The lifted ban on travel to Cuba by people with family there should never have been imposed. It was originally instituted because angry exiles from the Cuban community wanted to ensure that Castro’s government–and thus the people of Cuba–is hurt as much as possible.
The legendary Compay Segundo playing at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba
It’s worthwhile to note that this angry exile community also tends to be the people who were Batista’s lackies, or people who profited from the corrupt regime that existed in Cuba before Castro. Before Castro, there was no concern for the literacy rate of the poor, the availability of electricity to the countryside, and a small group of people profited from Batista’s policies while the rest of the country suffered.
Castro, as he aged, became no better than Batista. He has once again turned the island into a corrupt tourist destination that suppresses the people, although now they have more comfort than they did before he came to power. Castro was certainly not all bad for the people, but he has become the creature he despised in his youth.
El Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, where Ernest Hemingway used to frequent. That is Hemingway's signature framed behind the bar.
When I traveled to Cuba in 2002, I found a place brimming with flavor, hospitality and life. On this post are a few of the low quality shots I took and that are now found on Wikipedia, including of famous musician Compay Segundo and the Havana bar El Bodeguita del Medio, where Ernest Hemingway used to order Mojitos.
Although the people are poor, they also tend to be happy even if they think the government should be changed (some do, some don’t). One thing that is universal: the antipathy that the Cuban nationals hold against the Cuban exiles who fled the country, instead of staying to try to help build it. The exiles know that they will never return to that island with open arms, and they certainly won’t have their mansions and whatever else they feel entitled to have returned to them. The only concern of the exiles is to punish the island.
This is not the way to have a foreign policy. For all those who decry doing business with Castro over human rights abuses and his dictatorship, never question our relations with China over the exact same issues (since that would be financial suicide). Cuba is weak, so they are an easy target for those with a grudge.
It’s time to end the embargo, if not only for consistency in our foreign policy.
Wikipedia photos to be deleted
NYC Wedding March – September 26, 2010
Joaquin Phoenix is a poser
Flushing Meadow Corona Park skate park
East Village Park and Williamsburg Bridge photos
100 People I Photographed for the Creative Commons
Pakistan flood devastation statistics
Cordoba House / Ground Zero mosque protest photos
The void in my blogging (and some photos)
Rihanna video with Eminem about Chris Brown?
I think this is a good first step.