The USS Vandenberg has arrived in Key West and is now snugly berthed at the Truman Waterfront.
An op-ed column written by President Barrack Obama appeared in newspapers across the Carribean, Latin American, and the US. "Choosing a Better Future in the Americas", reaches out to regional nations - suggesting the upcoming Summit of the Americas is a new beginning.As we approach the Summit of the Americas, our hemisphere is faced with a clear choice. We can overcome our shared challenges with a sense of common purpose, or we can stay mired in the old debates of the past. For the sake of all our people, we must choose the future.
Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security.
In advance of the Summit, we have begun to move in a new direction. This week, we amended a Cuba policy that has failed for decades to advance liberty or opportunity for the Cuban people. In particular, the refusal to allow Cuban Americans to visit or provide resources to their families on the island made no sense - particularly after years of economic hardship in Cuba, and the devastating hurricanes that took place last year. Now, that policy has changed.
The U.S.-Cuba relationship is one example of a debate in the Americas that is too often dragged back to the 20th century. To confront our economic crisis, we don't need a debate about whether to have a rigid, state-run economy or unbridled and unregulated capitalism - we need pragmatic and responsible action that advances our common prosperity. To combat lawlessness and violence, we don't need a debate about whether to blame right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents - we need practical cooperation to expand our common security.
We must choose the future over the past, because we know that the future holds enormous opportunities if we work together. That is why leaders from Santiago to Brasilia to Mexico City are focused on a renewed partnership of the Americas that makes progress on fundamental issues like economic recovery, energy, and security.
There is no time to lose. The global economic crisis has hit the Americas hard, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Years of progress in combating poverty and inequality hangs in the balance. The United States is working to advance prosperity in the hemisphere by jumpstarting our own recovery. In doing so, we will help spur trade, investment, remittances, and tourism that provides a broader base for prosperity in the hemisphere.
We also need collective action. At the recent G-20 Summit, the United States pledged to seek nearly half a billion dollars in immediate assistance for vulnerable populations, while working with our G-20 partners to set aside substantial resources to help countries through difficult times. We have called upon the Inter-American Development Bank to maximize lending to restart the flow of credit, and stand ready to examine the needs and capacity of the IDB going forward. And we are working to put in place tough, clear 21st century rules of the road to prevent the abuses that caused the current crisis.
While we confront this crisis, we must build a new foundation for long-term prosperity. One area that holds out enormous promise is energy. Our hemisphere has bountiful natural resources that could make renewable energy plentiful and sustainable, while creating jobs for our people. In the process, we can confront climate change that threatens rising sea levels in the Caribbean, diminishing glaciers in the Andes, and powerful storms on the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Together, we have both the responsibility to act, and the opportunity to leave behind a legacy of greater prosperity and security. That is why I look forward to pursuing a new Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas that will help us learn from one another, share technologies, leverage investment, and maximize our comparative advantage.
Just as we advance our common prosperity, we must advance our common security. Too many in our hemisphere are forced to live in fear. That is why the United States will strongly support respect for the rule of law, better law enforcement, and stronger judicial institutions.
Security for our citizens must be advanced through our commitment to partner with those who are courageously battling drug cartels, gangs and other criminal networks throughout the Americas. Our efforts start at home. By reducing demand for drugs and curtailing the illegal flow of weapons and bulk cash south across our border, we can advance security in the United States and beyond. And going forward, we will sustain a lasting dialogue in the hemisphere to ensure that we are building on best practices, adapting to new threats, and coordinating our efforts.
Finally, the Summit gives every democratically-elected leader in the Americas the opportunity to reaffirm our shared values. Each of our countries has pursued its own democratic journey, but we must be joined together in our commitment to liberty, equality, and human rights. That is why I look forward to the day when every country in the hemisphere can take its seat at the table consistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter. And just as the United States seeks that goal in reaching out to the Cuban people, we expect all of our friends in the hemisphere to join together in supporting liberty, equality, and human rights for all Cubans.
This Summit offers the opportunity of a new beginning. Advancing prosperity, security and liberty for the people of the Americas depends upon 21st century partnerships, freed from the posturing of the past. That is the leadership and partnership that the United States stands ready to provide.
Tomorrow the much anticipated Summit of the Americas gets underway. Much more Cuba talk should dominate the media manana and over the weekend.
(Now that Cuban-Americans have unlimited travel rights to Cuba, it is only a matter of time before all US citizens have equality and can freely travel.)
Nearly every day another aspect of the Monique Acevedo scandal is revealed. You can't help but think of Blagojovitch - the disgraced impeached senator from Ilinois, indicted for abusing nearly every aspect of his high office.
Philadepia Daily news writer Patty-Pat Kozlowski recently published an opinion column titled "10 reasons Philly tops Key West".
Less than two weeks after my prediction that the Cuba Embargo Ends This Year a bill was introduced by Rep. William Delahunt [D-MA] into Congress calling for the end of travel restrictions to or from Cuba.SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act’.SEC. 2. TRAVEL TO CUBA.
On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, and subject to section 3-- (1) the President may not regulate or prohibit, directly or indirectly, travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such
travel; and(2) any regulation in effect on such date of enactment that regulates or prohibits travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to ave any force or effect.SEC. 3. EXCEPTIONS.
Section 2 shall not apply in a case in which the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of United States travelers.SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY.
This Act applies to actions taken by the President before the date of the enactment of
this Act that are in effect on such date of enactment, and to actions taken on or after such date.SEC. 5. INAPPLICABILITY OF OTHER PROVISIONS.
The provisions of this Act apply notwithstanding section 102(h) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (22 U.S.C. 6032(h)) and section
910(b) of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7210(b)).
Currently H.R. 874 has been referred to the House Foriegn Affairs committee.
Meanwhile, another bill currently in the House Agriculture committee, H.R. 188, introduced by Rep. José Serrano [D-NY] and titled the "Cuba Reconciliation Act", goes much further than lifting travel restrictions. The Cuba Reconciliation Act:
- Removes restrictions of trade and other relations with Cuba, including the repeal the embargo act of 1961, ending the Trading With the Enemy Act with respect to Cuba, allowing for exports to Cuba, repeals the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, and the removal of other acts and provisions that restricted trade and relations with Cuba.
-Allows telecommunications carriers to install, maintain, and repair telecommunications equipment in Cuba, and provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba.
-Removes travel restrictions to and from Cuba - including allowing transactions incidental to travel.
-Instructs the US Postal Service to begin direct mail service to and from Cuba.
Similar bills have been introduced to Congress during the past 5 years - all of them "died" in committee.
The Cuba embargo has been an injustice to the citizens of Cuba and the United States. It is time for this counter-productive policy to end. Call, write, or email your Congressional representitive and let them know you support this bill. (Click here to find your representitive)
To keep track of the progress of this bill in Congress, below is the bill's status (which will be automatically updated):
The Langerado Music Festival, the largest music festival in South Florida, has been cancelled.It’s not the economy - this was a piss poor excuse for a show attempting to draw the masses. Look at last year’s lineup - REM, Beastie Boys, The Roots, Phil Lesh… - does it even compare? I mean, I’m a fan of a lot of the bands that were supposed to play this year, but they keep moving the show every year and, well, is Death Cab really headliner worthy? Snoop is still awesome but, uh, seriously?
A sluggish economy means people won’t spend money on something they’re lukewarm on. Sometimes a mediocre (or at least disappointing) product is the reason people won’t pay.
