Bush stern warning to Cuba. Another Castro is unacceptable.

[Lanya]

"The more foolish we look and act the more we lose"

Bless those women!  Imagine, walking in Bible lands.  I would love to see Ur, and many places I've only read about in the Bible.

[Amianthus]

I didn't realize we were using a few select photos limited to a specific, and small region, to represent worldwide sentiment.

I remember seeing photos like that that came from Europe, Micronesia, the Philippines, and other places as well as the middle East. Care to define "small region"?

[_JS]

I didn't realize we were using a few select photos limited to a specific, and small region, to represent worldwide sentiment.

I remember seeing photos like that that came from Europe, Micronesia, the Philippines, and other places as well as the middle East. Care to define "small region"?

Micronesia surely qualifies.

So your thesis is that the world was rather happy about 9/11?

[Amianthus]

Micronesia surely qualifies.

And yet, there were photos from areas outside that "small region" - so it was hardly limited to a "small region."

So your thesis is that the world was rather happy about 9/11?

No; I was pointing out that not all the world was united in sympathy with the US, as was claimed.

[_JS]

Lanya's words were:

We had lots of respect after 9/11

That seems a fairly accurate claim, despite your Micronesian photo. I don't think she was claiming that there was universal sympathy for the US down to every man, woman, and child.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Micronesia is not a small region. It is an IMMENSE region. Try swimming from Vanuatu to Chuuk, and you will appreciate this. The thing is that most of it is water. The land area and the population is very small.

Micronesia is very dependent on the US for everything. For them, it's either be nice to the US or live on coconuts and fish. They used to live on coconuts and fish, but they have tasted Spam and listened to their stereos and cannot live without a hearty dose of US culture.

[Amianthus]

That seems a fairly accurate claim, despite your Micronesian photo. I don't think she was claiming that there was universal sympathy for the US down to every man, woman, and child.

And my claim is that we had little respect before or after 9/11. Photos were not all that I mentioned; there were a large number of editorials throughout the world claiming that America brought on 9/11. Add to that the conspiracy theories, etc.

[_JS]

That doesn't seem a very scientific viewpoint Ami.

There were a lot of editorials and government's extending sympathies on 9/11 and shortly thereafter.

[Amianthus]

That doesn't seem a very scientific viewpoint Ami.

The original claim was not scientific. Why should my response be?

[Plane]

I think Bush is wrong in this.

Half of Cuba is in the US after decades of a selection process in which supporters of Castro stay and those that do not love Castro leave.

Unless there is a right of return, there is no anti-Castro  Cuba to support.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Half of Cuba is in the US after decades of a selection process in which supporters of Castro stay and those that do not love Castro leave.

Unless there is a right of return, there is no anti-Castro  Cuba to support.

=================================================
There are about 11 million people in Cuba, and about 1,200,000 Cubans in the US. Some came here for [political reasons, others for economic ones, and many more just to be with family. That is a lot less than half that are here.

Castro is exceptionally clever. He knows that successful rebellions in Cuba have always originated among dissatisfied young middle class men like him, from Oriente province, with support among the university students in Havana.

He allows these young men to escape. Within a year or two, those not eaten by sharks have knocked up some chick here in Miami and have car payments to make and will never threaten his rule again.

There is a right of return. Any Cuban that comes to the Us has a right to go back. The catch is that the Castro government takes away the work papers one needs to get a job, so those who return have to depend on themselves or others to feed and house them.

Every Cuban, including those to go to the US and return, has a right to medical care, dental care and eyeglasses for free.

They are treated lots better than Palestinians booted out of Israel.

The most prosperous Latin American nation on the planet, measured by Gross Per Capita income, is Puerto Rico. Almost half of all Puerto Ricans live in the US, and all but a quarter live in the US for a year or more. So one could argue that Communism on a tropical island is less of a reason to flee from said island than Capitalism.

Of course, it's a lot more complex than that.

 Spain has the least visible poverty of any Hispanic nation I have visited. Miami has worse slums and more beggars than Madrid or Barcelona. Spain is a moderately Socialist  Democratic Constitutional Monarchy affiliated with the EC.

Public transportation in Spain is awesome. Clean and fast, and not too expensive.

[Michael Tee]

<<We had lots of respect after 9/11 and very little now.    It can go lower, though.  The more foolish we look and act the more we lose. >>

I would say generally that is true.  Polls taken in Canada and Western Europe make it very clear.

XO had the right idea generally, but personally (and more realistically,) I would love to see the day when CHINA can say to the U.S.A. :  "Stern Warning: Another Bush Is Unacceptable."  That day is coming, alright, I just don't know when.  But it will be beautiful when it happens.