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Is it time for the US to end the Cuba embargo?

 
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john152



Joined: 26 May 2011

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:30 pm    Post subject: Is it time for the US to end the Cuba embargo? Reply with quote

I have always wanted to visit Cuba. The US government describes Cuba as "Cuba is a totalitarian police state which relies on repressive methods to maintain control." see http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html. Our government places many restrictions on citizens visiting there, and makes it a difficult process.

It would be very interesting to see Cuba for myself, and be able to judge if it is this super evil government that State department claims it is or something different. I also would like to see the Cuban medical system compete with the American medical system through medical tourism and see which is better.

I was wondering what people's opinion on this is. Do you think it is time for America to lift the embargo?
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's been time for a long time. I can't imagine that Cuba is worse than China or any of the other authoritarian countries we can visit. Americans are allowed to visit North Korea, so this seems to be mainly a political issue with one group, florida Cubans, dead set on it not happening.
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Harpeau



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Canadians visit Cuba all the time. Great place!! The whole US Cuba thing is such a joke!! Cubans can go to America, but Americans can't go to Cuba. What's with that?!!
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catman



Joined: 18 Jul 2004

PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A certain voting block in Florida ensures that the embargo stays in place.
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northway



Joined: 05 Jul 2010

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just want all their baseball players to come to the States.
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Nismo



Joined: 31 Aug 2005

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 6:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's been time for a long time. You know, the travel ban was lifted already, but you aren't supposed to spend any money while in country. You could always load up on PB&Js and head to Havana!
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luckylady



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Location: u.s. of occupied territories

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've heard Americans can go as long as they travel from another country to get there - donno if that's true, maybe one would be turned away at the border, but if you really want to go, that's something to look into.

I know in the ME there's a LOT of ways around borders that people do to avoid various stamps in passports that cause issues in other countries, so it's not impossible to think this is a way to go.
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ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just go via Canada or Mexico (don't forget to get a visa first) and enjoy the trip.

http://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=US&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=CU&TR=CA&user=DL&subuser=DELTAB2C

You can bitch and whine to your congress person later to do something about ending the embargo (not likely to happen unless Cuba gives the country back to the United Fruit Company).

.
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luckylady wrote:
I've heard Americans can go as long as they travel from another country to get there - donno if that's true, maybe one would be turned away at the border, but if you really want to go, that's something to look into.

I know in the ME there's a LOT of ways around borders that people do to avoid various stamps in passports that cause issues in other countries, so it's not impossible to think this is a way to go.


I think you need special permission to travel to Cuba as an American. I think some humanitarian groups have some permissions, and I know that one of my professors is an expert on Cuba and she was allowed to go to do some study or something.

In college one of my room mates was the British Ambassador to Cuba's son. He had Castro over to his house for state functions occasionally. He thinks the embargo is weird.
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luckylady



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Location: u.s. of occupied territories

PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ok, it's only on WikiTravel, but this sounds exactly what I was talking about:

Quote:
Without a license

Many U.S. citizens instead travel without a license, doing so by way of other countries (many of which have routine flights to and from Cuba) to escape detection. Such countries include the Bahamas, Canada and Mexico. The Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, U.S. Customs Pre-Clearance facilities now exist at many of their airports.


see more here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Americans_in_Cuba

I had some friends tell me about this when I first arrived in Korea. one of the most common misperceptions by Americans (and maybe others, donno) is regarding where we are "allowed to travel" and "not allowed to travel" as dictated by the U.S. govt.

that's a bit tricky, actually, because it seems the U.S. govt cannot by itself restrict travel of an American on foreign soil, only as long as we're on American soil. that is, if I'm in Laos, and want to cross the border to China, as an American that's between Laos and China, the U.S. really has no say in it (assuming there was an issue, presently there's not).

so again, if someone reading this wants to go, by all means, look into it. There are some parts of Cuba that are supposed to be environmentally pristine due to the lack of development - which won't last when the embargo is finally lifted, and sooner or later, it will be.
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rollo



Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does Cuba allow it's citizens to travel freely? I know that Havana is a must stop for sex tourist!
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IamBabo



Joined: 16 Jun 2005

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:24 am    Post subject: Cuba Reply with quote

Cuba was great, I went there about 10 years ago. All I needed as an American was a treasury license which I got from the State Department. If you bring back cigars and they find them, all they do is confiscate them as they are considered illegal because of the embargo. It is like a time warp, but a great place. We went to a local marina, and there were boats that had Key West on the back of them. So people go all the time. Oh and I used US dollars to buy everything. Lift the damn embargo!
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