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it's hard...how can you tell a mother not to send money to their son or daughter? but I think that things have to get really bad for Cubans to say enough...

I haven't posted much lately because I am frustrated...I can't expect the US to free Cuba, it should be the Cubans who should fight for their freedom...and then I feel I don't have a right to think that way because I left...I'm here.

There is a lot they can do. They can start by not playing the government games and not self-censored themselves.

Nurian, I know its hard. And God knows I'd have a hard time if it was my parents in Cuba and me here.

The problem is the remittances are flowing money for the regime; it's like having the support of the USSR again. If they all agreed, both inside and outside the island, to stop this remittances to try and effectuate change - I think something would happen.

I heard the figure the other day, and I think it was something like 90 million dollars - please correct me if I'm wrong. And fidelito gets a piece of all of it one way or another.

Take those 90 million away, and you start to strangle the economy and maybe that will move some indecisos out of their inertia - heck maybe it might even move people in the government.

Noone is going to hand freedom over to the Cuban people. theyre gonna have to take it.

Not to mention visits from sunshine patriots in the northeast who wrap themselves in a Cuban flag while supplying the Beast's regime with dollars.

As much as I say the same thing, I keep thinking that there are 10 million hostages, and we are all here helplessly watching, waiting, and yelling for the hostages to 'revolt' against those terrorists.

Piruli,

That is the unfortunate truth.

It's very easy to criticize those of us who have been calling for an internal revolt in Cuba for decades. But despite the dishonest (and badly written) missives one finds elsewhere, one salient principle remains: the people of Cuba have to take an active role in procuring their own freedom. If they care so little to take action, what is left for us to support? Biscet is writing articles in prison; Ferrer is calling for civil disobedience; Antunez is beaten in jail; Fariñas almost dies on a hunger strike. I support them because they have taken action. Where are the rest of the people?

Traveling ban to Cuba by cuban nationals was lifted in 1979. Until then, you were not able to send money and a phone call was like a 3 day wait (most of the time communication was very poor). Some will never give up the remesas that for almost 20 years were denied to many.

George,

The bottom line, as much as I hate to admit it, and as much as many of us dream of a 'rescue' mission being carried out (the US will not do it, and no one else will), the only recourse these hostages have, is to overcome the terrorists themselves and set themselves free. I am at the point that I would want to become part of a 'rescue mission', but there is nothing of the sort that I see on the horizon.

Cubans on the island must take action, if they truly want to be free. I just wish there was more going on in the U.S. and elsewhere to support or otherwise inspire that action. Most people just don't give a damn.

I keep thinking back to the 70s and 80s when Soviet dissidents were a cause celebre in the West, and again in the 80s in South Africa with Mandela. I know some in the MSM and elsewhere have a pro-Castro bias — and even more have an anti-US, anti-Bush bias — but it still is inexplicable to me how brave men like Biscet and Ferrer do not get more attention.

One more thing (v. important that I left out), yes, this presupposes that most of the hostages desire to be freed.

Bingo.

The only way that Cuba will be LIBERATED from the castro bros. and Communism is if they take to the streets and demand Democracy. A succession is not acceptable and a transition is questionable. I don’t want a transition Russian style or a Chinese-style economic reform. The Cuban people deserve better.

People can criticize the Cuban-American community for “calling for an internal revolt” all they want, but history has shown it’s the only way. The list of Cubans who have sacrificed their lives for Cuba’s freedom is VERY long, as is the list of Cubans (both men and women) who have spent up to 30 years in political prisons.

Some say it’s easy to call for this revolt from the other side of the “pond” but let it be understood, once and for all, that the large majority of Cuban-Americans have either LOST loved ones while fighting for Cuba, or HAVE a loved one who was a political prisoner in castro’s Gulag. We only ASK for the same we have already GIVEN.

Ventanita: I understand that stoping the money that goes to Cuba will help, but I think that's impractical. It is hard to make two Cubans agree on something, much less one million of them. Also, there are lots of (mostly young) Cubans that came after 95 and/ or have won the visa lottery and have family in the island...and believe me...they send money and go visit Cuba. I'm not judging them...I came on 1995 myself...and I have kids...I understand... so it is next to imposible to stop people from sending $-

Moneo: yes...I agree with you. I haven't want to go back to Cuba because I know I'm gonna have a horrible time or end up in jail... and if I ever go before whatshisname dies, I would gather addresses for the dissidents and their families and dedicate a big part of my trip to them.

And now combining both comments together... how do you feel about us financially supporting the dissidents? I think we should. 1. they deserve it. 2. even though it's not about money, we should give people incentives to openly oppose the regime-

We seem to forget that people in Cuba did try, with extraordinary, suicidal courage to fight the regime once - during the Escambray civil war from '60-'66...they got almost no support from the US - in fact, the US and Britain blocked anyone who tried to help them. Eventually, these few brave men and women had to give up the fight. People in Cuba remember that - at least some do - and they are afraid if they start something today, they'll be left holding the bag...again. They are in no mood to be massacred and who in their right mind can blame them? Perhaps there will be a Timisoara in Cuba, but I suspect there is too much exhaustion and demoralization for that. Seems as if everyone is waiting for "the other fellow" to make the first move.

If they are all waiting for the other fellow to make a move it'll never happen. They have to grow a pair and do something. The blog-that-shall-rename-nameless says that it (collectively) is a counter-revolutionary group within Cuba. My $0.02: You ain't doing such a bang up job of it, are ya? What a bunch of alardosos. If hablando mierda were the Cuban national sport, they'd be the champions, hands down...

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