Remember Elian Gonzalez?

Post Reply New Topic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVoqP0mG7Pc[/youtube]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/world/ame ... interview/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Po11RMH0Pk[/youtube]

I'm not sure if we should be happy or sad that he has secured a position as a member of the Cuban elite and thus is not subject to the horrors that the vast majority of Cubans must suffer at the hands of their oppressive leftist government. I was angry at him after first reading the article but then I realized it just isn't that simple. In any event, Janet Reno's blunder was Cuba's propaganda gain.

Is it more or less oppressive than the American blockade that's crippled their economy for decades after the Cold War ended?

The Cuban government is to blame. China is willing to sell cars to them but, because of leftism, everyone except the governing elite is poor. In the name of closing the gap between the rich and poor the leftists widened it and made it permanent. Kind of like what they're trying to do in the U.S.

From the NyTimes: "Cars tend to be cherished in countries like Cuba where they are not easy to get. Under the Communist government, anyone who wants to buy a car needs approval from an official — and in most cases, even when it has been purchased, it still belongs to the state. Only people who bought a car before the revolution or those who afterward were granted the right to purchase one for personal or political achievements actually own their vehicles."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/busin ... geely.html

Gee, a country has severe economic sanctions placed upon it by the largest imperialist superpower in the world? AND it has poverty? No! It can't be!

A socialist paradise needs to trade with foreign capitalists? How's that work?

I guess we know why Cenk became a progressive Democrat

I'm not surprised at what Elian thinks now, I don't blame him considering what he saw of America. Janet Reno is a traitor and should be in prison right now.

While Cuban economic policy really isn't the best, do you realize that an Island nation doesn't have the resources to be self-sufficient at a higher standard of living without trade?

Incidentally, Cuban is developing alternative economic relations with leftist (but not really socialist) economies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivarian ... _-_Peoples’_Trade_Treaty

On what grounds? You can't just call people "traitors" and put them in prison, unless they've violated some law (except maybe in Guantanamo, Cuba).

What law did she violate?

Obviously, if he had grown up in Florida rather than Cuba, then he would have been conditioned to believe the other way, and would be entering the marines right now.

But they had 30 years to trade with all the Warsaw Pact countries, plus many associated countries in Africa and Asia. Collectively they surely had just as many resources as the western powers. Since all the evil exploiters had been eliminated, surely they were all up to their ears in prosperity by 1990?

Here we go, comparing Cuba with a first world country and not to the rest of Central America and the Caribbean.

Why don't you ask a Capitalist Paradise like the United States why it buys stupendous amounts of products from Communist countries and Theocratic Monarchies?

Your user name is fitting of your comment.

As I recall, part of the reason why the Cuban revolution took place was because the former right wing dictator, Batista, had allowed the mafia to run rough shod over his country, running rackets and selling drugs. Then who do the CIA enlist to kill Castro with promises of reestablishing those very same rackets and right wing corruption that were rotting out Cuba? The mafia and the Batista supporters. And this fact is well known to the Cuban people. If we Americans want someone to blame for the Cuban's loyalty to the Castro brothers, we ought to look in the mirror.