Will Ofac Pull the Plug on People-to-People Cuba Travel?

[flamingdem]

http://www.thehavananote.com/2012/08/will_ofac_pull_plug_people_people_travel_cuba

** The article referenced is at freep.com -- this gives more context -- it looks like the Marco Rubio led effort to further tighten travel restrictions has worked by creating a bureaucratic nightmare -- or it may be something more sinister such as the power of an ex-Bush appointee at OFAC holding things up to please the Miami hard right -- no one knows and the groups involved do not want to rock boats


Will OFAC Pull the Plug on People to People Travel to Cuba?
Anya Landau French — Aug 23, 2012

In January 2011, The Obama administration finally rolled out long-awaiting regulations to re-open 'people to people' travel to Cuba. Such people to people engagement with the island had been pursued by the Clinton administration, only to be squeezed and finally prohibited altogether by the Bush administration in 2003. Countless relationships built across the Florida Straits withered, or rather, wintered, until 8 years later, President Obama's changes allowed them to connect anew. In less than a year and a half, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers Cuba sanctions, granted 140 licenses for such trips, and Americans are dizzingly eager to travel. But now it seems that few if any of those licenses are getting renewed. Ellen Creager writes:

"These are not fly-by-night groups. Typical groups that have -- or had -- Cuba “People to People” licenses include Harvard Alumni, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Insight Cuba and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, all reputable groups that ran ethical and very good culturally-rich trips.

Now, a look at their websites tells the story. Harvard has one trip planned for Dec. 27 but with this caveat: “Pending ‘People to People” license renewal.” The Met wiped Cuba off its itinerary for now. National Geographic, which has run 29 trips taking 703 people total in the past year, is taking only preliminary waiting-list reservations for fall trips with no deposit. (A deposit, according to OFAC rules, is engaging in financial transaction with Cuba and illegal if you have no license) Insight Cuba has suspended all trips for the past two months and is on hold, waiting for its renewal that expired in June. National Trust has 4 Cuba trips still on its 2012 itinerary, but with an asterisk: "Pending People to People License Renewal.""

Why are none of these groups are getting their renewals? Is it a simple case of election year politics? Not likely; the Obama re-election campaign understands Cuban American dynamics better than that, especially considering that it was Obama who went after swing Cuban American voters in 2008 by offering a more pragmatic Cuba policy that would feature engagement - with families as the vanguard - over empty tough talk. Stepped up enforcement of travel rules that this administration itself opened up would only speak to the most hard-line segment of the Cuban American electorate who are overwhelmingly conservative voters and wouldn't vote for Obama anyway.

[unc70]

1. Comment at article has possibility

Have close friend who has been caught up on this mess. I forwarded this link to them. None of it has made sense.

A comment at the link suggests a possible reason / person. I have no idea if that has any validity. Am curious to find out.

[flamingdem]

2. Yes I was wondering about that as well

It's hard to know which is the relevant factor. I tend towards thinking it's the extra paperwork and all the groups applying at once, but there are some established groups being left in the lurch. That's pretty dysfunctional and not at all supportive of capitalism.

[Peace Patriot]

3. These establishment travel groups have resisted CIA infiltration/manipulation?

Or have resisted Miami Mafia infiltration/manipulation?

Could it be a form of pressure on Harvard, National Geographic, etc., to bend over?

It's possible that this new loosened up travel policy had only one purpose to begin with--infiltration/manipulation--and, if that isn't working out, Ofac/the U.S. government is getting pissy about it.

I'm thinking about Alan Gross, too. As soon as travel opened up, the CIA sent an operative in. That may point to hypocrisy in the program--although it's hard to penetrate things like this given our very, very secretive government; could also be that embedded Bushwhack or Miami Mafia fascists in the CIA set out to undermine the program--i.e., undermine Obama--with Gross' absurd mission.

U.S. policy on Latin America is such an impenetrable thicket--with all kinds of wild vines and thorny bushes snaking through it--that it may not be possible to figure out what is going on, who's in charge and what the end-game is.

Just for example: the U.S. "war on drugs"--which got flipped over entirely into a war FOR drugs, by the Bush Junta, in my opinion--and just for example, within that scene, Colombia's new president, Manual Santos, recently coming out for drug legalization--after the U.S. spent, at the least, $7 BILLION on military aid to Colombia allegedly to eradicate it--I mean, WTF?*.

Or, for another example, the rightwing coup Honduras: Only six months into the Obama administration. The plane carrying the kidnapped president of Honduras out of the country at gunpoint stopped for refueling at the U.S. airbase in Honduras (Pentagon collusion); U.S. ambassador later admitted knowing about the coup ahead of time (foreign service/State Dept. collusion); coup "talking points" run by a Washington PR firm; Honduran general said they were "preventing communism from Venezuela reaching the United States," etc.--lots and lots of signs of U.S. involvement; Obama initially opposed the coup then helped legitimize it (or tried to)--so WHO did this coup? Was it designed by the Bush Junta and triggered on Obama's watch to undermine him in LatAm? A "dirty trick" on Obama with lots of benefits for transglobal corporations, war profiteers and the Miami Mafia? Was he powerless to prevent it? Did he even know about it? Was he culpable or later became culpable or did he find himself in the...

... impenetrable thicket...

...of U.S. policy in LatAm, made thornier than ever and filled with more deadly critters than ever before, by the Bush Junta?

