" If we trade with China and they are communist why not Cuba. I surely hope President Obama will lift the embargo so the Cuban people can have some hope that they can overcome and over throw the Cuban government. Let us lend them a hand in freeing themselves. I dont believe we should interfere and "go in " like we did in Iraq, but we should SUPPORT the cuban people in the path they choose. "

" But the point is that any country around the world has the rigth to decided absolutly nothing inside the island of Cuba. It is the rigth of the cubans that are living in the Republic with the higuesth educacional and academical level in Latin America based on United Nations score for Millenium task. Cuba it's not a country of iliteracy people and have one of the lower rate of emigration in the area, below Mexico.What do you talking about to compared Cuba with the situation that happen in other escenary, completly different?. The main difference between Cuba and United States its not democracy of humans rigths, it is the deeply rivality between Rusia and United State to control de power around the world still going after the cold war.AAs you see recently in Oseatia affaire and the discordanced in the international East and West media about. If you are a cuban you are a hot dog, one side of the bread is United States, the other one is Russia and the grill is the low intensity conflict Havana-Washington. If you let them cooked you to serve the snack everywhere as needed, that's your problem... "stolturum numerot e infinitus". Gualterio Nunez Estrada, living in Sarasota, Florida, 34233.USA. "

" jorge roque is absolutely right! It's time to stop the hypocrisy in U.S. foreign policy and open up Cuba for business. Heaven only knows that the US needs some sort of boost to the economy, and possibly Cuban trade would help.

Do I believe that the Cuban government is bad for the people there? Yes I do. But the U.S. government thinks that China's is bad, too, yet we still trade. You can't have it both ways.

Henry: Pinochet gave the people the opportunity to vote for him or not. He let the people have their say. I was there when that was happening. It was amazing to see so many people voting on that one, a la Obama in the U.S. Castro must do the same for Cuba.

Oh, by the way, the U.S. supported Pinochet's coup, but backed off when Pinochet committed the atrocities that he and his goons did. But the trade between the U.S. and Chile never stopped. "

" Why is there any question that Cuba DESERVES FREEDOM? Why mention Pinochet?, he's gone! Castro and company are STILL THERE! Free Tibet, yes, Stop Apartheid in South Africa, yes, but a free Cuba, you just revert to the "Embargo issue"? Hogwash! Cuba MUST be free! FYI: Pinochet FREED his country, Castros HAVE NOT! Wake up! Such a double standard. "

" George Schwartz writes about the ideal life style of the Cubans as he chooses to get on a plane. The people of Cuba would all gladly trade places with you.
They can only choose to be happy with what the have. What other choice do they have? "

" The people of Cuba are the Castro family slaves. Cuba a mere 90 miles from the US is symbol of Slavery and no civilized nation should support it. The rest of the world is free to trade and travel to Cuba. So why does Cuba still langish in poverty? They truely have nothing to trade with. "

" The US polocy toward Cuba is arogant and self richous. Our government incorrectly assumes American style democracy is superior and is willing to continue this hateful and cruel treatment to impose it. In cuba I saw strangers gather on porches and sing until the rain stopped. People met with hugs and kisses at street corners on thier way to market, I swayed into the night dancing and singing with wonderful new friends I will remember forever. People waited patiently and happily for rides playing games and socializing. with very few resources Cubans live well, are healhy, strong, smart and most of all independent. The contrast was dramatic when I arrived back home at Bush International Airport and saw angry, impatient, uneducated, fat Americans. How odd that we should demand an American lifestyle on such a beautiful culture. "

" I agree with the following Gervasio Guevel's opinion --> "It is hard to understand the position of the Cuban government. Many times they have reiterated that they do not want any help from "the empire" and when US tried to aid the Cuban people after the tragedy of the hurricanes, they were cocky demanding preconditions. Now they cry "foul" and hide behind the UN that has always been against the US. It is sad that the Cuban people have to suffer such tiranny." Imagine what else can they loud mouth right after U.S. lifts embargo. "

