Patriot Act and US hosting WCs

[pkt]

If the US government persist in doing what it did re the Cuban musicians, i.e. not granting the Cubans the needed papers for them to attend the Grammies, do you think the US have any chance of hosting ANY world championships?

Let's assume that the US hosted the 2003 Fencing World Chamionships, do you think the Cubans would get visas to travel to the US to compete?

PK

[Black Jeebus]

Well fortunately the Grammies are in fact a US operated event. They are put on by a US organization. Asking that question (and obviously trying to stir up anti-US sentiment) is really pointless as the US has for other sporting events not done anything like this as far as I know. Need I remind you of the large numbers of Olympics held here in the US.


edit: Note to self do not try to compose rational thoughts at 2:35 AM.

[Sabresque]

That whole cuban thing really pissed me off, those guys are amazing musicians, and they deserved to come here. The funny thing is, the Buena Vista Social Club came to New York a couple years back for a concert in carnagie hall... I have all their records, including Buena Vist Asocial Club, and the one Ibrahim Ferrer won the grammy for, Buenos Hermanos. Great music. Makes you want to get up and dance on the spot.

Musica... mi musica cubana...

[pkt]

the diff is of course that was not an election year... The things some politicians do for votes. Little wonder why politicians tarnish their own 'profession'.

PK

[Artisan]

I suspect the cuban thing has more to do with pre 9-11 politics than it does with the patriot act.

[neevel]

There are specific exemptions to the travel ban for international athletic competitions (the Cubans athletes and cadre were allowed in for the '96 Olympics, for example). Since the Grammies are a different sort of beast (not an event running under the auspices of an international organization), it probably doesn't fall under one of the exceptions to the ban.

What really gets me is that if you listen to current Cuban dissidents (not the septugenarians in Miami who are more concerned about getting the property they lost 45 years ago back than building a solid framework for a post-Castro era, but the folks actually in Cuba, facing denial of work, jail time, and whatever other persecutions the government cares to throw at them), they're all saying that the US should end the embargo and travel ban. Right now, it's the only scapegoat Fidel has for why things are so bad now that the Soviet money is gone. Once that's gone, he's got nobody left to blame but himself.

That's in addtion the the notion that the government of a free country has any business telling it's citizens where they can and can not travel (isn't that one of the human rights faults that Castro himself is guilty of?).

[Sabresque]

Bush is trying to please the Cubans in the US right now that are calling for a more hard lined approach against Cuba and Castro, before the election in 2004.

[counterattack]

Originally posted by neevel
snip
What really gets me is that if you listen to current Cuban dissidents (*snip*) they're all saying that the US should end the embargo and travel ban. Right now, it's the only scapegoat Fidel has for why things are so bad now that the Soviet money is gone. Once that's gone, he's got nobody left to blame but himself.

That's in addtion the the notion that the government of a free country has any business telling it's citizens where they can and can not travel (isn't that one of the human rights faults that Castro himself is guilty of?). [/b]

There are a couple of issues here. First of all, not all of the younger two generations feel the embrago should be lifted. I lived in the Miami area I can tell you that the younger generations are torn about it. The younger generation tend to be the voices for lifting the embargo, but that is just because there are not many older generation people on that side. The younger people in the pro-embargo camp are not in charge, so you mainly hear and see the older people who lead those groups.

Second issue, unless you are an anarchist, you agree that the gov't can limit where you can go. Our gov't is nice enough to let you flaunt the gov't embargo and go to Cuba, but either you can't come back, or you have to pay for working against the purposes of the U.S. gov't. I am personally against maintaining the embargo any longer, but it was a good idea when it started. Cuba was actively arming and organizing armies to overthrow a dozen or so other goverments. They didn't catch Che while he was making a good will tour...

Musicians in and outside of Cuba are often instruments of political outcry and change, so it cannot be claimed that music transcends politics.