I've at times said that I'm done giving Obama the benefit of the doubt on Honduras. But what if he was trading Honduras for getting a handle on Uribe/Bush utter lawlessness (complete reversal of purpose) with the "war on drugs" (profoundly corrupt throughout LatAm and the world and extremely dangerous)? (--trading, that is, with the various interests in the coup--for instance, John McCain's telecommunications interests, Chiquita/slave labor farms and U.S. clothing retailers running sweatshops in Honduras.) Perhaps Obama is powerless to do anything but trade in bad options. Perhaps his biggest mistake--possibly a forgivable one--is thinking that he could do some good with White House power despite the restrictions on his power and the deals he had to make to obtain it.

There are some indications that the above may be true--that U.S. protection of Uribe (by Obama/Panetta) may be over, and that blockades to Colombian prosecutors going after Uribe (on death squads, drug trafficking, illegal spying) have been eased up or removed (perhaps premised on leaving Bush & Co. out of it). Is this happening because Obama ultimately supported the Honduran coup (with some cosmetics slapped onto it)? (Note: freshman Senator Jim DeMint (SC-Diebold) openly blackmailed Obama on Honduras--bragged about it--by holding up all of Obama's appointments in LatAm.)

Consider Cuba from this perspective: the impenetrable thicket.

On the other hand, ES&S (which bought out Diebold) is the most impenetrable--of all of its impenetrabilities in every state of the U.S.--in Florida. There, Obama really would, without question, have to satisfy the far right and the Miami Mafia, to get a 'TRADE SECRET'-controlled favorable so-called vote. Could be that simple: get mean on travel to Cuba and other nutball issues of theirs and the "code" goes "blue." (Or they have fooled Obama into thinking that it will.)

----

*(My guess: Big Pharma wants to legalize and monopolize. Bush Junta was consolidating the trade into fewer hands and achieving Bush Cartel control over its trillion+ dollar revenue stream in the meantime--eliminating all the small players--like the FIVE MILLION peasant farmers who got brutally displaced from their lands--and destroying independent, non-cooperating networks. Same thing is happening in Mexico, it appears--bloody consolidation--also instigated by the Bush Junta, just before they 'got outa Dodge' in 2008.)

[flamingdem]

4. You think of all the angles in that impenetrable thicket!

Things that wouldn't cross my mind such as -- they may have expected more negative reports. For the most part the people who go on the tours fall in love with Cuba.

Otherwise, it's business as usual, insane Miami cabal interests trump ours. I always wondered about how involved they were or are in Honduras. I hope that Obama does realize what's up and down in Latin America. He has to address it after November.

What you wrote here is all food for thought:
On the other hand, ES&S (which bought out Diebold) is the most impenetrable--of all of its impenetrabilities in every state of the U.S.--in Florida. There, Obama really would, without question, have to satisfy the far right and the Miami Mafia, to get a 'TRADE SECRET'-controlled favorable so-called vote. Could be that simple: get mean on travel to Cuba and other nutball issues of theirs and the "code" goes "blue." (Or they have fooled Obama into thinking that it will.)

I met some of the players in Florida who SHOULD be Democrats but contribute to Republicans as much $ or more than Democrats, it's all a money-power game for sure, nothing is what it seems. CANF was somewhat warm and fuzzy with him, maybe they see the future and it's not the Balart Bros or Ros-Lehtinen.

----

*(My guess: Big Pharma wants to legalize and monopolize. Bush Junta was consolidating the trade into fewer hands and achieving Bush Cartel control over its trillion+ dollar revenue stream in the meantime--eliminating all the small players--like the FIVE MILLION peasant farmers who got brutally displaced from their lands--and destroying independent, non-cooperating networks. Same thing is happening in Mexico, it appears--bloody consolidation--also instigated by the Bush Junta, just before they 'got outa Dodge' in 2008.)


---- Did you see the article I posted about private cities in Honduras? Big Pharma factories?

[Peace Patriot]

5. I saw the headline...

...figured it was about something I already knew was going to happen (privatization of everything in Honduras) and didn't have time to read it. Didn't realize it was about Big Pharma.

Oh boy. Hang onto you hats! Hurricane warning.

-------------------

Will go back and read it now. Thanks for being so sharp and catching this.

[Peace Patriot]

6. Oh, I see that it doesn't mention Big Pharma--you are saying that's where they would...

...operate their marijuana, cocaine and other factories.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680402/how-do-you-make-a-city-from-nothing

I'm reminded of Jamaica, where the country was first ravaged by World Bank/IMF loans, then--as a condition of the loans--U.S. Ag was permitted to dump cheaply priced produce on local markets, which destroyed local farmers and their families and traditional farming knowledge--and thus not only destroyed Jamaica's ability to feed itself but also helped to produce cheap labor for the "privatized" manufacturing zone at the harbor, where Jamaican labor laws can be ignored, and untaxed manufactured goods are loaded directly onto tankers to be shipped to high-end markets.

This "free trade" zone at the harbor in Jamaica is very like a privatized city.

Alex Tabarrok's comment is telling: (end of the article)

“'Maybe having a corporation run the place is a pretty good idea,' Tabarrok said. 'People will accept it--I don’t think people want democracy all that much. They’re not that concerned about democracy until their wealth has built up to a considerable degree. Not having a democracy is okay, especially when people can leave.'”

He hasn't been to Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Uruguay or any place, really, where people understand very well that without democracy their "wealth" will NEVER be "built up." Democracy comes first; then equitable wealth distribution.

Anyway, yup, Big Pharma recreational and/or addictive drugs, on a monopoly basis, may be coming our way soon, from undemocratic, private urban "free trade" zones in U.S. client states in Latin America. First eliminate democracy; then the rich get control of everything.

They got rid of the small players in Colombia, are getting rid of the small players in Mexico and Honduras, and the FBI is getting rid of the small players in California and other medical marijuana states--to clear the way for Big Pharma, is my educated opinion. And "free trade zones" (artificial cities) with no labor laws and no taxes and completely privatized government are the way to do it.