Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Dave — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:28:44 GMT

Well.....let's tabulate. How many Americans are so desperate to get to Cuba that they willingly risk their lives on rafts made from "swimmies" to leave the horrible and despicable "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" to be welcomed and embraced by Fidel and the hordes of welcoming "free" Cubans (you remember - the country with the exceptionally excellent health care system)????? Let me think for a minute........ZERO.....that would be NAUGHT.....or the digit 0.
Just checking. If you have other numbers.....I would like to see them and their source.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Carlos de Zayas — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:16:50 GMT

The test of the Cuban government's thesis is simply the direction of the völkerwanderung. Masses of people are not leaving the United States in rafts to take refuge in Cuba; it's the other way around. This tells any thinking person that the root cause of the problem is the miserable lives that Cubans have to live in Cuba's failed social experiment, which is simply incompatible with human nature. The United States is no more to blame for this exodus than is a homeowner who feeds the neighborhood's stray cats. Unfortunately, these are human beings drowning in the Straits of Florida.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Teresa Milano — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:29:16 GMT

i think it is absolutely deplorable under which the cuban people are forced to live, still!!! it seems like this old man Castro's regime will live on indefinetly!!! I can only pray for them, I wish there was more that we, as America could do to help them with their plight for anything!!

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Lucy Diaz, Brooklyn Park, MN — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:39:08 GMT

It's a sad commentary on Cuba. While older folks are perfectly happy staying in Cuba, the younger generation wants possibilities--and those are not found in the island. It's a catch-22, really. Damned if you leave, damned if you stay, so damn it, you'll do what you have to in order to survive and thrive.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

David MIchael , Melvindale, MI — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:09:34 GMT

I cannot understand why we did not invade Cuba. We did Iraq, etc and thinking about Iran. We did not find mass destructive explosives in Irag. Cuba had a Soviet build Atomic bomb once on the Island yet send it back after being ready to be invaded by USA

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Patrick Christensen — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:13:28 GMT

Is it about time we (the united states)go into cuba and end this madness?

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Ricardo, Toronto. Canada — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:26:38 GMT

It seems that the American International politics are growing every where, it started with Cuba and now it's every where; the only winner has been Castro! What about the Cubans who live every day with out knowing if tomorrow they are alive?
Thank you Mr. Bush; the worst president of America in all its history.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

J. Clifton, Oklahoma City, Ok. — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:51:38 GMT

I think the United States should lift the embargo
against the Cuban Government. It would create trade
and the Castro regime would fall.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Steve Ortega,Roswell,NM — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:59:39 GMT

I want to know why Cubans can come to the USA illegally and bring their drugs and the minute they touch American soil they can"t be deported?Mexicans come across into their country,because part of theUSA belonged to Mexico until it was taken away from them and yet they are deported?Every white person in this United States came from another country.Their ancestors came from outside the USA so what made them legal?What makes all these camel jockeys legal when they come into this country to kill.The people that blew the Twin towers did"nt have Mexican names.Our stupid government let them in ,what made them legal?All the Japs that are here were"nt born here and yet they attacked us.How did the Germans get here leagally when they started the war but after the war our government let them homestead all the east coast.How many of these men fought for Germany and then came here to live and recieve all the perks from our stupid government?How did all the blacks get here from Aids infested countries leaglly?Yet the only race besides the Native American that has any rights to this country is been hunted down like rats.They are the only race that comes to work and yet they want to send them back.Our senators and president need to check their family trees before they discrimenate against anybody.100 to1 says that their ancestors came from other countries and not leagally.When all these foriengers were brought over by boat what made them legal?

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

KEN hUDSON fLORIDA — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:53:52 GMT

with the passing of castro and maybe his brother this island gov may return to the rest of the real world.
When I was yonger my father and me would fly in and out of cuba -this place has a lot to offer to the world-

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

stop the invasion — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:26:55 GMT

I, along with many other people are sick of every hard luck story hopping on a boat or wading across a river to come here. There are plenty of poor people already in this country and we sure don't need any more. These parasites from Cuba who should be grateful have instead transformed once beautiful Miami into virtual third world nation where if you don't speak spanish you are pretty much helpless. Is that really what we want? If Cuba is so bad the people of Cuba should do something to fix it, along with the people in all these other sewage pits such as Mexico and everything south. Instead of fixing their own countries they come to leach off of ours rapidly destroying our way of life. Georgia already has severe water shortages and this is only exacerbated by continued population growth. To all you poor, huddled, and ignorant masses: Don't go away mad, just go away!

