Tuesday, November 20, 2007

In About 360 Miles, I'd Reach The Beach

Cuba Flag animated

Is the freedom of Americans
more important than the freedoms of other human beings?

According to some Congressman debating the embargo against Communist Cuba on C-Span last night, yes, the freedom of American residents and citizens is what's most important. He kept bringing up over and freaking over the fact that the U.S. government does not allow Cuban citizens to travel back to Cuba more than once every three years, and that regular citizens can't go at all. That freedom is being withheld from us.

But the schmuck Democrat Representative McGovern barely addressed the fact that Cuban citizens are essentially prisoners on their island. People opposing the government -- they're prisoners in jail.

McGovern seemed more concerned with the rights of Americans rather than his fellow human beings who have very little rights whatsoever. I think he said it's not for the U.S. government to judge how the Cuban government treat their citizens... or some lunacy like that.

On the one hand, the embargo is a bad thing because if we were allowed to go there we could speak to Cuban citizens to our hearts delights about FREEDOM and they could have a PROPER REVOLUTION against the Communist government who keeps them (basically) in chains. But on the other hand, Communist Cuba has in the past sponsored terrorism and if the embargo was lifted, they'd have billions of dollars flowing into THE GOVERNMENT and not necessarily to the people -- what exactly would they do with that money? They are already best buds with that Socialist jerkwad Hugo Chavez and I bet Ahmadinejad wouldn't mind being a nice little part of that threesome, as well. Iranian nukes linked with Cuba so close to the United States? That may be far-fetched but is it seriously without a shadow of a doubt not a possibility?

The embargo does not hurt the Cuban people. They have what they need to survive. It's their repressive Communist government that hurts their people. If Bush is considered a "dictator" by some, then what exactly the hell is Castro? A nice man looking out for his people? They can't buy a nicer home. They can't just go buy a car. They can't buy certain foods because the government hordes them for themselves, for resorts serving Canadian and Spanish visitors, and for overseas trade. They can't just open a business in order to thrive better than they live now. They can't travel to Cancun or Mexico City, to Chicago or London or Montreal. They have no free media. They have no free voice. If you tell your friend that you hate Castro but your friend loves Castro and he tells an official what you said, you will go to prison. Last time I checked, that doesn't happen in the United States of America. People bitch and complain about Bush "shredding the Constitution" and how our rights are being thrown out the window. Give me a break. Seriously, come on, we are WAY above and beyond much freer than Communist Cuba. There the government works to control every aspect of peoples lives. It might seem like that here sometimes but when you look into it it's easy to see that in Cuba, citizens have very few human rights at all. Why is that okay? It's not. But it's America who's the bad guy? Look, it's not the United States who makes Cuba maintain a totalitarian police state. We're not controlling them and making them do that. That's under their own command.

Cuban citizens are prisoners but it's the freedom of Americans that certain politicians are concerned most about? What the hell?

Damn I hate life sometimes. It's so easy to understand how ignorant Americans can go about their Happy Go Lucky lives not caring about such things because they'll have no sadness about such matters. What they don't see, what they don't know about, what's the problem then? Not for them to worry about.

What if it was you who wanted to escape Communist Cuba to have a better life? Wouldn't you want others to give a damn and try to help you out somehow?

This should be its own post. Easily I could do 3,000 words on this subject because it bothers the hell out of me... and it should bother the hell out of everyone.

Che Guevara was a murderous piece of shit

Man, all I wanted to do this a.m. was say: this morning I went for a run... OUTSIDE... as it's rather warm today...

The North Face trail running shoe -- good for use in the Appalachian Mountains ... but seriously, they are rather small compared to the Rocky Mountains ... Sierra Nevada are sweet, too.  Would definitely use 'em in the Alps, that's for sure.  One thing's for sure -- Jerry Garcia or Bob Weir or Phil Lesh probably never went running on January 1st.  Why January 1st?  Just seems like a day that makes the most sense.  Maybe Christmas.
· Run Time -- 13 minutes 33 seconds (+0:17)

· 25° F (-4 celcius) -- overcast, but 25 is now considered kinda warm!

· Total Running Time for November -- 1 hour 50 min 32 sec
______________________October --- ______57 min 06 sec
____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 9 lb.

Yeah, once again: it was warm! It's like 16 or 17 degrees ABOVE average right now. When i looked at the thermometer I had to a do that classic double take to make sure it really said what I thunk it said.

