Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba in February 1959, and has held
effective power in the country until temporarily handing it over to his
brother for medical reasons in July 2006. At first, Castro was a
constitutional liberal and nationalist, and his victory was welcomed in Cuba
and in the United States. During 1959, Castro's government carried out
highly popular measures such as land reform, the nationalization of public
utilities, and the suppression of the widespread corruption that had
developed under Batista, including closing down the gambling industry and
evicting the many Florida-based American mobsters operating on the island.

Castro flew to Washington, DC and sought to forge ties with the United
States, but was snubbed by President Eisenhower, who decided to attend a
golf tournament rather than meet with Castro.

=======================================

Hey Rick .. wasn't Eisenhower a Republican?

================================================

In 1996 tourism supassed the sugar industry as the largest source of hard
currency for Cuba. Cuba has tripled its market share of Caribbean tourism in
the last decade, with large investment in tourism infrastructure this growth
rate is predicted to continue.[36] 1.9 million tourists visited Cuba in 2003
predominantly from Canada and the European Union, generating revenue of $2.1
billion.[37]

By boat
There are no regular ferries or boats to Cuba from foreign ports, although
some cruise liners do visit. Yachters are expected to anchor at the public
marinas. Also, most ports are closed and tourists are not permitted to walk
around them. Private vessels may enter at Marina Hemingway in Havana or
Marina Acua in Varadero. Entry requires a US passport, but there are no visa
requirements. Expect to hand out several $10.00 dollar bills to facilitate
your entry. Your passport will not be stamped by Cuban authorities unless
you request it. Anticipate that your boat will be photographed by American
officials from the American Interests Section. You will likely be
intercepted upon your return to America and fined $5000.00, although this is
just a formality. You will not be expected to actually pay this fine nor
have there been any repercussions or attempts to collect. The only attempt
to prosecute was the case of Peter Goldsmith v United States. This case was
dismissed with prejudice in late 2004 in the Miami District Court.

Huumm ,,, seems as if our corrupt government doesn't want to go to court. I
wonder why.

YA THINK THAT JUST MAYBE SOMEONE WITH SOME BALLS MIGHT ASK THE JUDGE "WHY IS
IT I CAN VISIT CHINA AND NOT CUBA"... YA THINK?



















"Rick B." wrote in message
...
On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:32:01 GMT, "NE Sailboat"
wrote:

And you wonder why I think the US government is F..ked up!


Damn...

February 8. The Kennedy administration prohibits travel to Cuba and
makes financial and commercial transactions with Cuba illegal for U.S.
citizens.

I seem to recall he was a democrap.