Just in case anyone is interested in protesting our latest efforts, I'll reprint here an email I received this evening from Global Exchange, the group whose tour I recently took to Venezuela.
Ana Perez
Cuba Program Director
Global Exchange
CUBA TRAVEL CALL TO ACTION
MARAZUL TOGETHER WITH GLOBAL EXCHANGE AND MORE THAN 20 ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE AND REPRESENTING MORE THAN 100,000 PRO-CUBA TRAVEL VOTERS MOBILIZE TO OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT¹S DEVASTATING BLOW AGAINST CUBA
President Bush is implementing a devastating strategy against Cuba that threatens to halt travel from US citizens and Cuban Americans to the island, cutting into much needed revenue for social programs; increases the diversion of millions of US tax dollars from Homeland Security to harass people who travel to Cuba, allocates millions more to undermine the Cuban government; and seeks to negatively influence international opinion about Cuba. We have picked May 20th for our actions because President Bush will make a speech in Miami to rally support for this new policy.
We must challenge these threats against our rights to travel and help put a stop to the Bush Administration¹s attacks against Cuba. PLEASE JOIN US IN A DAY OF ACTION TO HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD.
FLOOD THE WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS, OFAC AND STATE DEPARTMENT WITH CALLS AND
EMAILS.
1. Send an email to Kevin Whitaker, head of the Cuba Desk at the U.S. State Department WhitakerKM@State.gov. You can also call him at 202-647-9273.
2. Send a message to the White House. President@WhiteHouse.gov
3. Contact both the House: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and the Senate:
http://www.senate.gov/ Ask to be transferred to your Senator and Congress representative. If you know they are a member of the House or Senate Working Group on Cuba, ask them how you can help. If they have not yet joined the Working Group, urge them to join
4. Call OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) (201)622-2480 or Fax (202)622-0447.
5. You can also contact the Kerry Campaign and urge Senator Kerry to take a strong stand against the Bush policy http://www.johnkerry.com/contact/contact.php
Key points to make:
Oppose the Cuba Committee¹s recommendations and the Bush Administration's policy towards Cuba. Ask for all travel restrictions to the island be lifted. Demand the normalizations of relations with Cuba. Ask for ending funding to enforce the travel ban and the embargo. Demand that funding to undermine the Cuban government end.
Summary of the May 1, report by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba:
Family Visits
… Requiring that all Cuban Americans visiting their family apply for individual licenses from OFAC (This means approximately 150,000 license applications a year.)
… Limiting family visits to one trip every three years under specific license, eliminating the General License category for family visits.
… Limiting the definition of family visits to those visiting grandparents, grandchildren, parents, siblings, spouses, and children only.
… Limiting the family visits to 14 days
… Limiting baggage to no more than 44 lbs; only exception for specifically licensed humanitarian donations.
… Reducing the amount from $167 to $50 per person per day for all family visits to Cuba
Academic & Other Licenses
… Academic educational licenses to be granted for one year only
… Limiting academic programs to semester long programs with shorter programs permitted only if such programs 'directly support US foreign policy goals
… Eliminating provision permitting $100 worth of Cuban goods to be brought back (other than educational materials which are not affected)
… Eliminating the specific license provision for clinics and workshops
General License
… Eliminating the General License provision for amateur athletic teams, with all such travel requiring application for a specific license
Fully Hosted Travel
… Eliminating the 'concept' of fully-hosted travel and require that all Cuba travel-related transactions be licensed under general or specific license regardless of who pays for it
Efforts to Influence International Opinion
… Supports the promotion of Cuba as a country harboring international terrorists, committing espionage against the U.S. and other nations, inflicting human rights abuses, and undermining democratically elected governments in Latin America as part of a broader effort to discourage tourist travel and reinforce negative attention to Cuba.
… Funds and promotes international or third-country national conferences to disseminate information abroad about U.S. policies on transition planning efforts related to Cuba.
… Deters foreign investment in Cuba's confiscated properties. This is the land which Cuban-American ex-patriots left behind but still claim as their own though it was confiscated by a Communist Cuban government.