I was mentally prepared to head on over to the Rec Center again... as I would for every run between now and about March... but with this temp I decided on hitting the trail.

Fresh snowfall in the past few days made it nice and soft. What a contrast to the hard running surface indoors. I added 17 seconds onto my run and if the day before yesterday was a 5 on the 0 to 10 Easy Scale, today was about a 7 -- relatively a piece o' cake. Adding on slowly is working just fine for me. I'm looking forward to 20 minutes but I'm in no rush to get there. Just wanna make sure I progress nice & steadily as well as easily.

I won't count on any more warm days. Today may've been just a fluke. Back to the gym tomorrow!

3 running tunes from my morning music...


The Fixx

Reach The Beach

1983







One Thing Leads To Another
The Sign Of Fire
Running
Saved By Zero
Opinions
Reach The Beach
Changing
Liner
Privilege
Outside

Mmm, cool stuff! This is the second album from this new wave/modern rock band from London, England. Two songs here -- One Thing Leads To Another and Saved By Zero -- are two of their few most popular. I've known those from way back. Great to hear 'em again. And the rest ranks right up there. Another excellent band healping to lead the way in England's post-punk days.

find a download @ Yesterday Lives On

3 comments:

Erica said...

That was a WAY, WAY KICKASS post, all of which I agree with, though I've never much gone for The Fixx, and re: "There the government works to control every aspect of peoples lives. It might seem like that here sometimes..."

I have never once felt that my freedom was compromised, and know, with every fiber of my being, that this country is the greatest, most free-est, awesomest country, ever.

Even the wretched moonbats, who, much as we hate them, we also kind of need them, as it's peeps like them [feh] who I feel help us balance out the allocation of power.

Regardless of how far to the right or the left one is, it will, given time, corrupt absolutely, and because we have a democracy, with elections, and peeps with voting rights, that to me is what makes this country f**king awesome.

Patriot Act? Bring it on, I say! It's nothing like what those clueless dumbasses who elect dictators have to deal with. We live in a free society, and if Bush has to bend the articles of the Constitution, ever so slightly, to protect the citizens he was elected to serve and promised to protect, then I am totally fine with that.

We've had better presidents, but we've also had far worse ones.

Anonymous said...

I'm not writing to pick up a fight but would Cubans search for "freedom" if there wasn't an embargo?

Are Dominicans searching for freedom when they cross the Mona Channel to Puerto Rico?, there's no totalitarian government in the Dominican Republic but why are thousands every year risking their lives to go to Puerto Rico?

You must ask yourself these questions.

I hope I don't fall into the NAZI category for asking these questions.

I'm not against freedom and I am not a communist.

Anyway I like your blog very much.

Zoooma said...

I don't believe you're a Nazi for asking what you did... and look, there are more than a lot of countries on Earth and I don't keep up with the issues concerning all of them. Anyone who does must be like an Einstein-type of genius. Issues on Hispaniola I am not up on... but, with that being said --

If there was no United States embargo against Cuba, would Cubans still be prisoners on their own island? Yes.

They would still have no chance for a better life in their very own nation.

They'd still not be able to publicly speak out against the government without fear of punishment.

They'd still not be able to read or see news that the government doesn't want them to.

They'd still not be able to run for office in order to bring about change.

They'd still not be able to have internet access for free exchange of ideas and thoughts.

They'd still not be allowed to leave as free citizens wishing to visit other nations and other cultures. I can't even imagine that one. Not allowed to visit nearby Mexico or Florida. Not allowed to fly to Europe or Africa. A prisoner within your own borders not allowed to leave if you want to.

Lifting the embargo would not change these things. Hospitals might get better equipment. Their transportation system might get better busses. But still people couldn't just go buy a new Toyota or Ford. People wouldn't automatically have any kind of better life to speak of. The government is in control of their lives, between 92 and 96% of everything people have and do.

Lifting the embargo would only bolster people's want for freedom because Americans would be allowed to go to Cuba and speak to Cubans about freedom. Right now that's not possible.

There are pros and cons both ways. But to allow a Communist government to receive billions of dollars in goods -- maybe not a wise thing to do considering who they're friends with and the way they wish to do business.

one says one number and the other another
but they were set at the same time. Hmmm...

i love you amy uzarski.  always!
 
Calvin and Hobbes in the snow -- animated