Terror bill would limit Florida scholars' travels (Jeb Bush to sign)

[seafan]

Terror bill would limit Florida scholars' travels

Tania Deluzuriaga
May 23, 2006

Florida could become one of the most restrictive states in the nation for international scholars under a proposal that would forbid professors and students from visiting Cuba and other nations accused of supporting terrorism.
Gov. Jeb Bush has expressed support for the bill and is likely to sign it into law. The measure, passed unanimously by the Legislature earlier this month, prohibits faculty and students at public universities and community colleges from using "state or non-state funds" to travel to any country deemed a sponsor of terrorists. Those guidelines would go further than those of the federal government.

Five countries would be off-limits, according to the list of terror nations issued by the U.S. State Department: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

snip

The proposal has caused an outcry among academics who say it would cut Florida off from important research, especially in Cuba. Although much academic fieldwork is funded through private foundations, not the state, the grants are often channeled through universities, not given directly to a professor.

snip

The American Association of University Professors came out against the bill this month, sending a letter to the Governor's Office saying it would impose significant administrative burdens on Florida colleges and universities and seriously harm academic freedom.
"Even during the darkest days of the Cold War years there was certain contact going on between American and Soviet scholars," said Jonathan Knight, director of the program on academic freedom for the university professors' group. "There is a strong belief that those kind of connections between academics are vital to advancing knowledge and understanding."

snip

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Another move to take the US back to the Dark Ages.

[seafan]

3. It is a constant barrage from the Governor's mansion. It never stops.

Jeb has a digital clock on his desk *counting down* the time left in his occupation of Tallahassee.

It's when he's not making news of the moment that he's working like a termite.

It will take some time and some progressive leadership to help Florida recover from this family's ruthless rule.

[ramapo]

2. What is this fixation?

It is really unbelievable the fixation that politicians have on Cuba as this dangerous enemy of the United States. No I don't think Castro is a nice guy and life could certainly be better for the people of Cuba. But it could be much worse too. Castro poses about as much of a threat to this country as does Mickey Mouse. Somehow just about every other country in the world treats Cuba in a normal fashion. We're a country of idiots.

[seafan]

4. You might find this interesting:

Cuba on the “Terrorist” List: Miami Rides Again

[Judi Lynn]

15. This is a tremendous link. I'm going to save it, myself, for future ref.

Here's some very helpful information given from your source:

Making a Fake Case
The State Department has now sought to justify its archly politicized designation of Cuba as a rogue state by pointing to contrived allegations – both recent and ancient – which were even then usually more apparent than real, if not downright phony. For example, the State Department will tell you that Castro has provided hospitality to several FARC and ETA (Basque) guerrillas, but doesn’t bother to inform you that the invitation specifically came at the request of the Colombian and Spanish governments to Havana authorities in order to resolve hostage situations back in their countries on neutral grounds. Castro was only assisting in a solution to problems not of his own, which, in fact, Washington was covertly backing.
(snip)

While Washington is correct in claiming that Cuba invests heavily in biotechnology, even the State Department now admits that it has no evidence to substantiate the totally invented charges of former high official (now U.S. ambassador to the UN) John Bolton, regarding Cuba’s alleged bioweaponry exports to its sister “rogue” nations, acknowledging that “there is some dispute about the existence and extent of Cuba’s offensive biological weapons program.” That Washington, after first disowning it, has now managed to rouse the temerity to use Bolton’s characteristic prevarications to support part of its hardscrabble case against Cuba, is tantamount to tacitly admitting that that its annual terrorism document is a massive fraud and well deserves its moon begotten reputation. Additionally, it should be noted that Washington has done the Colombian peace process no real service by supporting a discredited and scandal-ridden paramilitary demobilization formula in which it was forced to give up its coveted ability to have Colombian authorities extradite indicted local drug traffickers to the U.S. where they would stand trial. Cuba, however, was serving Bogotá in a much more helpful manner. It did this by accepting the invitation of both sides several years ago to serve as a site for negotiations between Bogotá’s rightist government and Colombia’s leftist guerrilla force, the ELN.
(snip)

It's just dreadful seeing the _Bush regime crank out so much conspicuous, treacherous propaganda, and having right-wingers swallowing it as if it were the gospel truth. Hideous.

[seafan]

19. Yes, it ties together exactly how our gov't fabricates. And here we

all are, digging and scraping for the truth every single day. You all do know we will prevail on this.

The truth is the first light of dawn to these vampires.

[ramapo]

21. On the mark

Thanks...it confirms my own thought process

[Dr.Phool]

5. You have to kowtow to the last remnants of the Batista Regime

Down in Miami.

In the coming weeks, expect some people to cry out for sanity regarding the Cuban embargo. Even pro-business Republicans are starting to see some potential gold mines in Cuba, that any other country in the world can exploit.

[kskiska]

7. What was so great about Batista

that they love him so?

[Jacobin]

12. He was very friendly to the mafia who owned the casinos there.

Really.

[Kagemusha]

6. "or non-state funds"?? Like, money from your own wallet??

