Political Quotes

“we consider this conference report less than 2 weeks after a tragic day for the cause of democracy in Cuba. On February 24, Fidel Castro's brutal regime shot down two unarmed American aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue who were flying over international waters. This unprovoked ambush was a gross violation of international law and an affront to standards of human decency. It was a cowardly attack, demonstrating clearly that Fidel Castro will resort to any means--no matter how vile and repugnant--to hold on to power. I was appalled by this despicable incident and I would gladly vote for legislation that directly addresses this attack as well as legislation that would foster the democratization of Cuba. Unfortunately, the bill before us today will not carry out those objectives. The conference report would deny a United States travel visa to anyone with a stake in certain companies that do business in Cuba. This provision threatens to seriously damage relations with many of our closest allies, including Canada, whose citizens could be denied entry into the United States. The measure creates a new cause of action in U.S. courts allowing citizens to sue any foreign national who traffics in confiscated Cuban property. This alone could result in a huge logjam in our Federal courts. But by establishing an arbitrary $50,000 claim threshold, the legislation denies legal recourse to many Americans whose homes or shops were confiscated by the Castro regime.”