Cuba Renews Demands That the US Hand Over Guantanamo
HAVANA - For more than a century, the United States has controlled the Guantanamo naval base in eastern Cuba for a measly $4,085 in lease fees per year. Cuba has long refused to cash the checks.
Now, with President Barack Obama ordering the prison for terrorism suspects at the base closed within a year, Cuba is renewing demands that the U.S. hand over the entire base.
"We have always said that Cuba expects to recover this territory," Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said Wednesday, after announcing that Cuba was inviting the U.N. special investigator on torture to visit the island this year.
The U.S. military base was built on land permanently leased from Cuba under terms dating back to 1903. For the Bush administration, a foreign naval base under full American control was the perfect place for holding and interrogating suspected terrorists. Many Guantanamo prisoners said they were beaten and tortured at the hands of the United States.
"Cuba is a country where in the last 50 years there has not been a single person 'disappeared,' case of torture nor extrajudicial execution," Perez Roque said.
Cuba holds more than 200 political prisoners and fails to respect basic rights such as freedom of speech and assembly, according to rights monitors. The state considers the prisoners mercenaries working for the United States to undermine the communist system.
On Wednesday, Perez Roque said Obama's presidential order to close the controversial detention center was "positive" but "insufficient."
Still, not all Cubans should be happy to see the Americans leave.
Last fall, only three of the hundreds of Cubans who once worked at the naval base continued to hold jobs there, according to "The Cuba Wars" by Daniel Erikson, a Cuba expert at the Washington D.C.-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank. The men were 75, 78 and 83 years old.
"Perhaps their most important function was to carry pensions into Cuba for three hundred retired Cubans," Erikson wrote. "Once a month, the U.S. military sent its three elderly workers across the fence line carrying close to $60,000 in cash for its former employees."

Twitter
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Newsvine
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
71 Comments so far
Show AllIncredible, the ''One nation under God,' people, and of late, intolerable Great Satan maintains a torture camp 90 miles off the coast 'against' the wishes of the Cuban people?!!!
One has to wonder what the US would do if the Cuban 'commnies' wanted to mauintain a torture camp in South Floria.
Recently when Ecuador, tired of the CIA/NED & USAID 'goons' telling it how to run their government and who to elect politicaly; finally, having had enough of the 'rotten gringos, decided to terminate the lease on the US base at Manta. Of course, the Great Satan didn't want this inasmuch as from there they could interfere in everyones government from Peru, to Chile and on to Brasil and Argentina, with a few stops in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras from this 'strategic' location. But, nope, the Correa government wouldn't budge. Finally in desperation the Bush crime syndicate asked 'what will it take to keep the Manta AFB open?' Correa then said, 'if we can build a military base in Miami, let's work out a deal!' Of course the Great Satan then started 'packing its bags,' and moved out, LOL!
The Castro government should take the Great Satan to the World Court and make it pay billions for the pollution US ships leave in the Carribean port and the destruction of the environment at Guantanamo - and if that doesn't work it should cut off the water flow to the base and mine the port there.
After the massacues in Gaza 15 says ago and the continuing massacres and pogroms the US continues to commit in Afhanistan and Pakistan, it's time for the UN to read the US the 'Riot Act' and advise the Great Satan that unless it and its ZioNAZI hemmoroid clean up their acts that they are 'out' of the UN and are the world paraiahs that they have been practicing so hard to ashieve under the Bush crime sybdicate over the past 8 yeats - and issue a warning to Obama that there's a new sheriff in town - GET OUT GRINGOS!
The AZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
P
The rock of Gibralter AKKK ,also thank God FREE FREE is still allowed, apiece of the west bank, or Guantanamo anyone.
Won it fair and square. Germany and Japan oopps lost your turn go to jail great I get Hong Kong and you get Macao .Next turn you get the oil I get the Suez Canal and if your bad I will bomb it and bomb it! ,AHH Ha tricky move, say Uncle ; good boys . Now on to India via panama canal stp off and pick up South Africa pesky Boers .
Cake anybody those Leftys want to spoil the party right Mendel ( you go to jail) or was it Pinochet or Suharto`s turn .
Throw the dice Mexico is up for grabsturn back the clock, fast forward now
Lets Play the new game and may.
Freedom and Liberty for all
Fork it over America!
