Go spread your misinformation somewhere else.

here's your last comment, which I think were removed by mistake:

I suppose if someone has never actually been in Cuba (meaning real Cuba and not the tourist haunts), then it would be rather easy to let one's imagination cloud out facts. FWIW, I've been in Cuba twice (in Havana and in a small rural village).

That's not to say that there are no political prisoners and no abuses going on in Cuba. Of course there are. But so there are in many other countries we're all happy to trade with. America would be sunk except for her dependence on China these past few years, and China is 100x worse than Cuba.

I dont need to touch the bottom of the ocean to know it's deep, just like I dont need to stand inside Dr. Oscar Biscet's jail cell to know he's actually incarcerated. As I keep saying, there is ample empirical evidence to know, absolutely, the conditions in Cuba. All you need to do is approach it with honesty and common sense.

With regards to China, let me put it to you in pre-school terms: two wrongs do not make a right. Just because the US trades with China - and other countries of dubious leadership - does not make it right. Moreover, China, at least, pays its debts, as opposed to fidel and company.

I met with a Chinese human rights activist when I went to the White House and met with President Bush. yes, there are human rights violations in China, just like in Cuba. However, China is vastly different from Cuba in many ways, the most important being the population. China has 1.3 Billion citizens as opposed to Cuba's 12 million. The sheer numbers of Chinese makes it incredibly difficult for the Chinese government to monitor and control every aspect of the average Chinese citizens life.

Moreover, new technologies are readily available and accessible to a higher percentage of the Chinese population, thus,making it highly unlikely that the government could maintain control of the information made available to its citizens through said new technologies, given the sheer numbers. Where as in Cuba, "new technologies" are restricted and controlled and available to less than one percent of the population.

Think about it in terms of cell phones alone. There are currently over 300 million active cellphones in China (2007 stats). that's almost thirty times the entire population of Cuba. Of cuba's 12 million, if only one percent of the population has cellular phones, that's about 120000 cellphones. It's easy to have an infrastructure in place to control and monitor 120000 cellphones. 300 million, not so much.

Havana Journal-It's not what Fidel did 50 years ago, it's what the SOB has done to the Cubans for the last 50 years.

Henry posted here the other day that sometimes you wonder why even bother with this website. I really hope you get your redemption. It will come for you and everyone here that has wants that freedom for Cuba.

I think you have no morals because you are making money off the tragedy of Cuba and you advocate for policies that will help the regime under the guise of a quest for your rights.

I didn't wish you bad karma. I simply said I believe in it and since I believe you have done evil, I believe evil will eventually catch up with you.

I don't care what you think of me. Obviously.

I'll be trying to forget you.

Raul_Torres, Fuck off.

I'm an asshole.

I'm a liar.

I have no morals.

You wish me bad Karma and hope that I am killed.

Thanks Henry. Real nice.

I won't forget you.

You advocate for that policy against all objective evidence that it won't help Cubans and will only help the oppressors.

I believe there's right and wrong and you are advocating for a wrong. I believe in Karma. The wrong you have advocated for will catch up with you some day. Maybe some jinetera will stick a knife in your back for your wallet, who knows.

You can believe me or insult me or hate me or beat me up but I am always honest with you guys and never call anyone an "asshole".

Not to pitch my site but if you read HavanaJournal.com, I think you might see it's a little more balanced than you give me credit for.

I look forward to having a drink with you guys in a post-Embargo post-Castro Cuba. How's that? Can we leave it at that?

Val,

I see your point and respect it but I have different glasses on.

"Please Rob, don't go away mad. Just go away."

Thanks for having me.

I dont have much left on my laptop battery right now so I will respond accordingly as soon as Im able later. One thing about "personal attacks" that you mention. Have you ever considered that your actions, based on your premise - one that we find morally reprehensible - are, at least for me, personal attacks?

One thing is painfuly clear from your comments. We have a starkly differing set of morals and values. For the life of me, I could not, in good conscience, travel to a place where by doing so, I would be a de facto accomplice to human rights abuses and violations. Id gladly give up my right to travel freely to Cuba if it meant freedom for just one Oscar Biscet.

"I think you're full of shit."

I can see I am not wanted here.

Would Val like to weigh in? He started this post and I was replying to him.

If you want to eat me up like a coyote eating a young puppy then why should I even bother posting here?

"One can agree that information is essential and disagree that hundreds of thousands of Americans drinking mojitos at the beach and thousands engaging in sex with young boys and girls won't bring democracy to Cuba," Calzon said, adding that American tourism did not end totalitarianism in Chile under Augusto Pinochet, South Africa under P.W. Botha or Cuba under Fulgencio Batista.

Touche!

Your right to enjoy a mojito at la bodeguita del medio certainly supersedes any aid and comfort that you are extending to the repressors of my countrymen in the process. How could I be so selfish?

Make sure to toast me when you get there.

And I want you to tell me that the restrictions actually ever prevented you from visiting Cuba. How many times have you been to Cuba Rob? Seriously can you tell us?

I think you're full of shit. I think you go all the time. I think the policies have been a minor inconvenience to you, an extra stop in Cancun or Nassau.

Get over your self-righteous indignation. Go visit North Korea.

I want my freedom to travel.

I guess somehow that makes me a Fidel loving Communist?