my group was taking a walking tour of Old Havana and sketched impressive caricatures of us at $1 apiece.

... Now Cuban parents must deal with children who no longer aspire to become teachers or dentists, and instead covet bellhop jobs. Even the people running the tourist industry seem to be former professionals in other fields. Tony Diaz, vice-director of Havanatur, a $150 million government enterprise, is a trained economist who spent 20 years as a diplomat before taking over at what is now one of Cuba's largest companies. "I consider myself an entrepreneur," he told me at his spacious Havana office, hooked up to the Internet and with CNN playing in the background. He isn't exposed to tourist tips, and he says his salary is only "a little more" than the $20 average, which limits his upside.

So what is his incentive? "My rent is 65 cents. The education of my three daughters is free. Medical care is free." So his incentive, he says, "is Cuba -- making more money for my country. I know the money will be used socially." Unlike the rest of Central and South America, bribery is unheard of, and no one gets fancy cars or houses, as in capitalist countries, he points out.

More...
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4073005/

[Osolomia]

15. If Repubs are defying Bush and the Miami mafia why aren't the Dems?

Castro Signs Baseballs, Talks U.S. Ties

By LISA J. ADAMS
Associated Press Writer
February 9, 2004, 6:14 PM EST

HAVANA -- President Fidel Castro signed baseballs, handed out cigars and flower bouquets and discussed increased ties with the United States in a meeting Monday with two Republican legislators who want to lift a ban on U.S. travel to Cuba.

Sen. Larry Craig and U.S. Rep. Butch Otter, both of Idaho, "are pushing very hard to lift the travel restrictions," said Craig spokesman Mike Tracy, who attended the encounter with Castro at the Palace of the Revolution. The 22 other members of the trade and cultural delegation were also present, Tracy said.

Their meeting with Castro took place as the Bush administration announced it would freeze the bank accounts of companies controlled by the Cuban government or Cuban nationals that sell Americans illegal travel packages to the communist island.

Craig told reporters Saturday he thought the travel ban would be lifted by next year. He spoke after Idaho delegation members signed trade and cultural agreements with the Cuban government in front of Ernest Hemingway's former estate outside Havana.

... Idaho officials plan to return to the island to take part in a trade exhibition in April and said they hoped to invite Cuban officials to the state to participate in educational and cultural exchanges.

More...
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-castros-guests,0,2543838.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[zx22778a]

4. I wonder when he's going to make it illegal to shop at Sears...

http://www.searstravel.ca/en/content/specials/details.jhtml;$sessionid$TPVP32YAAAPWDT5FBQPCFEQ?specialid=%2Frepositories%2Fspecial%2F20042433.xml

Book your trip to Cuba at Sears Canada now.

[Osolomia]

13. Can you access the Havanatur and Cubanacan websites

or is internet access still restricted in the US?

http://www.havanatur.cu/

http://www.cubanacan.cu/INGLES/index.html

When http://www.cubaweb.cu/ started up via a Canadian ISP in 1996 it was not accessible from the USA.

[Torgo Johnson]

16. Links work for me....

But then again my ISP is local and not a we'll censor anything we dont want you to see ISP like AOHell.

[oldcoot]

6. Hypocritical

Every time I walk into a clothing store or any other store, I see items made in China and other repressive countries. What's the difference? If our fearless leaders were really interested in not dealing with repressive governments, they would also stop Americans from doing business with China and other repressive countries.

[Osolomia]

7. New travel rules make life easier for Cuban Americans

Thursday, February 5th, 2004
By Madeleine Marr Knight Ridder Newspapers

.... "Tourist dollars provide vital hard currency that Castro and his cronies use to continue to oppress Cuba," R. Richard Newcomb, director of the Foreign Assets Control Office at the Treasury Department, told a House subcommittee last fall, according to the New York Times.

But not everyone's frothing over the new rules. For Americans born in Cuba or those who have a relative there, life's a little easier. Though they still are allowed visits only once per year, the circle of qualifying family members has been widened.

For example, a mother's cousin is now deemed "a close relative.''

The administration also scrapped the requirement for a family authorized to visit ''in circumstances that demonstrate humanitarian need.'' Now, family members can visit for any reason.

Also, the amount of cash a Cuban-American visitor may bring to the island rose from $300 to $3,000. The amount one is allowed to spend while there has been lifted entirely.

