Michael Moore Blasts President Bush Over Federal Probe Into 'Sicko' Documentary Cuba Trip

The Dallas Morning News

U.S. ban hasn't slowed Americans' trips to Cuba Recent crackdown on illegal visits does little to end traffic

03/19/2002

By TRACEY EATON / The Dallas Morning News

HAVANA - Austin resident Dan Snow can't vote. Can't own a gun. Can't even go fishing where he wants to.

His crime?

He hopped on a plane and went to Cuba, the forbidden island, land of Fidel Castro and rumbling '59 Chevys.

"I'm a travel felon," said Mr. Snow, 63, the only American to have served jail time for going to Cuba.

He's the most extreme example of a trend - people thumbing their noses at Uncle Sam and going to Cuba despite a decades-long ban and a recent Bush administration crackdown on travel to the island.

Most travel to Cuba from the United States is prohibited, although the U.S. government does allow some visits for business, educational and cultural purposes. Travelers range from musicians and artists to lawmakers and students.

I (Dan Snow) have been to Cuba more than 150 times, more than 1500 days. The contract signed on July 4, 1977, was to bring bass fishermen to Treasure Lake, near the Bay of Pigs. In 1978, we expanded our operation to include bass fishermen at Lake Zaza, in Sancti Spiritus, Province. In 1979, we added Lake Cuyaguateje, in Pinar del Rio Province. In 1980, we added Lake Redonda, in Ciego de Avila Province. In 1982 we added Lake Hanabanilla, in Villa Clara Province a beautiful mountain lake.

During these same years we helped the Cubans start their Scuba diving program on the Island of Youth, bird watching in Matanzas Province near the Salinas Road. At the same time we were adding hunting trips for ducks, dove, quail, white-crowned pigeon and others.

As time went by, we added more lakes, eco-tours, biking tours, yachting, hiking-trekking, cigar tours, Hemingway tours, golf, tennis, etc.

Since May 15,1982, when the Reagan / Bush Administration banned the spending of money in Cuba, I (Dan Snow) have more or less become the leader of the effort to restore the "freedom to travel" for the American people. At the time of the travel restrictions, only between 4000 and 5000 Americans were traveling to Cuba each year, about 1,000 with us. Last year, about 80,000 went along with perhaps as many as 140,000 Cuban Americans.

There have been 17 court cases related to the freedom to travel in the United States and I have been involved in 15 of them and helped to finance the other two.

Your question might be, why do we fight so hard against these travel restrictions. Many in this country were willing to sacrifice their lives when the Terrorists, Nazis, Fascists or Communists threatened our freedom and our most cherished of liberties. Today, our own government is threatening those same cherished liberties. What is the difference to whom we lose those cherished liberties? Next, the liberty (freedom to travel) has been lost to a government lie, told by some in Washington, DC. When our own top State Department and CIA officials step forward to say that the reasons given for restricting travel to Cuba are an "outright lie", or that they are a "fraud", Americans must care! Those persons have made sworn testimonials to the facts....that is "hard evidence". The US government has failed to come forward with any such "hard evidence" to support their reasons for banning travel to Cuba. I will provide those sworn testimonials to you upon request. The US failed in a Freedom of Information lawsuit to come forth with any such evidence to support their reasons for the restrictions. The truth of the matter is that some people in Washington DC, accepted bribe money from the right-wing of the Cuban American community, invented a false excuse and "sold out" our most precious of liberties. The undeniable truth is in State Department cable #11853. That crime must be reversed!

I am also a spokesperson for the Wall of Lawyers that helps Americans get out of trouble in the event they are threatened with fines, etc., by the US government.

I was the president of the largest bass club in the nation and twice president of the Kentucky Bass Federation. I also served as Founding Board Member of the Bass Research Foundation and also as the first Chairman of the Angler's Advisory Committee to the Bass Research Foundation.

We have taken or sent nearly 23,000 Americans to Cuba. We are constantly adding new programs, updating our website and almost daily add newsworthy items to our Cubanews (found on more information button). Our goal is to provide you with the trip of a lifetime.