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Val,

Here is where the flaw in your argument is most evident. You see, it is not an "either/or" proposition. We can "salve the wounds" while we work to eliminate the knife.

Fixating on this one measure, which does not work, only hurts the little guy. And does nothing to get rid of the dictatorship.

By the way, what is wrong with a little heartbreaking effect, when so many hearts have been broken? I read the exchange between you and Henry on another thread. Henry regretted not being able to visit his grandfather in Cuba before his death. Shall we unnecessarily impose that on others because it happened to us? It happened to me as well. And I don't know about Henry, but I was very close to my grandfather, and to many others I will never see again.

LG,

THE THING IS THAT THE SALVE YOURE APPLYING, THAT MONEY BALM, IS WHATS SHARPENING THE SAME KNIFE THATS MAKING THE FUCKING WOUNDS, DUDE. WTF ARE YOU SO DAMNED FUCKING BLIND ABOUT THIS?

I admire your alturism and optimsim, but dude, in this case it is misplaced. You send $100 to Cuba, which the government and some fucking mula here takes a good 10%, then your family has to convert it to whatever currency the cuban government wants you to use and they take another 20%, the you take whats left and go to a store to buy a $10 fucking toilet seat that theyre selling for $50 and you pay and they give yo the change in worthless CUCs. Dude, DUDE, DUDE!

they are fucking you left and right, they are fucking your family left and right with absolutely no regard or morality and you insist on allowing them to continue.

JESUS FUCKING H CHRIST, FOLKS! IT AINT ROCKET SCIENCE! ITS A FUCKING SCAM!

Given that the wounds are being inflicted on far more people than can receive the salve doesn't it make sense to stop talking about salve and dividing the Cuban electorate in a debate about salve and instead work on freeing Cuba from those that inflict the wounds. Don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?

And by the way that salve has a nice anesthetic quality to it that allows the knife to be plunged ever deeper.

Val,

That knife has been in place for a long time. The mechanism you are championing has not worked to remove that knife after almost 50 years.

It's so simple that I am having trouble understanding why you cannot grasp the concept. You do BOTH, (1) work to remove the knife while (2) removing obstacles to Cubans in the US helping Cubans in Cuba. It's as simple as coming in out of the rain.

You've got the first part down really well. You need to work on the second part. Lets keep talking. I have hope for you yet.

LG,

Your oversimplification, which I shall choose not to view as not purposefully disingenuous, is astounding. I am championing a mechanism that has been in place for close to three years, and which hass had proven results.

Im am now convinced that you are doing this not because you believe in the absolute stupidity your are stating, but just to get a rise out of me.

If not, then youre just a dumbass because you cant PAY FOR THE VERY SAME KNIFE YOURE TRYING TO REMOVE, ASSHOLE.

With people like you involved in all this, Im am 100% convinced that I will not see a free Cuba in my lifetime.

LitteGator,

That is such a tired argument ithat its not even worth addressing. Let me ask you something.

If tourists stopped going to Cuba, if countries stopped investing in Cuba, if we stopped sending cash to Cuba, how long would the regime last?

There's never an egg timer around when you need one....

Val,

Let's put it this way, Littlegator is being more than a little disingenuous. This was him on a thread last weekend:

My cousin's four-year-old daughter suffers from recurring fevers. How does making it illegal for me to send my cousin Children's Tylenol help overthrow castro? And when will the dictatorship finally be overthrown through this technique? I would like to let my niece know.

How does keeping me from sending Glucophage to my diabetic aunt accomplish the goal of freeing Cuba?

I called bullshit on him because you can walk into almost in pharmacy in Miami and buy drugs (both Rx and OTC) and have them shipped to Cuba LEGALLY. I know this because for three years I worked on a major drug store account. I know for a fact that Walgreens uses a courier licensed by OFAC called Wilson International to ship medicine to Cuba.

I also doubt that LittleGator currently sends $300 a quarter or $1200 a year in remittances and that he'd send more if legally allowed. It doesn't pass the smell test. I suspect that he's trying to personalize the argument as some are prone to doing. It's that "yo, yo, yo" thing.

Val,

I kept it simple because the basic concept is simple. Yes, we could spend days discussing details and permutations. But the basic concept is not complicated.

As to "people like [me]" I'm not quite sure what that means, other than someone who is genuinely concerned about thinking about and exploring options other than the ones that have not worked for 50 years (not three). And, as for "proven results"?? What proven results? Last I heard a guy named castro was still ruling Cuba. And, now both castro and Uncle Sam are working to keep Cubans apart. Never thought I'd see the day.

Finally, please belive me, I am not trying to get a rise out of you. You do a fine enough job of that all by yourself.

Henry,

Let me ask YOU a question, in what imaginary world will tourists stop going to Cuba and all countries stop investing in Cuba. Lets think of options that may work in the real world, not in the world as you would like it to be.