Depending on how sloppy this is written it might be Soviet-style travel restrictions, but only on profs and students. Wouldn't that be a hoot!

[MadHound]

8. Florida, fully committed to getting dumber every day.

This is so fucking stupid. After all, it isn't like foreign born students and scholars are already staying away from the US in droves. This is just going to be one more reason for them, and their money, to stay away from the US.

[chookie]

9. The mind reels

I know people who are going to be directly effected by this -- for me, biologists and archaeologists.

This is an outrage. The people behind this bill are totally out of their ****ing minds. How is carrying out scientific research supporting terrorism? In the past I knew scholars whose research has been put on hold due to war, but political censorship is a new one for me.

Scholars and researchers are going to fight this, big time. I'm not holding my breath for our political leaders to get involved, however.

Once, when I was at UF, a Cuban mammalogist was supposed to give a talk -- on Cuban animals. AntiCastro demonstrators forced the university to cancel his talk. What is the sense in that? It's bizarre.

America seems to be trending away from reason and scholarship and towards irrationality, censorship, and political control. Anyone feel safer now?

W wants to shut down the gathering of information independent of Bush loyalists. No more of that pesky Joe WIlson stuff. Nothing but the Official edicts from now on.

[B3Nut]

10. No, I don't feel safer.

We're a lot safer in the hands of science and reason than in the hands of jingoistic nationalism and rightist anti-intellectualism. I have no respect for people who take pride in being ignorant and stupid.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[Julius Civitatus]

11. The words "Florida" and "scholar" usually don't go together,

but now even less, thanks to Jeb.

We dont neeed no goddamn educayshion in da state of Flowridawr.

[genieroze]

13. My sister in law moved there a few years ago and no she's leaving

because the school system is so bad. She said her kids were at least a grade ahead of everyone else and now it's like they are not being challenged at all.

[BayCityProgressive]

14. They sound like North Korea

we accuse North Korea of being a hermit kingdom yet Florida can tell their residents that they can't leave? That's just creepy! How is this liberty or justice!?

[rodeodance]

16. this is a mind boggler!!

[VegasWolf]

17. The crackers have taken control of Florida. Another 2-tooth minimum state.

[BreweryYardRat]

18. I'd like to say that's false, but...

...there's a lot of fucking stupid people in this state. I'm moving to Washington or Oregon after I graduate from college.

[Bridget Burke]

23. The "crackers" aren't behind this bill.

The Cuban "exiles" are the ones being mollified.

[QC]

29. Yeah, but we scapegoat the hayseeds for everything else,

so why not this as well? After all, looking down our noses at the Unwashed Masses is one of the most fun things about being a liberal!

[winston61]

20. Another step toward dumbing down

higher learning. I don't know who is winning in the race to the bottom, Florida or Texas.

[AnneD]

24. In defense of Texas....

Molly Ivins, Bill Moyers, Willie Nelson, The Dixie Chicks, LBJ, etc. The Bushes are NOT Texans. I rest my case.

[Judi Lynn]

25. A surprising move from Texas came as soon as Bush was out of there

and off in Washington: they voted a resolution to end the embargo on Cuba. This was very unexpected to people who have viewed Texas as a wildly right-wing bastion, as this action seems far more enlightened than anything anyone would have expected from them.

From a speech by Ron Paul:

July 26, 2001
LIFT THE UNITED STATES EMBARGO ON CUBA -- HON. RON PAUL (Extensions of Remarks - July 26, 2001)

HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, July 26, 2001

• Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, encouraged in part by a recent resolution passed by the Texas State Legislature, I rise again this Congress to introduce my bill to lift the United States Embargo on Cuba.
  
  
• On June 29, 2001, the Texas state legislature adopted a resolution calling for an end to U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba. Lawmakers emphasized the failure of sanctions to remove Castro from power, and the unwillingness of other nations to respect the embargo. One Texas Representative stated:
  
  
• ``We have a lot of rice and agricultural products, as well as high-tech products, that would be much cheaper for Cuba to purchase from Texas. All that could come through the ports of Houston and Corpus Christi.'' I wholeheartedly support this resolution, and I have introduced similar federal legislation in past years to lift all trade, travel, and telecommunications restrictions with Cuba. I only wish Congress understood the simple wisdom expressed in Austin, so that we could end the harmful and ineffective trade sanctions that serve no national purpose.
  (snip/...)

http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2001/cr072601.htm

[leesa]

22. Jeb likes to pick his own terrorists.

[seafan]

26. Kick for the info. n/t

[struggle4progress]

27. kick

:kick:

[Charlie Brown]

28. so if students or profs w/relatives in Cuba visit home

they could be thrown in jail when they return?

Holy police state, Batman!

On edit: Isn't this just like what the Soviets and Eastern-Bloc authorities did to those who tried to defect during the Cold War? Is Jeb going to start his own Gulag in the Everglades?

[Mika]

30. W's new restrictions limit family travel to DIRECT family = moms/dads..

.. or sons/daughters once every three years.

Cuban immigrants can no longer visit indirect family such as cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents who live in Cuba.

This is beyond inhumane insanity!


Abajo Bushes!