without the embargo and over 44 years of terrorism launched against the island from the Cuban-American extremists in this country. It has been continual, and vicious.
Had they been allowed to pay ordinary prices, rather than obtaining their food, like rice from places as far away as Viet Nam, paying many times the prices they are paying as they buy it now from Arkansas, and Texas, (if I am correct in believing there is finally a modest trade with those states), if they had been able to acquire important medical equipment for their hospitals which was forbidden, even through other countries, as certain parts of the machines were made in the U.S. and banned by the Helms-Burton Act, etc., if they had not had to overcome terrorism, and destruction of crops and livestock visited upon them by Cuban "exile" terrorists, and it's
on record, as well as biological warfare, also ADMITTED IN COURT during a trial by a Cuban "exile" terrorist, they would have had more time to attend to cosmetic things like the repair of the old buildings in Havana much earlier, rather than having to put that off until the more urgent matters were treated FIRST, like educating the poor, and getting them healthy and housed properly.
I've been told by other Cuba visitors, like you, Mika, about conversations with Cubans who read books, magazines, papers from the U.S., and are completely informed. That old propaganda sounds so pathetic when it's trotted out again, doesn't it? You know someone in Miami, a poster here, who also has installed a satellite dish in a private home there. They DEFINITELY are informed. (Not to mention the fact a lot of homes can pick up Miami tv stations, and Miami radio stations. Anyone can test this, by driving away from his/her city while listening to a favorite radio station. The signal actually TRAVELS! Some people don't seem to understand that. They think the world ends at the south end of Florida, and Cuba is floating in a communist void, surrounded by sharks.) Please!
I just saw this thread a short time ago. Very interesting posts here, as always.
http://www.ramonorga.com/cuba/2004/imagepages/image90.html http://extras.journalnow.com/cuba/pages/transport.htm http://extras.journalnow.com/cuba/pages/vendor.htm http://extras.journalnow.com/cuba/pages/fan.htm