It's interesting that a lease signed over 100 years ago is still valid... did it state that the U.S. had carte blanche in that area, that the U.S. could bring prisoners there, ie set up a prison, who had never been tried, who were held in spite of habeas corpus, were tortued repeatedly, in violation of the
Geneva convention, and most of whom will never be found guilty of anything other than being in the wrong place?
Interesting that Cuba honors that lease, the U.S. would never honor such a lease, would it?
I would file this one under 'fat chance.'
'Yes I'm an extremist, thanks for noticing.'
- Ted Nugent
Tom Edgar
DAGGER.
I excuse your lack of knowledge. Stalin's Russia, China, East Germany, all the others never were COMMUNIST. All without fail were State Dictatorships. The closest to Communist concepts is practiced in Israel on the Kibbutzim.
To say Russia was a Communist country is like saying America is a Democracy.Neither country ever have been. America is a Capitalist Society. Russia was a State Dictatorship.(As are all others claiming "Communism.")True Democracy has similar aims to True Communism. The people have an input into their government's decisions and daily lives. America,does have periodic, arguably, democratic elections where you elect the next set of Dictators for four years who may, or may not, do what they promised. Or as in the past eight years do as they like, ignoring the Constitution and laws, and destroying your country.
The Colonialist mentality of America has seen expansionism all over the world, with Jackboot diplomacy enforcing compulsory acquisition of leases and brutal expulsion of citizens. (Diego Garcia). When possible bribery of local leaders is sufficient, when not, financial deprivation will suffice, or in Cuba's case an unsuccessful fifty year blockade, no wonder the Israelis think it a good idea in Gaza.
Slowly, but surely, the South Americans are resisting. First of all getting rid of their own corrupted citizens. Then the corrupters. Heck!! Even the Canadians are beginning to see the light.
Why would the Cubans want to see the return of the Mafia? Why would they wish to be a subservient State." Why would America wish to see the return to Cuba of the "Cosa Nostra Dons?"
One could, facetiously, say .. C I A.
The Cubans are under a dictator and that is under your own definition of a dictator! They can not elect the head of state,castro appoints his own successor like a monarcy and DICTATOR!!!!!!!!!
Interesting under the decades old Castro 'dictatorship' there are rare evidences of people being 'disappeared, sent to black sites to be tortured, or rape and mayhem their soldiers might have visited on the local natives - unlike the more than 300,000+ rapes in Iraq that have, and will never, be prosecuted and hundred's of thousands of cases of homicide, torture and war crimes that have been swept under the carpet (Abu Ghraib, Haditha, Tal Afar, Sadar City, Fallujah, et. al).
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
And he's not your dictator! The usa doesn't seem to mind foreign dictators who let their nation's corporate interests make money off the suffering of the locals, it's the ones who refuse to play ball with the yank companies that get the Cuba treatment.
By the way, in a monarchy the successor is chosen by birth. Dictators rarely chose a successor, their successors usually choose to kill the previous dictator...
Castro chose his brother as successor, ah Monarchy!
Cuba
Been there several times, worked for a few people helping out and the people of CUBA are the best. Hard working but always ready to help. USA is a stain on CUBA soil get the F out America.
Also Obama and R. Fidel don't open CUBA to Americans it is such a nice place that don't spoil it with Americans.
Pull out of everywhere.
no one needs your interference.
you're busted.
lick your wounds.
it's over.
I third that and I am a U.S. citizen, it sucks being in the very heart of the dying empire in the rust belt midwest U.S. No wonder people are into "retro" nostalgia trips, nothing is left but the memories.
"Saturnalia January 29th, 2009 6:24 pm
As the war on drugs is also a form of political warfare (they can't vote for the dems if they're in jail...), one could argue that those jailed on drug charges are yankee political prisoners."
I'm not sure non-whites of the USA would consider themselves as 'yankees', perhaps preferring that that term be reserved for the racist whites; but am perhaps mistaken about this. If not mistaken, then by far most people imprisoned, despotically, in the U.S. are not whites.
It can be, however, considered political imprisonment, but I don't see why these prisoners would care to vote more for the Dem. Party if they weren't imprisoned and denied their due right to vote. That is meant with regards to this particular reason for imprisonment, for I realise that most Black Americans would vote for the Dem. Party, given the Repub. Party is worse or much worse towards blacks, while perhaps the same applies for other non-whites. The point I had and have in mind is that the two main parties are very culpable for the bogus drug war.
Maybe Obama will bring appropriate and due changes, improvements in this regard? I don't know; the medical or pharmaceutical industry provided a lot of funding to his presidential campaign, and pharma. is surely very much involved in the maintenance of the bogus drug war.
