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US commercial flights take off for Cuba after more than half-century

Anthony60 said:
Exactly what I mean by our country going down the tubes. People that can't see what's going on. Oh, let's vote for Obama, he's going to open up to Cuba and Iran, how wonderful! Wake up!

The path to Hell...
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You are more than free to leave...
 
TheGoverness said:
I could say the same thing about so many other countries besides Cuba. Yet, the United States still has relations with those countries.
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Which countries?
 
Dragonfly said:
US commercial flights take off for Cuba - CNNPolitics.com





It's about damn time.

Party on. :peace
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I am very seriously considering going, and soon.

1] Visa, Mastercard, and Amex are now up & running there.
2] The U.S. Embassy is up and running.
3] Flights are starting in two weeks from ORD to HAV

So basically, everything I need to feel safe and functional are in place.

It's really a chance to go back in history. I want to get there before this time capsule is inundated with American tourists and American-style corporatism. The big hotels are already going up, and the telcos are rushing-in to provide internet infrastructure! I figure I've got maybe 2-3 years before it all changes (maybe less), and my opportunity to see it "as it was" is lost.

I'm stoked! :thumbs:
 
Crovax said:
Helping a dictator oppress thier own people at a time when our sanctions were working shows ignorance and stupidty.
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:lamo

WTH planet do you live on???
 
Dragonfly said:
Are you honestly trying to compare Iran to Cuba??????? :roll:
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Not other than pointing out how moronic it is for the US to permit profiting from dealing with known human rights violators. We imposed sanctions on South Africa because no blacks could vote but Cuba is cool becuase it is (on paper) a democracy. ;)
 
nota bene said:
Which countries?
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Saudia Arabia, Iran, Russia, China, etc., etc.

There's so many of them that have commited human rights abuses, that the US still has relations with.

Same goes for dictatorships and authoritarian governments.
 
Dragonfly said:
Why are so many people in the USofA absolutely scared to death of Cuba?

Why is there such FEAR?

What cool-aid have you all been drinking?

That's all this comes down to.

Complete and total irrational fear that's been drilled into "us" for decades.
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The Shadow of Joe McCarthy casts a long shadow ...
 
Chomsky said:
I want to get there before this time capsule is inundated with American tourists and American-style corporatism. The big hotels are already going up, and the telcos are rushing-in to provide internet infrastructure!
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Isn't that what everyone says the benefit of lifting the embargo is?

That which will "end" the Castro "stranglehold"?

Isn't that the whole point of doing it?
 
RabidAlpaca said:
So every other country was trading with them except for us, and if we do the same it'll lock in the evil regime to power? You're simultaneously trying to claim our embargo kept the tyrants at bay while claiming the embargo is useless because they have access to the world anyway. You can't really have both.
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I claimed nothing, you did: "Sorry, but opening a country up to the world and getting fresh ideas in is how you make change." So what are these fresh ideas?

There are plenty of embassies in Cuba before the US arrived: Cuba - Embassies and Consulates

Maybe if Cuba doesn't make it so hard for others to visit Cuba, things would have improved earlier since everyone needs a visa to visit there, it is relatively expensive and takes up to 4 weeks to process: Cuba Visa: Worldwide Visa Bureau
 
TheGoverness said:
I could say the same thing about so many other countries besides Cuba. Yet, the United States still has relations with those countries.
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That is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
 
Dragonfly said:
Why are so many people in the USofA absolutely scared to death of Cuba?

Why is there such FEAR?
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Who has expressed said "FEAR" . . . ?
 
Chomsky said:
I am very seriously considering going, and soon.

1] Visa, Mastercard, and Amex are now up & running there.
2] The U.S. Embassy is up and running.
3] Flights are starting in two weeks from ORD to HAV

So basically, everything I need to feel safe and functional are in place.

It's really a chance to go back in history. I want to get there before this time capsule is inundated with American tourists and American-style corporatism. The big hotels are already going up, and the telcos are rushing-in to provide internet infrastructure! I figure I've got maybe 2-3 years before it all changes (maybe less), and my opportunity to see it "as it was" is lost.
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That's probably was the whole motivation behind lefting the embargo on Cuba anyways: so corporations could make $$$$.
 
Opopanax said:
It really is about time. What have we gotten out of our Israel-Palestine-like standoff with them? It made enough sense during the context of the Cold War, but once the Soviets went in the crapper, there wasn't much reason to continue the grudge. It's likely that the opening up of relations marks a foreseeable end to the Castros in Cuba, trade between the two nations, and an eventual improvement to the quality of life there.

On the other hand, they could export communism to the U.S. or invade us as was chronicled in the harrowing 1984 documentary, Red Dawn.
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Well yeah if you believe in fiction.
 
chuckiechan said:
If you want to do something for Cuba, when you leave distribute $500 in American 5's, 10's, and 20's. Leave a couple hundred under the pillow, some to the cab driver, some where ever you can pass it and not get busted. Hell, buy his car, then tell him to keep it. "It won't fit in my suitcase"... he'll get the idea and be a friend for life.

Cuban money is worthless. But the officials take American dollars and convert them to Cuban Pesos, but put the American money in their personal piggy banks. The preferred black market currency is American money.
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+1

The quickest way to develop a Cuban taste for democracy, is to give them a taste of (individual centered) free-market capitalism. Let them figure-out how to start a business. That'll get them!
 
AliHajiSheik said:
I claimed nothing, you did: "Sorry, but opening a country up to the world and getting fresh ideas in is how you make change." So what are these fresh ideas?

There are plenty of embassies in Cuba before the US arrived: Cuba - Embassies and Consulates

Maybe if Cuba doesn't make it so hard for others to visit Cuba, things would have improved earlier since everyone needs a visa to visit there, it is relatively expensive and takes up to 4 weeks to process: Cuba Visa: Worldwide Visa Bureau
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And if the whole wide world is already trading with Cuba what is one more country? You like to throw stones but don't have the courage to express any of your own opinions. Pick one. Either everyone's trading with them and it doesn't matter anyway, or our country's embargo was the only thing keeping the wolves at bay, which is it?
 
Rico Suave said:
The worlds leading super power located 90 miles from them. You nailed it. Let also not forget the countless dictators and bad actors we've propped up over decaded in that region
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So that makes oppression okay?
 
The headline is a bit disingenuous, there have been daily scheduled charter flights to Cuba for over a decade. Hell, American Airlines has had several flights a day to Havana from Miami and other hubs going for some time now. Only difference is that these are regular flights that are much easier to buy tickets on. I'm happy, because I will be able to non-rev on these flights :lol:
 
TheGoverness said:
Saudia Arabia, Iran, Russia, China, etc., etc.

There's so many of them that have commited human rights abuses, that the US still has relations with.

Same goes for dictatorships and authoritarian governments.
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Thanks for the clarification.

Re Cuba, as the realtors say, "Location, location, location."
 
Harshaw said:
Isn't that what everyone says the benefit of lifting the embargo is?

That which will "end" the Castro "stranglehold"?

Isn't that the whole point of doing it?
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I have no idea why our gov is doing this, but believe there should not be an embargo unless for good reason and with clear goals.

But WTH has political rationale got to do with my wanting to see this place, before it changes?
 
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