American Broadside

Thoughts On Cuba

Castro goes into the hospital for surgery and anti-Castro Cuban Americans are ecstatic: soon they will return to their homeland and reclaim their property and privilege. The usurper Bush, sends his toady, Condi Rice out to speak to the people of Cuba to promise them American support as they build a future democracy. A couple of days later, the usurper himself speaks to the world restating his support of Cuban democracy and mentioning that the lost property of Cuban Americans is an issue to be resolved by the new Cuban government.

In another development, the usurper is thinking about easing immigration rules to permit Cubans to leave Cuba and come to the U.S. in an orderly and safe fashion. This plan includes Cuban doctors who may be practicing in other countries and who would like to come to the U.S. For once, there is a sensible proactive idea from the illegal leadership.

However, taken in its entirety, all this activity is aimed at destabilizing the current situation in Cuba. Chaos in Cuba would be an opportunity for the phony president to spread more of his brand of freedom and democracy.

So far, the Cuban people have been disappointingly orderly and patient, waiting to see what happens next.

There are two things to consider.

First, the history of the Bush administration is one of inaptitude, intentional ignorance, poor planning, and even poorer implementation. The sum output of the last six years has been lost opportunities and the spreading of chaos and misery.

Anyone who puts their hopes in the Bush administration is either a fool or crazy.

Second, those Cuban Americans who live in the U.S. and dream of returning to Cuba to recover lost property and power are in the same boat as the Palestinians. They left their homeland rather than stick it out and defend their interests.

They surrendered their voices in Cuban society and after 47 years no longer have a claim. You've got stay and be part of the struggle; leaving Cuba means they forfeited their rights and property.

Finally, over the last 4 decades both the U.S. and Cuba have blown many opportunities to develop a better relationship that would have allowed Cuba to prosper and the U.S. to build a strategic partnership with a dynamic Cuban society.

Perhaps now, rather than looking for an opportunity to spread Crawford Texas freedom and democracy, we should try to reconcile. Now is the time to actively seek to create a mature relationship with Cuba, the people and the current government.

posted by Les @ 5:17 AM