There's really only one problem for Cuba: those yanqui imperialists and the embargo they slapped on the country. Just ask Andrea Mitchell. The NBC correspondent is in Cuba today for the May Day festivities. Here's an excerpt from her conversation on MSNBC at 9:07 EDT this morning with host Contessa Brewer.MSNBC HOST CONTESSA BREWER: Is there an expectation among the crowd there, a sense that Castro will return to power at some point?Yes, if only that darn embargo were lifted, communism could work its wonders. True, Cuba is already free to trade with all the 191 other countries in the world. But it's the U.S. embargo alone that is preventing Cuba from becoming a miracle of economic expansion. I have no doubt that if the embargo were lifted, in no time you would see standards of living rivaling those of, say, Bulgaria circa 1959. Oh, and I suppose some of you kill-joys are going to point out that, beyond the embargo, the Cuban people also suffer from an oppressive totalitarian government that robs them of political and human rights. Yeah, well, altogether now: but they have free health care!
NBC CORRESPONDENT ANDREA MITCHELL: Officials are pointing out, and it's certainly true from my visits here that the government runs, it's business as usual, that they have managed this succession rather well. Raul Castro is here today, he and other leaders are very much in charge. There have been no major problems, other than the continuing economic difficulties that of course this country faces because of the U.S. embargo, the economic embargo.
Thanks for some solid reporting, Andrea, on the sinister influence that is the United States. Viva Fidel! Viva la Revolucion! Abajo los imperialistas!
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Yeah everything is commin' up
May 1, 2007 - 09:50 ET by Warner Todd HustonYeah everything is commin' up roses in Ol' Coober except for that mean USofA!
Why all those jailed political prisoners and the many thousands murdered by Castro would have been jailed and killed MUCH nicer if the USA didn't have this darned embargo thingie!
Castro is really just a kind old feller! That pooheaded USA just misrepresents him all the time... and stuff... like, totally.
Thank you Andrea Mitchell. Political pundit extraordinary. As always, your intelligence shines through in your every report.
And it's the embargo that for
May 1, 2007 - 12:15 ET by ThisnThatAnd it's the embargo that forces all those boat people to try to escape to the U.S.
And it's the embargo that blocks all TV and radio signals to the island.
And it's the embargo that prevents the Cubans from hearing any news except that which is fed to them via Castro.
It must also be the embargo that prevents anyone from MSNBC from applying rational, logical thought processes to any story.
Thanks, Andrea, for continuing to add to the reputation of a thoroughly discredited network.
The only embargo I see in Cub
May 1, 2007 - 15:24 ET by ZoneDaiatlasThe only embargo I see in Cuba is Fidel Castro's own embargo on the Cuban People. Hey Andrea Mitchell, The Cuban People are still waiting for that "Great Socialist Revolution" that Fidel Castro and Che Guerra promised...
http://www.therealcuba.com/
Embargo
May 1, 2007 - 09:52 ET by JimboI’m surprised Clinton didn’t lift the embargo so he could get some more cigars……
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
And Imus dissed a couple of f
May 1, 2007 - 10:02 ET by jdhawkAnd Imus dissed a couple of female athletes! Andrea Mitchell by her absurd statements, concerning a blood thirsty utterly repressive regime that tortures, incarcerates, and murders its citizens, furthers its hold on the Cuban people.
Why aren't the sponsors of MSNBC firing this women?
She doesnt have sponsors link
May 1, 2007 - 10:06 ET by JimboShe doesnt have sponsors linked directly to her in the same way Imus did. Besides, the leadership at MSNBC probably agrees with her.
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
Diversity
May 1, 2007 - 10:10 ET by iveseenitallIt's "diversity", man. Along with blacks, hispanics, Cubans, Vietnamese, Croations, etc., you've got to have a few "ignorant white females". We should be protesting, however,--- the media is infested with them.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
Embargo doesn't hurt US!
May 1, 2007 - 10:27 ET by MC Rove...and that's all that matters.
Let the market decide! The only things we want from Cuba is pitchers and stoagies. So continue the embargo on everything else and we'll keep importing the good stuff through a third party! Duh!?? Just like a CPAC. ;-) ;-)
I never knew I was a member o
May 2, 2007 - 05:13 ET by old croI never knew I was a member of a minority ;-)
To find out what's really wro
May 1, 2007 - 10:09 ET by GalvanicTo find out what's really wrong with the Cuban economy, Mitchell needs to confer with her husband, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, instead of taking the word of Cuban regime figures who've used the US embargo as an alibi for over 45 years.
This is the same Andrea Mitch
May 1, 2007 - 10:14 ET by JimboThis is the same Andrea Mitchell who refused to admit that Chris Mathews’ program isn’t a liberal based program. Lots of credibility here.
