Cuba threat over Christmas lights

[emad]

BBC


The US says it wants to draw attention to human rights

Cuba's most senior US diplomat says he has been warned by the government of serious consequences unless he takes down Christmas decorations in Havana.

James Cason says he will not remove the display at the American interests section, which includes a reference to 75 dissidents jailed last year.

Fourteen have been freed since the arrests took place in March 2003, in a major clampdown on political dissent.

Cuba has twice told US diplomats to remove all decorations immediately.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4097367.stm

[trotsky]

1. Wow, the irony.

Us holding hundreds of captives on the very same island, and we think we have the moral right to judge Cuba.

[Deja Q]

10. Not to mention what corporations are doing here at home, never mind

our own government's increasingly draconian actions toward human rights.

:shrug:

[Bridget Burke]

2. What a great representation of all that makes the USA great!

I'm sure the tacky neon coordinates well with the lovely (if partly crumbling) buildings of old Havana.

Let's open real diplomatic relations with Cuba & see what happens.

[MisterCompletly]

15. Maybe if castro fixed the crumbling buildings instead of jailing

political dissidents life would be better. Why would anyone here defend jailing people who speak out against castro's abuses? If America jailed people the way castro does for speaking out there would be riots in the streets.

[catnhatnh]

3. More in your face right wing bullsh*t...

...how would the Washington elite respond to a Cuban "display" of say,Santa holding a sack with the number 1300 (or whatever was current level of Iraq casualties) while mouthing "Ho,Ho,Ho"???

[bowens43]

4. The Diplomat needs to be expelled.

[Mika]

5. Lying headline!!

There is no problem with Christmas decorations.


From the Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/10418404.htm

The trimmings of Santa Claus, candy canes and white lights wrapped in palm trees on the mission's seaside lawn apparently aren't the problem.

What was likely irking the Cuban authorities, U.S. Interest Section Chief James Cason said, is a lighted sign about three feet in diameter among the decorations that reads ''75'' -- a reference to 75 Cuban dissidents jailed last year.

Never mind that it is 59 "dissidents" in jail for treasonous activities with James Cason.

[genieroze]

6. More Reich Wing Media BS. eom

[BayCityProgressive]

7. Man

They are not going to stop until they can topple Cuba.

[FlaGranny]

8. The resulting civil war

and weapons sales would be very profitable, though.

[flordehinojos]

9. one diplomat with big cojones as Ms. Madeleine Albright would say!

[Bridget Burke]

11. Yet another right-wing tool.

As I say.

[flordehinojos]

12. Good for you!

[leveymg]

13. Guess My Condo Association Is Also Run By Castro

The Assoc. does the same thing if I try to hang lighted XMAS decorations. Nasty letters. Knocks on the door at night. The works.

They won't let us smoke cigars or play "The Internationale" real loud, either. Totalitarians!

Sorry, Emad, Not enough to get Me Mad. - Mark

[MichaelHarris]

14. yeah

let's embargo them some more, cut off all aide and send in illegal troops to kill people. Oops, wait we're already doing that. OK let's invade and take our sugar back dammit. So many journalists, so few images of Cuban atrocities, hell we got more Bigfoot pictures than Cuban atrocities.

Let's join hands with Cuba, sit down and talk to Its leaders, work as a global team to improve conditions in Cuba through friendship and not threats, wow, what a concept, extending a hand no matter what a countries political beliefs are.

On second thought lets just blow the crap out of them, it's kinda working so far I guess.

Mothers, keep having babies cuz we're gonna need them for the invasion of Cuba. No dear, we didn't try diplomacy before your son died. Why? Well because they were dirty commie rat bastards and we feel that your son's life was worth crushing that. But why invade at all? Well dear we wanted that sugar and some people, I won't mention names wanted their casinos back.

Ohhh OK, I understand now my son died for sugar and casinos.