More Agents Track Castro Than Bin Laden

The Treasury Department, through it Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) spends more time and manpower following Castro that they do following Bin Laden and Hussein!
They have not YET prioritized after 9/11.


"The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money, documents show.

In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations related to terrorism. Since 1994 it has collected just $9,425 in fines for terrorism financing violations.

In contrast, OFAC opened 10,683 enforcement investigations since 1990 for possible violations of the long-standing economic embargo against Fidel Castro's regime, and collected more than $8 million in fines since 1994, mostly from people who sent money to, did business with or traveled to Cuba without permission.

The figures, included in a lengthy letter OFAC sent to Congress late last year and provided to The Associated Press this week, prompted Republicans and Democrats alike to question whether OFAC has failed to adjust from the Cold War to the war on terrorism."

apnews.myway.com...

Thats Ridiculous. Its not like Castro is terribly hard to find. If a Miami DJ can get a hold of him, I think two agents are more than enough.

Maybe someone should crank call bin Laden and ask him if he wants to sign up for ATT long distance, then send a tomohawk to the cellphone coordinates.

Seriously, though this just shows the govornment really doesnt want Bin laden caught.

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Thats Ridiculous. Its not like Castro is terribly hard to find. If a Miami DJ can get a hold of him, I think two agents are more than enough.

Maybe someone should crank call bin Laden and ask him if he wants to sign up for ATT long distance, then send a tomohawk to the cellphone coordinates.

Seriously, though this just shows the govornment really doesnt want Bin laden caught.

Pretty much like Skadi said, they only want Castro because he doesn't play ball. On the other hand, both Hussein and Bin Laden played their roles quite well. Also protecting this duo is the fact that they are both members of elitist secret societies. Castro, as far as I know, is not a part of this same collective or at least not as high up as Hussein and Bin Laden are (or were).

What I mean by 'play ball' is how they were supposed to be set up as bad guys in front of the western world, always claiming to 'destroy the evil empires' when they really did nothing of the sort. Castro probably also was supposed to be set up as a similar villain, but he didn't do anything like that since the Cuban Missile Crisis which was really caused by Russian influence, which also used to play ball very well.

[Edited on 4/29/2004 by AlnilamOmega]

And, take into account that Cuba is 90 miles offshore. You gotta wonder, the man is the longest living ruler in the world. I think Queen Elizabeth is number two--her reign beginning in 1952.

I tend to agree Castro had a lesser role in "world events", at least since the end of the Cold War.
Whereas, Saddam an OBL have much more drama around them.

It just doesn't figure that the Treasury boys can't get their #e together on this one.
But, how much hope can we hold for any better results, when members of Congress offers solutions like this:

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., threatened Thursday to start an effort in Congress to eliminate some funding for OFAC if more resources weren't put toward the bin Laden and Saddam efforts.