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Alan T., Montreal — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:39:15 GMT

The Americans must be very proud of all the hardships they have placed on the small country of Cuba. History will hopefully be kinder to the Anericans then the Americans have been to the world.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Hadrian Dailey, New York — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:45:00 GMT

Perhaps we should just help them continue on their journey to Canada since there are so many Canadians ready to condemn the United States about this. Let Canada take care of them.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Guy S. Newell — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:00:34 GMT

Don't they teach any history in the liberal schools? Our policy with regards to Cuba was established by a Democrat. His name was Kennedy. We don't make the economic policies for Cuba. Castro does that. Trying to pin this on the American people or our policies is really a stretch. Blaming this on President Bush, the only president in the last 16 years to put American first in all his thinking is just plain silly.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

The United States of Who? — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:04:32 GMT

Here's a question. Why do we spend untold amounts of resources investing in foreign countries, caring for their sick, their hungry, and their problems. There are many areas in our own country where there is poverty, hunger, and the sick. What about them. What about our problems, our health care crisis, energy crisis, housing cost crisis'. If our government officials spent the time they spend trying to keep their own agendas on focusing resources on our own domestic catastrophies, we would be much better off. The appearance of our prosperity is a deception. We are brainwashed into believing that we live in the greatest country on Earth. As we discovered on September 11, 2001, we have long since disolved our borders and let sway our defenses. Now we build a wall, too many years too late. We put security at our harbors and airports where it should have been all along. It is too late. Our country's borders have already been overrun, invaded by an unarmed army of individuals from a country that didn't want them. They took a system by storm designed to assist our needy, and now they drain the pockets of hard working Americans to support a growing population of people who feel they have a God given right to persue rights that were not given to them by our forefathers. The authors of our beloved constitution did not promise "Life, Liberty, and Happiness" to illegal immigrants. Instead of rising up and creating prosperity in there own country, it seems that it was easier to come here and steal ours, steal our dreams, our jobs, and our money to pay for their families. They steal our money to pay for their family's healthcare when many of us have little or none of our own. Yet they protest that they have a "right" to be here. How dare they! Though our county still bears it's name, The United States of America, it has all but become a battleground. Where has the United States of America gone?

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

John Doe, Washington, DC — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:28:05 GMT

I know first hand of the dangers and perils the men, women and children of Cuba face. I was priviledged to work with them and help them get into the US from Guantanamo Bay.
Many are beaten, shot at, tortured, jailed and some even killed while attempting to flee the oppresive regime of Castro.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

R. Martinez — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:40:35 GMT

Cubans are probably the most successful group to come to the United States. Miami is a booming economic force and has a great character because Cubans came and actually worked and made something of themselves. Cubans also have never marched around the US waving the Cuban flag and making fools of themselves like other groups. Cubans for the most part are proud of their new country and many will never go back to Cuba even if it becomes free. Cubans appreciate what the United States can do for them because they understand what tyranny and oppression truly is.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Sick of the ignorance — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:51:41 GMT

To those who ask why we haven't invaded Cuba to help the people as we did in Iraq: THERE IS NO OIL!!! I can't believe some of you are still fooled into thinking that we invaded Iraq on the premise of finding WMD! If that was the case, we would have been out years ago. As far as Bush sees it, Cuba has nothing to offer us, so why help? As for the response from "stop the invasion", I find it very comforting to know that you live far away from me. I hope someday you find that due to circumstances out of your control, you are forced to ask someone for help. If they have any sense, they will tell you not to go away mad, just to go away. Unfortunately, yours is the mentality of too many people today. Instead of finding a way to help, just pass the buck!