LG,

What OPTIONS HAVE YOU EVER explained here? the ONLY THING YOUVE EVER COMMENTED HERE ARE "FIFTY YEARS OF FAILURE, EXPLORE NEW OPTIONS." LET'S HEAR SOME FUCKING PLANS, LETS HEAR ABOUT THOSE OPTIONS, LET'S HEAR 'EM. WE'RE ALL EARS MAN.

I doubt youll comment again because I have just told you to put your money where your sanctimonious mouth is. Dont tell us the yadayada about "eploring new options and ffity years of failure". CUT TO THE FUCKING CHASE AND LETS HEAR THE PRODUCT OF ALL THAT EXPLORATION AND THOUGHT AND RUMINATION.

Mind you, if you type in "not worked for fifty years and something different" I will not only ban you from commenting, but from entering the site. Im pretty tired of wasting my time with you hubris.

LittleGator,

The same imaginary world that rallied behind the plight of Black South Africans. The same imaginary world that had rock stars sing they weren't "gonna play Sun City" and by doing so shamed everyday people into not frolicking in a beautiful country like South Africa because the majority of its people were virtually enslaved.

Isn't it a bit like buying whiskey for your alcoholic brother? There are many brands of "salve", enabling lotion isn't what Cuba needs.

Henry,

You've jumped to some wrong conclusions without checking your facts, and have fallen face first into a rather large hole.

You are completely wrong about the ability to LEGALLY send medicine to my cousin in Cuba. If you have the time, please look up 15CFR740.12 (Revised as of January 1, 2008). It is illegal to send gift parcels to family members that are not close family members, as defined by Uncle Sam. The way to legally send medicine is to include it in a gift parcel. A gift parcel may be sent no more than once per month, and only to "a grandparent, grandchild, parent, sibling, spouse or child. . . ." My cousin's little daughther gets left out.

Its obvious why you joyfully jumped to this wrong conclusion. You know I am right in my argument, and are conflicted because you have to argue in support of a policy you know to be incorrect. You can't really discredit my argument, so you attempt to discredit me personally.

Didn't work out so well, huh? Go ahead and call "bullshit" on yourself after you check the facts big guy.

Val,

The other options are nothing original or extraordinary, and it goes without saying that I am far from having "all the answers." I don't hold myself in such high regard.

The work of Cuban bloggers such as Yoani, and others, is significant in spreading the truth about the dictatorship. The work of human rights activists in Cuba and in in exile is also important in bringing pressure to bear, and lifting the blind folds from those who might just see the truth.

Active armed conflict from without is not an option right now, simply because it will not be permitted to happen. Armed conflict from within may be a possibility, but it is not my area of expertise. I leave it to others to opine about that.

Family contact and rebuilding civil society is also very important for many reasons. Some of the reasons are obvious. Other reasons I can expand on if it would do any good here. Here is where eliminating restrictions which keep families apart and hurt ordinary Cubans would be helpful.

Ideally the US would work to encourage other governments in Latin American and Europe to bring greater pressure to bear on the Cuban government. But, that has only been mildly successful.

There are many things, most already widely discussed here and elsewhere that can be done. Some are being done, some are not.

I'd be interested in hearing your ideas other than "lets squeeze everyone some more" to see what happens.

Finally, you seem to have a hard time handling contrary opinions. You may want to consider eliminating the " Post a comment" part of your blog. I would hate to see that happen, because by discussing differences of opinion, in a respectful manner, I think we can all learn from each other. But, if you are going to get all angry and such when someone disagrees with you you might want to consider it. That way you can post about your position without the aggravation of having someone disagree.

My entire family, sans two, left Cuba in 1960. We were extremely fortunate to have been able to be part of the first Cuban Diaspora. We settled in Miami and have made this our home. We have lived the exile experience among ourselves and through the lives of other families who were less fortunate than us, having left family members in Cuba. I remember medicines and eyeglasses being sent to the one elderly family member who had stayed and since passed away. I remember the sadness and strange emptiness I felt when this person was mentioned, not remembering anything from my very early years.

That experience, and the experience of seeing so many people scrambling to send goods and cash and medicine to Cuba, prompted me to ask a question: Why are we doing this when it only serves the purpose prolonging the misery of those left behind?

I've been privy to many, many conversations among immediate and extended family members about how best to resolve the situation in Cuba. Opinions varied as to the desired method, but one thing was certain every time the subject came up: families remaining in Cuba had to be helped by those more fortunate Cubans in exile. My very hard-line attitude, I’m sad to say, was born during those sessions.

It is an unavoidable fact that the more assistance in cash that is sent to Cuba, the more the regime benefits. After all, they take a large percentage of the money that is sent to family members. The very funds remaining in the hands of the people are used to buy goods that go straight into the Cuban economy. At one point, I’m informed, family remittances were the number one source of cash for the regime. How can our altruism and generosity not have a negative effect? Remittances, travel, tourism, medicines, food, all of them, have been used effectively by the regime to drive a wedge in the exile community.

