President Donald Trump's Final Days...

[LaughingBoy]

Originally Posted by DonaldJTrump

Can someone, any one on the Left tell me why the Paris Accord is so important for the US? Or why the travel ban of countries picked by the Obama Administration is a bad idea with what is currently happening in the world?

[diamelsx]

President Trump on Friday rolled back some, but not all, of his predecessor’s historic opening to Cuba, making it more difficult to travel to and do business with the Communist-ruled island.

In a speech in Miami, during which he greeted Cuban dissidents and denounced the Cuban regime, Trump said Cuban rulers were profiting from better relations with Washington but that ordinary Cuban citizens continued to be repressed.

"The previous administration's easing of restrictions on travel and trade does not help the Cuban people, they only enrich the Cuban regime," he said.

The result has been "only more repression."

"I am canceling the previous administration's completely one-sided deal," he declared.

Trump's actions will restrict the ways U.S. citizens can travel to Cuba and block business deals by American companies that might give revenue to the Cuban military.
source

[bombermouse]

The United States' policy former towards Cuba had been in effect for over 50 years without producing the desired effect or any noticeable movement in that direction. Obviously we should scrap the new approach before we see how it goes and assume that another 50 years or so of the old policy is the answer.

[BustyWomenLovr]

If he is going to restrict trade with Cuba, do it all the way. The Cubans in Florida (Few consider themselves Americans) are the ones keeping the regime alive. They all send money to their extended families "but it is only to help my family" B.S. Either open trade all the way, or shut the tap off entirely. Cutting off the money flow will be painful in the short term, but if they want the Castros out, then do it. That family money has been propping up that regime far too long.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by BustyEscortLovr

If he is going to restrict trade with Cuba, do it all the way. The Cubans in Florida (Few consider themselves Americans) are the ones keeping the regime alive. They all send money to their extended families "but it is only to help my family" B.S. Either open trade all the way, or shut the tap off entirely. Cutting off the money flow will be painful in the short term, but if they want the Castros out, then do it. That family money has been propping up that regime far too long.

Why is the American government to be deciding who is allowed to be in charge in Cuba? On what basis are the American government (or the American people for that matter) even allowed to have an opinion concerning who is to govern Cuba? Surely this is a matter for the Cuban people to settle.

[movieman88]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

Why is the American government to be deciding who is allowed to be in charge in Cuba? On what basis are the American government (or the American people for that matter) even allowed to have an opinion concerning who is to govern Cuba? Surely this is a matter for the Cuban people to settle.

1 - We have the power to & so the moral responsibility to use it to aid those in need.
2 - The Cuban people don't have the resources to overthrow the dictator on their own.
3 - Cuba's proximity to America makes its evil & malice towards us a valid concern for our own citizens besides just the Cuban people.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by movieman88

1 - We have the power to & so the moral responsibility to use it to aid those in need.
2 - The Cuban people don't have the resources to overthrow the dictator on their own.
3 - Cuba's proximity to America makes its evil & malice towards us a valid concern for our own citizens besides just the Cuban people.

I very specifically deny that the American people have any moral authority to depose the government of Cuba. I also very strongly doubt that that there is any intention to do anything out of desire to aid the Cuban people. The Cuban people are an independent nation and this is an important principle in international law. Presumably the US does not intend to set everyone free who is presently living in a dictatorship, for example in Saudi Arabia or in Egypt? I would not recommend it. Experience in Iraq and Syria and Libya (for which Britain and France rather then the USA are mainly to blame) tells us that these interventions make the lives of ordinary people much worse than they were beforehand.

If the Cuban people cannot or will not change their government, this is not anyone else's problem. I strongly recommend that they are left to it.

America is bigger and stronger than Cuba. You are not under any serious threat from the Cubans as long as they do not arm themselves with ICBMs or allow Russia to station ICBMs on their soil. If you can show that they have committed hostile acts, this is a different matter. But lets not mince our words. The CIA repeatedly attempted to murder Fidel Castro: they once even poisoned his toothpaste, only to find out that he didn't brush his teeth. If mounting secret service operations to murder the head of state of a neighbour is not an evil and malicious act, I wonder what is. Perhaps if the USA refrained from gratuitous acts of hostility a more constructive relationship could be developed over time.

You may gather that I have an extremely dim view of decades of American foreign policy towards Cuba. It is illegal and IMHO rather heinous.

Incidentally the infamous Helms-Burton Act to impose economic sanctions on other countries for the "crime" of trading with Cuba fucked a lot of people off in Europe. That was illegal. Britain has passed legislation which allows British courts to seize the assets of any US citizen or corporation who brings an action against a British company under the Helms Burton Act.

[movieman88]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

1- I would not recommend it. Experience in Iraq and Syria and Libya (for which Britain and France rather then the USA are mainly to blame) tells us that these interventions make the lives of ordinary people much worse than they were beforehand.

2 - The CIA repeatedly attempted to murder Fidel Castro: they once even poisoned his toothpaste, only to find out that he didn't brush his teeth. If mounting secret service operations to murder the head of state of a neighbour is not an evil and malicious act

1 - It didn't work in those middle eastern countries because the religion & terrorism were still present & will never stop or be appeased. Cuba has no such problem. Once the dictator is out they could transfer to a non murderous government & live in peace just like South Korea has.

2 - There Is nothing evil about killing a genocidal fucking monster who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people.

[Vaxter]

Originally Posted by movieman88

2 - There Is nothing evil about killing a genocidal fucking monster who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people.

Those are the people Trump likes best:

"He's running his country and at least he's a leader, you know, unlike what we have in this country," Trump said. "I think our country does plenty of killing, also."

When asked last October if he believed the Middle East would be better today if Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein were still in power, the outspoken Republican said, "100 percent" and that "it's not even a contest."

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by movieman88

1 - It didn't work in those middle eastern countries because the religion & terrorism were still present & will never stop or be appeased. Cuba has no such problem. Once the dictator is out they could transfer to a non murderous government & live in peace just like South Korea has.

2 - There Is nothing evil about killing a genocidal fucking monster who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people.

Actually, unless you declare war first or have suffered an act of war and are retaliating, then killing a foreign head of state is in fact murder. Last time I checked, God told us not to do that.