| United Methodists Fined for Traveling to Cuba
From Milwaukee Central UMC Three members of Milwaukee's Central United Methodist Church (CUMC) are currently facing large fines for traveling to Cuba three years ago. In 1994 CUMC established an on-going sister church relationship with a Methodist Church in Havana, Cuba, called La Trinidad (the Trinity). La Trinidad sent a formal invitation to CUMC for us to send members to join in celebrating its 100th anniversary in January, 1999. CUMC commissioned six of our members to go, and they traveled to Cuba. They had a very positive and moving experience in Havana. On their return to the US, via Toronto, the fact that they had visited Cuba was made known to US customs & immigration agents, who told them this was illegal, asked questions and copied some of their identification and other papers. Now, over three years later, three of the six are targets of a "crackdown" by our own government: $7,500 fines have been "proposed" against each of the two African-American CUMC members who went to represent our church; $5,000 has been assessed against one other member, a white woman. No fines have been asserted against the other three, based on identical conduct. Compare that to over 200,000 US nationals who visit Cuba annually, and the US Treasury Department estimate that some 60,000 did so last year in defiance of US restrictions. When Jimmy Carter was President, he lifted the US ban on travel to Cuba, but it was re-imposed under President Reagan. Our government now issues "licenses" to allow some people to travel there, generally to elites such as journalists and academics, but this is not available to many others. CUMC does not have such a "license," which may be issued when the US government chooses to approve proposed religious activity a procedure which also troubles us. Although our government's 40-year economic blockade against Cuba contributes to the daily hardships of our friends and neighbors there, our members who visited Cuba a number of times in recent years have been warmly received by the Cuban people on all levels. Our members do not believe any fine is justified, and they want to help defend the right of all of us in this country to travel as free people. WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT: 1. Contact Central UMC of Milwaukee for more information. Ask for a speaker for your congregation or organization. 2. Send a letter to the Treasury Dept. asking it to drop all actions against these US travelers. Address letter to: R. Richard Newcomb, Director And say that you are writing re:
2. Contact your Representative & Senators, to ask them to end travel restrictions to Cuba. To send a free fax letter to them, you can click on http://www.aclu.org/action/cuba107.html For more info, contact: Central United Methodist Church of Milwaukee Rev. Earl Kammerud, Pastor, efk0937@aol.com Atty. Sandra Edhlund, (414) 273-1040, sedhlund@aol.com |
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