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Aaron, Arkadelphia, Arkansas — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:14:24 GMT

Americans sure have been harsh to the world...we provide over half of the total food aid, and don't forget about the Marshall plan...terrible, simply awful. The Austrian chancellor stated several years ago that Europe would still be like a third-world country if the Americans had not intervened; that if any country deserves the benefit of the doubt, America does. Europeans would be speaking Russian, and don't forget about freeing France from foreign rule twice in one century. Americans are the most charitable people in the world, and that goes across socio-economic status lines. Even our poor give to the rest of the world. The world is a better place because of America and Americans, though we are admittedly not without fault.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Wade Roberts — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:31:26 GMT

It is against the law for most U.S. citizens to go to Cuba, even for a visit, without authorization from the federal government. Your boat, plane or any other conceivable form of transportation will be confiscated and you can be fined and or imprisoned for so much as considering let alone actually beginning a journey to Cuba from the land of the free.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

James Hall — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:37:40 GMT

My ancestors came to America on a ship;a slave ship.The Cubans get a free pass once they reach dry land.Mexicans who jump the fence and are caught are sent back to Mexico.The Cubans are white and the Mexicans are not.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Paul, Dorset, UK — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:16:29 GMT

Ok, America has immigration from Cuba and Mexico.
Great Britain and the Commonwealth, once controlled a third of the Globe We have been chipped away at given our appologise to nations for things that happened from several Decades to Centuries ago, and have a Serious Issue with The expanding Borders of Europe, We are receiving hundreds of thousands of Legal Immigrants a year and Many more Illegal ones on top of that, from the baltic states, ex soviet controlled countries, the UK is Tiny in comparrison to the US agreed, yet we still have the same number of immigrants regularly flocking to our small island, Our economy is suffering, our Housse prices are outragous, the cost for a simple 3 Bedroom house in the South ranges from 180,000 to 300,000 Pounds or in American terms based on the current Exchange rate of 2 to 1 $360,000 to $600,000 the average wage in the south is 25,000 or $50,000 roughly. The government has a HUGE problem on its hands with Economic Refugees those people that seek refuge just for economic benefit every country that offers benefits of anykind will suffer, The problem has come from such institutions as Human Rights saying its unfair that we close our borders to those in need, they need our help, agreed, but not in our countries, they need help we will help them in their country, they need Medicines we can send them out there with the doctors. to supply it to them.
One final thing with regards to
"Aaron, Arkadelphia, Arkansas"
Not all Europeans would be speaking Russian,

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

mark oklahoma,oklahoma city — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:17:05 GMT

hey Steve Ortega,
maybe the fact of the matter is these other groups are not marching on the u.s by the thousands and waving there flag in our face and demanding the u.s to not enforce its laws on illegals.when was the last time you seen one country invade another,break the laws and be disrespectfull to its people wave your flag in victory and still be welcomed? the problem is you folks claim how you just want a better life for your family here in the u.s and how bad mexico is.but yet you trash americans and tell us to get out of the u.s. that we are the illegals.why do you think millions of americans are starting to dislike mexico? maybe because mexico does not like americans.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Oscar Madison, New York, New York — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:18:11 GMT

In response to Steve Ortega, Cubans that arrive to the United States are allowed to stay due to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. There are plenty of Mexican drug cartels operating just south of the California border, however, I'm not aware of any operating Cuban Drug cartels. Please enlighten us by providing solid proof, not hysterics. Mexicans do not cross into their country, they cross into the United States (US). True, a portion of the US once did belong to Mexico but that is no longer the case. If that makes Mexicans angry, don't blame Americans, blame your Mexican ancestors that lost the Mexican-American War. Since the formation of the US, many nationalities of different races have followed the proper legal channels and have LEGALLY immigrated to this great nation. Haven't you heard of Ellis Island? Mexican is a nationality, not a race. Do yourself the favor of learning the difference.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

dgs — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:19:25 GMT

and Michael More and the looney left still look to Cuba as a role model. Hmm, wondmer why no one is trying to break in to there but tons are trying to get out?

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Bev S, Carson, CA — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:26:02 GMT

Rather than invade Cuba, I think the embargos should be lifted and trade encouraged. We are responsible for keeping these people impoverished. We're not even allowed to visit. Trade rather than bombs is a much better solution.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

John Doe, San Francisco — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:43:01 GMT

Why doesn't the US lift the embargo and we'l see how people can be successful in Cuba?