More...
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/lifestyles/travel/features/story/4671578p-4625704c.html

[Judi Lynn]

8. New term created: "Playing the Cuba card"

Published Monday, February 9, 2004

Politics
Republicans in Senate Race Eying Cuba Card
By Bill Rufty
[e-mail]


The rule for those running in a crowded party primary is to play to a strongly defined bloc to anchor a base of support while trying to take as many of the other votes from your party as you can. (snip)

In a recent panel discussion before political editors and reporters at a Florida Associated Press meeting in Tallahassee, some of the GOP players hinted at a strategy in this high stakes game -playing the Cuba card.

The vast majority of CubanAmericans are Republican and are very upset over the last five decades of rule on the island to our south.

For Cuban-Americans who left Cuba or whose parents left, it remains an emotional and heartwrenching issue to this day. The rest of the nation and most nonHispanic Floridians favor some resumption of contact with Cuba, according to two previous polls conducted for Webster International University. Some in the polls suggested the business contacts would drive the communist government to collapse like the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries.
(snip/...)

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040209/COLUMNISTS0502/402090330/1106/NEWS

[Judi Lynn]

9. Revelations shared which contradict our forced propaganda meals

From information shared by the U.S. National Council of Churches, concerning their recent trip to Cuba:

(snip) In Tense Times, Contacts Are All the More Important, Concludes NCC
Delegation to Cuba

February 9, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - Participants in a U.S. ecumenical
delegation visit to Cuba in late January returned convinced of the
importance of maintaining contacts with churches there, especially at this
time of heightened tension between the United States and Cuba. For their
part, Cuban church leaders asked their U.S. counterparts for pastoral
accompaniment and prayers. (snip)


They also met with Cuban and other Caribbean and Latin American church
leaders for consultation on shared concerns, building on relationships that
have been maintained since before the Cuban Revolution. They heard their
Cuban counterparts accounts of the ongoing hardships caused by the
U.S.-imposed trade embargo and travel restrictions, and the anxieties raised
by a rise in aggressive rhetoric on the part of the United States. (snip)

There is real poverty in Cuba, and that doesnt have to exist, he said.
If the United States changed its attitude toward that nation and gave it
support rather than hostility, the quality of life for the people who live
in Cuba could be improved. The Soviet Union changed because of the exchange
of people and ideas, and I think the same will happen in Cuba.
(snip)

Said Ms Hadjes, The most important task for us in the States is to start to
understand the truth about Cuba, what the churches are doing here, what life
is like in Cuba. Most of my views and perspectives have been shaped by
media and government sound bites, she said, and my life is busy in other
directions, and Cuba wasnt really something I was paying attention to. But
from now on I will be paying attention.
(snip/...)

http://www.wfn.org/2004/02/msg00054.html

[Osolomia]

14. Meanwhile, in the Washington Post's travel section today

Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: What can you tell me about the Amigo Card that
Transcard of Canada offers to Americans heading
to Cuba? I thought I had to bring a boatload of
cash but I've heard this works like an ATM card.
Should I stick to cash? What happens if I get
mugged/robbed/lose my wallet?

The Flight Crew: If you lose your wallet your cash is gone. I took a money belt and carried the cash when visiting Cuba ithout a worry. You can always put some of it in a hotel safe, if you're traveling American class.

Haven't personally tried to Transcard. But one thing you should be aware of---when returning to the U.S. you could be searched, and if there is anything that suggests you've been to cuba---as a transcard might suggest--you can be fined. Bush is the first president in 40 years to take the ban seriously, and it is being taken seriously. Does anyone else know Transcard? Cindy

Have a ball. Cindy

More...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16239-2004Feb5.html

[Osolomia]

17. Text of Snow's Remarks to Cuban American Leaders

February 9, 2004
JS-1160

Treasury Secretary John W. Snow
Remarks to Cuban American Leaders
Miami, FL

http://treasury.gov/press/releases/js1160.htm

[Osolomia]

18. U.S. to get tough on those who violate sanctions against Cuba

Feb. 09, 2004
BY MADELINE BARO DIAZ
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - (KRT) - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow announced Tuesday that the Bush administration is cracking down on illegal travel to Cuba by freezing the assets of Cuba-run travel companies and prohibiting U.S. citizens and residents from doing business with those companies.

