Tuesday, June 05, 2012

En route to Havana ... by gimleteye

The flights to Havana are jammed. The Cuba travel controversy is a little abstract until you see the volume of Cuban Americans and the volume of goods checked as personal luggage. It's an eye opener. This is where the baggage wrappers are killing it. No wonder the lobbyists are fighting so hard. My purpose is not to visit family or scout business opportunities. I am hoping to report views of Miami politics from Havana. Good, bad, or as indifferent as voters in Miami-Dade? Stay tuned.

8 comments:

Denny said...

Cuban-American want to reserve traveling to Cuba for themselves. It's "Do as I say, Not as I do." They are hypocrites.

Anonymous said...

Alan,
Under what special category are you allowed to travel to Cuba?

Anonymous said...

Very hypocritical of the Cuban community. They want to travel and send money and goods to their family. Or perhaps they resell it in Cuba to support the black market. Those without benefit of family in the US starve. Heaven forbid any gringos get in on the action.

Incomplete embargos never work. The US trade embargo only makes the resale of the goods you see in the photos much more valuable.

Open up trade and travel. Castro would fall within 2 months.

swampthing said...

try to find/talk w joani sanchez of generation Y

Anonymous said...

end the stupid embargo, open up travel and stop wet/foot-- dry/foot---its the most ridiculous thing-- plead asylum at the texas border or on virginia key but travel back in 18 months to show your new big belly and day glo colors-- what happened to the freedom seeking and imminent fear of persecution-- so silly

Anonymous said...

Alan - try to get a true story of the condition of natural resources and marine life under the Castro regime. We hear seemingly contradictory positions of they are doing great because the people are not allowed to harvest and exploit (and have no gas for boats), or they are doing terrible because of the sad plight of the Cuban people and their need to harvest what they can to survive.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone understand what lifting the embargo means? What exactly it would mean for the US and for us as taxpayers?
What the Castro regime is requesting is to be able to buy from us on credit. When they fail to repay, as has been the case with countless other countries, then we Taxpayers will be left holding the bag.

James said...

First, I would just like to travel to Cuba as a tourist and bring home some Cuban cigars. If it is okay for me to travel to Communist China and buy anything I want, why can't I do the same with Cuba?

Second, who is the "us" when you say the "Castro regime is requesting is to be able to buy from us on credit." If a U.S. company wants to give the Cuban government a credit line, let the U.S. company assume the risk like it would with any debtor. What difference does it make to you?

Freedom to travel and freedom to conduct trade: that's what America is all about. It's about time we put it into practice with Cuba.