"Longest and Cruelest" blockade in history ... maybe they're right!
Whew! I'd say that while the Democrats were cruising to victory this week, another vote was even more overwhelming. By a 183-4 (with 1 abstention) vote, the General Assembly of The United Nations voted to urge nations to adopt new laws to ease -- or repeal old ones that imposed/impose -- economic, commercial and financial embargoes in accordance with those adopted by the United States against Cuba.
Our Ambassador to the United Nations (John Bolton) was able to get three additional votes (along with the US's) to vote against the resolution so that it wouldn't look too one-sided. Besides the US, the Marshall Islands (are they really a country?), Palau (where in the world is Palau?) and, of course, Israel voted against the resolution. But like Mr. Bush's veto should the new Congress try to do something really compassionate for the downtrodden, the United States has "veto authority" over the resolution because history (World War II) gave it a seat on the Security Council more than half a century or so ago.
Other lesser known countries (Russia, France, Britain, China, Germany, India, Iran, Canada, Mexico and 174 others) voted for the measure. The Federated States of Micronesia abstained (safe!) and Iraq was absent (surprise!) along with Cote d'Ivoire (how is that pronounced?), Nicaragua and El Salvador. 183 to 4 !!!
C'mon now! Isn't it about time that we lifted that stupid embargo? It was imposed originally to demonstrate our concern that Cuba was not moving towards democracy. Well, I lived in Saudi Arabia (no democracy there except inter-family votes on the third or fourth wives for princes) and what about China -- about a fifth or so of the world's population?
Let's get real and do something for the Cuban people. Fidel will probably have a heart attack if we dropped the embargo and we'd get two-for-one. Just read the list of countries approving the resolution -- at the bottom of the resolution -- and think, "Is this how we want to be viewed by the rest of the world -- a country that needs Saudi oil, so no embargo on them -- and China's cooperation (periodically) on the Security Council, so no embargo on them -- who has little or no regard for the harm done to the Cuban people as a result of a totally unfair embargo for more than four decades?"
C'mon now!
posted by Dr. Joe @ 7:01 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
So what should we do to force people like Castro to come to the rel world and leave their people do what they want to do? It is easy for you and I in the States or in Europe to say : people have to decide for themselves, but this is ignoring the methodes people like Castro are using to shut their people's mice. Ok Embargo may be didn't do much, but Cubains know now that Marxism-Leninsm is just a literature. It is just some little hope for people who are there and are suffering not just economically but morally. Should we take this very little hope from them also?
I might be wrong, but I wouldn't stop the embargo without having another replacement solution. Do you have any?
Rubarzan -
No, I don't. But then why not be consistent and place and embargo on Saudi Arabia, Yemen, China, etc. too?
It just has a look like we're picking on the little guy for show, don't you think?
Cheers
MWN (Joe)
I wish it would be possible to solve all the problems with a clap of hands. But if it is possible to do it in one place, should we not try to do it just because we can't do it everywhere? US is doing it for his own interests. What I am saying is that why shouldn't some people benefit from this? I can talk about Iran as I know more about it. A little push fom exterier can do a lot to help people inside to move and do something. Now, why shouldn't it be done? Because we can't do it in Saudi Arabia fr example?
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