Las Vegas.
-
soapbox original gangster — 2 months ago(January 18, 2026 03:07 PM)
What's America's beef with Cuba.
80 years ago, Fidel overthrew the existing government, nationalized industry, expropriated land and private property, imposed dictatorship of the communist vanguard: in short, typical textbook operation of any tyrant. hundreds of thousands of cubans fled to US, mostly in Miami and surrounding counties. Starting with JFK, US tried to remove Castro, first with failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and then over the decades with other equally failed attempts at removing Castro.
My take is
NOT
that cuba poses any military threat or even economic threat to the US
BUT
that cuba posed and continues to pose a
political embarrassment threat to US pride and image.
once tghese military failures set in and policy makers realized that Fidel was a nasty, permanent, and irritating geopolitical pimple on Uncle Sam's ass, the official position of the US was a near-total economic embargo, covering virtually all goods and services.
to my understanding,
Obama
relaxed some of the travel restrictions and the ONEROUS pre-travel obstacle course which potential visitors had to successfully complete in order just to APPLY for travel authorization.
Trump
, of course, reversed this and imposed or reimposed the existing difficult restrictions. I dont know what Biden did, since, i have now learned, Biden took over 500 days of " vacation" while in office, and probably didnt care to address the Cuban problem.
americans CAN visit cuba, BUT their travel must be arranged and approved; and, the travel must FURTHER some program of educational study or enrichment; and, any american who goes to cuba MUST keep detailed records accounting for all the person's movemnets, places, names, etc. This is what i meant by " unrestricted" freedom to visit. I want to surf;I want to enjoy some sunrises and sunsets on a cuban beach; i want to drink some authentic Cuban rum; i want to drool on my arm as i touch all the classic american cars frozen in time due to the embargo; and i just want to have the opportunity to be a tourist.
specifically, it is my reading that US federal law
prohibits
any american/national
from spending US money in Cuba
. Question: if I go to Toronto and convert my dollars into Loons, fly to Habana from Canada, and spend Canadian money in Cuba, have I violated the law?? As long as I can get my cuban spanish up to code and ask/bribe nicely the cuban customs official and IMPLORE him/her NOT to stamp my passport with an entry/exit mark, can I travel to Cuba?
i gave this a lot of thought 10 years ago. i think the dollars into foreign currency gambit is legal; but ALL us passports have geo-locator chips in them, so even if the cubans dont stamp the passport, an rfid reader would instantly show where i had been. BUSTED. -
Clever Hans — 2 months ago(January 17, 2026 03:03 AM)
Unrestricted travel to Cuba. Unless you have family, it's not possible to go to Cuba without restrictions and close monitoring by us agencies.
When Cuba gets with the program and establishes their central bank, you'll start getting your unrestricted travel. -
soapbox original gangster — 2 months ago(January 18, 2026 03:28 PM)
I have a list as long as my arm ranging from
bora bora to nyc
I also wanna visit sydney but I don't think I'd cope with all the
huntsmen
.- BB: been there; more like Boring boring
- NYC: as of right now, my Priceline account shows the cheapest hotel/flight package from LONDON to NYC with one room/ one person in a
4-star hotel
at
$2562,
which is WAY less when termed in UK funny money. Property is Paramount Hotel Times Square. next cheapest in cost is 32 32 Hotel at
$2682
. This is at 32nd street, near empire state building and penn station. Dates of travel stay are 4 May to 12 May. You would arrive same day. Yes, one can get from JFK terminal to midtown manhattan, BUT in my opinion only a person who wants to get robbed or worse would ever get on a NYC subway with a suitcase; so take an uber. obviously, i have NO idea where you live so London may actually be more expensive than your nearest international airport. Bon Voyage! - Who or what is a Sydney Huntsmen?