US

Cruise Ship Heading to FL Picks Up Cubans Adrift at Sea

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (The Blaze/AP) — A cruise ship heading back to port in South Florida picked up nine Cubans adrift in a raft at sea.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez says the Allure of the Seas’ crew spotted the raft Saturday near the northern tip of Cuba.

The eight men and one woman got food, water and medical treatment aboard the cruise ship before the U.S. Coast Guard took them into custody.

One family taking the cruise tells The Miami Herald the ship’s captain announced the rescue to passengers. They said that from the side of the cruise ship, the raft looked tiny and rickety.

“I was actually really exciting [sic] while it was all happening,” Colleen Hinch told the Miami Herald. “The captain made an announcement so everyone went over to the side to see what was happening. We turned around and there was a little tiny boat that didn’t look very sea-worthy.”

“They had like broomsticks for paddles is what it looked like,” she recalled. “So really rickety and not very safe looking; very, very small.”

Cubans picked up at sea are generally returned to Cuba.

The cruise ship was heading to Port Everglades at the end of a seven-day trip in the Caribbean.

Comments (99)

  • Keep Looking Up
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:42am

    I read all your comments and I’m ashamed that you guys call yourselves conservatives. I’m as conservative as they come, but I would not let 9 people out for dead in those water. I read all the comments “should of left them out at sea!” Do you guys realize what you’re saying? They’re leaving a COMMUNIST COUNTRY!!!! Most people who leave Cuba on a raft don’t make it here. It’s rare that you see someone actually being rescued… even making it to dry land. BTW, if they don’t make it to dry land and are rescued at sea, they are taken back to Cuba, which they’ll probably spend the rest of their lives in jail.

    I live in Miami and the immigrants who make it here on dry land work hard when they find work. Their FAMILIES help them while they get a job… not the government. They’re leaving a country where they government tries to take care of them! you think they want the same thing over here?!?!?! They work hard and make the best out of it. I‘ve known several people who’ve made this journey and are now successful businessmen, tradesman, or just plain ol’ hard workers. Shame on you who said you would leave them out for dead at sea! That’s not American… that’s actually a communistic way of thinking! I’m appalled by all of you who said leave them out there. Come to Miami and see for yourselves. Talk to the Cubans who have made that journey and I can bet they’re carrying their own weight.

    Report Post »  
    • let us prey
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 9:18am

      @keep looking
      I too have a couple of Cuban buddies that do love America. Hard working and patriotic in comparison to other Americans. But, you cannot call hundreds of millions in public assistance “not the government” .The entitlements are classified as transitional or temporary federal assistance programs. These DO amount to hundreds of millions per wave of refugees. Your heart may be in the right place, but you need to do more research. Ive been to Miami and it does not resemble the USA. Seems to me that after coming here many Cubans shun the American way. Try to speak english in that area and you are out of luck. This may not be true for all, but it is true for many.

      Report Post » let us prey  
    • Wilma
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 10:53am

      Well said!

      Report Post » Wilma  
  • The Realist
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:40am

    Battlehammer
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:15am
    If the Cubans fleeing Castro by boat don’t have the moxy or brains to organize, fight and over throw them (Castros) then I don’t want them here in Florida. We fought and died for our freedom so can they!

    –This is the main thing that has always aggravated me with the Cubans (or any foreign group-mostly Hispanics, that constantly invade our country) ESPECIALLY how they suddenly grow elephant balls when they come to our country and tell us how it’s gonna be. They don’t DARE fight for their freedom wherever they came from, but when they come here to USA, they DEMAND we change everything to suit them. All of the sudden they are all BIG and TOUGH. BS. I recall when I lived in S. Florida there was at least one point they tried to change the official state language of Florida to SPANISH. I DARE you to try and get a job in Miami and not be able to speak Spanish-heck try it in much of south Florida for that matter. These people, as part of being allowed entry to our country and access to all our social handouts, should at a MINIMUM BE **FORCED** into ENGLISH CLASSES. But it will likely never happen. Keep voting Democrat folks, it won’t be much longer before the country is over-no really, it won’t.

