CNN "Contributor" Actually Supports a Ron Paul Idea On Cuba...in Print!!

While reading this mornings Last 24 Hours section of my CNN app on my tablet while eating breakfast I came across an article entitled:

The hypocrisy of America's Cuba policy

It was written by Roland Martin, who was noted as a CNN contributor. The article at the end did state the opinions stated by Mr. Martin was his and didn't necessarily reflect those of CNN. But...most all opinions posted on CNN say that. Roland Martin is also a syndicated columnist and host/managing editor of the TV One cable network Sunday morning news show, "Washington Watch with Roland Martin."

OK..So what?

Mr Martin's article today was about as the title suggests, America's hypocritical policy towards Cuba, and our strained if any relations with them since 1959 when Castro's revolution started. I will add a few of my own comments about the history of US/Cuba relations over the last 50 or so years as we go...just fyi.

It was noted that the Florida GOP debates have often had Cuba come up as a topic and Mr. Martin noted:

Nearly all the candidates, except for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, have sounded ridiculous trying to defend what is clearly a failed policy, all in an effort to curry favor among the large population of Cuban voters in the state.

I almost spit out my cereal at this point. Wait? What?
Did I just read something on CNN supporting Ron Paul? I don't care if it is from an outside contributor. It was supporting Congressman Paul. Normally, CNN would have printed commentary from Fidel himself rather than anything supporting Ron Paul.

He then lights into Newt Gingrich over his comments which he calls "fire-breathing" and calls for an overthrow of the Castro's.

"I would suggest to you the policy of the United States should be aggressively to overthrow the regime and to do everything we can to support those Cubans who want freedom," Gingrich said. "You know, Obama is very infatuated with an Arab Spring. He doesn't seem to be able to look 90 miles south of the United States to have a Cuban Spring.

Both of the above off-site posts came from today's CNN article as will others below unless I specifically say they don't.

Gingrich, in the NBC-National Journal debate went on to say he would not allow 4 more years of any dictatorship in Cuba should he be elected. Basically....I personally take then to mean he will invade Cuba.

As for Rick Santorum, a quote from his response to the Cuba issue was along with the writers comments on that quote:

In what was the most ridiculous comment of the night, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said that if Cuba were China in terms of its geographical proximity to the United States, he would be just as against the country.

"This is an important doctrine of the United States to make sure that our hemisphere and those who are close to us are — are folks that we can and should deal with," Santorum said.

Santorum adds he will continue sanctions against Cuba until the Castro's are dead...and still continue them unless the Cubans come forward with a real offer of a normal relationship to aid their economy, and their freedom.

Now comes the best part of the whole thing. I had to post a larger chunk of the author's comments than I would have liked but he says it better than me!

Seriously? Is it possible for us to have a grown-folks conversation here?

There is no logical reason that candidates should deplore normalizing relations with Cuba, while we do whatever we can to help China.

Hmmm, let's see. Cuba is a communist country. China is a communist country. The people of Cuba aren't living in a democratic system. The people of China aren't living in a democratic system.

Yet China has been granted most favored nation status, allowing the free flow of goods back and forth. Sorry, Rick, that has nothing to do with proximity. It's all about China being a great outpost for U.S. businesses, and the fact that the communist country is essentially the banker of America, owning hundreds of billions of dollars of our debt.

Santorum wants to suggest that Cuba is in bed with Nicaragua and Venezuela, and they are in alignment with Iran, helping potential terrorists. Last I checked, we have relations with Russia, and they do huge business with Iran. We despise North Korea, yet China does a lot of business with North Korea.

Now for Ron Paul's response to the same questions. He believes we should end all embargo's as they have not worked. Not for 50 years.

"I think it's time ... to quit this isolation business of not talking to people," Paul said. "We talked to the Soviets. We talk to the Chinese. And we opened up trade, and we're not killing each other now. We fought with the Vietnamese for a long time. We finally gave up, started talking to them, now we trade with them. I don't know why — why the Cuban people should be so intimidating.

"I think we're living in the dark ages when we can't even talk to the Cuban people. I think it's not 1962 anymore. And we don't have to use force and intimidation and overthrow of a — in governments. I just don't think that's going to work."

He's right. We should end it. We sort of did in 2009.

On 3 June 2009, the OAS adopted a resolution to end the 47-year exclusion of Cuba. The meetings were contentious, with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walking out at one point. However, in the end, the U.S. delegation agreed with the other members and approved the resolution. Cuban leaders have repeatedly announced they are not interested in rejoining the OAS

Wikipedia Link

OK...I will admit Cuba has had some human right's issues. But I would argue...so has the US...especially in recent years...Anyone remember UC Davis? OK...SO that might not have been the actual US Government, but how about the Guantanamo prison? The epitome of human rights violations. Wait....that's in Cuba though... But it's US soil.

I've rambled here long enough for now. Cuba has a 99.8% literacy rate. It's average life expectancy is LONGER than the US's. But that's not the point of this thread. I was so astounded ANY commentator was allowed to publish written support for Ron Paul on CNN.com I had to share it.

I do agree with Ron Paul by the way. The embargo's have not worked. They never will. So end them. Newt sounds like he wants to invade and Santorum wants them to beg us for help after the Castro's are dead. Who else is running? They must not have know anything about Cuba cause their comments weren't posted.

Anyone remember WHY we embargoed them in the first place? Then invaded them? Then had the CIA have the mafia try to assassinate Castro?

Here's a hint....it has to do with sugar, cows, oil and the NY Yankees.