"War IS a Racket', wrote USMC Major General Smedley Butler, and I will add that this also applies to the maintenance of the bogus drug war. It [is] a racket that's going on with the drug war.
===========================
"vdb January 29th, 2009 6:22 pm
...
Gitmo would be the perfect place to lock up the bush gang."
Far more than only those criminals. To neglect the many others is to falsely paint the Bush gang as the sole people to be guilty.
============================
"hootowl January 29th, 2009 5:57 pm
"Whether the base is on an island in the middle of the Pacific, on the bank of a sworn foe, or in Antarctica, once you have an inexpensive foothold you keep it."
Assuming your goal is for America to be an empire. I am glad that one thing Raloh Nader and Pat Buchanan agree on is that the U.S. being an empire is not a noble goal."
What hootowl quoted is a sick viewpoint, and very, very ignorant.
And a fitting read for all of the posts I quoted from in this post is the following article or rather essay, which I have not yet finished reading, but of which I previously read some of and just read the section entitled, "Wealth, Jews and the Age of Colonialism", while now being nearly finished reading the immediately following section, "The Modern Age and Jews", well, this is one serious essay and very fitting to refer to for many currently grave or extreme issues, including the "empire" reference fittinly used when speaking of the U.S.A.
"The Business of War", by Wade Frazier
http://www.ahealedplanet.net/war.htm
The two sections I just gave the titles for are immediately fitting in ... quite all respects of the "war on terrorism", as well as Israel's decades of warring on Palestinians and other regional populations.
Quoting one bit of what Wade Frazier says and specifically with regards to political prisoners:
"The United States has the world's largest prison population, which is increasingly filled with political prisoners and people who did not commit what any rational person would consider a crime."
I did not recall Glenn Greenwald's article linked in my first post in this CD page referring to political prisoners in the U.S. prison system, which is the reason for the above quote from Wade Frazier's essay.
If Cuba has 200 political prisoners and for acts of treason, then how many political prisoners does the U.S. have in U.S. prisons, nationally, and for what reasons? Surely not any provable acts of treason.
With racial discrimination apparently being worse with the Repub. Party ruling and many non-whites being imprisoned prejudicially, based on not being white, all of those who are what a fair, reasonable, and sane person would say innocent actually are political prisoners. How many do they number? One million? The number is very, very high, whatever it is; making 200 seem like a haven for freedom.
Obama is establishing a law or enforcement of a law for equitable compensation, I believe another article at CD today is about. If true, then he needs to ensure equity in far more ways than only workers' compensation and treatment. Also, I hope his pay equity ruling will be not only for women and men to be treated equitably or equally, but that the same is applied thoroughly, for whites, men and women, have long been compensated and treated better or much better than non-whites. And back in the 1990s women in the high tech. industry bitched about being paid around 25% less than males doing the same work, but this turned out being white women bitching about he better reatment white men got, and the latter were getting too much for what an economy can sustain over prolonged periods, many years, really treating the industry in gold rush racket ways, while the white women were getting certainly enough. Black women got aroundd 50% and Latino women got a little better, perhaps 60%, instead of the 75% white women got, on average. I don't know about
Black and Latino men, not having read what the stats were for them. And the above stats may be off a little, for I'm only stating to the best of my recollection of what I had read. If they were different, then he above are close anyway.
To be fair, we need to determine and look at the details.
I also read that discrimination, racism, is also worst of all against North American Indians, just tha far fewer people inform about this reality.
Cuba's genociding no one, while the U.S. never tires of doing so; liberally as hell.
I just used the term 'yanks' because it's easiest. Usans doesn't work, I'm not going to refer to your country by the 'traditional' name of americans (everyone who's born in the Americas are americans, but I'm not a citizen of the usa, nor have I ever wished to be one.)
I don't think of racism when using yank, I think of some British slang...
Before Castro, Cuba was a heaven for American gangsters, and the mafia, and
gambling interests along with Batista, Castro has returned the Island to the
people of Cuba. Why do we resent that so much? The CIA was never an agency for
the people of the usa, it was for private interests. Now, with all the nohow
of Bush, Rove, and Cheney Rumsfeld, tell us who killed JFK!
"Why do we resent that so much?"
