House panel to move forward on easing Cuba policy

[Judi Lynn]

House panel to move forward on easing Cuba policy
– 10 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A House of Representatives panel will vote next week on a bill relaxing trade with and travel to Cuba, with Democratic supporters struggling to ease the restrictions before mid-term elections in which they risk losing their majority.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee placed the legislation on its calendar for a vote next Wednesday. But even if the committee approves it, getting the measure through Congress this year will be difficult with so little time and so much other work left for lawmakers to do.

If passed, the legislation would lift the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba and remove hurdles on food sales to the island.

A broad coalition of farm, business and human rights groups support the legislation as an important step toward ending the almost five-decade-old embargo on communist-led Cuba and promoting positive change there.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100923/pl_nm/us_cuba_usa_travel

[Judi Lynn]

1. Want change in Cuba? End U.S. embargo

Want change in Cuba? End U.S. embargo
By A. Perez Jr., Special to CNN
September 21, 2010 -- Updated 1025 GMT (1825 HKT)

(CNN) -- In April 2009, the White House released a presidential memorandum declaring that democracy and human rights in Cuba were "national interests of the United States."

Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela repeated the message in May of this year to the Cuban-American National Foundation in Miami.

The Obama administration, he said, wanted "to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms ... in ways that will empower the Cuban people and advance our national interests."

Fine words. But if the administration really wanted to do something in the national interest, it would end the 50-year-old policy of political and economic isolation of Cuba.

The Cuban embargo can no longer even pretend to be plausible.

On the contrary, it has contributed to the very conditions that stifle democracy and human rights there. For 50 years, its brunt has fallen mainly on the Cuban people.

This is not by accident. On the contrary, the embargo was designed to impose suffering and hunger on Cubans in the hope that they would rise up and overturn their government.

More:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/20/perez.cuba.embargo/index.html

[flamingdem]

2. Great to see you posted this! Let's see what happens - it looks good nt

[naaman fletcher]

3. something I read

Stratfor is saying that the reason for the unexpected coldness from Obama administration to Cuba is that the administration is wanting the Castros to use their considerable influence with Chavez to cool him down in exchange for openness towards Cuba from the U.S. no idea if its true or not but is interesting so I thought I would pass it along.

[bherrera]

4. That is what i read

The ultimate aim of the Americans is to convince Cuba and Venezuela to isolate Iran. First they convince Castro to be cozy, then Castro talks to Chavez, and he stops being cozy with Iran. The Iranian president, who understands Obama is a smart man, is now making nice noises towards Washington.