    Report Post » The Realist  
    • let us prey
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 9:35am

      @realist
      It is funny that they demand things here.
      The very same people who come here for our freedom, are forcing their agendas on us and force us to change our country for them. Does not seem right.

      Report Post » let us prey  
  • trooper
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:36am

    The Coast Gaurd should have opened up with the twin 50s, just like in that movie “Invasion USA”, with Cuck Norris.

    Report Post »  
  • ares338
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:36am

    Wait, Cubanos are sort of like Mexicans….yeah, let um in.

    Report Post » ares338  
  • Battlehammer
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:15am

    If the Cubans fleeing Castro by boat don’t have the moxy or brains to organize, fight and over throw them (Castros) then I don’t want them here in Florida. We fought and died for our freedom so can they!

    Report Post »  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:21am

      Well said, we fought and died for our freedoms. This is my feelings exactly. Because we did the ‘tough stuff’, the ‘hard work’, they now want to change it to their little Cuba, or Mexico or Middle East with some Freedom on the side. Greedy, lazy “beep”!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • Hisemiester
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 4:35pm

      Who’s the We Battlehammer. I ask that too of you Dizzyinthedark. Who is The We? Have you fought for your freedom? You personally, not your great forefather, you. Do you know what these people have undergone? Shame, and also wait a couple of years, you may be wanting to leave this rogue nation we now live in ‘by anyway you can’.

      Report Post »  
  • i want the truth
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:04am

    Why are they heading here. Isn’t a communist country successful? We will be like Cuba after This ppresident gets done with this country!

    Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:04am

    Ya mean they are not in love w/ the Socialist paradise that is Castro’s Cuber (JFK lingo)
    The ameriKan left are continually telling US how magnificent a socialist paradise can be must be aghast that these people acted so stupidly.
    In fact Illian Gonzalez mother died getting him here, only to have Slick bilLIE instructed the gay caballeroette El REyno to abduct him and send him back.
    I mean Cuber, free health care, free eddikashon, a 1/2 lb of beans per mth and 1/2 lb of rice per mth and 1/4 lb of meat for a family of 4 .Such wonders never ceases.
    The left never tell their lemmings that no one sits on their arse and get food stamps and WIC stamps.
    They have to go to the cane and tobaccy fields to work.
    Oh, and in Cuba’s socialist paradise, happy folks w/ AIDS are quarantined.
    The marxist apparatus now in power are using the useful idiots rank and file union members , the happy crowd (husband to wife, bet yours looks like mine)and the plantation lemming crowd to brung UsSthis kind of paradise..
    These useful idiots will find themselves slaves when the communists achieve total power and drop their benefactor’s masks.
    Cheers. A toast of things to come.

    Report Post »  
  • yooyanks
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:02am

    Lucy, I”m home!

    Report Post »  
  • FAXXON
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:00am

    Why flee Cuba, a country with free health care, prescription drugs, food vouchers etc etc? Didn’t they get the message from dear leader Castro.

    Report Post »  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:57am

    Why? This is why the ships should be carrying those inflatable rafts. Throw them one as you go by. Be sure it has a weeks worth of rations and water on board and fresh issue of the Democrat Tribune. This way he/she can be up to date with the latest Democratic rules and regulations when they get to shore.

    Report Post »  
  • The Realist
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:56am

    This can’t possibly be true, because every day that goes by Liberals across the country-especially those in Public Indoctrination Centers (formerly known as Public Schools) and colleges/universities tell us how much America sucks and how horrible it is, so surely people from all over the world wouldn’t risk life and limb to get to a place that sucks right? Oh, and has anyone heard a statement from Michael Moore yet? You mean to tell me those Cubans are willing to leave that Grade-A “free” socialized healthcare behind? Wow. I moved out of S. Florida 10 years ago, and it’s obvious nothing has changed. This was a DAILY occurence up until I left, and from what I hear from family and others it still is. The other thing I don’t get: The liberals insist that socialism/Marxism/communism is really great-and that capitalism is the problem. Why is it again that we keep seeing everyone flee from the non-capitalist countries again?

