New State Dept. LA Team

[NousDefionsDoc]

THE NEW STATE DEPARTMENT TEAM ON CUBA
DAN FISK, 48, senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, National Security Council
• Fisk helped draft the 1996 Helms-Burton Act as aide to Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse Helms.
• He has worked as a Latin America specialist in the House International Relations Committee and the Department of Defense.
• In the 1980s, he was in the State Department's Bureau of Inter-American Affairs as deputy coordinator for Central American public diplomacy.
• He has a master's degree from Georgetown University and served in the conservative Heritage Foundation.
• Married, three children.
CALEB MCCARRY, 44, Cuba transition coordinator
• A former Latin America expert at the Center for Democracy, a now defunct bipartisan group that promoted democracy.
• In 1997, the then chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Ben Gillman (R-N.Y.), hired him to work as a committee staffer. Current chairman Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) appointed him the senior Latin America aide.
• Married, two children.
• His father, Charles, a former CIA agent, writes spy novels.
• Traveled to Cuba for Pope John Paul II's visit in 1998.
MICHAEL PARMLY, 54, chief of mission, U.S. Interests Section in Havana
• Before going to Havana, taught at the National War College, specializing in post-conflict situations.
• An expert on European and human rights issues.
• A native of St. Augustine, Fla., he is married to a Swiss citizen. They have two children.
STEPHEN MCFARLAND, 50, director of Cuban affairs
• A Latin American specialist who has served in Ecuador, Bolivia, El Salvador, and twice in Peru and Venezuela. He was last posted as deputy chief of mission in Caracas.
• A Texan who majored in economics at Yale, he is married and has four sons.

[NousDefionsDoc]

I will be glad when Cuba is resolved. Then maybe we can get away from having our LATAM policy dictated by Miami. One of the smallest damn countries in the region setting the tone for the entire backyard. Outrageous behavior!

[Peregrino]

Time to send in the tourists, show the citizens a viable alternative to socialism, and spend the Commies out of existance. It wouldn't take five years. Besides, I want to vacation someplace the dollar will be VERY strong (at least for a while). And I want to dive the South side of the island. The Europeans have been doing it for years and it's supposed to be among the best diving in the Western Hemisphere. Still pristine because they can't afford to develop the region so there's no/minimal polution to destroy the environment. Nice thoughts anyway - as long as the government/State Department keeps listening to Cuban refugees in Miami, nobody has a hope of seeing anything that make sense. They need to figure out - it was a war - they lost (everything, that's what happens when you lose a war) - get over it. If they don't like it, they can grow their beards, get some Army surplus fatigues, and go hang out in the mountains (instead of the Miami malls) and cause trouble until it's their turn to be in charge. FWIW - Peregrino

[Trip_Wire (RIP)]

Yes, being able to dive some of those reefs in Cuba would be real nice! A lot of Canadians (Vancouver, BC) go there as well and their reviews of the diving there are great! I wonder if Castro still dives? :munchin

[Sten]

I would LOVE to dive Cuba.

[cback0220]

I would LOVE to dive Cuba.

Me too!

[NousDefionsDoc]

This is not a freakin' diving thread! FOCUS!

[Huey14]

I'll be glad when Fidel is dead. There is a street here called Cuba St. It's been around since way before they went red, though. The street sign carries a large red star and there's a cafe called "Fidel's". I guess some people just don't do their research.

[Roguish Lawyer]

This is not a freakin' diving thread! FOCUS!

OK, do you like the new team, to the extent one can like employees of the State Department?

[NousDefionsDoc]

No, especially Fisk. IMO, the way to go with Cuba is open it up.

[Smokin Joe]

No, especially Fisk. IMO, the way to go with Cuba is open it up.

I agree with NDD and Peregrino,

Flood that place with American tourist and communism there will be bye bye in a few short years.

[Huey14]

Currently Cooba will not issue Visas (visi?) to Americans, correct?

[Peregrino]

Currently Cooba will not issue Visas (visi?) to Americans, correct?


IIRC Cuba doesn't care. It's the US Gov't that has problems. Most rumors I've heard about Americans (usually Cuban ex-pats) travelling to Cuba involve flying through a third country (Canada or Central America) and "interrupting" your travel itinerary/routing so as to keep a low profile when returning to the States. I don't know about visa stamps, etc. though. FWIW - Peregrino

[Huey14]

Someone told me they don't issue exit visas, but I'm not sure on that.

[one-zero]

when you get in they photocopy a page in your passport and stamp it with the visa...you keep that in your PP during the stay and chuck it on the return so no stamp is in your US PP for the return to USA. Most folks doing this go to Mexico for a "Month" but really fly in as a transit point and spend the interim in Cuba and return the same way. Another popular route is via sailboat as a stop going to/from PR/Virgin islands...But USCG and customs have been cracking down -when they can prove it your boat and other assets can be seized...Don't go if you don't know what you're doing, most gringos I saw were retards asking for trouble.

It's an interesting place. As others have said, it would be incredible to see it opened up. It will smoke tourism for other spots farther away such as PR, USVI, BVI etc...But as that's not the current reality the DOS team mentioned above will have to do what they can with the rules in play.
suerte...

[Huey14]

Cheers for that One Zero.