Cuba Confident Of Majority Support Of UN Members Against Embargo

[Judi Lynn]

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=537698
(article won't copy and paste, can read at link. Some of the information included in following link.)

U.S. Blockade Doubly Hurts Cuban Cancer Patients
Oct 21 2010, 09 :10 am GMT

Guantanamo, ( Venceremos) –-The economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba for almost half a century has a severe impact on cancer patients, who are prevented from living longer due to a lack of medicine and technology. This longstanding policy has caused Cuba an estimated $751.363 billion in losses.

One of the hardest-hit entities throughout these years has been the Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology. According to the report The Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade of the United States Against Cuba, to be presented by Havana on October 26 at the United Nations General Assembly, the prestigious scientific center is deprived of obtaining various drugs, medical equipment and supplies.

The entity can not use Radioactive iodine therapy plates for treating children and adults with retinoblastoma tumors because they are only sold in the United States, the text says.

This technology is mostly used for children, since it makes it possible to treat retinal tumors while preserving the vision of the affected eye and the facial esthetics. This is not possible when the only alternative is the removal of one eye or both, which entails serious limitations for life.

More:
http://www.venceremos.co.cu/ingles/pags/varias/portada/blockade-cancer-patients_3024288.html

[Peace Patriot]

1. All economic embargoes hit the helpless most of all. It is a cruel weapon and this one

has to be one of the cruelest examples of it. It is certainly the longest.

WHAT has Cuba done to deserve this? Absolutely nothing.

I hope the UN gives Obama some help in overturning it. I think he wants to. And I also think that the corporates and the war profiteers, whom he seems to be obliged to please, have become somewhat divided about the matter. 'Enough punishment! On to exploitation!'--sort of thing. I also think that the Pentagon very much wants to net Cuba into its "circle the wagons" area (Central America/Caribbean/northern rim of South America) or at least neutralize their influence in opposing US "free trade for the rich" and US militarization of the region. So there might be some movement within the US war machine to get some operatives into Cuba, by lifting the embargo. I've sometimes wondered if the lifting of the embargo doesn't hold more peril for Cuba than its continuance. But the Cubans want it lifted and they, more than anyone, are aware of the perils.

The thing that a lot of people don't know about this embargo is that it punishes anyone who even incidentally trades with Cuba. For instance, a ship carrying mostly Chinese trinkets to the US, if it stops to drop off a few boxes of medical equipment in Cuba, is barred from entering US ports--even if it is not bringing anything FROM Cuba. It's not just direct trade with Cuba, it's all indirect trade, and it furthermore violates the sovereignty of every country that has recognized the Cuban government (which most countries of the world have done) by barring THEIR ships' trade with Cuba, no matter what their people or their government think of it. This US arrogance is one of the reasons that the US has lost so much respect in the world. Most of the world thinks that Cuba's government should be recognized and the embargo removed. Their government was formed exactly as our was, by armed insurrection--a half a century ago--against dictatorship that was far more horrible than that of George III. Cuba has since been stable; its government has been beneficial to most of its citizens, and it has even done considerable good works in the world--for instance, its medical care and literacy programs for poor "third world" countries. Our embargo is considered insane--extremist, whacko. And I think that that opinion is exactly right. It is the "madness of King George" come round the Mobius Strip of time to inflict our own leaders.

[Mika]

3. Keep in mind that Cubans created survival infrastructure in response.

You remember the famous murderin' Madeleine Albright quote that the US/UN sanctions on Iraq was worth the deaths of Iraqi 500,000 children, due to sanctions?

I agree with your post in total.

Cubans didn't allow that to happen. They built-up survival infrastructure quickly and efficiently, until today where they have some of the leading social statistics. Not Castro. The Cubans did it.

:hi:

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[flamingdem]

2. Meanwhile Miami Hurled endorses La Loba nt