Fidel Castro demands Gitmo Back

Why hasn't the CIA ever taken him out? I said it before, The Dude is probably dead and his brother isn't telling anyone. It's kind of like when John Stroger (Cook County President) had a stroke. No one was allowed to see him except family. The family said he was alright and would run the county from his bed. In the meantime he annointed his son Todd to take his place and annointed other relatives to work for the County. Todd got elected and sadly John died afterwards. To show everyone how weird Chicago and Illinois politics are, no one questioned any of this. Todd is bankrupting the county and most of his relatives work there. P.S. Obama and Todd are probably friends. Obama had to know John well.

Thank God for that champion of justice and reason. Long live Fidel !!

Guantanamo bay has been US territory for over one hundred years. It was supposed to be turned over to the Cuban government in 1999, but because Cuba was still under communist rule, it didn't happened.

That butcher has a lot of nerve asking for it back.

Castro owns the rest of island and has stolen all the Cuban assets, their freedom, taken thousands of lives, their dignity and has destroyed thousands of families.

A lot of bluster.

I doubt Obama will cave to Fidel's temper tantrum.

While Gitmo should probably be back in Cuban hands, I don't think that demanding for it from the U.S. will get it back any quicker.

Fidel my ass. He's probably dead by now but the dishonest government is hiding the fact because without him they have nothing. I've known a lot of Cubans and not one of them supports Castro. The odd thing is our government is becoming more like Cuba day by day. Maybe Jimmy Carter can take over for the missing Fidel. I know I'm just rambling but I hate Castro and I just wanted to put something out there.

Can't believe I am agreeing with that dictator, but I was thinking the same thing. Too bad he started DEMANDING, so now when we turn it over it won't be seen as a good will gesture, but as capitulation.

Can he just go already? Cuba has been locked down far too long. It's sad when my friends can't even go visit their own families in Cuba.

Obama is an honest man, but he cannot make those promises without first consulting his cabinet. We live in a system of balanced executive power (some administrations more than others). I am in full favor of giving Gitmo back 100% to Cuba, but the process needs to be rational.

Well, it makes perfect sense to me, although it's a little discomforting.

How would you feel if Cuba had an international prison on the coast of Florida where it tortured people on our soil. That wouldn't make you feel just the least bit sick?

Anyways, I wonder what he's gonna do with it?

There are other islands in the Caribbean, in the name of diplomacy give it back or make a better offer.

I hate Castro with a passion but, Gitmo is technically on Cuban soil.

The Cuban government can claim that as sovereign land owners they may evict the people who live and work there, pointing to article 52 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties which declares a treaty void if its conclusion has been procured by the threat or use of force... in this case by the inclusion, in 1901, of the Platt Amendment in the first Cuban Constitution.

America is God on earth. How dare some commie, old guy, demand something we finagled out of Batisa or one of those other well behaved puppets we used to install/back all the time. Like Sadam Hussein and who was that guy in Panama, Noriega. Can I get a piece of land the size of Gitmo for $4,000/mo complete with buildings and fortifications and guests? Give Me NOW.

Where is Oliver North when we need him. My girlfriend needs some nylons. Like when Churchill was asked how he thought history would treat him. His reply, "Very well. I plan to write it."

From the recovering exiled United States of Amnesia and Hot Air and to all the ships at sea,

Have a happy Ash Wednesday,

Captain B.

Don't take kindness for weakness Mr. Castro..

It technically is on Cuban soil, rented or not...

Sorry USA, but that piece of Cuba is not yours. But what I find extraordinary is Castro's dementia & mood swings. First he's kissy-kissy with Obama, but now he's back to his fire and brimstone speeches/writings, using Guantanamo to create an enemy out of the evil new Imperator (Obama). Castro must have taken a viagra overdose or something.

And rightly so - that like Gibraltar, it's on their soil.

sounds like Castro is trying to work out if Obama's a soft touch, in which case I doubt the US are gonna give it up without strict conditions or at least a decent struggle.

