"Prize" a setback for proponents of US embargo

On Oct 24, 8:14 am, PL <pl.nos...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 24/10/2010 7:18, CubaFAQ wrote:> As usual, the cowardly apologist PL begins his posting by promoting

(snip)à
a lie: I said


But you yourself are proven liar, Mr. Lobbyist. (Yet another example
below.)

Deal with it Dan, by your own admission the overwhelming majority (87%)
does not want any change in the trade sanctions.


Do you EVER stop lying, Mr. Lobbyist? Apparently not.

Actually I said that most dissidents are opposed to these cruel and
inhumane sanctions of yours. And that most ( a "veritable who's who of
Cuban opposition figures" according to the NYDT) recently signed a
petition calling specifically for the lifting of the US travel ban. In
a panic, your political masters in full damage-control must have been
frantically running around Havana trying to dig up anyone who might
sign a counter-petition. No doubt, they hit on those in the US
emigration queue, perhaps promising them, ahem... "special
consideration." And who did they dig up? According to YOUR OWN POSTING
on the matter, "Most were little-known, even among the island's small
and divided dissident and political opposition community." (Links in
previous posting.) Thanks for exposing your own lies.

Notwithstanding your hysterical screams of denial, we also have
statements and quotes from leading dissidents over the years
condemning your beloved embargo and calling for them to be lifted
immediately and unconditionally. You have not been able to refute any
of them. (See my previous postings in this thread.)

And, as always, you have been unable to refute reports from the UN and
Amnesty International that prove your beloved embargo is indeed a form
of genocide under international law (see my previous postings and
footnotes).

The rest of PL's pathetic posting has already been debunked here. As
usual, he has been reduced to mindleslly repeating his already failed
lies and rationalizations. He seems to believe that if you can't win
the debate, you can at least have the last word. What else can you do,
I suppose, when the truth is so seldom of any use to you? What a
loser!

Dan
Visit my CUBA: Issues & Answers website at its new home:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/danchristienses/CubaFAQ.html
(The original CubaFAQ website. Don't be fooled by PL's cheap
imitations.)

PS: As an antidote to each of PL's venomous personal attacks here, and
to his lies and evasions on everything from his lobbying exploits to
the international condemnation of his beloved embargo, see: "PL's same
tired old lies and evasions EXPOSED" at
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.cuba/msg/36c96cf26743ccca?hl=en

**************
Footnotes

The facts as documented in reports recently released by Amnesty
International (my emphasis):

March 2009

"Amnesty International urges the US government to lift the nearly five-
decade long economic and trade embargo against Cuba as it is
detrimental to the fulfillment of the economic and social rights of
the Cuban people. It OBSTRUCTS AND CONSTRAINS efforts by the Cuban
government to purchase essential medicines, medical equipment and
supplies, food and agricultural products, construction materials and
access to new technologies.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/002/2009/en/e7b1efe4-27f4-4b2c-9a39-23c88749e39e/amr250022009en.html

September 2009

"The US embargo against Cuba is IMMORAL and should be lifted. It’s
preventing millions of Cubans from benefiting from vital medicines and
medical equipment essential for their health."

"Because of the US embargo, Cuba faces SEVERE RESTRICTIONS in
importing medicines, medical equipment or technologies from the USA or
from any US company abroad. The sanctions also limit other imports to
the island and restrict travel and the transfer of money."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/president-obama-should-take-lead-lifting-embargo-against-cuba-20090902

"Amnesty International calls on the US Congress to take, WITHOUT
FURTHER DELAY, the necessary steps towards lifting the economic,
financial and trade embargo against Cuba...

"The US government is acting CONTRARY to the Charter of the United
Nations by restricting the direct import of medicine and medical
equipment and supplies, and by imposing those restrictions on
companies operating in third countries."

"The UN General Assembly has repeatedly CONDEMNED the US embargo as
contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
On 29 October 2008 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution
reiterating for the 17th time its call on the USA to end its embargo
against Cuba. That resolution was adopted with 185 votes in favour,
three against and two abstentions. The Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights has also reiterated its position regarding “the impact of
such sanctions on the human rights of the Cuban people and, therefore,
INSISTS THAT THE EMBARGO BE LIFTED.”

[Follow-up: In November 2009, with the exceptions of only the USA,
Israel and a handful of tiny, US island-colonies in the South Pacific,
representatives of EVERY nation on the planet voted at the UN General
Assembly to condemn these cruel and inhumane sanctions.]

"[E]xports of food and agricultural products to Cuba remain regulated
by the Department of Commerce and require a licence for export or re-
export. The export of medicines and medical supplies continues to be
SEVERELY LIMITED....