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
"Cuba's only major probl
May 1, 2007 - 10:33 ET by uc"Cuba's only major problem" ??? And to think Hillary's debate coverage may have deemed her "presidential" only because she used the word "prudent" seemingly prudently.
Did she really answer no to Brian Williams question in debate about having "guns in the house"? Maybe question for her should have been more specifically: "on the property."
What should mere details have to do with being "Presidential" anyway??? Where are the ambitious Democratic opponents attack teams?
It's Cuba's only excuse, wh
May 1, 2007 - 11:56 ET by sarcasmoIt's Cuba's only excuse, which is why the policy is just as much of a failure as the political system it purports to oppose. Totally impotent, as well as totally ineffective for decades, but what should I expect from Democrats and Republicans??
JMR
Right sarc, If the other li
May 1, 2007 - 12:03 ET by MightyMouthRight sarc, If the other libs were in charge. We would be all be smokin pot, starting our own radio stations and putting XXX rated roadside bill boards up. Oh and probably buying hand guns at 7-11.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
In your dreams. We'd probab
May 1, 2007 - 12:08 ET by sarcasmoIn your dreams. We'd probably instead be treating Cuba (the failure) like Vietnam & China (the emerging market successes) but keep dreamin' & ignoring-failure...
JMR
Cuba should have been liber
May 1, 2007 - 12:33 ET by MightyMouthCuba should have been liberated and Castro's head put on a pike. The Bay of Pigs should have been fully supported and augmented by the US military. But no, let the CIA do it. Good move Eisenhower and Kennedy. Just trying to point out the real "failure" you speak of.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
All you got was the Genesis
May 1, 2007 - 12:53 ET by sarcasmoAll you got was the Genesis. Subsequent decades of continued impotent failure are the responsibility of different policymakers. (Translation: It's probably all those damn libertarians' fault -- they've got so much unchecked political power, you know!)
JMR
Nope, I don't blame liberta
May 1, 2007 - 12:56 ET by MightyMouthNope, I don't blame libertarians for anything (except 8 years of Bubba). But like you said I am just dreamin. :-/
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Sorry, you're even wrong th
May 1, 2007 - 12:59 ET by sarcasmoSorry, you're even wrong there, so you're battin' 1000 in this thread. Perot ain't a Libertarian now, and never-was. And you clearly tried (but without much success) to blame libertarians for the abject, also-impotent failure of US government pot-policy above, but you probably do not want to admit it at the moment. :) Can't change the facts...
JMR
So you didn't vote for Pero
May 1, 2007 - 13:55 ET by MightyMouthSo you didn't vote for Perot? Cmon, Sarc, how could you have resisted? :-)
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Politicians. Ya gotta slap 'em around sometimes....
May 1, 2007 - 16:20 ET by sarcasmoI was the originator of "Pennies for Perot," a group collecting pennies to try to keep the billionaire off political welfare. I figured it was the libertarian thing to do, but he still took the matching funds (my stunt DID make it into the media to humiliate the billionaire-candidate in a minor way, which was the important part, because now matching funds are dead. Smack.). I did various other things that year to humiliate various politicians -- but sadly (because I can't say "I was right then voting for Ron Paul before it was cool, and I'm right still!" -- which I am!!) IIRC the LP candidate was a non-starter Alaskan named Andre' Marrou. Doesn't matter. Now we have a Republican who just paid the $25 grand South Carolina filing fee, and who can't be censored out of the "debates" very easily, either. This year's not like that year, at all. People for the first time will be forced, like it or not, to hear at least a bit from my candidate if they want to listen to the "debate."
Anyway, I'm proudest of who I have voted against, these days, and I HOPE it "costs" people who take my vote for-granted elections & pisses 'em off. Why? Because that's gonna forcibly lead to less brown-nosing to the busybodies in the already well represented Elmer Gantry lobby. It's called "tough love," and it worked on Bob Barr quite well. I helped his ass get smacked from afar due to his drug policy idiocy, and now he's on my side. Politicians. Ya gotta slap 'em around sometimes....Now Bob's a good little boy -- a winner via losing, you might say. I figure the only question for me is "who do I need to smack-around next?" ;)
(Boy, will the response to this be funny...)
JMR
Quite an admission Sarc, bu
May 1, 2007 - 17:26 ET by MightyMouthQuite an admission Sarc, but please, throw me a bone for Gods sake. Admit independants and libertarians actually elected Bill Clinton...Twice!!
We forgive ya! (sort of)
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Nope. No dice, I'm proud of
May 2, 2007 - 03:06 ET by sarcasmoNope. No dice, I'm proud of my votes, all of 'em. My vote was just as much against Slick as it was against that dim bulb "choice" YOU people in the Republican party stupidly put up, but this gives me a chance to show that history says it's nothin' new. Observe and (maybe) learn:
“The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled, each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly on what should be said on the vital issues of the day.”
