Filed under: Communism, Democrat Corruption, Foreign Policy, Latin America, Military, National Security, Politics, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, The United States | Tags: President Barack Obama, The Castro Brothers, The Cuban People
Just the headlines alone are funny:
June 7, 2015: The Secret Life of Fidel Castro A member of Castro’s security guard tells all.
August 18, 2015: Obama circumventing Congress to loosen Cuba travel ban Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said the effort is one more example of the president abusing his executive power and trying to circumvent Congress.
August 20, 2015: What Does the U.S. Get Out of Obama’s Restored Ties to Cuba? Nothing Good The 54 year communist military dictatorship has gotten the full benefit of restored U.S. ties without conceding anything.
September 9, 2015: Coddling Castros Has Made Cuban Regime More Vicious than Ever Far from loosening up, the Castro brothers are cracking down on Cubans harder than ever. It’s as if the fresh attention is a perk for them alone, and the Cuban people not invited.
October 08, 2015: Cubans Have FLOCKED To The US Since Obama Renewed Relations The pace of immigration from Cuba is up 78 percent this year.
October 15, 3015: Cuba-based musical group performs at White House for the first time in 50 years Members of Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club perform at a reception for Hispanic Heritage Month
October 15, 2015 ‘A SLAP N THE FACE TO OBAMA:’ CUBAN TROOPS FIGHT FOR ASSAD IN SYRIA Cuban special forces are operating on the ground in Syria in defense of dictator Bashar al-Assad, and are expected to operate Russian tanks in battles against anti-Assad rebels.
Just another bright idea scratched off on the to-do list.
Filed under: Politics | Tags: Nothing Changed, Sponsors of Terrorism, The Castro Brothers
On Tuesday, President Obama announced that he is removing Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism, as Raul Castro demanded. Only a few hours later FARC, a terrorist group long supported by Cuba, murdered ten Colombian soldiers in a dawn raid on a military base and wounded 17 others.
To get on the list of sponsors of terrorism, providing a safe haven for a terrorist group will get you on the list. A state need not supply arms or training for terrorists. Actually, Cuba has a fairly long history of harboring terrorists. If Cuba has not stopped harboring terrorists — like supporting FARC, there is no justification for removing Cuba from the list.
Henry Gomez of P J Media writes:
The Castro brothers continue to harbor international terrorists from Spain’s Basque separatist group ETA and Colombia’s Marxist rebels FARC, as well as American domestic terrorists from groups like the Black Liberation Army.
Nothing has really changed on this front. It’s estimated that 70 U.S. fugitives are being harbored by Cuba, including Joanne Chesimard (AKA “Assata Shakur”), a convicted cop killer.
Attempts by Cuban apologists to explain the facts away are only embarrassing:
Apologists for the Castro regime try to argue that Cuba does not meet the criteria of state sponsor of terrorism via technicalities. They insist that the Basque terrorists in Cuba are a matter for Spain to resolve bilaterally with Cuba, and that the FARC terrorists don’t count because Cuba is hosting peace talks between FARC and the Colombian government, and that Chesimard doesn’t qualify as a terrorist because she didn’t kill a civilian, conflating a police officer with a member of uniformed armed forces in a declared war.
It’s hard to imagine what Obama finds useful in attempting to renew relations with Cuba. The drop in the price of oil means Venezuela, which has supplied Cuba with oil, is even less able to continue that, and their oil industry is collapsing as well. Cuba was trading their doctors for oil. Fidel Castro has long attempted to subvert other countries throughout Latin America. He fueled wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador and whatever other revolutionary movements he could find. Havana openly advocated armed revolution as the only means for leftist forces to gain power, and they have provided direct support in training, arms, safe havens and advice.
Cuba hasn’t changed a bit since they were first put on the list of sponsors of terrorism. The people of Cuba are prisoners prevented from escaping, yet they keep trying. The crumbling buildings and old, old cars are not glamorous artifacts of another world, but all Cubans can afford on their $20 a month allowance. Increased tourist trade will not help the Cuban people, but only enrich the ruling party. Raul Castro has said so.
What Obama thinks he is doing is a puzzle. Does he think he is opening up Cuba as Nixon opened China? Or is this a fondness for revolutionary states? Makes no sense, and harms a lot of people.
I hope Congress will refuse to lift the embargo.