... In October, Bush issued a directive to the Treasury and Homeland Security departments to step up enforcement of travel restrictions that are part of the U.S. embargo of Cuba. Since then, the Office of Foreign Assets Control has screened more than 44,000 Cuba-bound passengers on direct charter flights and more than 50,915 returning from Cuba.

As a result, 275 people were not allowed to travel because they did not qualify for Cuba travel licenses under the current Treasury Department categories. Government agents also made 376 seizures involving the unlicensed importation of Cuban cigars and alcohol.

The stepped-up enforcement has led to civil and criminal investigations of people who are believed to have violated the embargo, resulting in thousands of dollars in penalty fines, the Treasury Department said.

More...
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7914273.htm

44,000 Cuba-bound passengers on direct charter flights and more than 50,915 returning from Cuba since October!

[Judi Lynn]

20. That's a horrendous number of Cuban-American travellers going to Cuba

considering ordinary Americans can't even dream of going there now, thanks to _{George Bush's} collusion with the Miami Mafia.

How can they POSSIBLY justify this? HOW can Americans allow them to herd us around like sheep, shoving us away from the very same airplanes which carry 44,000 Cuban-Americans down there to visit, take a load off, go nightclubbing, swimming, etc.

I'll bet they even have it arranged to haul us off to the local constabulary if anyone non-Cuban-American should ask the returning travellers for a Cuban cigar!

Un-bleeping-believable. What a stupid, stupid state of affairs.

[Osolomia]

19. Repression and Resistance BEHIND WASHINGTON’S MOUNTING CRACKDOWN ON CUBA

Repression and Resistance
BEHIND WASHINGTON’S MOUNTING CRACKDOWN ON CUBA TRAVEL
By Jon Hillson

http://www.cubanow.net/culture/Eng/num7/2crackdown.htm

[Judi Lynn]

21. Sounds like a scary movie!

Great article. Some snips:

(snip) Washington has also deliberately selected organizations that oppose the US economic war on Cuba for harassment, among them the US-Cuba Labor Exchange and the US-Cuba Sister Cities Association (USCSCA). Both have refused to “name names” of people each group helped to travel to Cuba for educational purposes, as the Treasury Department, armed with the cudgel of heavy, multiple fines, has ordered they provide.

In a November press advisory released by the National Network on Cuba (NNOC), a grassroots coalition of more than 80 organizations and individual members working for normalized relations between Washington and Havana, leaders of the two organizations protested the federal threats.

“This is a violation of our constitutional rights to pursue knowledge and to have a free exchange of ideas with the Cuban people,” stated Ignacio Meneses, a central leader of the Labor Exchange and a NNOC national co-chairperson. “No other people of the world are banned from traveling to Cuba by their government.”
(snip)

Joni Scott, a 43-year-old Republican from Indiana who gives classes on “godly women” in front of “Christian audiences,” faces a $10,000 fine. This is the result of her participation in an unlicensed 1999 trip to Cuba during which her religious group gave out hundreds of Bibles to affable Cubans. Such amiability did not extend to presumably God-fearing customs agents. They informed Scott that a pastor who told her the tour qualified as legal under “religious” or “humanitarian” categories was wrong. Scott didn’t answer agents’ questions about the details of the delegation. She didn’t hear a word from Washington until 2003, when she got the five figure federal threat. (snip/...)

Thanks for posting this. It's VERY interesting.

[Mika]

22. The DLC doesn't want Cuba trade

Maintaining the status quo reaps in money from both sides of the US/Cuba trade & travel issue.


Always remember..
USA = good
Cuba = bad

[Osolomia]

25. Therre's no excuse for the ignorant bigotry of the Dems

no excuse whatsoever.

[mn9driver]

23. They must have WMD's. Look for Invasion in September. nt

[TankLV]

24. Now, tell us again, why today's Amerikkka is NOT like Hitler's Germany?

Another puzzel from 1930's Germany fitting nicely into today's Amerikkka.

Indeed.

Sigh.

[Osolomia]

26. With the silent complicity of hypocritical Dems evidently

as the "Democratic" underground goes to prove time and time and time again.

[Osolomia]

27. Still not a word of opposition from "progressive Democrats"

to what Bush is doing right under our noses despite the wishes of just about everyone else on the planet for years now, except the USA's "Democratic" Party to this day.

Go figure!