Informed but opinionated commentary and analysis on urban transportation topics from the Secret Worldwide Transit Cabal. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty.

Our Mission: Monkeywrench the Anti-Transit Forces

 
AY QUE LADRONES! - UPDATE

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From the Cabalmaster:

As reported previously, Correros de Cuba (the Cuban Post Office) “borrowed” images off the Internet (“Electric Transport in Latin America” site /www.tramz.com) for a set of commemorative stamps showing Cuban tramcars. This CdeC did without consulting the webmaster, and without crediting any of the photographers or collectors. Black-and-white images were colorized and, in some cases, background details were changed, but the origin of the images is unmistakable. Now, webmaster Allen Morrison has updated his “Cuban Tram Stamps” page to include a “Flash” version (www.tramz.com/cu/st/stf.html), and also a “Flash” version in Spanish www.tramz.com/cu/st/stfs.html). Now, with a mere click of the mouse, Intrepid Websurfers can “fade” back and forth between the “original” photos and the CdeC postage stamps.

It is against U.S. law to import just about anything of Cuban origin into the U.S. (without “special license”) and this includes postage stamps.

“Which government – U.S. or Cuban – is more ridiculous?” asks webmaster Morrison.

Well, in this case at least, it appears that the U.S. government wins first prize for ridiculousness.

Your Favorite Transit Pundits have been advised by a savvy Cabal Adjunct Scholar as follows: had the webmaster granted permission to Correos de Cuba to use the Cuban tramcar images he posted on the Internet, he could in theory be prosecuted for violation of the 1963 Cuban Assets Control Regulations, adopted under the 1917 “Trading With the Enemy Act” – even if no money was paid. That, we admit, sounded far-fetched, but we checked out the official “overview” text (www.ustreas.gov/offices/eotffc/ofac/sanctions/t11cuba.pdf) and we invite skeptical Websurfers to do likewise. No, it doesn’t specifically say that Americans can’t provide anything to the Cuban government that might help it make money – say, for example, through sale of postage stamps to overseas collectors – but that intent is clear.

posted by The Cabalmaster, Master of All Transit-dom 8/05/2004 03:20:00 PM