    Report Post » The Realist  
  • thegodfather
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:53am

    I assume they were coming to America to personally thank Michael Moore for his movie on how good healthcare is in Cuba compared to the US

    Report Post » thegodfather  
    • Applehead
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:10am

      The immigrants are mostly good! It’s the progressives/liberals that use them to destroy America once they’re here! It’s our so called conservatives that looked the other way all these years and let the radicals take over with all these excessive entitlements and rights! If the republicans were watching out for us, including “The Bush Administration” this immigration problem would exist! That being said, I welcome people fleeing communism to our country! The majority of our Cuban Americans are hard working Americans that love freedom!

      Report Post »  
  • thermonator
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:51am

    Migrants…… really?
    I didn‘t know the Cuban government allowed it’s people to leave the country to come here to work.

    Report Post » thermonator  
  • NickDeringer
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:34am

    This is the kind of illegal immigration I can live with.

    Report Post » NickDeringer  
  • Bushie
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:28am

    more obama voters for 2012.

    Report Post » Bushie  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:26am

    i thought cuba was the place to live these days.. hmmm funny how people still risk thier lives to leave there and come here..

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
  • Tickdog
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:25am

    why didnt they just sink that boat? jeeeze.

    Report Post » Tickdog  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:22am

    They are fleeing communism, is that so wrong? When Obama gets re-elected we better hope the international community picks up the American rafters fleeing tyranny.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:35am

      @gonzo, you know we are not going to flee, we are Americans ,and we will stand and fight,those who do flee,will have there boats and rafts shot full of holes by the other counties and by our government ,that is how communist deal with defectors.

      Report Post »  
    • sbeejustsaying
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:02am

      Where would we go Gonzo? This is it.

      Report Post » sbeejustsaying  
    • Wilma
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 10:50am

      @commonsenseguy.

      …”boats and rafts shot full of holes by the other counties and by our government ,that is how communist deal with defectors.”

      If so, how did they miss the Cuban rafters? Cubans in the 1950′s never thought they would lose their country either. They were as naive as you are.

      Report Post » Wilma  
    • psst
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:05am

      sbeejustsaying
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:02am
      Where would we go Gonzo? This is it

      Umm! I would go to Cuba. Castro will soon be dead, Raul won’t be far behind.They are both ooooold.
      Soetoro is young.
      Most Cubans hates communists. 45% of Americans despises communists. 55% of ameriKans love communists.
      It’s an easy call.
      Gotta go buy a fine raft and a supply of provisions should Soetoro gets re-elected.
      Can’t get a larger craft. Google earth might spot it and the Gestapo will kick my door in.

      Report Post »  
  • emertz8413
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:22am

    These people hated Cuba so much, the land all our Hollywood elites just love, they risked their lives to come here. Lets keep them and send Sean Penn and Michael Moore back in their place!

    Report Post »  
  • GulfPeg
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:20am

    They will be picked up before setting foot on dry land and will be sent back to Cuba.

    Report Post »  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:12am

      @wilma
      “You are like many Americans who travel abroad with and make no effort to learn the language, expecting, instead English speakers in stores, museums, rail, bus and metro stations. Let’s not forget the English menu!”

      How wrong you are! I spent 7 years away from America living in over 33 countries! Not boasting here at all just letting you know my family chose to be in these countries, chose to learn the language out of respect (they loved us for it too), we wore their dress, we assimilated best we could, I learned their way of cooking because I liked their food! We got along with them and they got along with us. When the time came for us to leave it was with great sadness. Leave a clean wake–our motto, because others were following us and we had a responsibility to them! Unlike those that come here illegally and unlike those that harbor them. They do nothing of the sort! Give me a break!