--Theodore Roosevelt
Amen, Teddy. Want better results from me? Then give me better candidates. Compromise ain't a one-way street, and fiscal conservatives like me have been screwed long enough. Don't like it? Tough. Prepare to either change your candidate-nominating behavior or keep losing. The way is clear to having me on your side instead of opposed, but it will require fighting the bias (I've been singlehandedly fighting it here, so far) against Ron Paul.
JMR
I wish we would lift our tr
May 1, 2007 - 12:14 ET by sphigelI wish we would lift our trade embargo with Cuba. Then again I'm a believer in completely unrestricted trade with all countries regardless of whether or not they reciprocate. While countries with highly subsidized industries could put some U.S. workers out of a job the net benefit to the many consumers of that product always outweigh the loss of the producers of said product. Furthermore, with Cuba we are just giving ammunition to wackos like this Andrea Mitchell to say that the embargo is Cuba's biggest problem.
If we capitulated every time
May 1, 2007 - 12:17 ET by ThisnThatIf we capitulated every time a wacko decides to use something against us, then we may as well throw all of our principles and standards out the window.
..., or, simply declare ourselves to be RINOs.
USS 'R US?
May 1, 2007 - 12:26 ET by kirch66So you wouldn't have any problem with US companies supplying Nazi Germany with materials used to oppress their citizens? Or to the Stalinist Soviet Union? How is Communist Cuba, or China any different. Just because they have adopted SOME free market ideas (only because they saw that this is one of the main reasons the USSR failed) then it's ok if they're communists? It's just the pesky economic problems of communism that makes it bad? There are some grossly misinformed people about what communism really is. I was involved in Russian studies in the military for several years during and after the USSR fell and I see things posted about communism that are just ignorant, stupid and scary, Communism is oppressive and immoral regardless of what economic system is in place to support it.
"The moment you give up your principles and your values, the moment you laugh at those principles and those values, you are dead, your culture is dead, your civilization is dead. Period." - Oriana Fallaci
What materials are you talk
May 1, 2007 - 14:04 ET by sphigelWhat materials are you talking about? Obviously we wouldn't sell military technology to governments that pose an immediate threat to us or their citizens. I was thinking the types of goods we'd be selling Cuba would be food, clothing, electronics. I don't really see how any government could use these goods to opress their people. You know, the kind of goods that are easily available for us as U.S. citizens to buy and sell on the free market. The kind of goods where the people producing them would obviously want to be able to sell them to Cuba because a larger target market is always a good thing. Instead we have irrational government policies preventing buyers and sellers to transact.
I hate communism too however your hatred of communism seems to lead you to some pretty erroneous conclusions about interacting with a communist country.
oppress
May 1, 2007 - 14:16 ET by AgnosticEvery active and loyal member of the party gets food and clothes. If you disagree in any way you get nothing. In other words; they could oppress the people the same way they do now except that they would be using American made products.
BTW, I think the embargo should be lifted because IMHO capitalism and the American dollar is still our greatest weapon in Cuba.
no major problemsHuh??http://
May 1, 2007 - 12:19 ET by dahliatraversno major problems
Huh??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Cuba
http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/cub-summary-eng
[My grimly favorite quote from the Amnesty International site: "New death sentences were handed down although the unofficial moratorium on executions appeared to remain in place."]
dahlia...Your quote from AI i
May 1, 2007 - 12:24 ET by Clear thinkerdahlia...
Your quote from AI is hilarious.
Thanks, I have never heard it before, but I do have a new favorite quote.
The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.
Thanks, Clear. That's one o
May 1, 2007 - 20:28 ET by dahliatraversThanks, Clear. That's one of the big problems with a dictatorship. They can make up the rules as they go along to suit themselves.
Along those lines, I give y
May 1, 2007 - 15:27 ET by dabalAlong those lines, I give you my favorite anti-Castro site...
www.therealcuba.com
Enjoy. Hating communism.Too-stupid-for-words! If Cuba
May 1, 2007 - 14:17 ET by americaneagleToo-stupid-for-words! If Cuba is sooooo great, why don't those hacks just take up residence? I'm pretty sure that old Fidel could find them some room at the Ministry of Information...that is until they tried to speak up for some liberal cause or other. Then they could get a glimpse of that model justice system they have in the Cuban paradise!
Miss Mitchell, in her rush to
May 1, 2007 - 17:35 ET by UnsaneMiss Mitchell, in her rush to defend the indefensible, is forgetting that Cuba trades with Canada, Europe, and other nations...ALL THE TIME. And for all of that, Cuba is still a rotting Communist hellhole.
Gee, I wonder why you left THAT out?
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)