Because Cuba was an offshore haven for American criminals. But the big reason why the US got it's nose out of joint so bad is the seizure and nationalization of industry in the country under Castro. They threw out the American Capitalists who has been raping and pillaging the island for decades. Castro gave the resources and industry of the island back to the Cuban people. No more sure-fire way to get the ire of the States than do something good for your people at the determent of the US Capitalists.
Remember, NOBODY holds a grudge better or longer than the United States.
They set a "bad" example for other countries south of the US border, and got away with it.
Joe
The people who have always ruled the United States (and face it, that includes organized crime) hate Cuba because Castro 'stole' their Cuban wealth from them. It's really that simple. Yes he is somewhat of a dictator, but the US has never had problems with dictators. Castro was a dictator who gave back to the poorer of the Cuban people. The US cannot tolerate that.
As for who killed JFK, we will never know, but it's really strange how liberals get bumped off all the time but attempts on conservatives seem to fail more often than not. Does that mean conservatives are better shots?
Lee Harvey Oswald, where have you been pal?
Wow Dagger... you really believe the lies your government tells you don't you? It's because of people like you that your government gets away with being a criminal enterprise. Wake up buddy.
NO, I just know the Carcano Rifle and I have seen the photos of JFK at the morge and the wound is consistante with the 6.5 X 52 round would cause.
"PJD January 29th, 2009 2:33 pm
"Cuba holds more than 200 political prisoners and .... ..."
I suppose a south Florida newspaper is required to print this caveat, but the facts are that with few exceptions, these "politiical prisoners" were convicted with plenty of evidence that thay were on the CIA payroll. "
LIKELY they were on the CIA payroll, and I agree with PJD's whole post, but will add the reminder that the U.S. refuses to extradite for trial and conviction real Cuban terrorists, who bombed a passenger airline from Cuba or that at least left from or was heading to Cuba; the terrorists Venezuelan Preesident Chavez has repeatedly demanded to be extradited. Similarly, the U.S. harbors other extreme criminals, allowing them all to live freely in the U.S.
Also, given that the Florida newspaper chose to pick on the Cuban govt for imprisoning 200 political prisoners either strongly suspected of having, or else having been really proven to have, acted in ways to try to bring an end to the govt or its leaders, we may as well add that this in no way indicates that these prisoners are badly or wrongly treated or abused. If they are guilty, then they were committing outright treason, and what would be the punishment in the U.S. if a U.S. citizen did this against the U.S. govt?! Far worse, surely. If the person was an ordinary citizen anyway, and like Glenn Greenwald basically explained with the following article.
"The Definition of A 'Two-Tiered Justice System'"
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/28-10
When we consider what that article tells readers we can then know that the U.S. has no fingers to wag at Cuba or any other govt; and that's while this above article is not comprehensive. Much more can be added, including the continuing genocide against North American Indians, enough of them anyway; the very serious and even, I think can be said, genocidal racism in the U.S.; and the very bad conditions and treatment in U.S. prisons, and how these have become for-profit operations; for a few examples. Oh, a seriously voluminous book might suffice, if not requiring more than only one.
The Sun-Sentinel article starts off fine and then struck me as trying to fool readers into believing that the U.S. has moral grounds upon which to preach to or about the Cuban govt; some perverted sort of apologetics, perhaps, covered or buried in journalism meant to try to deceive. Outright and major denial anyway.
Sun-Sentinel is an odd name for this newspaper, for no sun is shining upon or out of that sentinel. Dark-guardian or Guardian-of-darkness would be more fitting.
The cons outweigh the pros for Cuba regarding normalizing relations with the USA. Cuba succeeds without normalized relations because the Cuban people rose to the challenge of self-sufficiency. Cubans reap the benefits today: Superior healthcare, education and agriculture over the USA. Cuba doesn't need normalized relations with the USA. Cuba has normal relations with the rest of the world.
Really, so that is why the USSR had to subsudise Cuba for all those years and that is why other nations have to sudsudise its superior heathcare. Let me ask you this, have you every been treated in Cuba? Try protesting in Cuba see what happens. All of you commie lovers have never lived under that system, so don't give me this bull shit of how superior it is!
"why the USSR had to subsudise Cuba"
No, the USSR had to subsidize (note correct spelling) Cuba because of the US Embargo on the island. If they were just left alone to do their thing, I'm sure they would have been much more prosperous. The Cubans are a resourceful people. It's the immoral embargo imposed by the United States that is the source of misery for Cuba.
Oh, you used commie lovers. That kind of dates you doesn't it? The correct neo-con term nowadays is queer lovers, or rag heads lovers.