      I will not be put down by you! I have seen it for myself, I know how I’ve lived my life in other countries and I know how illegals should be living their life in my country. WITH RESPECT FOR THE HOST COUNTRY! DO NOT TRY TO CHANGE US INTO WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND! WE ARE NOT CUBA, WE ARE NOT MIDDLE EAST, WE ARE NOT MEXICO, WE ARE NOT EUROPE! WE SPEAK ENGLISH! WE LIVE BY THE CONSTITUTION!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
  • renee
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:16am

    so now, we get stuck paying for their return trip to cuba! what a giving Country we are! and they know it.this wont be their last attempt at crossing our borders ILLEGALLY!

    Report Post »  
    • kaydeebeau
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:04am

      There is a HUGE difference in Cubans trying to get here than the influx of illegals walking across the southern border. Cubans understand the American Ideal. Cubans contribute to society and understnad the commie socialist human plague and will never try to turn the US into Cuba-lite. A good lesson in history for you might be in order

      Report Post » kaydeebeau  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 9:28am

      @kaydeebeau,
      LOL! “Cubans understand the American Ideal.” How’s that? Come again?

      “…will never try to turn the US into Cuba-lite.” Hello? Why do I have to press “1” for English? Who started that? Why is there a Cinqo de Mayo? Who started that? Why is there spanish spoken everywhere I go in Miami? In my doctor’s office? When my girlfriend, a Panamanian Jew with a spanish accent goes anywhere in Miami she is constantly asked if she wants to speak in spanish. Of course she proudly says, “No! I’m American. I speak the language!”

      Get a clue, Cubans were out by the droves waving the Cuban flag, not the American flag during the Elian Gonzalez debacle (which I think was a hoax). Why’s that? They were not proud American‘s they were proud Cuban’s! They need to leave! They bring shame to our country. I have no respect for them now!

      I am taking a stand for America! Time for others to show some respect for all we do. Time to start telling us all the good things we have done for you! We are not your whipping post!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • Wilma
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 10:44am

      @ Renee

      What did you want them to do? Leave them adrift in the squelching heat without food or water with their broomstick oars? What about Mexicans caught inside our borders? We pay for them to be returned? How should we handle them?

      Report Post » Wilma  
    • HairOfTheDogSob
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:24am

      Open Fire…then proceed with vacation..miami is a stench smelled round the world…send illegal residents back at all expense…or find legal citizens that will trade places with the ones they wanrt here..cheeper just to shoot them..

      Report Post » HairOfTheDogSob  
  • commonsenseguy
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:16am

    should have just left them food and water and maybe a paddle, but should have never brought them here, i know i know,that is crazy,they could have died, well guess what, they knew that when they fled ,Cuba, now they got free food,medical,water,and a nice air conditioned room aboard a cruise ship, heck i have never even been on a cruise, much less one that is free,well,not from for the passengers,they will be the ones paying for the illegals .sorry, but they knew the consequences of fleeing,and they decided the reward out weighted the risk,they should have left them.

    Report Post »  
    • yhtmstr
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:33am

      How ignorant you are. First, you should know out of all the ethnic groups that come here the Cubans never take a hand out from the US Government. Their own communities here take them in and support them WITHOUT TAXPAYER MONEY. Second, there is a huge difference between an economic refugee and someone who is a political refugee. Ever been to Cuba smartass? I have. Ever wonder what it is like to cover hundreds of miles of shark infested waters? Ever wonder what might make someone want to do something like that in a raft? Go to Cuba and see what it is like. Then go to Miami and see how the Cubans take care of their own and see how hard they work. Otherwise shut your pie hole and get a clue.

      Report Post »  
    • sbeejustsaying
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:06am

      @YHTMSTR; Do Cubans vote liberal or conservative? We all know how Mexicans vote, liberal.