Cuba Program Director
Global Exchange
CUBA TRAVEL CALL TO ACTION
MARAZUL TOGETHER WITH GLOBAL EXCHANGE AND MORE THAN 20 ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE AND REPRESENTING MORE THAN 100,000 PRO-CUBA TRAVEL VOTERS MOBILIZE TO OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT¹S DEVASTATING BLOW AGAINST CUBA
President Bush is implementing a devastating strategy against Cuba that threatens to halt travel from US citizens and Cuban Americans to the island, cutting into much needed revenue for social programs; increases the diversion of millions of US tax dollars from Homeland Security to harass people who travel to Cuba, allocates millions more to undermine the Cuban government; and seeks to negatively influence international opinion about Cuba. We have picked May 20th for our actions because President Bush will make a speech in Miami to rally support for this new policy.
We must challenge these threats against our rights to travel and help put a stop to the Bush Administration¹s attacks against Cuba. PLEASE JOIN US IN A DAY OF ACTION TO HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD.
FLOOD THE WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS, OFAC AND STATE DEPARTMENT WITH CALLS AND
EMAILS.
1. Send an email to Kevin Whitaker, head of the Cuba Desk at the U.S. State Department WhitakerKM@State.gov. You can also call him at 202-647-9273.
2. Send a message to the White House. President@WhiteHouse.gov
3. Contact both the House: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and the Senate:
http://www.senate.gov/ Ask to be transferred to your Senator and Congress representative. If you know they are a member of the House or Senate Working Group on Cuba, ask them how you can help. If they have not yet joined the Working Group, urge them to join
4. Call OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) (201)622-2480 or Fax (202)622-0447.
5. You can also contact the Kerry Campaign and urge Senator Kerry to take a strong stand against the Bush policy http://www.johnkerry.com/contact/contact.php
Key points to make:
Oppose the Cuba Committee¹s recommendations and the Bush Administration's policy towards Cuba. Ask for all travel restrictions to the island be lifted. Demand the normalizations of relations with Cuba. Ask for ending funding to enforce the travel ban and the embargo. Demand that funding to undermine the Cuban government end.
Summary of the May 1, report by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba:
Family Visits
… Requiring that all Cuban Americans visiting their family apply for individual licenses from OFAC (This means approximately 150,000 license applications a year.)
… Limiting family visits to one trip every three years under specific license, eliminating the General License category for family visits.
… Limiting the definition of family visits to those visiting grandparents, grandchildren, parents, siblings, spouses, and children only.
… Limiting the family visits to 14 days
… Limiting baggage to no more than 44 lbs; only exception for specifically licensed humanitarian donations.
… Reducing the amount from $167 to $50 per person per day for all family visits to Cuba
Academic & Other Licenses
… Academic educational licenses to be granted for one year only
… Limiting academic programs to semester long programs with shorter programs permitted only if such programs 'directly support US foreign policy goals
… Eliminating provision permitting $100 worth of Cuban goods to be brought back (other than educational materials which are not affected)
… Eliminating the specific license provision for clinics and workshops
General License
… Eliminating the General License provision for amateur athletic teams, with all such travel requiring application for a specific license
Fully Hosted Travel
… Eliminating the 'concept' of fully-hosted travel and require that all Cuba travel-related transactions be licensed under general or specific license regardless of who pays for it
Efforts to Influence International Opinion
… Supports the promotion of Cuba as a country harboring international terrorists, committing espionage against the U.S. and other nations, inflicting human rights abuses, and undermining democratically elected governments in Latin America as part of a broader effort to discourage tourist travel and reinforce negative attention to Cuba.
… Funds and promotes international or third-country national conferences to disseminate information abroad about U.S. policies on transition planning efforts related to Cuba.
… Deters foreign investment in Cuba's confiscated properties. This is the land which Cuban-American ex-patriots left behind but still claim as their own though it was confiscated by a Communist Cuban government.
Frankly, I don't think John Kerry is listening, and I can pretty much guarantee you that His Slowliness the Dope doesn't give a good goddamn what you think.
...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.
