The Cuban Threat

[Kyle]

i think a lot of nations will catch up when Bush leaves office...for example, venezuela, ecuador, nicaragua, and cuba will someday be excellent competitors to the DR. PR is loosing due to it trying to be too much like the US (yes i know it's a territory).

Cuba is the last frontier in the carribean and when it opens up, look out.

let me clarify one other point. a lot of americans who either work for the federal government and/or hold security clearances cannot travel to cuba. i don't know the numbers but add all those to the equation and i think those added people will give any carribean nation a run for their money when cuba opens up and being less than 100 miles off the florida coast helps too...

 

[cobraboy]

i think a lot of nations will catch up when Bush leaves office...for example, venezuela, ecuador, nicaragua, and cuba will someday be excellent competitors to the DR. PR is loosing due to it trying to be too much like the US (yes i know it's a territory).

What does Bush have to do with anything? Every administration and Congress since the early 60's had the same policy (right or wrong). Venezueal, Ecuador Nicarauga and Cuba are ALREADY competitors of the DR. The DR has maybe a 15% market share of Caribbean/Mexican tourism.

let me clarify one other point. a lot of americans who either work for the federal government and/or hold security clearances cannot travel to cuba.

I'm pretty sure it's ALL US Citizens, and not just Fed employees. Any American traveling to Cuba does it illegally. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[shadInToronto]

What does Bush have to do with anything? Every administration and Congress since the early 60's had the same policy (right or wrong). Venezueal, Ecuador Nicarauga and Cuba are ALREADY competitors of the DR. The DR has maybe a 15% market share of Caribbean/Mexican tourism.

I'm pretty sure it's ALL US Citizens, and not just Fed employees. Any American traveling to Cuba does it illegally. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

You're 100% correct ... travel to Cuba banned for all Americans ... also no Cuban cigars for Americans, so where did Slick Willie get Cubans to smoke Monica? :ermm:

 

[cobraboy]

You're 100% correct ... travel to Cuba banned for all Americans ... also no Cuban cigars for Americans, so where did Slick Willie get Cubans to smoke Monica? :ermm:

He "did not inhale that cigar with that woman, Monica Lewinsky"...:bunny:

 

[KeithF]

What does Bush have to do with anything? Every administration and Congress since the early 60's had the same policy (right or wrong).

Entirely agree.

Florida has a large Cuban exile community.
Florida holds the key to the presidency (or the Supreme Court does if Florida can't decide)
Florida can be won or lost with a very small swing left or right.

No presidential candidate is going to 'go soft' on Cuba because they will lose the Foridian Cubans, Florida and with it the election. QED rightly or wrongly, the same policy from both sides.

 

[Kyle]

shad, again my point is SOME travelers (like myself) are restricted to traveling to some countries that others may go to. any time i leave the country i have to ask permission (the nature of my job). if the state department says no, then i can't go although someone else could book to that country. i'm sure due to national security issues these same rules apply to people in other countries.
this large population of restricted travelers would love to visit countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Cuba.

Bush won't let me go !!!

 

[KeithF]

shad, again my point is SOME travelers (like myself) are restricted to traveling to some countries that others may go to. any time i leave the country i have to ask permission (the nature of my job). if the state department says no, then i can't go although someone else could book to that country. i'm sure due to national security issues these same rules apply to people in other countries.
this large population of restricted travelers would love to visit countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Cuba.

Bush won't let me go !!!

But even if your job didn't have restrictions, you couldn't go (legally) except for a very few restrictions.

 

[Kyle]

i agree totally....

 

[toneloc24]

You're 100% correct ... travel to Cuba banned for all Americans ... also no Cuban cigars for Americans, so where did Slick Willie get Cubans to smoke Monica? :ermm:

Not true at all. Exceptions and official clearances are available to US citizens. At least, for legal, medical, educational purposes. Nothing recreational.

I was offered a legal exception to Havana last month. Had other plans in place, had to pass.

BTW: Cuban cigars aren't so hard to come by in the USA. Just expensive due to the efforts to get them into your hands.

 

[toneloc24]

I sincerely doubt that the DR will be immediately drastically affected by the "re-opening" of Cuba to the USA. After about 5-10 years, yes, there will be a drastic effect, esp. if the DR still hasn't cleaned up its act. Haiti isn't the ONLY reason the DR economy lacks. It's just the best excuse.

Cuba WILL be rebuilt. Not by the whiny-ass south Florida crowd, but by the greedy US corporations that are chomping at the bit to get in there and exploit it. There will be no expense spared, as Cuba will become the new South Beach.

For the record, I wouldn't take any of the Cuban "refugees" in south Florida at their word regarding Cuba. If you listen to enough of them, each of them would have you believing how much money and land they had in Cuba, blah, blah, blah..... You can't be serious, if you believe them. They got better game than DR sankies when fresh-off-the-plane Canadian chicks are in town. LOL!!!

If they are so committed to Cuba, how about when Castro croaks, they all move back to Cuba and lose their US immigration status? No need to be in the US anymore, since Cuba's free now, right? How many of them do you think would leave? Listen to the excuses that fall out of their mouths. LOL!!!!