      Report Post » sbeejustsaying  
    • Keep Looking Up
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:29am

      I read your post and see ZERO common sense, guy! First, they’re in international waters so the cruise ship can do whatever the heck they want! Second, like the guy mentioned on this post, Cuban immigrants are taken care of by their familes that are already here. They’re leaving a COMMUNIST country you moron! It’s way different that an illegal coming here. Most get here and work hard to making a living and get by. Get the facts straight before you make idiotic comments like this. You would actually leave 9 people for dead AT SEA if you saw they needed food and water while you’re munching on an endless buffet? What kind of sick twisted person are you?

      Report Post »  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:57am

      @yhtmstr,

      “…the Cubans never take a hand out from the US Government. Their own communities here take them in and support them WITHOUT TAXPAYER MONEY.” This is not true. I know lots of Cuban families using ‘the system’ for their gain.

      “Ever wonder what it is like to cover hundreds of miles of shark infested waters? Ever wonder what might make someone want to do something like that in a raft?” I have, but not in a raft, nonetheless our lives have been in danger and I can tell you the shores we made we were very happy they were there! We did not DISRESPECT those shores and abided by their rules and entered those countries by their laws, spoke their languages the best we knew how! Can you say that about the Cubans? No. When I go into Miami it is like going into a foreign country–why is that?

      Those shark infested waters they crossed to come to a country where the boarders were open to them weren’t good enough for them. They aren’t respecting the host country nor are you! You no doubt have encouraged them to continue speaking their language, encourage the other families that harbor these illegals to spunge off America, go ahead wipe your feet on America they don’t care, look at what America has done to the world, blah, blah, blah.

      You my friend have been greedy, the other Cubans you speak about are greedy–WE’VE HAD ENOUGH! WE ARE TAKING A STAND!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • Wilma
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 10:29am

      @Dizzyinthedark “When I go into Miami it is like going into a foreign country–why is that?”

      Your statement speaks to your ignorance and intolerance. You do not contemplate. You judge. Fortunately, you have never been forced to abandon your beloved homeland. It is human nature to bond with those who share your culture. It is impossible to erase who you are, never to speak your native language or eat your native food. I’d love to see how long you would last in a foreign country subjected to your own narrow minded expectations.

      You are like many Americans who travel abroad with and make no effort to learn the language, expecting, instead English speakers in stores, museums, rail, bus and metro stations. Let’s not forget the English menu!

      Report Post » Wilma  
  • Marylou7
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:15am

    Why didn’t they just bring them to shore. Our government lets millions of Mexicans enter our borders. I lived in Florida for 20 years and we always rejoiced when Cubans made it safely to shore. Once on land they are safe.

    Report Post » Marylou7  
  • 338lapua
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:14am

    AWWW, can we keep em? Sucks they have to go back to Cuba, we should start returning the others to Mexico,rickety raft or not.

    Report Post »  
    • psst
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:17am

      @ Common Sense.
      Well said.
      And most Cubans votes conservative.
      Unfortunately, their offsprings who have not lived under communists/communism and have been indoctrinated in the publiK sKrools system and given further indoctrination by marxist profs in the universities are starting to lose those conservative values.
      it shows how successful the marxist have been since they took over the publiK sKrool unions and infiltrated the college system as profs.Oh! They took ove all the unions also.
      The flower chirrens of the 60′s moved into to the universities w/ the intent of infiltrating them when their beloved USSR fell.Becoming profs.
      These ameriKan marxists believe the Russkies did not know how to do communism up right.
      They intend to show how it should be done.They intend to make US better slaves.

      Report Post »  
    • psst
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:26am

      Sorry my reply should have been addressed to YHTMSTR

      Report Post »  
  • VLADTEPES
    Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:09am

    Should sue the cruise line for slowing down my trip..

    Report Post »  
    • Cobra Blue
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:15am

      Might as well start them off right. Get a free ride to the New World where they will be lavished will all sorts of free entitlements courtesy of the US Government funded of course by you and me. Why right out of the box they got free food and healthcare right there on the ocean. Who wouldn’t jump in a boat with a broom stick for a paddle for a free life like they get here. Only in America….unfortunately. Note: Generally refugees are returned to Cuba. Wouldn’t put too much stock in that with this Administration. Potential voters.