I've never lived in Cuba, but I've experienced plenty of the United States health care system. The Cuban model wouldn't have to be too superior to beat it. What is relevant is that Cuba is the model for Latin America when it comes to health care. The United States is the model when it comes to greed, corruption and inefficiency.
Your right the USA health care system does suck and it is awfull but to say Cubas is superior is a joke! Greed and corruption exsists in Cuba as well, as it does everywhere.
Their infant mortality rate is lower than yours, their life expectancy is longer than yours. By those two measures the health care of any and every nation on earth is judged. Sorry yank, you're not number one. But look on the bright side, you're doing better than some other third world nations in life expectancy and infant mortality.
Superior healthcare? You're joking right? Unless 'free' and 'superior' are the same thing in your book.
It is true! one of the most important markers for health care is the infant mortality rate, and Cuba beats the pants off the U.S. Dont for a minute believe the american hospital assn. propoganda stating americans have the best health care in the world. we are down, way down about 37th.
true story. Cuba excels at biotechnology and medical training. Why do you think that Castro traded doctors for cheap oil with Venezuela... Cuban doctors are some of the best in the world.
You Americans do not have a clear picture of what Cuba really is because of all the lies and half-truths told to you by your leaders and the media. Face it, you're ignorant. Do something about it.
Here, here, PJD! Couldn't have said it better.
Let Cuba turn it into a theme park.
For a killer fiction read re Cuba & the Spanish, Cuba Libre by Elmore Leonard.
azjoe.
"Cuba holds more than 200 political prisoners and fails to respect basic rights such as freedom of speech and assembly, according to rights monitors. The state considers the prisoners mercenaries working for the United States to undermine the communist system."
I suppose a south Florida newspaper is required to print this caveat, but the facts are that with few exceptions, these "politiical prisoners" were convicted with plenty of evidence that thay were on the CIA payroll.
Meanwhile, in that bastion of freedom, the USA, five cuban crime investigators are serving life sentences in the US for no comitting crime whatsoever, except working to locate anti-Cuban terrorists living in the Miami area. They were arrested when they notified the FBI of their findings. Various persons who committed terrorism like airline bombers Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carrilles live in luxury with their maimi gangster friends.
---USAn---
Those five broke American law when they entered this country without declaring themselves to be agents of the Cuban Government.
If you enter the US you must abide by our laws or don't enter.
The World Court declared the USA a terrorist nation for training, arming and transporting the contras. Much of the contras and the more recent hotel bombing right wing USA cuban terrorists where trained and armed in Florida.
What's your point?
I have never defended the Bay of Pigs.
Does that apply to Luis Posada Carilles? Just wondering.
but don't worry if you are really rich, the rules don't apply. Or president, don't worry about the constitution... or Geneva conventions or any old silly outdated thing like that.
Really?
What was the name of that Nazi Rocket scientist again? You know, the one who developed the V1s and V2s, later went on to help the usa launch satelites and rockets into orbit and the moon. I do believe he got an exemption from the legal requirements of the day...
The usa has a history of enforcing the law, or not, depending on who is enforcing and who it's been enforced on.
As the war on drugs is also a form of political warfare (they can't vote for the dems if they're in jail...), one could argue that those jailed on drug charges are yankee political prisoners. Of course the idea that the usa, which has the largest percentage of people in jail of all nations, is lecturing others about keeping people in jail is kinda strange. How many years can stealing a piece of pizza get you these days in the states???
Cuba bans convicted criminals from voting as well.
I did not know smoking pot was a form of political exspresion and I thought people did it to get high, gee was I miss informed.
It's illegal because of politics and religious beliefs.
It is illegal because it empairs your judgment like alcohol, who wants to be on the road with a high pot head? Who?
Dagger you are a total idiot. Cannabis is a medicinal herb. A plant! You drug warriors are the reincarnation of those who murdered people accused of being witches a few centuries back. The US gulag prison-industrial complex thanks you for your support you moron!
Funny, that argument doesn't seem to obtain for alcohol, as far as legality. As one who, in my younger days, has driven both high on booze and stoned on pot, I'd much prefer to be on the road with a pot-head. Pot doesn't impair your ability to drive as much as it impairs your ability to care where you are going or how to get there.
I too smoked pot in my younger years and I can tell you does impair your judgment.
It's illegal because Dupont chemicals wanted to sell nylon rope. Dupont banned hemp not because of stoned drivers, but to increase their corporate profits. The bonus of bashing the darkies who smoked pot (a smokable form of hemp) was something that warmed the hearts of the bigots of the early 20th century.
