<snipped from an article discussing local preparations for
the Clinton visit>
> - The Ashkelon Holiday Inn's been taken over - by the FBI and
> CIA. The US security agencies have taken all 215 rooms in the
> hotel, manager Itzik Evron said yesterday, adding that his staff
> is working hard to supply them with beer, pizza and Cuban cigars.
>
> "It's a lot of fun," Evron said.
>
> Evron said the security agents are really enjoying the Cuban
> cigars, since they aren't available in the US.
>
> About 100 US security agents have been at the hotel for the
> past few days, and another 100 are expected before Clinton
> gets to Israel tomorrow night, the hotel's public relations
> director, Natalie Sibony said.
>
> The hotel staff is setting up conference rooms and other
> facilities for Clinton, should he decide to stay at the
> hotel or hold peace talks there instead of at Erez on
> Monday. Evron hopes Clinton will at least hold a press
> conference at the Holiday Inn.
The cigars aren't *available* in the US because
they're *illegal* in the US. So US G-men, sworn to uphold
their laws, are doing abroad what they can't do legally at
home. Why am I not surprised? Anyway, you'd think the CIA
would have a stash of good Cubans from Guantanamo.
Postscript: Canadian cities that get large numbers
of US tourists (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, etc.)
have for years had a thriving business in tobacconist
shops that specialize in selling Cuban smokes to Americans.
Memories of Canadian rumrunners (Bronfmann..) getting
rich during Prohibition.
America's silly laws regarding Cuba are their loss,
and the rest of the world's commercial opportunity,
which is what Burton-Helms was all about, of course.