....Republicans...

Republicans blast Beyonce, Jay-Z for supporting ‘murderous’ regime in
Cuba trip


Two Florida lawmakers have expressed deep concern with hip hop stars
Jay-Z and Beyonce’s recently publicized trip to Cuba, worried that their
travel may not fall within the guidelines of acceptable travel purposes
and that their tourism dollars might be “supporting a murderous regime
that opposes U.S. security interests at every turn and which ruthlessly
suppresses the most basic liberties of speech, assembly, and belief.”

Congressional Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart have
written to the director of the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets
Control asking for information on the license the pair of stars were
issued that permitted their Cuban travel, including “for what purpose
and who approved” the travel.

The letter goes on to point out that license to travel to Cuba should
only be issued if they “certify that all participants will have a
full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that will result
in meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba.”

“Despite the clear prohibition against tourism in Cuba, numerous press
reports described the couple’s trip as tourism, and the Castro regime
touted it as such in its propaganda,” they write. “We represent a
community of many who have been deeply and personally harmed by the
Castro regime’s atrocities, including former political prisoners and the
families of murdered innocents.”

The superstars were spotted and photographed on the streets of Havana
this past Thursday, where they were apparently celebrating their fifth
wedding anniversary.

According to reports big crowds greeted the couple as they strolled
through the streets, posing for pictures with fans, and seen dining on
traditional meals in famous Havana restaurants.

While the celebrity duo are not the only stars to visit Cuba in recent
years–actors Sean Penn and Bill Murray did as well in 2009–they may be
the biggest names in recent history, which could be why their trip has
drawn so much attention.
- - - - -

Let's see...we're in bed with the Peoples' Republics of China and
Vietnam; Germany, Italy, and Japan are valued allies and trading
partners, but the Republicans, they're worried about our idiotic
"relationship" with Cuba.

On Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:27:11 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

Let's see...we're in bed with the Peoples' Republics of China and
Vietnam; Germany, Italy, and Japan are valued allies and trading
partners, but the Republicans, they're worried about our idiotic
"relationship" with Cuba.

====

Most of the republicans that I know think the policy is stupid also.
It's the hard core, ex-pat Cubans in the Miami area that are the real
problem. For reasons that are not clear to me they wield a policy
influence that is way out of proportion to their numbers.

On Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:34:44 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

On Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:27:11 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

Let's see...we're in bed with the Peoples' Republics of China and
Vietnam; Germany, Italy, and Japan are valued allies and trading
partners, but the Republicans, they're worried about our idiotic
"relationship" with Cuba.

====

Most of the republicans that I know think the policy is stupid also.
It's the hard core, ex-pat Cubans in the Miami area that are the real
problem. For reasons that are not clear to me they wield a policy
influence that is way out of proportion to their numbers.

That is very, very odd. I've always thought so also. This is changing
though as the cuban-american population gets younger.