I'd rather have stoned drivers on the road than drunken ones, if given only that false choice. Ask the cops who they really fear more, a drunken lout or a stoner?
And that it scares the regressives because it's beyond their control.
Come on! If we close the base, how would we get those retirement checks out? Seriously though, you don't give up a strategic base. Whether the base is on an island in the middle of the Pacific, on the bank of a sworn foe, or in Antarctica, once you have an inexpensive foothold you keep it. Nothing against Cuba, but it would be stupid to give-up the base before establishing a (long-overdue) friendly relationship with our neighbor.
"Whether the base is on an island in the middle of the Pacific, on the bank of a sworn foe, or in Antarctica, once you have an inexpensive foothold you keep it."
Assuming your goal is for America to be an empire. I am glad that one thing Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan agree on is that the U.S. being an empire is not a noble goal. Bring back Mark Twain's old anti imperialist league I say.
An inexpensive foothold? On what? Imperialism? Racism? The ability to bomb sacred places and clean waters for the yell of it? Continuing that communism cain't equal democracy 'cause it ain't Merican crap? I am appalled. Although I'm sure you will magnanamously ignore the peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa (insert occupied country of choice here) if they don't share your callously nonchalant opinion, let's just ponder what might be possible if we were to stop looking at the world through the paranoid goggles given to us courtesy of the military industrial complex...How different it could be! If the US continues to excuse our violent history we will perpetuate the inevitability of a violent future. We have been using less than humanitarian tactics and shameful propaganda to bring about the demise of the Cuban people for too long. Releasing the Cuban Five and apologizing for our backwards and ignorant denial of the CIA's true colors might be a good preamble to respecting the island of Cuba's sovereignty uh...by surrendering Guantanamo.
Communism is not equal to democracy, they tell you how to live, what work you can do, they dictate what your children will grow up to be, communism basicly destroys the human condition. Cuba= can not elect your own govermant,China same thing, who can tell me what communism has done to make people more free.
You can't elect your own government either American. Your leaders are picked by the power elite and shoved down your throat. You just *think* you live in a democracy. That whole "Government controls your life" bullshit, is just that... bullshit. That's your American brainwashing.
I'm sure Cuba's socialist government would have done quite well if it wasn't for the US bullying them. Face it, your country is a bully. Always has been. That's why America sucks.
Your right Cuba would have allowed free elections if America had kept to them selves huh?
Communism might tell you, but democracy molds you. Either way one must compromise to one degree or another. Whether I have a choice or not, if I am not smart enough, I will never be a doctor. When I was in the Navy, I took tests to determine my aptitude for various jobs. I was offered those jobs in which I scored best. They paid for it. I suppose if I wanted to be a doctor but had slight aptitude for that profession but was able somehow to struggle through and get a degree, I might be a doctor; maybe not a very good one. Would you like me to do surgery on you or a loved one? I think Poverty destroys the human condition. Hopelessness destroys the human condition. Having no voice, no purpose, no dignity, no respect destroys the human condition, whatever the human condition is anyway. I think from one extreme to the other describes the human condition; birth to death; cradle to grave; everything in between is the human condition. What did the last eight years in America do to make us more free?
So you left it to others to determine your destiny? Well I am sorry, I determine my own destiny, if I want somthing bad enouph, it is up to me to obtain it. communism does not all you that right!
You hit the nail on the head NO VOICE, no elections, no voice. The goverment can not give you dignity, that is somthing you must do your self. Goverment can not gerantee you equal success only equal opertunity to be succesful.
Great, dagger. That would be wonderful if it were true. Unfortunately, that 'level playing field' has never existed in this country, no matter how much we are told it does. The sad reality is that for many poverty determines the playing field, and poverty determines whether they have dignity, or just scramble to survive any way they can. Funny how with 'free' elections that reality is still so prevalent. You don't sound like you've had much experience with that reality, dagger.
If we were to normalize relations with Cuba, Guantanamo could be just another port of call for U.S. Navy sailors on liberty, like on every other island in the Carribean. That base is just another unnecessary expense in a bloated defense budget. It is a dinosaur that has long outlived it's usefulness.
" It is a dinosaur that has long outlived it's usefulness."
Gitmo would be the perfect place to lock up the bush gang.
Then give it back to the Cubans.
That would be poetic justice. Very little of that around, I'm afraid.