" Gervasio,sorry, but if you are a goverment that respect yourself is dishonest to accept any kind of aid from the goverment that is tryng to make a Chilenian coup d'eta inside Cuba to support a cuban Pinochet and launched thousands of cuban to emigration for housing and internal economy problem based on US embargo around the world (Hipocresy in the inmigration policy of United States that don't applied to the mexican killed in the border for traspassing using cuban emigration as a human weapon against the communist island). This is the root of embargo before 1960 to Cuba -when Washington cut supplies and star to welcome kidnapping civil airplanes from Havana and care terrorist as anticastro's figthers- as early the first three months of 1959 they pick up back to home the latest tecnologist in communication, tv and so many industries,introduced in Cuba in july of 1958 or little before, I remembered.. When Castro visit New York in 1960 was very discriminated by the blonds "James Bond" of the White House and must go to Harlem with the black people where they said "his own people" in an interview with Malcoln X. US Embargo to Cuba is a racist and discriminating policy based on the fighting of America and Rusia for own LatinAmerica. They used the internal contradiction between Cubans to dominate the island anyway and they does no matter what you think, if you loose or win, they used you like a tool as the poor cubans abandoned of Bahia de Cochinos, cooked by the Cia like lobsters in the grill and abandoned because they loose(Before 1960 they have the idea in the White House, there are a document that probed they planning to use this policy wih them.In my blog: "cubaanthecaribbeanidentity2.blogspot.com") Cuba has the best opportunity in Latin America to succes with a very responsable leadership about his people -that could not happen wih "Katryna" in New Orleans- and the higuesth academical level of the population, low level criminal activity, no drugs, no children abandoned, any kidnapping, any gans and a very low level of sexual disease. We are lucky to be cubans able to work inside the island for a better society if the american goverment change to a justice in the policy toward Cuba, now,a millonary industry to make money in Miami from the pocket of american tax payers, the way to travel around the world with grants from the american goverment and have more reputation than a rich realtor, the way to live in America without a real job based on banana republic way. The best to succes is o have relation with the cuban goverment. I know people that where living in Miami doing little office jobs at home of two ours a day or less, months of vacation payed by the goverment in Europe with better standard living than a university professor based on anticastro indusries LTD Miami based, that was my experience in Miami in 1996 when I lift Cuba.And not to took about "Radio Marti" the radio station that "make the case", no the news. another "Klondike" for people that are not journalist properly, neither recognized writer and cannot succes as a professional broadcasting, all he frustrated is living by the pocket of american in "Radio Marti", that's the thrue that make us free. "

" Haracio and 1Martiano,
You are both either naive or agents for the dictators in Cuba. I'm sure that you both were in favor of the boycotts against the South Africa apartheid system, yet now you deny the Cuban people the same support to rid them of their slave masters. The Cuban people (in the island) have no arms to fight with, no free press to speak for them, no right to assemble in the town square, no labor unions to represent them, etc. Why do you guys insist on defending that government? I wonder why. "

" We need to send a message to the Castero family that Cuba belongs to the Cubans, Not to the Casteros, much like that Iraq belongs to the Iraqis, not Saddam Hussein. "

" Gervasio, why should the Cuban gov accept help from the very government that prevents the Cuban people from buying medicines and medical equipment that are only produced by american companies? Why should the Cuban gov accept charity from the country that has cost the Cuban economy billions of dollar in more than 45 years of economic war? The Cuban government position is not only understandable but rightful as USA has no right to keep in force a criminal blockade against the rest of the world's wishes. "

" Ernesto and the rest, being Cuban does not make you right! nor gives you the right to talk about things you simply don't know. I don not intend to defend the Cuban government as that is exclusively for Cubans (who leaves in their country)to do. I simply want to denounce that the embargo it's illegal under American and international law and that it only affects ordinary people. No country has the right to defy the international community and the UN resolutions. Do you know that there are only 3 countries that supports America's embargo? "

" the culture and freedom of our people were taken by
fidel Castro. Not by the Americans.
I myself am Cuban born here.
Lifting the embargo would enrich Castro and his fellow swine "

" So,let me get this straight. Cuba has does not allow a free press, Cuba does not allow free elections, Cuba jails writers and others that do not agree with the Communist system and then we are supposed to reward it with removing the embargo? I don't think so! By the way, most of Cuba's population is black and last I checked I don't see any blacks at the top govt positions. Where is the outcry from African Americans and others about that? Why don't we talk about those issues, instead of bashing the USA for trying to bring freedom to the people of Cuba?

BTW, where was the outcry when Fidel Castro handed power to his brother Raul? Why don't we complain about that and the fact that the Cuban people cannot chose their own leaders.

One final note, the Bush administration actually relaxed the embargo by exempting medicines and food items after a hurricane several years ago. "

" My husbands family came form cuba as political refuges in 1997. His sister and bilogical father still remain there. Living in what we here in the United States would call poverty. We can send very little money to them and at this time because I am American I can not go there to meet my new family. I hope that the Obama Admin. fixes all the wrong doing of the past and makes a fresh start with Cuba and many other countries. Like Obama stated last night there are many ties with allies that need to be fixed. I want to meet my sister in law and give her every chance at her dreams that I had growing up. "

" i was in cuba from 1966 to 1990. my question is that if usa lifted the embargo to vietnam and import billions from comunist china. why they dont lift the embargo to cuba? i agree that cuba need free elections. "

" The first tiranny in the whole planet is the Us embargo toward Cuba recognized by United Nation membership with the exception of two or three countries. It is very sad and dishonest to support that policy against the free health system of the cuban people, particulary,recently, against the cardiac's patients childrens of the cubans hospital "William Soler" pediatric, in Havana, as recently dennounced Canada in New York. For me, it is hard to underestand your position, Mr Gervasio Guevel, living in a country of democracy and fredom of speech to support a policy of embargo and travel restriction to Cuba that try to destroy the culture and the identity of the cuban people everywhere they are.Gualerio Nunez Esrada, Sarasota, Florida 34233. "

" It is hard to understand the position of the Cuban government. Many times they have reiterated that they do not want any help from "the empire" and when US tried to aid the Cuban people after the tragedy of the hurricanes, they were cocky demanding preconditions. Now they cry "foul" and hide behind the UN that has always been against the US. It is sad that the Cuban people have to suffer such tiranny. "