Fans praise the episode's clever writing comparing counterfeit Cuban cigars to the show's plot about fake Cubans, sparking discussion about cigar counterfeiting and U.S. import laws.
That was a great piece of writing tonight with the bogus Dominican's as "Cubans".
With cigars becoming increasingly popular in the US, a lot of counterfeiting has been going on of late to meet the demand. Some dealers will substitute cigars from the Dominican Republic as Cubans by switching the wrapping.
On Seinfeld they did this....with people.
Great episode!
bogus Dominican's as "Cubans".
With cigars becoming increasingly popular in the US, a lot of counterfeiting has been going on of late to meet the demand. Some dealers will substitute cigars from the Dominican Republic as Cubans by switching
On Seinfeld they did this....with people.
Great episode!
Could somebody tell me why are Cuban Cigars illegal in the States??
Are they worse that cigarettes, or what?
On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 13:57:39 -0800, Peter Pan wrote:
Under current Federal law all imports from Cuba are illegal
i've heard that cubans (the cigars) are laced with a noticeable amount of marijuana, not enough to do anything, but enough to be illegal. Also, the whole castro thing might have something to do with it. -Feld
On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 [email] wrote:
The Cubans are selling blunts??? I don't think so. Where did you hear that? Was it in "High Times?" There may have been a case where this occurred, but it's hardly the reason why they are illegal. You were closer when you mentioned "that whole Castro thing." I agree with those that say the trade restrictions should be lifted. The Cold War is over and Cuba no longer has the support to represent any sort of threat to the States. Besides, the influx of money and tourism that would occur could be a great help to the people of Cuba (plus we could pick up a few more good baseball players).
-Brian
[email] wrote:
The commie threat is over. Live with Cuba, move on. :)
Quoth Gussel Timer : :
Are you saying, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar?" (And not a political weapon.) ;-)
[email] wrote:
Heheh. I'm saying the big giant United States is still afraid of a tiny island that has no more Soviet allies to back it up. The current policy is a holdover of the cold war. It's time to get smart like Canada did and liberalize trade. The people of Cuba (contrary to popular belief and propoganda of certain special interest groups in Washington) are not living under miserable oppression. Oppression, yes. Miserable oppression, no...at least no more miserable than the lives of most Americans. Live with the fact that this communist government will continue until it no longer works. Right now, it's working, even under US trade sanctions.
Quoth Gussel Timer : :
Of course, if we changed our policy toward Cuba now, we'd be kind of admitting that it was a stupid idea in the first place. And that wouldn't be prudent at this juncture... I wonder what might happen if Cuba was treated to a good dose of capitalism by way of trading with the US? Do you think their current social/political system might look bad in comparison? If they didn't have "dat ol' debbil Uncle Sam" to blame their poor condition on, might they take a closer look at "Uncle Fidel" and decide that maybe he hasn't been as good for their country as they've been lead to believe? Might be worth a try.
[email] wrote:
No, no. It WAS a good idea in the first place, but times have changed. There is no Soviet Empire out there in collusion with Cuba waiting to gobble up the United States. This WAS the case through the Cold War. The Cold War is over. Now is time for change.
[email] wrote:
It's a Cold War leftover. But I think we should realize that Cuba is going to stay just where it is and lift all those silly sanctions.
Kramer's got the right idea!
No - He is not kidding. (He goes to the U. of Ottawa.) ======== One interesting story about the Cuban Trade Embargo is that Pres. Kennedy, who liked cigars, ordered his staff to buy all the Cuban cigars they could find in the Washington area. The next morning he signed the embargo into law. Pierre Salinger (his press secetary at the time) recounted that story in a recent interview.
Salinger has been known to embellish however... :)
Don...
Cuban cigars are illegal because of the Cuban trade embargo. The United States forbids trade with Cuba. American citizens are forbidden to even travel to Cuba.
If a person purchases a Cuban product, such as a cigar, in a country that allows trade with Cuba, such as Canada, that person cannot import that product into the United States.
Many Americans along the border will cross over into Canada to buy Cuban cigars, but they better not get caught trying to bring them back. The cigars will be confiscated and the person could be charged with a crime.
-- Dan Nelson, Nashville, TN
[email] (MagnaDan) wrote:
I thought CNN just opened a news bureau there.
What continues to be the purpose for that? Is there a similar ban for all communist countries?
Nothing from Cuba can be imported to the US, not just cigars.
On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 23:45:16 -0600, Jim McKinley wrote:
Cuban cigars are illegal because Fidel Castro kicked out the brutal dictator Battista from Cuba, and decided that he wanted a socialist model of government for the betterment of the Cuban people. The American interests got such a hate on for Fidel that they drove him into the nasty hands of the USSR. The US is still maintaining the "cold war" and in fact escalating it with the Helms-Burton law (forbidding companies who deal with Cuba from doing business in the US). Talk about fostering the Ugly American image.
Hopefully Castor, Helm, Burton, and all the old nasties will die and we can start relating to the Cubans and getting some of their incredible cigars into the hands of Kramer and Jerry...
Henry McGrattan:
E-mail: [email]
or: [email][email]. (djk) wrote:
There is a 30+ year old embargo on Cuba, you dope. Stop watching Seinfeld and read a book.
oh, shut up.
Shut up is hardly an argument. There is a world outside of television, and it is instructive to remain a part of it. Books beat TV.
TV beats books by far
Just for the record,I'm djk23 and none of the lines you quoted were written by me. Perhaps you could be a bit more careful in attributing quotes in the future. Thanks.
On Sat, 15 Mar 1997, Greg wrote:
On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 13:57:39 -0800, Peter Pan wrote:
Because of the trade embargo imposed on Cuba. I sure hope it ends soon because I'm dying to try a real Cuban.
Bob
Reportedly, many cuban cigars are overrated. Also, you can bring back Cuban cigars from Cuba... you're permitted to bring back a small number of goods with you from Cuba.
In article , [email] (Bob Walsh) wrote:
On Sat, 15 Mar 1997 17:08:53 -0500, [email] (Phil Spector) wrote:
Umm. I assume you are not an American. US citizens are prohibted from any economic connections with Cuba under the Trading with the Enemy Act. US citizens cannot even travel to Cuba, with very few exceptions. Tourism in Cuba is never allowed for USers..
In fact US citizens cannot legally buy Cuban goods, including cigars, anywhere in the world. They come up here to Toronto and smoke them and don't get caught of course, but it is not legal. They also take off the bands and smuggle them back, at risk of having them confiscated and being arrested.
I don't know who suggested that Cuban cigars are overrated, but he is dead wrong and may be a minority of 1. Check out alt.smokes.cigar for extensive discussion on this.. Cuban cigars are far superior to the products of other countries. The Dominican Republic and Honduras come "close, but no cigar" as the phrase goes. I smoke the Cubans in Toronto, and get by with the Hondurans in Tampa when I visit--the difference is like a Mercedes vs a Chevrolet.
The US has gone even more insane with regards to Cuba under the Helms Burton Act, which takes legal actions against foreign companies around the world who deal with Cuba. This unparalleled (attempted) intrusion into the affairs of other countries has made the US look incredibly foolish around the world.
Henry McGrattan:
E-mail: [email]
or: [email]Well Bob, They sure arent illegal in Australia! And they are fantastic Just dont smoke em in a car. Takes a week to kill the stink!