I saw a documentary on Luis Tiant, ex-baseball player from Cuba who went back a few years ago. Pretty dreary place, needless to say. They basically have no economy there.

Think of how much money they could make if people could get their hands on Cuban cigars. Or tourism. Just one would bring them quite a bit I'd imagine.

Yet we don't like them for some reason so they must live in squalor. Seems really stupid to me, but what do I know.

Ron is gonna smoke those fools back up north.........

reply to post by TheLoony


You're right. They do basically have no economy there. The embargo the US imposed has hurt them. But it didn't deter the will of the Castro's or those who supported him.

We all know about the numerous escape/defection attempts that have happened. In 2005 it was estimated the average monthly wage was $16.70 a month with an additional $9/month pension rate. Tourism had been allowed in the past, but it was segregated from the rest of Cuba. It's been a little more opened up since Raul took over.

Link

I expect their wages to rise some more. Unless one of the above mentioned GOP candidates get's their way. Cuba used to be a tourist hotspot. Before Castro. Before Batista. Corruption has gone on there for at least the length of the 20th century...then again...where hasn't it?

they all seem to be ignoring a palestinian spring either. but the palestinians are smarter than that.

they know a million man march on jerusalem, demanding their freedom will result in a massacre never seen since world war 2.

it would result in a barrage of automatic machine gun fire leaving tens of thousands of dead.

and of course it will come with the usual "israel has a right to defend itself" and an email from the u.n. denouncing the palestinian aggression.

and newt on overthrowing castro. he's over 80 years old and about 50 years to late.

ok so maybe CNN is finally getting the picture here,,that ron Paul fans are building like legos and we arent going away..maybe Ill think about taking the sticker off of my car that doesnt support the liberal media...Until CNN,FOX,MSNBC AND THE OTHER 2 start being fair and just ,,my cable box will stay programmed to make those stations unavailable to the viewers in my house.

I don't understand the US's position on Cuba at all.
The rest of the world is able to visit there.
They used to try to keep the tourists separated from the Cubans though, they don't anymore.

I've heard there are some really nice places down there. I know a few people that go down there regularly.
They've said that they don't want the US to open up to Cuba, because they think it's going to make their favourite tourist spots too crowded.

www.cubatourism.ca...
www.gocuba.ca...
en.wikipedia.org...

Tourism in Cuba attracts over 2 million people a year, and is one of the main sources of revenue for the island.[1] With its favorable climate, beaches, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history, Cuba has long been an attractive destination for tourists

Ron Paul's right. Restrictions on these countries only hurts the civilians, but they had tourists bringing in some of the stuff they used to be short on. I remember some travel agency a few years ago, encouraging travellers to bring stuff into Cuba, over the counter medications (aspirins, tums, etc), and other odds and ends.

reply to post by snowspirit


I'm glad someone finally asked! I would venture to bet most of today's US politicians also have no clue what the problem was. And that in itself is a problem.
Gingrich is calling for another Bay of Pigs type deal if not outright invasion. But does he even have any clue as to why?

Well...here it is. Plain and simple. Some of this comes from this Wikipedia article. some comes from textbooks and old college professors of mine. I was a history major. I will not cite those sources openly so as not to give any more hints who I really am, but I will be happy to tell any mod who might ask my sources.

All Fidel wanted in the early 1950's was to pitch for the Yankees. It was arranged and he was indeed given a tryout. But the Yankees had no intention of keeping him and he was released. The ruler of Cuba at this time was Fulgencio Batista. He was actually a worse dictator than Fidel ever thought of being, but he was allied with, not surprisingly, the US. The US itself, as well as some very wealthy of it's citizens owned large plots of land in Cuba. Many had sugarcane farms on them.

Basically..through Batista and the kickbacks he was getting...a gap started to widen between the rich and poor in Cuba. Sound familiar? He also let the US Mafia control drug, gambling and prostitution in Havana.

This is debatable, but had Fidel actually made the Yankees, it's quite possible that communism would have never come to anywhere to the Americas. Fidel was upset he didn't make the Yankees, plus, with the growing tensions in Cuba and the gap of rich and poor widening, he decided to start a revolution. This was against Batista, but also against the corruptness that was coming from the US as it supported Batista.

According to JFK:

At the beginning of 1959 United States companies owned about 40 percent of the Cuban sugar lands – almost all the cattle ranches – 90 percent of the mines and mineral concessions – 80 percent of the utilities – practically all the oil industry – and supplied two-thirds of Cuba's imports.

Source

When Castro's overthrow occurred, he basically kicked out the US companies and private citizens. Took the land from them they owned and gave no one any reparations for it. THAT was why we started the oppose Castro then embargo Cuba. We felt our people and companies should have been allowed to keep their land, or at least been paid for having it taken from them. That's not really how revolutions work though...lol. It's sort of like Obama asking Iran for it's drone back.

There are very large deposits of oil and even larger deposits of natural gas in the north of Cuba, and it also has the worlds second largest reserves of nickle. Of course the US still lays claim to most of this because it was on property that was owned by US companies and citizens when Fidel took over and tossed them off.

Starting to get the picture now? The US doesn't give 2 bat guano's about the Cuban people or their government. It want's the resources. And always has.

I say...give Fidel season tickets to all Yankee games for the rest of his life and reopen trade and official ties with Cuba. But that land was lost. There should be no reparations for it. It was possibly gained illegally in the first place.

Cuba only became communist because the Soviet Union would trade with them. And it was right at our doorstep. If only people...at least the politicians remembered history.....