US confiscates policeman’s Cuban cigar cash

[Peter11216]

US Governments have somehow managed to propagate and promote one of the great failed public policies in history....... for 50 years.

The Castro Govt are human rights abusers and world champion incompetents who despite having a fertile land somehow managed to import 81% of their food in 2009/10.

I don't agree that the embargo has been a failure.

[PuffDaddie]

That Sucks

[CaptainQuintero]

I don't agree that the embargo has been a failure.

From a military point of view it failed before it even began; there were already Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba before the embargo was signed or the US fleet took off to blockade the incoming Soviet ships which were bringing more. So essentially all it did was hurt the ordinary people, the people at the top were never hurting (They never do) and the nukes were still on Cuba from day one.

Bolting the door after the horse has bolted is a phrase that shouldn't ever be applied to nuclear weapons, but somehow it was.

[vanbellc]

Personally I don't know how anyone can argue that the embargo has been anything but a failure. It's been in place for 50 years and the Castros are still in power.

I agree that most all US politicians are too scared to advocate the lifting of the embargo or risk alienating the Miami Cuban population, thus I don't think anything will change until Fidel and his brother are out of power.

[Peter11216]

Why is this guy not asking his bank why they send his money to the US before Germany?

He might be. That's probably what I would try. There might be a way to hold the bank liable for putting the transaction at risk.

The reports, two that I read above, don't really explain how the transaction was caught. It might have been more egregious than is suggested. So, it is kind of hard to judge, when you don't know the crucial facts.

[Peter11216]

So essentially all it did was hurt the ordinary people,

Yeah, right. But to know whether something is a failure or a success, you have to know what the goal is. One of the really great things about the U.S. government is its practice of releasing state planning documents. I will just feel like a jerk if I try to do it here, but I think there is a pretty strong case that preventing the spread of international communist aggression was never an important goal, or, to put it an other way, the word "communist" had many different and technical meanings.

One interesting way to get into this topic is to look at the sugar quotas that Castro is still harping about today in his blog. I started looking into this when I was studying US antitrust law. It's not the key, or anything crucial, but it really casts a different light on the events that followed Castro's takeover.

[Ken Gargett]

Perhaps true Ken, perhaps true. But perhaps it is also true that if people world wide would have pushed their respective governments to

choose Cuba over doing business with the U.S, it might also have been resolved long ago.

The shame.

indeed and my comment about doing nothing and not being proud, or worse, of decisions by the govt of australia was intended to suggest that in other areas, i am no better.

and due to the power that be "frowning" on my comments, i am nothing but sweetness and light today in all matters.

[mazolaman]

When it comes to this type of topic, why would you expect this time to be different than any other? The outcome was inevitable.

As long as I've been a member of this international forum there's been a palpable undercurrent of anti U.S. sentiment. It sometimes

gets spun as the government and not the people, but it is what it is.

At times a few members take any opportunity to take their jabs, most often it stays supressed, but when opportunity arises, it makes

itself fully known like it has here in this thread.

I admit it used to anger me, but anymore I just give thanks that when my parents emigrated, they chose to go to the U.S. and not

anywhere else.

slightly oversensitive maybe.

I have no truck with anyone who uses this issue to abuse anyone.

But it is relevant to the forum.

I would agree, the argument is against the policy makers, not the people.

It says a lot about our democracies, that in the western world our governments are no longer representative of their people. And I've never liked Mcdonalds.....

I've met many great US citizens on my travels, educated and interesting people.

I'm usually smoking a Cuban at the time, so occasionally the issue arises, I don't think any US citizen I met agrees with the embargo.

You know Colt, I have met many anti Americans but barely a handful who have ventured past LAX airport. To a man and woman they are ignorant morons.

Having spent plenty of time In and seen much of the US you can hardly reconcile the media's portrayal of the US internationally. It is appalling in its inaccuracies.

Yet i have no problem kicking the US govt over the embargo (which is a Cuban and international issue as much as a US one). I have no problem separating Govt and people. You can lambast the idiocy of Australian govt legislation on advertising/packaging/ international affairs and I don't care as it no attack on me . I would probably agree :-)

There is no room for anti Americanism here and you are right that I see it in 3-4 members from te to time. They can't help themselves to turn the knife. I delete when I see it. That is 4 out of 6000.

There is also a hypersensitivity that when questions against a failed policy (and in this case it's implications) are raised some members rally to the flag and claim harrassment.

I am apolitical in that I hate them all. However if I take a shot at a policy of your Govt how in hells name is that taking a shot at you?

The governments ( both) are responsible for this. The vast majority of people on both sides of the ocean have no want for it.

This is not solely a US political issue because it is cross border affecting Cuba and other countries ( and it's citizens ) as is seen in this article.

I am at the specialist having follow up tests. Running an hour late. I am grumpy ! LOL!

Agree entirely.

[Colt45]

slightly oversensitive maybe.

It may sound so, but if anything more on the opposite side

As to the topic of discussion, I agree that there's a problem with the bank(s) and banking system that allowed this to happen.

Regarding McDonalds, I guess it's none of our concern as to who the Cubans allow to do business in their country.

[CanuckSARTech]

So....how 'bout those Colts???

Sent from my iPhone via Tapatalk.

[Habanos2000]

so, with the greatest respect to the gentleman who hoped for no more States-bashing - it is a braindead, moronic situation put in place by imbecilies and maintained by even greater idiots. if monty python had done a sketch inventing the cuban embargo by the States, it would have been rejected as being so utterly absurd that no one could ever imagine it. and the fact that self-interested grubby corrupt politicians with their collective snouts shoved so far into the trough that they are in danger of disappearing (a situation far from limited to the States - and if only they would disappear), have persisted with it for half a century is a monumental disgrace and should make every single american hang their heads in shame.

I do appreciate the gentleman comment ... just to clarify my point, I have no problem with other members saying they don't like certain US policies or even the our politicians. It's when those comments drop to the level of insulting or bashing the citizens or country itself that I have a problem. We should be above that. I find your mention that "every single American should hang their heads in shame" in line with some of the more negative comments on this thread and being one of those Americans, find it offensive. Should I blame every Australian for your country's problems?

The taking of a non US citizen's money is stupid and the laws should be changed. The boycott is a dismal failure and should be lifted. I sincerely look forward to the day that the Cuban people can enjoy a democratic country and have full say in what takes place where they live. I believe the end of the boycott will speed that result.