Petarro,
Here's a brief overview of the 100 year history of the US appropriation of Guantanamo from Wikipedia:
"During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. fleet attacking Santiago retreated to Guantánamo's excellent harbor to ride out the summer hurricane season of 1898. The Marines landed with naval support, requiring Cuban scouts to push off Spanish resistance that increased as they moved inland. This area became the location of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, which covers about 45 square miles (116 km²) and is sometimes abbreviated as GTMO or "Gitmo".
By the war's end, the U.S. government had obtained control of all of Cuba from Spain. A perpetual lease for the area around Guantánamo Bay was offered February 23, 1903, from Tomás Estrada Palma, an American citizen, who became the first President of Cuba. The Cuban-American Treaty gave, among other things, the Republic of Cuba ultimate sovereignty over Guantánamo Bay while granting the United States "complete jurisdiction and control" of the area for coaling and naval stations.

A 1934 treaty reaffirming the lease granted Cuba and her trading partners free access through the bay, modified the lease payment from $2,000 in U.S. gold coins per year, to the 1934 equivalent value of $3,086.36 in U.S. dollars, and made the lease permanent unless both governments agreed to break it or the U.S. abandoned the base property.
Since the Cuban Revolution, the government under Fidel Castro has cashed only one of the rent checks from the US government. The Cuban government maintains this was only done because of "confusion" in the heady early days of the revolution, while the US government maintains that the cashing constitutes an official validation of the treaty. The remaining uncashed checks made out to "Treasurer General of the Republic" (a position that has ceased to exist after the revolution) are kept in Castro's office stuffed into a desk drawer.
I hope that's helpful.
Best, Ampersand

Even the US state dept acknowledges that if 'free elections' to its own model were allowed, the communist regime would still gain 80% or so of the vote.

By the way, Cuba does have elections... They're just not the same sort of system as most western or westernised countries labour under.

Gitmo's existence on Cuba is an international disgrace, a vestige old-style colonialism and should be handed back without the outrageous arrogance of conditions, negotiation or the consideration of US military interests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base#Cuban_opposition_to_the_b...

And as for the firing squad comment... I think a swift little introspection on the matter of US domestic 'justice' arrangements, within the world's pre-eminent power and exponent of 'human rights', should expose that for what it is.

I say sell it back to them...we need the money.

Great idea, freshfish! I'm for that! I hope Cuba enacts some enforceable election spending laws beforehand though. One can only imagine the whirlwind of money headed that way from mainland corporate interests when they smell an election brewing. But still, imperfect democracy is better than all the alternatives we've seen so far.

I know we stole Gitmo but, here is an idea why don't We agree to hand it back only if Castro and all heirs step down from office and hold free elections.

At the time they elect a new leader we also drop the cruel trade and travel embargoes.

Give it to him with the prisoners...
Castro knows what to do with them... Ready... Aim...

We have over 760 military sites around the globe.
Gitmo is one of the more shameful examples of imperialism in our recent history. Fine with me if you give it back. It has lots of fresh and empty golf courses and bowling alleys. Could be a nice resort shared by all. Far more productive than an overpriced torture chamber.

Fidel just stop I think its time you acted your age

What Cuba doesn't want are $4,000 a month for leasing Gitmo. I believe the pact says that both countries must continue to agree that the US can be there otherwise the lease is supposedly terminated. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that is how the lease was drafted.

Having a few thousand soldiers in Cuba is not going to stop/secure anything (in response to hydrokat). We are not an expanding empire, we need to secure ourselves not surrounding countries, we are already breeding more hatred towards us by having our military occupying other countries, lets not ad more enemies closer to home.

With modern technology being what it is there is no need for all these bases around the world, our satellites can see more than bases ever will, and we can move soldiers around so quickly with planes and boats, we should save ourselves a ton of money and close down a lot of the foreign bases.

Deal. There is a pact signed by both parties and Gitmo is fully Legal.

With the recent activity of Russia now spreading influence throughout the region. I feel it would be a mistake. We need to secure our surrounding Countries here in the Western Hemisphere. I see this as more of Russian aggressiveness to reach out to cause a destabilization of the region in support of Anti-U.S. Governments in control there.