Created Sat 17th Jan 2:18pm PST by 
balcacer
balcacer 
US fugitives hidding in Cuba, Will they receive President Obama Pardon ?
Settled as No pardon / anyone
Background: William Potts calls himself the "Homesick Hijacker." U.S. authorities have another name for him: fugitive harbored by an enemy government — one of dozens of Americans hiding in communist Cuba.
Almost 25 years ago, he smuggled a pistol onto a commercial flight, diverted the plane to Havana, and spent 13 1/2 years in a Cuban prison for air piracy.
Now the Mount Vernon, N.Y., native has written to President-elect Barack Obama seeking a pardon and hoping U.S.-Cuba relations will improve and he'll be able to come home.
Others among the more than 70 American fugitives in Cuba fear the opposite — that a thaw in the nearly 50-year-old freeze between neighbors will put them within the reach of U.S. law.
"It's not a good time to raise my name up there," said Charlie Hill, who was accused in the slaying of a New Mexico state trooper and hijacked a plane to Cuba in 1971. "Things are going good. I don't want to be in the limelight."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_americans_hiding_out
Neither government would comment on the subject because these are sensitive times — a change of U.S. administrations, and indications that both Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro are ready to make tentative moves toward detente.
Among other issues, U.S. officials are hoping Cuba will cooperate in apprehending a ring of Cuban-Americans who fled here from Florida in a Medicare scam. And Cuba continues to insist that the U.S. return five Cuban agents it says were wrongly convicted of spying in Miami.
But a former U.S. diplomat says better relations could give the FBI more freedom to go after the fugitives.
"In my time, we always got more of those kinds of people back from them when things were going a little better," said Brookings Institution scholar Vicki Huddleston, who headed the U.S. Interests Section in Havana from 1999 to 2002.
Almost 25 years ago, he smuggled a pistol onto a commercial flight, diverted the plane to Havana, and spent 13 1/2 years in a Cuban prison for air piracy.
Now the Mount Vernon, N.Y., native has written to President-elect Barack Obama seeking a pardon and hoping U.S.-Cuba relations will improve and he'll be able to come home.
Others among the more than 70 American fugitives in Cuba fear the opposite — that a thaw in the nearly 50-year-old freeze between neighbors will put them within the reach of U.S. law.
"It's not a good time to raise my name up there," said Charlie Hill, who was accused in the slaying of a New Mexico state trooper and hijacked a plane to Cuba in 1971. "Things are going good. I don't want to be in the limelight."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_americans_hiding_out
Neither government would comment on the subject because these are sensitive times — a change of U.S. administrations, and indications that both Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro are ready to make tentative moves toward detente.
Among other issues, U.S. officials are hoping Cuba will cooperate in apprehending a ring of Cuban-Americans who fled here from Florida in a Medicare scam. And Cuba continues to insist that the U.S. return five Cuban agents it says were wrongly convicted of spying in Miami.
But a former U.S. diplomat says better relations could give the FBI more freedom to go after the fugitives.
"In my time, we always got more of those kinds of people back from them when things were going a little better," said Brookings Institution scholar Vicki Huddleston, who headed the U.S. Interests Section in Havana from 1999 to 2002.
Settlement details:As reported by a major mainstream news source.At least 1 or more of 70 North American's recieves a pardon the same day. Suspend date is the deadline
Forecast history %
| No pardon / anyone |
| |||
| Yes, they recieve pardon |
|
Settled as No pardon / anyone on Mon 6th Jul 7:45am PST
- Activity: H$65,551 |
- Predictions: 57 |
Comments: 6
Suspend date: Sat 4th Jul 12:59pm PST
Settlement date: Mon 6th Jul 7:45am PST
Prediction cut-off: Predictions on this question after Sat 4th Jul 12:59pm PST have been voided because they were made after the question could be settled
Initial likelihoods: No pardon / anyone: 50%, Yes, they recieve pardon: 50%
Action history:
Created Sat 17th Jan 2:18pm PST by balcacer
balcacer
Suspended Sat 4th Jul 12:59pm PST : Suspend date reached
Settlement requested Sun 5th Jul 11:44am PST by 
Erik
: no word of this happening - please settle
Erik: no word of this happening - please settle
Settlement requested Mon 6th Jul 7:39am PST by Erik: A google news search for "pardons for US fugitives in Cuba" returns nothing in the affirmative.
http://news.google.com/news?um=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=pardons+for+US+fugitives+in+Cuba&as_qdr=m&as_drrb=q&cf=all
Please settle as 'No'.
Erik: A google news search for "pardons for US fugitives in Cuba" returns nothing in the affirmative.
http://news.google.com/news?um=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=pardons+for+US+fugitives+in+Cuba&as_qdr=m&as_drrb=q&cf=all
Please settle as 'No'.
destry![[Admin]](http://www.hubdub.com/images/icon_admin.gif "This user is an admin"){kind=icon}
Suspend date: Sat 4th Jul 12:59pm PST
Settlement date: Mon 6th Jul 7:45am PST
Prediction cut-off: Predictions on this question after Sat 4th Jul 12:59pm PST have been voided because they were made after the question could be settled details 
Get widget!Predictions (57)
slayerboy
predicted No pardon / anyone (H$100 at 94%)
pita_soup
predicted No pardon / anyone (H$400 at 94%)
donnamil
predicted No pardon / anyone (H$300 at 57%)
predicted No pardon / anyone (H$50 at 56%)
bigken1Comments (6)
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This news is selected automatically based on the question, its background, options and tags
score: 10
AFP via Yahoo! 27 weeks ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) Washington eagerly awaits Cuba's return to the inter-American diplomatic system, a top US official told a gathering at the Organization of American States Wednesday. 'We look forward to the day when every country
score: 10
Reuters India 28 weeks ago
HAVANA (Reuters) - The U.S. and Cuba governments have taken the first, tentative steps toward ending 50 years of hostilities, but the thawing of relations is already in full swing in the arts world. After being largely
score: 10
Reuters Africa 28 weeks ago
HAVANA (Reuters) - The number of Cuban Americans visiting Cuba is up 20 percent so far this year and will likely keep rising as Washington eases travel restrictions, the Cuban tour operator for U.S. traffic said on Wednesday. Antonio
score: 10
Reuters Africa 29 weeks ago
on Thursday derided U.S. steps towards improving relations with the communist island, saying the United States wants Cuba to act like a slave willing to 'accept again the whip and the yoke.' The 82-year-old Castro, writing in a column published on the
score: 10
Reuters Canada 29 weeks ago
on Thursday derided U.S. steps toward improving relations with the communist island, saying the United States wants Cuba to act like a slave willing to 'accept again the whip and the yoke.' The 82-year-old Castro, writing in a column published on the
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I'd wonder if O will end the cold war with Cuba. And if he does I wonder how long it will be before we bring our version of corporatocracy ...uh...I mean democracy to the tiny nation with beautiful beaches and a strategic military location.
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