“The RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE EMBARGO help to deprive Cuba of vital
access to medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food,
chemical water treatment and electricity.”

"The provision of health care has suffered from the LIMITATIONS AND
RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE EMBARGO on the procurement of basic and
specialized medical equipment and chemical components needed for the
production of generic medicines....

"Cuba was UNABLE TO IMPORT nutritional products destined for children
and for consumption at schools, hospitals and day care centres. This
had an adverse effect on the health and nutritional status of the
population.

"Children’s health was also put at risk by a decision from syringe
suppliers to CANCEL an order for 3 million disposable syringes by
UNICEF’s Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization when it became
known that the units were destined for the implementation of the
programme in Cuba.

"The number of children suffering from heart conditions who are
waiting for appropriate treatment at a pediatric hospital has
increased after Cuba was unable to buy from the US-based companies the
necessary medical equipment for their treatment. The companies
allegedly refused to negotiate with Cuba because of the RESTRICTIONS
SET BY THE US EMBARGO.

"LACK OF ACCESS to products manufactured by United States companies
such as St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific and Amplatzer prevents the
provision of proper care to seriously ill patients who need a
pacemaker, St. Jude prosthetic valves or septal occluders, forcing
their treatment with alternative, riskier surgical techniques.

"It has been IMPOSSIBLE TO PURCHASE a positron emission tomography/
computerized tomography (PET/CT) scanner, a state-of-the-art piece of
medical equipment needed for treatment that is made by only three
manufacturers worldwide, all unauthorized to negotiate with Cuba."

The impact of economic sanctions on health and health services is not
limited to difficulties in the supply of medicine. Health and health
services depend on functioning water and sanitation infrastructure, on
electricity and other functioning equipment such as X-ray facilities
or refrigerators to store vaccines. The financial burden and
commercial barriers have led to shortages or intermittent availability
of drugs, medicines, equipment and spare parts. It has also hindered
the renovation of hospitals, clinics and care centres for the elderly.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/007/2009/en/51469f8b-73f8-47a2-a5bd-f839adf50488/amr250072009eng.pdf
(PDF format)

September 2010

"[The US embargo's is] negatively affecting Cubans’ access to
medicines and medical technologies and endangering the health of
millions. United Nations agencies and programs operating in Cuba, such
as UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA, have reported that the US embargo has
undermined the implementation of programs aimed at improving the
living conditions of Cubans."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/015/2010/en/cbd3149a-da47-4044-a28f-40f33b7bda28/amr250152010en.html

From other sources:

"[US Congressional] House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Collin
Peterson and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar joined members of the National
Farmers Union (NFU) this week to call for passage of the Travel
Restriction and Export Enhancement Act. It would boost U.S.
agriculture by easing restrictions on the sale of homegrown food and
commodities to Cuba....

"The U.S. International Trade Commission estimated that U.S. exports
to Cuba could increase by nearly $500 million a year if provisions in
this legislation were enacted. In addition to the National Farmers
Union, the bill is supported by a broad coalition of national business
and agriculture industry groups."

Source: "Peterson, Klobuchar call for increased U.S. food and
commodity exports to Cuba," Echo Press, September 18, 2010
http://http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/78097/group/homepage/

Note that Article 2c of the UN Genocide Convention states that the
crime of genocide includes, among other things, "deliberately
inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about
its physical destruction in whole or in part."

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/genocide.htm

Again, as Amnesty International has reported, “The restrictions
imposed by the embargo help to deprive Cuba of vital access to
medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food, chemical water
treatment and electricity.” These are deliberate acts, the only
purpose of which can be to bring about the physical destruction of the
Cuban people in whole or in part. These cruel sanctions can,
therefore, even be seen as a form of genocide under international law!
Makes you proud, don't it, America?

Also, according to at least one US expert, in addition to blocking
essential imports, the US embargo is also a major impediment to the
development of agriculture and food production in Cuba:

"William A. Messina Jr., of the University of Florida's Agriculture
Science Institute, said that the communist island 'has such good soil
and it represents a challenge of such magnitude that, with the END OF
THE EMBARGO, the agricultural market impact on the continent would be
larger that of the Free Trade Treaty [North American Free Trade
Agreement].'''

Source: "Cuba's agriculture shows promise," Miami Herald, Sept. 9,
2009
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1258504.html

Contrary to PL's self-serving lies and rationalizations then, no
amount of US exports (or anything else) can possibly let his political
masters off the hook for deliberately depriving Cubans of "vital
access to medicines, new scientific and medical technology, food,
chemical water treatment and electricity” and impeding the
development of food production. Morally and legally, this is genocide.
.

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