Computers and Cuba

[IzmSchism]

Check out this article, and let me know what you think,
http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/sto...413/628636.html (http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?f=/stories/20020413/628636.html)

Anyone from Cuba, or has been to Cuba who would like to comment on the validity of this article, personally, that sucks huge, let alone you cannot afford a 500 dollar computer in a years wage?? you cannot even afford the access?? what little access you can have is severley limited?? Again this article could be total bullshit, so please if you know anything let me know.

[poncho]

The article forgets to mention that its computers purchased or made in the U.S. are banned. Not "all" computers.

I know for a fact that schools at all levels are getting more and more into the internet and computers. My friends wife's sister uses Yahoo! messenger to talk with her little sister in Cuba. The sister gets net access free through her High School.

Salesmen in Miami are just waiting to pitch and lie to Cubans on the net so therefore restricting the net is fully justified.

[Zippy]

Quote: from poncho on 8:59 pm on April 13, 2002
restricting the net is fully justified.
Why is censorship justified? When the American government does it its evil, but Cuba does it and its justified. Hypocracy is such an ugly virtue and something that politics can do without. I dont support either form of government, and i question both, but you have to justify why not letting people read certain information is valid.

Zippy.

[Angie]

Zippy, Poncho's just saying restriction from receiving the pitch from Florida salesmen pushing how great life would be if only Cubans gave up what they have in place of what America has to offer. It's not Florida's place (or anywhere else's, for that matter) to tell Cubans how they should and shouldn't live.

You wouldn't appreciate it if your British lifestyle was constantly disrupted by people from somewhere you were being oppressed via, telling you their lifestyle is better and that you are living a pathetic existence if you don't follow their way of life. If those same people were making threats to your government, constantly attempting to knock off Blair or other representatives of your government, and had attempted to invade your nation in the past.

You'd want them to bugger off, too.

[Zippy]

I completely agree with you, but im of the mind frame where freedom of speech applies to everyone, not just the people saying what you want to hear.

If life in Cuba is so good then Castro has nothing to fear from outside sources promising better. If the people are in work, have enough food and shelter, good health care and education and modern luxuries i doubt they could be tempted to rebel against their government so easily.

Has i say, i dont subscribe to any political system and i question everything, but censorship of any kind is, in my opinion, oppressive.


attempting to knock off Blair or other representatives of your government
They'd have an hard job with Prescott. ;)

Zippy.

[Guest]

"Zippy, Poncho's just saying restriction from receiving the pitch from Florida salesmen pushing how great life would be if only Cubans gave up what they have in place of what America has to offer. It's not Florida's place (or anywhere else's, for that matter) to tell Cubans how they should and shouldn't live."
First of all, it would be people in Florida (most likely Cuban-Americans), not "Florida" itself, that would be "tell[ing] Cubans how they should and shouldn't live." Second of all, by your logic the US gov't would be justified in shutting this site down, because it's not your place to tell Americans how they should and shouldn't live. What's the difference?

There's a difference between "wanting someone to bugger off" and restricting freedom of speech.

[Zippy]

-delete this post Mr Moderator.

Zippy.

(Edited by Zippy at 6:43 pm on April 14, 2002)

[poncho]

Its not really censorship in a traditional sense for instance you can access CNN, Yahoo!, Hotmail and most sites with a mixture of information. Only restrict when the possible site is trying to organize the people in revolt against the government.

[reagan lives]

"Only restrict when the possible site is trying to organize the people in revolt against the government."

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/for...ums.pl?forum=14 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/forums.pl?forum=14)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...m=11&topic=1210 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=11&topic=1210)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=184 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=184)

Just to name a few.

[poncho]

Aids when first discovered the government should have isolated the infected in hospitals, instead they left them in the community allowing for the disease to become a large epidemic.

In certain instances I'm in favor of restricting individuals rights when it strengthans the rights of the community as a whole!

[Moskitto]

HIV was first detected in 1959 in a man Kinshasa (source: CDC http:www.cdc.gov) , Congo. by the time it became AIDS in the 1980s it was too late to stop it spreading.

Of course with annother such disease it would be a good idea.

[Capitalist]

It is good to see some people with open minds on this board.

Quarantining a disease to protect others from illness is one thing.

Restricting the Freedom of Speech to protect others from true Democratic Revolution is another.

I think Cuba has every right to quarantine aid victims.

However stoping people from speaking freely has no root for justification.

Face it, Poncho, you are full of some BIG Canadian Tourist Bull Shit.

[poncho]

"Face it, Poncho, you are full of some BIG Canadian Tourist Bull Shit."

Freedom of speech and freedom to spread slander and lies are two differant things.

[Capitalist]

The only one spreading slander and lies is you - Poncho.

I think we all see through your claims of being a so called Cuban Citizen, when in actuality you are nothing more than a Canadian Tourist/Foreigner who likes to vacation upon the slave labor of Cuba occassionally.

Cuba = Tourist/Foreigner Paradise = Hell for Cuban People

Like the true Capitalist you dread, Poncho - You profit off other's misery.

[poncho]

No I do not profit it costs me money in order to go, actually I contribute to Cuba.