Castro didn't only ship criminals into the USA. He also shipped political dissidents, and anyone who wanted to leave for the USA. They wanted their wish, they got it. But, it wasn't 100,000 criminals as the US government and media (Scarface) has brainwashed people into thinking.

The details to Operation Mongoose have been declassified. Don't believe the US media's accounts of Cuban operations. If you read for yourself, you'd have a better understanding of why foreigners were forbidden from going to sugar cane fields. There are plenty of reasons for the paranoia.

I'm not a Castro apologist at all. In fact, I could really care less when the bastard dies. I do find it funny as hell that he's outlived all of his political allies and enemies. Talk about karma.

 

[aegap]

BTW: Cuban cigars aren't so hard to come by in the USA. Just expensive due to the efforts to get them into your hands

I hear many Senators and Congressmen love smoking them..

 

[gougeonit]

can't buy anything

What does Bush have to do with anything? Every administration and Congress since the early 60's had the same policy (right or wrong). Venezueal, Ecuador Nicarauga and Cuba are ALREADY competitors of the DR. The DR has maybe a 15% market share of Caribbean/Mexican tourism.

I'm pretty sure it's ALL US Citizens, and not just Fed employees. Any American traveling to Cuba does it illegally. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.[/QUOTE]

I might be wrong, but l thought that you were free to travel(excluding security classified positions)to Cuba; But were not permited to spend any monies there.

 

[gougeonit]

US state department travel blog

CUBA - *Passport and visa required. For specific requirements, consult the Cuban Interests Section, 2630 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202/797-8518). HIV test required for those staying longer than 90 days. )Attention: U.S. citizens need a U.S. Treasury Department license in order to engage in any transactions related to travel to and within Cuba (this includes the use of U.S. currency.) Before planning any travel to Cuba, U.S. citizens should contact the Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of Treasury, (202/622-2480) or on the Internet at U.S. Treasury - Office of Foreign Assets Control

 

[shadInToronto]

Not true at all. Exceptions and official clearances are available to US citizens. At least, for legal, medical, educational purposes. Nothing recreational.

I was offered a legal exception to Havana last month. Had other plans in place, had to pass.

BTW: Cuban cigars aren't so hard to come by in the USA. Just expensive due to the efforts to get them into your hands.

Exceptions means it's not the norm ... ordinary Americans can't travel to Cuba. If you think you can, try booking your ticket to Havana at your local travel agency then show up at JFK and see what happens. The US embargo against Cuba include travel, trade, money transfer, .... etc. so those Cuban cigars in America are illegal :ermm:

 

[dogstar]

Travel To Cuba

Yes gringos, you can travel to Cuba, no problema. You just can't spend any money there. If you are planning to spend money you must have a lic. before hand, however, if you go there fully hosted by a foreign national you are free to go from the land of the free. Been there done that and was sent a questionaire from State for one of my visits because i stupitly said I was in Cuba when I rentered the US.
Yes the DR will lose tourist when flights go directly from the US. The people are more gracious, the country less poluted, and the women more beautiful.
Thats just my opinion.
js

 

[toneloc24]

You're 100% correct ... travel to Cuba banned for all Americans ... also no Cuban cigars for Americans, so where did Slick Willie get Cubans to smoke Monica? :ermm:

Exceptions means it's not the norm ... ordinary Americans can't travel to Cuba. If you think you can, try booking your ticket to Havana at your local travel agency then show up at JFK and see what happens. The US embargo against Cuba include travel, trade, money transfer, .... etc. so those Cuban cigars in America are illegal :ermm:

My response to this was that your previous statement is just not accurate. Travel to Cuba is highly limited, but not 100% banned. That was my point, and has been reinforced by others. Tourism, yes. Travel, no.

 

[Kyle]

american citizens can go to Canada and book directly to Cuba. they can also go to Jamaica or any other carribean nation and book to Havana. upon entering Cuba ask them to not stamp your passport because you are american. the drawback is if anything happens to you in cuba, you are S.O.L...

i heard this from a friend. is this true ?

 

[shadInToronto]

american citizens can go to Canada and book directly to Cuba. they can also go to Jamaica or any other carribean nation and book to Havana. upon entering Cuba ask them to not stamp your passport because you are american. the drawback is if anything happens to you in cuba, you are S.O.L...
i heard this from a friend. is this true ?

Uncle Sam have ways of finding out where you've been and what you've been up to. Don't risk the ire of the big bad US of A aranoid:

 

[cobraboy]

american citizens can go to Canada and book directly to Cuba. they can also go to Jamaica or any other carribean nation and book to Havana. upon entering Cuba ask them to not stamp your passport because you are american. the drawback is if anything happens to you in cuba, you are S.O.L...

i heard this from a friend. is this true ?

Yes.

A US citizen illegaly go to Cuba. One can do many things illegally.

 

[AnnaC]

american citizens can go to Canada and book directly to Cuba. they can also go to Jamaica or any other carribean nation and book to Havana. upon entering Cuba ask them to not stamp your passport because you are american. the drawback is if anything happens to you in cuba, you are S.O.L...

i heard this from a friend. is this true ?

Nothing will happen to you unless you go looking for trouble and as far as the US finding out that you've been there I've heard they might fine you but I don't think they will throw you in the torture chamber or anything like that, after all you do live in a civilized country where you have freedoms right?