Brilliant, I love it, at least five have the balls! And the point I made earlier in this thread was reiterated there: "We’re supposed to be free. I consider that to extend to the right to travel.” That makes me proud of these Americans! All hail the Cuba Cinco.....and hope for a safe return through customs.....
Note DrewVT6's post in the comments section of Wahl's article, says that BigSoccer knows who these 5 are. Anyone talking? Or is BigSoccer being staked out by the feds? I'm curious, would gladly hand out rep to the five guilty parties...
When I read this quote, before reading the article, I hoped that nobody in this group was actually contemplating a constitutional challenge of the regulation. That's because the Supreme Court has already ruled that only domestic travel; not foreign travel, is a fundamental right under the Constitution. That would mean the courts would apply a much easier test to determine if the Treasury department regulation is constitutional. From the article, it looks like at least one of them is thinking a suit might work. It could, but it would basically be asking the courts to reconsider a decision that they've already made, or accepting the decision and trying to show that the regulation fails that easier test, which is very unlikely. So Wahl thinks that the Treasury Department is uinlikely to fine each of these fans $250,000 or try to have a court sentence them to 10 years in jail because they are "Stars-and-Stripes-waving U.S. fans?" I understand that reasoning, and I support it, but the only reasoning that will matter is that of the Treasury Department. If these fans get enough public exposure in the U.S., this could definitely be something that goes all the way up the executive branch.
Aw man, and here I was about to ask for all their contact info and pictures, maybe a link to their Myspace page. I seriously don't think they're gonna get in trouble for this, and if they do, like they say in the article, it would make our government look very bad to go out of their way to bust some people for supporting their own national team, and would just put a spotlight on a truly idiotic policy. And I'll gladly wait until they get back.
...all very good points. Really. Truly. But what makes you think this administration gives a damn about any of that? It's Federal "Pound me in the ass" Penitentiary for them
I agree they should not get in trouble, and in fact, we all should have been allowed to go to this game under some kind of exception. Regarding the likelihood of punishment, however, note that the Treasury Department decided to contact the USSF in advance to make clear there were not going to be exceptions for fans.
i have deep respect for the cuba cinco, i hope you all make it home safely i doubt they would get into too much trouble, as one of them stated they are there to support the national team. if they did get busted, i could imagine it creating some rather negative publicity for the whole current cuba situation
If those 5 are smart, they'd better be covering their faces up during the game, so they can't be easily identified by the Feds (who will probably be watching the match).
According to the article, they'll be dressed with US flags a Banditos, so their faces won't be exposed
If this is the only way the Feds can round up subversives, by trolling this board or watching a soccer game, then it really is time for Obama.
All Hail, "the Cuba Cinco!!" I envy them and wish them the absolute best. I hope to see them at a future game where I pledge to drown them in beers. Good luck on your glorious crusade Oh great road warriors.
Yeah that sounds like a great idea...before they even make it back in, lets blow their cover for green squares next to their bigsoccer.com name!
I was merely mentioning the most obvious way for those 5 to remain anonymous. I'm sure the Feds have other ways to find them.
Strange bump, but as always with a new president, the Cuba foreign policy shifts a bit. Congress is proposing cutting funding for enforcing the travel ban, along with a bunch of other things. Experts are predicting more changes regarding Cuba-US relations. This is not the venue to discuss the pros and cons of US foreign policy. The game is over anyway. But I just wanted to highlight how the issues that we discussed at length several months ago will be affected. Peace out! http://www.miamiherald.com/581/story/920292.html
Maybe in 2012, we can get like 500 fans there. I mean with inflation tickets for the match will only cost a dime.
Being someone who was at the game, my guess is that there were around 50 folks actively supporting the U.S. and another 50-100 that probably were pro-U.S. The one thing I was amazed at during my four days in Cuba was just how many Americans were able to legally travel to Havana for business, government, or NGO/religious reasons.