      Report Post »  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:19am

      @vladtepes. that boat sure looked in good shape, some one said it was a raft,that does not look like a raft, that looks bigger than may bass boat,and it is 21 ft long.should have left them out there.

      Report Post »  
    • proliance
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:28am

      International law (and common sense) requires them to render assistance to another ship in distress.

      The cruise ship I was on last year had to turn around to help another ship that sent out an SOS despite the Coast Guard also receiving the call and being closer. I could feel the ship turn and pick up speed when the captain made the announcement. Of course the Coasties got their first and we then turned around.

      Report Post » proliance  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:33am

      Be careful what you wish for, that may be us trying to get out of the US if Obama’s agenda continues. I feel sorry for the people of Cuba living under Castro.

      Report Post »  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:36am

      Great! More immigrants coming to wipe their feet all over us. Telling us how we don’t appease them enough by speaking their language, conforming to their customs, their laws, etc.! Send them back home, they don‘t deserve to be here because there are others who have more respect for becoming an American citizen and have done it ’the right way’ by following our laws, not breaking them! These are the immigrants America wants, not the ones that ‘sneak’ in here, the ones that right off the bat break our laws. Tells us you have no respect! You are wiping your feet on us! GET OUT!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • Mannax
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 7:45am

      Cobra Blue:

      I am sure that they never set foot on U.S. soil since the Coast Guard took custody of them. They will be shipped back to Cuba now where they will likely face prison time for fleeing the country. If they had been able to set foot on U.S. soil before the USCG got them then yes you might be correct.

      Report Post »  
    • BLACKDIAMONDSKIER
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:09am

      Are you kidding me? Stopping to render aid is a good thing. But allowing these people ON the cruise ship with other passengers endangers the entire ship. Now terrorists can just pose as Cuban refugees on small vessels in cruise ship lanes and wait for the crew to escort them on the ship. No long lines, no passport check, no baggage check, no security screeners. The safe, correct, and humane procedure would have been to stop at a good distance away, send a small boat out to them with food/water/supplies, call for coast guard to pick them up, and wait there till assistance arrived. DO NOT ALLOW CRUISE SHIPS TO PICK UP FLOATING HITCHHIKERS with thousands of innocent people on board. Making the assumption that these people were harmless turned out to be correct this time. If I was a bad guy…I would be thinking what a great way to get access to a ship without having to go through security measures.

      Report Post »  
    • TexasCommonSense
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:12am

      You mean they were escaping the communist utopia that is Cuba? How can that be? Perhaps Michael Moore will explain it to us.

      Report Post » TexasCommonSense  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:21am

      @VladTepes:

      Sue them? Over a rescue at sea? Most likely some lawers (ship chasers in this case?) have already sought out clients for just that purpose.

      What I find of interest is so many of the hollywood types are wanting to open relations again with the nation of Cuba, saying how great it is (i.e. Moore), while people are doing desperate things as this just to have a chance of reaching our shores.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • BLACKDIAMONDSKIER
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:31am

      If you have ever been on a cruise ship you are aware of the incredible security measures they take at port to ensure that every passenger who leaves and boards the ship must have an ID card. If you loose this card you cannot board the ship. Even if you have 25 friends saying…hey I know that guy. However, they have no problem escorting 9 or 10 people floating out in the middle of the ocean to board. I AM NOT SAYING don’t help them. I AM SAYING, don’t allow them on the ship. I believe the correct procedure should have been to stop, send a boat out to them with food/clothing/supplies, and wait until the coast guard arrives before allowing them to board the coast guard ship (NOT the cruise ship),

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 8:44am

      @Grandmaof5:

      I have to agree. These folks are suffering worse than anyone in America could imagine unless from a nation like that…and indeed soon it may be us making the boat lifts in all manners heading out of a new socialist and communist state if Obama has his way…along with the cronies supporting him.