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

B.Ramos — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:44:45 GMT

I have read all the blogs here, I will say that I agree and disagree with some of them. However, the one and only that I agree the must with is the one written by Aaron from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. We as Americans are criticized by everybody and most countries, but as he stated we are the one country that does the most for every other country.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

William — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:57:37 GMT

I love cuban people they are loving, heartwarming and human, they are loud, one characteristic that set them apart and they make the US a culturally rich nation. However I disagree that cubans do not parade the Cuban flag around in demostrations. They should be and are proud of their heritage, it is the people that makes the country not the regime. If cuba has succeeded all these years is because of the strong will of the people. by the way I am not cuban but i am hispanic in origin

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Jdt, Everett, Wa — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:26:53 GMT

Hey "Who", why do you think those jobs have gone west,and east and south? We live in a corporate oligarchy, not a democratic republic. We wouldn't have any problem with helping these folks if all the non-burger-king jobs were still here in the country. Right now I'm working for a company that works for a company that works for the "Titanic Aircraft Co." north of the coffee capital of the world, in one of the engineering buildings, and I can tell ya, english is a second language in here. Oh, and by the way, the company that owns my company is French. Welcome to globalization, the new Gilded Age. Betcha ya used to grouse about unions about ten years ago.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Jaime Delgado — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:41:08 GMT

I'm Cuban, and the voyage is a living hell. I have helped cubans coming in from the coast of Florida they arrive sunburned, starving, and dying. Cuba is full of myths, for example a health care system that is not existent for Cuban citizens,low crime rate yet killings in bad neighborhoods are a regular occurrences, oh yea cant forget always being watched. If you dont think that always having an eye on your back is not torture have someone stare at you for 15 minutes and see how you feel.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Drew M. Seattle, WA — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:35:19 GMT

America is a land of immigrants. It's interesting to me that some people in this thread can conveniently forget that our ancestors committed genocide on a massive scale and stole our land from the Native Americans, but rant incessantly about the refugees who are "stealing" our jobs.

And what kind of jobs are they stealing? Most of the illegal immigrants I see spend their days outside Home Depot in the hopes that some busy homeowner will pay them a few dollars to do some yardwork. Frankly, I'm not concerned at all about someone who doesn't speak English, has no ligitimate job history or higher education credentials stealing my job. If they want to mow somebody's lawn and rake some leaves for fifty bucks, go for it because I'm sure not going to.

Perhaps those worried about losing their jobs to Cubans, Mexicans, or any other "illegals" should utilize the numerous opportunities for self-improvement available to us in this great country, stop spending their time blogging and learn some new skills so that they aren't competing for minimum wage positions.

Instead of fighting immigration, why not get creative about it and find a way to turn these just-off-the-boaters into an affordable labor force? If we were to invest in ways to integrate these people into the American economy instead of spending countless billions on Coast Guard patrols and thousand-mile fences, maybe we'd find them valuable and useful participants in the creation of a stable, long-term economy.

America is not an impenetrable fortress that can afford to ignore the rest of the world's problems, as 9/11 demonstrated. If we keep on the way we are, refusing to adapt to a changing world and continuing to wall-off our borders, we might just find down the road that we've built ourselves into a prison that no outsider wants to visit, and whose inhabitants can't afford to leave.

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Richard, Atlanta, Georgia — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:05:30 GMT

Please, Brainless Bush...... end the embargo...it causes endless suffering of all the Cuban people, especially the children and aged. Let the Cuban people go, let them live their own lives, enjoy their own culture, allow travel and family contact.....

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

dr mario diaz miami fl 33193 — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:13:09 GMT

these cuban coast guard you interview in cuba are those who,sunked a lot of raft,boats even a tugboat escaping fron the island with more than 30 childrens aboard ,in total these HEROES you interview had sunk thousands of escaping cubans hundres of kids,i never heard of remolcador 13 de marzo massacre done by this HEROES of yours ,i dont understand if this video is plain stupid or evil support ,shame on you dr mario diaz

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

dr mario diaz miami fl — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:20:54 GMT

why dont you dare to display it ,where is your freedom of information ,dont worry the cuban dictatorial goverment will denay your permit in any moment you dont continue to support this regime ,i will display this comment and your answer in a very popular free cuban blog SECRETOS CUBA.com,i suggest you to enter in it to learn a litle mora about what the communism it is and who to managed the truth

Desperate times lead Cubans to desperate journeys

Rafael, Vancouver, British Coulmbia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:22:03 GMT

I guess Mr. Ortega from Roswell is not well informed. Cubans don't bring drugs into the US (at least not the ones that escape from the island). They certainly do bring a willingness to work and to become proud and productive members of the American people. And they can't just cross a river or jump a fence. They have to take leaps of faith to jump on an inner tube into the Florida Strait. It's a shame that another latin coming from another poor country, maybe with more resources (but still Third World, or why are mexicans crossing over) would express himself that way. Shame on you mi socio!!!