Castro - Cuba - USA - Ties

12/18

                   I think it was a wrong move for Pres. OBama to create new relations with Castro
   and Cuba, yes he did get that American out of prison okay, but that doesn't say we should
   start creating ties with Castro, he'll never  let his people have their freedom., they have lived in 
   poverty since 1959 all except the elite who belong to the communist party. My friend who
  passed away a year ago next week he came from Cuba in 1962 his father was a diplomat
  for the Cuban govt., he told me horror stories that would make you cringe, he still has a younger
  brother there who's my age and he's been in and out of prison for opening his big mouth in
 public against the Castro Regime, I even wrote a book on it titled: " Visions Of Freedom," anyone
 want a PDF file I'll gladly give you a copy because Publish America is charging way too much for
 the book ...
                                                                         Cheers.............Joe

12/18

                 Here's the book on Amazon...

                              Cheers...Joe

http://www.amazon.com/Visions-Freedom-Joseph-Frank-Baraba/dp/1448925142/ref=sr_1_50?ie=UTF8&qid=1418917255&sr=8-50&keywords=Joseph+Baraba

I don't know all the facts about Cuba or the non-relationship the United States has with the country. However, I do know one of the definitions of insanity is "To do the same thing over and over and expect a different result every time."
If year after year has gone by since 1959 and Cuba has not changed, perhaps it is time to try something different.

12/19
                  K.S.

                         I don't know what country you live in I don't recognize the seal? If you look
  at history of communist govt.'s there are three left that I know about the two who are so
  cruel to their people one is Cuba and the other North Korea, they dictator bastards will
  never change until the people uprise but you and I know that'll never happen because of
  fear...or worse death...

                                                                        Cheers,..........Joe

I fully support the move to improve relations with Cuba.  Too bad it has taken too long.  President Carter just came out wilth his approval also.  If one claims to be "Christian" and then not willing to forgive or to extend the hand of friendship, then something is wrong.  Holding a grudge solves nothing.

I have to say I'm with K S. and Abe on this one, Joe.

I believe it was Marshall McLuhan who coined the term, Global Village, back in the 1970's. He wrote about how our world was imploding, due to the progress of technology, and that we needed to recognize that fact and its impact on society. We have the means to travel and connect now, more than ever in our past, and we need to get along with our neighbors, acccept and recognize our different perspectives and work together to solve problems, because problems in one country or place are not isolated, and because we have no place else to go. We have expanded to our limits and our populations encroach upon each other. If we are going to survive, we have to learn to live together and learn from each other.

As Abe said, "holding a grudge solves nothing." We won't always agree, and that's really a good thing. Discussing differences is how we grow. I'm not quite sure how Christianity comes into it. Christians have as many differences among their variious denominatios as they have from other religions. It is hard to define them as a single group, but the idea of extending the hand of friendship and forgiveness to our neighbors, whether next door or in a neighboring country is imperative roday in order to keep peace.

I wish I new more about Canada, not just as a neighbor, but as being the only other country with enough similarity to the states to possibly make comparisons that could be helpful to each other. I always like your comments, K. S. I hope you will join in more often

We often hear statements, i.e., that "We're a Christian nation. What does that mean? 
I did a search: "What are Christian Values?"  Here is what I found:


The biblical teachings of Jesus include:^[1]

• Love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (an excerpt from the Shema), -Matthew 22:37
  
• Fidelity in marriage: "Whom God has joined together let no man put asunder"
  
• Renunciation of worldly goods: "Gather not your riches up upon this earth, for there your heart will be also",
  
• Renunciation of violence: "If a man strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek",
  
• Forgiveness of sins: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us",
  
• Unconditional love: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you".
  

If we claim to be a Christian nation, then what Obama has done with Cuba was the right thing to do.

Are we, in fact, a "Christian" nation?  We have no national church. The number of denominations is quite large and they all differ, to a degree, in what they consider dogma.  The "sayings of Jesus"are, according to the Bible, the words he used to teach and share his message to his neighbors.  There are often contradictions in the interpretations of his meaning, and, of course, in the concepts of literalism and metaphoric symbols and signs.  You will not find two denominations with precisely the same interpretations.

One of the main principles of our country's founders was that of "separation of church and state," and those founders were primarily Deists.

Of course, the words of Jesus were those of love, forgiveness, and brotherhood, including the ieas of unconditioal love, including for one's enemies.

I agree with you, basically, Abe, but I still don't get the blanket claim of "Christian" being applied to the situation, or to any objection to Obama's policies. Just me.