      Good morning, hope all is good, and glad to hear of the storm taking down the pollen levels for you yesterday. Cooler here a bit, yet still sneezing like mad. Had a ground squirrel come into the courtyard of the complex yesterday…cute little critters.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Seal barry hussein
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 9:31am

      It was some entertainment between early-brunch and mid-brunch.

      Report Post » Iman Barak Hussein  
    • Secret Squirrel
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 9:46am

      ..
      “Come on, you’re in time for Happy Hour.”

      Report Post » Secret Squirrel  
    • John 3:16
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 10:56am

      We need to ship illegals out of the USA not invite them for a visit. If it’s that bad in Cuba, which it is, then let them do what our brave patriots did, Fight for their own free government. If they come here illegally they are taking welfare in the sense our forefathers worked, fought and died to give us and themselves freedom. Let them spill their own blood for their freedom, let them work to change their own government.

      Report Post » John 3:16  
    • Vickie Dhaene
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:16am

      Can you imagine how bad one’s life would have to be to take such a risk for freedom? I believe immigration should go through proper channels., but WTF. I cannot imagine such desperation !!!

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    • Mister July
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:39am

      John 3:16/ The Realist: Take some time to read up on the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Cuban patriots in exile were trained by the U.S. military to invade and overthrow the Soviet-backed Castro regime with the promise of air support. JFK abandoned the Cubans he promised to support after the invasion had already begun. Most were killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (the original FARC); and those that weren’t were put into political prisons to die or face hunger and torture at the hands of Uncles Fidel, Che, and Raul’s lackeys. Since then, Americans of Cuban ancestry or birth vote overwhelmingly Republican.
      Also wouldn’t hurt to look up the Cuban Adjustment Act and the Helms-Burton Act. Wiser folk than you understood that Cubans don’t fit into your stereotype of the typical hispanic/latino. They are fleeing a totalitarian system in search of freedom. The system they are fleeing has resisted all attempts thus far to change it. As such Cubans are afforded refugee status and provided political asylum with the possibility of residency and, eventually, citizenship – which they take eagerly. They’ve built a center of world commerce where there was once just a tourist trap in the middle of a swamp – Miami. Cubans are overwhelmingly freedom-loving, God-fearing, grateful-to-America, and capitalist. It‘s very sad that they tend to get lumped together with the rest of the immigrant hispanic groups because they’re very atypical.

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    • independentvoteril
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:57am

      @Cobra Blue.. I hate to say this by YES they are ILLEGALS .. HOWEVER.. they actually did some WORK and took a HUGE risk to get to freedom.. they should be allowed to stay after all look how many ILLEGALS come over our southern borders and DEMAND they be not just allowed to stay but to have all the rights CITIZENS get..and they are not even escaping from a communist country like these people..

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    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on May 16, 2011 at 1:00pm

      @Cobra Blue,

      “Note: Generally refugees are returned to Cuba. Wouldn’t put too much stock in that with this Administration. Potential voters.”

      Which is ironic, because this administration and fellow Marxist traitors want to make America more like Cuba.

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    • GRANNYMOO
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:46am

      I have been on a cruise ship that saved nine Cubans! four of them children! They have no access to passengers at all! they were blown off course in a storm, also checked very well before boarding, kept below where they were fed and clothed and taken to the nearest US embassy. No one saw them. It was a very humane thing to do! I don’t blame them at all for leaving Cuba! I’d take my kids away too,if i had to live there

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    • obamanation
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:00pm

      At least they’re not Mexicans. I’ll take Cubans any day over Mexicans. Most definitely!

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    • obamanation
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:06pm

      I am Cuban btw :p

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    • Wolf
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 5:12pm

      yup, they should’a just left them adrift. We don’t need any more freeloaders in this country- there’re enough in the White House and District of Criminals.

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