bmac32 wrote:
No freedom, that WTF I'm talking about! Castro's bother took over not his son so until sonny-boy takes over little will change.
Ah, freedom. SUCH a buzzword. Freedom isn't a singular thing Big Mac, in fact the word doesn't even make sense until you apply it to context. By itself it's abstract. So how 'bout we cut the red, white and blue screaming eagle in the sky poetry bullshit and talk about the hard reality of freedom.
What exactly do the Cubans not have the freedom to do? At this point in history it's worth asking the question because freedom in Cuba *IS* improving.
In 1992, the Communist Party agreed to allow religious services and establishments. So Cubans now have the freedom of religion.
In 2003, the Communist Party dropped the ban on homosexuality and now Cuba has a vibrant LBGT community.
In 2013 Cuba lifted it's travel restrictions, giving the Cuban people the freedom to travel, wherever the U.S. let them.
One thing you might notice is that all these freedoms came after the Soviets disconnected. One thing I really do wish the right-wing would chill on is the cold-war perspective. That was us, the Soviets and the Chinese in the later half of the 20th century.
Seriously, about the only restriction left that I can think of is that they can't engage in any activities designed to bring down the regime. As far as I am concerned this is a slightly lesser problem now that people have the option of leaving, but it's still not ideally on par with our own 1st Amendment freedom... but even that is a fuzzy line...
Although we do have the freedom to speak out against the government, that freedom does not go so far as to allow conspiracy against the state. We actually do have sedition laws against that.
Here's a blurp from our own Sedition Act
SECT. 2. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall write, print, utter, or publish, or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered, or published, or shall knowingly and willingly assist or aid in writing, printing, uttering, or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either House of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent to defame the said government, or either House of the said Congress, or the said President, or to bring them, or either of them, into contempt or disrepute; or to excite against them, or either or any of them, the hatred of the good people of the United States, or to stir up sedition within the United States; or to excite any unlawful combinations therein, for opposing or resisting any law of the United States, or any act of the President of the United States, done in pursuance of any such law, or of the powers in him vested by the Constitution of the United States; or to resist, oppose, or defeat any such law or act; or to aid, encourage or abet any hostile designs of any foreign nation against the United States, their people or government, then such person, being thereof convicted before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.
Another thing about freedom is that it's not only limited by politics. Freedom is also limited by economics and although the communist regime in Havana has a history of limiting freedom politically, it is well-known that the before Castro, Cuban freedom was limited by U.S. economic power. The same economic power that created all the so-called banana republics in Central America and the Caribbean, where farmers did not have the freedom to grow their own food. They were in fact forced to grow crops exclusively for the U.S. market and were forced to buy staples from the U.S. at escalated prices.
What kind of freedom do you call that?
So... when you figure out WTF you're talking about, let me know.