While I admire the intentions of those who, for almost four decades, have assisted their loved ones in Cuba, I hasten to add that it has also prolonged a miserable illness by treating the symptoms and not the disease.

LG,

Dude, seriously, you gotta do better than that. Everything youve mentioned above is either elementary or has been discussed, debated, argued and debunked here a zillion times. You offered absolutely nothing new to this 50 year old failed debate. Nada nuevo. All elementary, all peripheral, and all, each and every one of your suggestions has been tried and historically proven to have failed.

I reiterate that reading what folks like you have to say, again as much as I respect your altruism and idealism, scares the living daylights out of me because it just proves that there are still people out there in on the Cuba issue that have learned absolutely nothing from the past. You all keep shouting the "fifty yeas of embargo failure" when it has been folks like you that have had the most adverse effects on its success. Every time the embargo has been begun to be, at least, enforced, there's been people complaining about it.

as for my demeanor, kiss my ass man. Im tired of hearing the same tired old arguments ad infinitum, with no regard whatsoever to the many times these have been debunked here publicly, displayed with hubris and suttle sanctimony.

This is all very simple, really. As ith almost everything, we need only follow the money, and we're faced with two options:

either we flood the island with McDonalds and sawbucks or we do everything we can to starve the regime.

Ive yet to hear one sane argument, with regards to the probable consequences as well, to convince me that flooding cuba with cash, and it's very shrewd, capitalist laden regime along with it, will do anything but make that regime stronger.

This isnt some debate at a high school auditorium man, this is an out an out war with an incredibly worthy adversary that shows no mercy or respect for anything even resembling decency and integrity or what is right.

Those bastards dont give a shit about you,me, your family or mine or anyone else's. The sooner we all accept that fact, the sooner we'll be able to agree on this issue.

LittleGator,

You know it's convenient that your sob story includes only relatives that technically fall outside of the current policy and that you have the citation for the goddamned federal code at the tip of your fingers but if it makes you feel better I did not know about the fine print regarding the immediate family. But I still think your full of shit because I've seen the order forms at the pharmacy and I know that that there is no way that the U.S. government can verify whether or not the recipient is a sister brother mother father etc. It's a canard and you know it. If you don't send the medicine it's because your looking for excuses. But we know that it's all bullshit that you are simply here doing your job.

Henry,

I'm "simply here doing [my] job"?

That is pathetic. If that weak attempt to smear is your best retort after your big boo-boo you ought to quit blogging for a while. I hate to say it again, but you should get your facts straight before making grand sweeping statements and launching false accusations. That is twice now you've badly mispoken big guy.

Who is being more than a little disingenous now?

Val,

You don't like the suggestions I make because they are elementary and not new. Fair enough.

Can we hear your ideas, other than the "lets squeeze them tighther to see what, if anything, happens"? I think we've established that we disagree about that one, and that you don't like the ones I set forth above.

What others do you have?

The most interesting thing I find in this exchange is how Little Gator, unlike the countless "mulas" that move millions of dollars worth of merchandise into Cuba every year, can't find a way to get children's Tylenol to his cousin's daughter.

The trouble here is that Little Gator is highly unlikely to be that inept at finding a way around a law that is circumvented hundreds of times every single day by not the brightest or most moral members of our society. So, one would have to conclude, LG is simply creating a non-existent situation to promote an idea, which really isn't an idea but more of an "anti-idea," to help with an argument that has no merit.

You should have come up with something a little more creative, LG, like shipping over to your third cousin's, wife's, brother-in-law's, sister's ,aunt's, husband, an iron lung.

Alberto,

Well said. It's exactly the same thing as that Carlos Lazo character. It's about making the point not really about his third cousin twice removed or whatever.

And guess what LittleGator, I ain't going anywhere. How you like dem apples?

Jackass.

Henry/Val,

F.Y.I.

LittleGator is totally inaccurate because I have sent medicines to Cuba for close and not so close family members without any problems whatsoever.

As this is the only thing I send to Cuba and nothing else.

As a matter of fact, the money is spent here in the United States at local pharmacies so it actually boosts the local economy.

If any money goes to Havana I guess it would be some of the exorbitant shipping charges of around $13-15 a pound being charged for these medicine packages.

As it has been stated in these discussions the US Government don’t get to check to whom these medicines go.

I guess the US Government is probably willing to look the other way at those restrictions claimed by LittleGator as it fully understands that this is a humanitarian issue due to the current situation in Cuba.

The US Government is not the mean evil monster that LittleGator is trying to portrait here on these posts. The Castro regime and no one else is the mean evil monster that puts Cubans at both sides of the Florida straits on this dilemma.

LittleGator you are trying to create a bullshit issue that does not exits trying to prove your worthless point. You should be more accurate in your statements if you want to have any credibility in your argument.

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