RIP Hugo

[Piloto]

On his last trip to Cuba Chavez saw Fidel cleaning an old rusty shovel marked with names of dead leaders, Chavez asked "Fidel what is this shovel for?" Castro replied "for those before me" and asked "how do you spell Hugo"

 

Another one that Castro buries.

 

José

[carusoam]

Aren't we going to be able to fly to Cuba soon?

-a-

[John Pleisse]

My condolences to Sean Penn, Harry Belafonte, Susan Serandon, Fidel Castro, Danny Glover, Naomi Cambell, Joe Kennedy, Kevin Spacey, Oliver Stone, Benecio Del Toro, Dennis Kusinich, Cindy Sheehan, Tim Robbins and Jesse Jackson. This must be hard for you.

[FlyDave]

On his last trip to Cuba Chavez saw Fidel cleaning an old rusty shovel marked with names of dead leaders, Chavez asked "Fidel what is this shovel for?" Castro replied "for those before me" and asked "how do you spell Hugo"

 

Another one that Castro buries.

 

José

That's a riot José! (you crack me up more than anyone else on this board...but Sleeping Squirell comes in a close second)

[Piloto]

Aren't we going to be able to fly to Cuba soon?

-a-

Wish that would happen before my time. In 1898 the US declared war against Spain (due to the Maine sinking) and expelled the Spanish from Cuba and Puerto Rico. The US occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico for several years. The US retrieved from Cuba but made Puerto Rico a US territory. My only regret is the US retrieving from Cuba and not making it a US territory like they did with PR.

 

Can you imagine all the GA and boating activity between Florida and Cuba if Cuba was a US territory (or a state). You could be working in Florida and flying to your home in Cuba on a daily basis. Not to imagine all those weekend trips to visit family and friends. It would have been one of the most active GA corridor in the world.

 

The reason why the above never happened is because there was strong independence movement in Cuba. While Puerto Rico was more of a refugee camp for all the Spanish leaders that were expelled from Latin America. This lead to Puerto Rico having a strong alliance with Spain and never had a significant interest for independence. In fact it was a province of Spain.

 

More on the Spanish-American War at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War

 

Most Cubans in exile wished that the US had invaded Cuba during the Cold War and occupy the territory like they did in the early 1900s.

 

José

[alex]

My condolences to Sean Penn, Harry Belafonte, Susan Serandon, Fidel Castro, Danny Glover, Naomi Cambell, Joe Kennedy, Kevin Spacey, Oliver Stone, Benecio Del Toro, Dennis Kusinich, Cindy Sheehan, Tim Robbins and Jesse Jackson. This must be hard for you.

 

Careful! You might insult a couple or three on this board with that kind of insensitive and insencere talk...

[davidsguerra]

I cant visit my family in Cuba because its a communist country but i cant buy stuff from Walmart that isnt from Fing PR China. dont get me started.

 

as to Chavez.. AMF.

[fantom]

David...many of my Cuban friends are finding ways to visit Cuba.

[Alan Fox]

You can visit Cuba from Jamaica , and they dont stamp american passports......I wouldnt even consider it...... I like my freedom , anything could happen to you over there and there would be NO recourse....

[DaV8or]

You can visit Cuba from Jamaica , and they dont stamp american passports......I wouldnt even consider it...... I like my freedom , anything could happen to you over there and there would be NO recourse....

 

I know several people personally who have been to Cuba, all American citizens. Since we are in California, they go through Mexico. All have enjoyed their trip and said it was amazing and the people very friendly. No government hassles. They do also comment on how primitive, run down and poor the country is. It is not a place for the five star traveler. I personally have no interest in going myself, but maybe one day when it is five star! There are plenty of other nice places in the Caribbean I can spend my money.

[fantom]

Could be a description of the USA in the not too distant future

[Earl]

If I seem to recall, Hugo claimed to sniff sulfur at the UN and then proceeded to call Bush el Diabalo (the devil)........wonder if he is smelling sulfur now?  For sure his family is celebrating inheriting a couple a billion dollars stolen from the poor in Venezuela.......

[davidsguerra]

Iv e been there on an educational visa before . beautiful country if you dont mind the govt. Europeans go all the time. i felt as safe as in the Bahamas or DR.   i should be able to take off from KAVO and be there in 90 mins like i can the Bahamas.I should be able to buy Havana club rum. Which one , ours or theirs is the totalitarian govt again (sic) ? I could go but it is illegal to spend money because its communist. but the majority of the stuff we buy in the USA comes from a communist country . makes me sick. if we are going to boycott the communists lets be fair about it.

 

FWIW im a conservative and i hate castro. but the embargo makes no sense.

 

there are some ~ 4 star places in Cuba. if you have American money you can get anything you want.

[FloridaMan]

I don't recall having ever met a strong left-leaning pilot -- even among those working low paying jobs and with massive loan debt. 

[jlunseth]

I was in Venezuela with the UN in 1974.  Carlos Andres Perez had just been elected on a platform of cleaning up the corruption and giving the oil money to the people.  He was pushed out in the 90's for embezzlement, and Chavez ran on a platform of cleaning up the corruption and giving the oil money to the people.  Wash, rinse, recycle.  Everyone in VZ would rather be living in Nuevo York.

[John Pleisse]

I don't recall having ever met a strong left-leaning pilot -- even among those working low paying jobs and with massive loan debt. 

 

 :):)----Contact Jetdriven. Although, I think Byron has a few hundred grand in his mattress, despite buying Bendix mags for no reason whatsoever.

[jetdriven]

That left Bendix mag failed 5 hours after install.

 

Regards to Chavez, although he was a duly elected leader of his country, and we are taught to hate him because he kicked out Chevron for screwing their country and polluting the place.  Last I heard we mind our own business and let them mind theirs.  The US loves dictators, as long as they do what we say....

 

Gasoline is 12c a gallon there as well. But WTFDIK?

[carusoam]

Will our fuel prices be going down?

-a-

[jetdriven]

We have a Socialist as a president, some say, and the Dow just broke a record, along with corporate profits.

[carusoam]

Now, I'm expecting the price of fuel to go down.

Thanks Byron!

-a-

[flyboy0681]

I had seen him at the St Kitts airport a couple of years ago as he was departing a weekend conference held on the island for some kind of Caribbean Alliance. He appears somewhere in the attached picture.

 

All I can say is goodbye and good riddance.

[jetdriven]

Good riddance? He lived in Venezuela. Riddance from what?  WTF does that have to do with life in South Florida?  And why does his life or death matter to you?

[Hector]

Why does it matter? Well let's see.....eroding democracy everywhere he can, aiding and consulting with every scum despot in the world, financing terrorist organizations throughout Latin America, turning Venezuela into another Cuba, etc, etc.

[AmigOne]

And if a lot people had gone to Wikipedia before accusing the president of being a socialist they might have learned what a socialist system really is.

[flyboy0681]

Good riddance? He lived in Venezuela. Riddance from what?  WTF does that have to do with life in South Florida?  And why does his life or death matter to you?

 

Hmm, where should I start? How about his confiscation of industry, starting with taking over Exxon's oil operation in 2007? Not good enough for you, how about instituting price controls and telling foreign companies (Pepsi just one of many examples) that those that don't comply will be expropriated. The list goes on and on and on.

 

Also, being a resident of South Florida I have a few friends that are Venezuelan and still have family living there. The stories coming out of there for these middle class families have not been good since Hugo took control in 1999. While poverty and unemployment has fallen under Chavez, crime has soared as well as inflation.

 

 I do have one question for you Jet, why did you single me out when other such comments have been written?