As I've said before, if we want peace and prosperity, we have to stop thinking in the old paradigm terms of either/or, good/bad, them or us, and start thinking both/and. Disgruntled critics of Obama's policies are not members of one miority of a religious practice, just old paradigm thinkers.

12/20

                             As I have said earlier, " Let It Be Written, Let It Be Said, Let
                 It Be Done,"  Abajo Castro - Viva Cuba, " trasnlated from Spanish
                 Down With Castro, Long Live Cuba...

                                                              Cheers.......Joe

We kind if got off your topic, didn't we Joe?  Sorry.

My college Spanish professor was from Cuba - a high level member of Batista's staff, a military officer and attorney.  He first left there and came here to train for the Bay of Pigs Invasion.  He was captured and spent several years in prison, the last few in solitary confinement, until he was ransomed and given asylum here.  He pumped gas in Houston for a few more years, learning to speak English, until he was able to convince U of H that his law degree probably meant he could handle the coursework for educational certification, and was eventually awarded a PhD in Education  and spent the rest of his life teaching Spanish and educating his students in Cuban culture and the evils of Communism.

He kind of skipped over the fact that Batista was also a dictator, whose regime was probably closer to Fascism, but I did love that gentleman.  He died in his late fifties, mostly from health problems he developed in prison.

I attended his classes during the late 70's, when I was returning to school to finish my degree, after my divorce, so I was a bit older than most of the students.  He was an extremely strict disciplinarian, and taught us Spanish grammar in a "Stand and Deliver" fashion that fit his views on order and protocol.

Castro took that country and set up a leftist government that was as extreme as Batista's right wing dictatorship, but Cuba was not free under either.  My high school Spanish teacher was Cuban also, a Protestant minister who left Cuba under Batista so he could practice his religion openly.  I was in his class in '59, and he was overjoyed that Castro had won the revolution, so it still comes back to perspectives, doesn't it?

I've made my own choices in the matter based on the facts that it was a long time ago, and times and people have changed, but you are as free as I to make yours.

12/20

                       Isn't it interesting people who have never known what it's like to live
   under a dictatorship or communisim are willing to forget and yet those who have
   lived under it will gladly tell you the horror stories and my friend who passed away
  a year ago still has a brother there in his early 60's who has been thrown into prison
  for opening his big mouth against the Castro Regime, yes that's right all you have to 
  do is open your big mouth and they will arrest you just like when you bring extra food
  home the CDR and that is in every neighborhood and they have spies everywhere it's
  called " The Committee For The Defense Of The Revolution," so you see they will never
  have freedom in Cuba as long as the Castro Devil brothers rule, people are terrified of
  them........I'm sure no one here would want to live like that ? I wouldn't...

                                                     Cheers..Joe

There are families in Cuba and the U.S. who just want to be families.  There is a country just off our coast with whom we should have positive relations.  I believe it is long overdue.  I taught a class at church this morning about The Four Agreements and the first is to be Impeccable with your Word, the Word being diving as we are in fact, divine, the only animal species that speaks.  Yet we use our words to divide us instead of unite us in love.  I'm not usually a religious talker and I find the word "Christian" used as a shield more often than a representation of Christ.  However, all the great religious leaders taught using the Word for good, not revenge, not evil.  Every time we put our out hand in friendship it will not be accepted, but we must keep putting it out there.

It is much more difficult to hate people with whom you share daily interactions.  It is much harder to accept abuse when you see the road to a positive way of living in those with whom you are acquainted.  While relations with Cuba will certainly be bumpy, it is a step in the right direction in my book.

For goodness sake, we rebuilt Japan.  We rebuilt Europe. We attempted to rebuild relations with Vietnam but struggle with that one. We are allies with Germany.  How can we be any less with our next door neighbor?

12/20

                   Time will tell if they do make relations maybe just maybe the cruel dictatorship
           of Fidel Castro will crumble and the chains that bind the masses will be unshackled
           and the masses will know once again what it's like to be free after 55 years of cruel
           bondage....The next few months will tell.....

                                                                  Cheers..........Joe

The hand of freindship can break down walls.  Time to bring down all walls.  It started with the Berlin Wall and that can be symbolic of other walls.  Some walls are not physical and those are the hardest to bring down.  The title to Jimmy Carter's book, "Peace - Not Apartheid" says much. 
Isolation helps no one.  I agree with DK's take on this. 

It's Christmas time and it is a good time to show love and forgiveness - no exceptions.