Bush Tightens Rules on Travel to Cuba

[peterh]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040226/API/402260979

WASHINGTON --
President Bush tightened U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba on Thursday, saying that Fidel Castro's government has taken steps to destabilize relations with the United States over the past year.

Bush signed an order to expand the government's authority to prevent the unauthorized departure of ships from U.S. waters bound for Cuba. He said U.S. authorities would be empowered to inspect any vessel in the territorial waters of the United States and take other steps if necessary

Bush's order would tighten enforcement of the U.S. embargo on Cuba by making it harder for unauthorized vessels to enter Cuban territorial waters.

Bush said that over the past year, Cuba has taken a series of steps to destabilize relations with the United States, such as threatening to rescind migration accords with the United States and to close the U.S. interests section in Havana. Further, he said that Cuba's top officials have repeatedly said that the United States intended to invade Cuba, despite explicit denials from the United States.






If we’ve learned anything in the last three years, it’s that a denial from * usually ends up being a friggin lie….I sense the crosshairs are set…just waiting for an opening and / or creating that opening….

[ronnykmarshall]

1. But we can go to Libya!

:puke:

[onehandle]

2. Hello Cubans in Florida!

I'm still your Dubya!

[Virginian]

5. Sounds like pandering.

Sounds like he's pandering to the Cuban vote.

[guajira]

3. Article Sounds Like a Threat!

Strange sounding threat. Cubans welcome Americans who sail into Hemingway Marina - even issue visas there. I suspect the threat of injury or loss of life would more likely be from "friendly fire".

from the article:
"The entry of any U.S.-registered vessels into Cuban territorial waters could result in injury to, or loss of life of, persons engaged in that conduct, due to the potential use of excessive force, including deadly force, against them by the Cuban military, and could threaten a disturbance of international relations," Bush said.

The new rules governing American boats' movement to Cuba expand restrictions that have been in place for years. Those rules covered vessels originating in Miami, while Ridge's new rules will apply to boats leaving from anywhere in the United States, White House and congressional officials said.

Boat operators will have to work with the State, Commerce and Treasury departments to obtain permits to sail into Cuban waters.

[Democat]

4. Bush is pandering to the far right

Kerry has him scared and Bush doesn't know what to do.

[waterman]

6. Ratchet up the tension to keep the fear in people who buy into it.

Makes me want to jump in my kayak and paddle right the fuck over there. Then I'd come ashore and throw myself at the mercy of their government as a political refugee from the US. How ironic would THAT be? And, by the way, I'm an excellent kayaker and could cover the 90 miles from KW to Havanna in 2 days... no prob - guaranteed.

[Malva Zebrina]

7. I have to agree , Bush does not know what to do

so he comes out with all of these superficial, minor and inconsequential, decrees.

He is NOT and has not been addressing any of the real serious and crucial issues.

like the lives lost in his failure in Iraq.

Instead, he concentrates on this puny little thing that is supported by a puny little faction that resides in Florida--people are going to Cuba, trading with Cuba and the conventional wisdom is that Cuba is surviving nicely by trading with other countries while we prevent American citizens from the freedom to travel where they like.

This is a puny little move on the part of Bush to get some puny little votes

and that is my opinion. and it is not puny :hi:

[yellowcanine]

8. What WMDs? Look at what Fidel is doing!

Gay marriage! Jane Fonda! Athletes on steroids!

[JustTheFactsMan]

9. Nope, he's having dinner with Mick Jagger and other VIPs

Churchill Honored at Cuban Festival
By Associated Press
February 26, 2004

HAVANA -- Winston Churchill, frequently remembered puffing on a cigar, was honored this week at Cuba's annual cigar festival.

Jenny Churchill, great-granddaughter of the late British prime minister, smoked a cigar herself Wednesday night during a dinner in his honor.

… Hundreds of foreigners are in town for the cigar festival, which opened Monday.

Foreigners were paying $1,200 each for the five-day program, which includes visits to tobacco fields and factories, and a final elegant "Cigar Dinner" Friday night, traditionally attended by Fidel Castro.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-cuba-churchill,0,3222138.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines



Sat 28 Feb 2004
Contest smokes out best cigars and whisky
WILLIAM LYONS IN HAVANA, CUBA
The Scotsman

THE finest combination of whisky and cigars has been determined at a gathering of 400 aficionados in Havana.

Representatives from the Scotch whisky industry, British hoteliers and retailers flew to Cuba for the annual Habanos Cigar Festival where a panel of judges from countries as far afield as Russia, South Africa and Israel met for the final of the whisky and cigar challenge.

... "There is much that Scotland can learn from Cuba and there is much that Cuba can learn from Scotland and I hope there will be a few more marriages between the two countries in the future."

… The winning whisky was presented last night at a gala dinner to celebrate the ending of the five-day Habanos cigar festival, with Fidel Castro, the Cuban president and the Rolling Stones’ singer Sir Mick Jagger.

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=233822004

[Judi Lynn]

10. London restaurant group to open Hemingway bar

London restaurant group to open Hemingway bar
Reuters, 02.26.04, 11:28 AM ET


By Anthony Boadle

HAVANA (Reuters) - Prestigious London restaurateurs plan to take the Cuban cocktail, cigar and music experience to London in a big way with an up-market version of Hemingway's favorite daiquiri bar, the Floridita.
(snip)

It will include a cigar lounge with the first Casa del Habano shop in London to sell Cuba's premium cigars, with rum for the cocktails supplied by Havana Club.

"We will be combining Cuban music, cocktails and cigars with contemporary design and high quality restaurants," said Des Gunewardena, chief executive of the Conran Group.
(snip)

"It will be a flagship for Cuban culture in Europe, and very up-market," said Andrew Macdonald of Boisdale.
(snip/...)

http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2004/02/26/rtr1277230.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It must be galling to _Bush to know the American public supports removing the embargo and travel ban, even as he tries to maneuver us into position to invade and destroy Cuba and return it to control by the very people Cuba couldn't take any longer, leading to the Cuba Revolution: corrupt, vile Batistianos who fled to Florida and New Jersey in their fear justice would catch up with them.

[JustTheFactsMan]

11. Canadian fined for exports to Cuba Strikes plea bargain

1994 sale of water purification equipment violated U.S. embargo

STEVE ECKARDT
CP
Saturday, February 28, 2004

The long-running case of Canadian businessperson James Sabzali, charged with violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba, came to a quiet close yesterday as he received a year's probation in exchange for pleading guilty to a single charge of "smuggling" several thousand dollars worth of supplies destined for the island.

... Sabzali had been charged with 75 counts of violating the 1917 U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act and a single count of conspiracy for sales of nearly $3 million worth of water purification supplies to Cuba. He faced a possible life sentence and a fine of more than $19 million.

Sabzali's conviction on the single charge of smuggling references his importation of goods in violation of U.S. law: in this case, re-export to Cuba by a U.S. business with which he was working. Prosecutors allowed the 45-year-old Canadian, a Philadelphia-area resident since 1996, to plead guilty to this new offence to avoid the automatic deportation required by all of the original charges.

... The original 76 charges - 32 of which were for sales made while Sabzali was living and working in Canada - brought a wave of objections about U.S. "extraterritorial measures" from Canadian editorialists and demonstrators, as well as two diplomatic protest notes from Ottawa.

Today's settlement has the Canadian salesperson admitting guilt for a 1994 transaction that occurred while he lived in Hamilton and was a self-employed Canadian businessperson.

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=92378428-B8E4-4C8E-A1B1-20473247E1B3