Cubans can’t help Cubans
According to a Sun-Sentinel editorial today, change in Cuba can only come if American tourist are allowed to travel to Cuba. Apparently, sipping mojitos, eating steak and lobster, dancing in clubs, soliciting prostitutes, and spending US dollars in the regime's stores will miraculously bring democracy to the island.
How about Cubans? Well it seems the Sun-Sentinel believes that Cubans both on the island and in exile have no role to play in the ending of the Castro tyranny.
We are, after all, just Cubans; what the hell do we know about Cuba?
We must realize that American tourists are different than the millions of tourists from all other parts of the democratic world that visit Cuba every year.
Case in point, the 600,000 Canadians who visit Cuba on a yearly basis lack that special je ne sais quoi, that magical ability that is exclusive to Americans to influence democratic reform. And all of the Euros that flow into Cuba from all of the Spaniards, Italians, Frenchmen, Germans and other Europeans who travel to Cuba? That doesn't matter either, only a cash flow of dollars into Cuba will make Cubans more independent of the Cuban economy.
Americans are endowed with a special quality after all, when Americans travel to Cuba, they spend their entire vacation talking about Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the system of balance, the revolutionary war, and Abraham Lincoln. Even after years of being brainwashed by the New York Times, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, Time, Newsweek and other mainstream media outlets, Americans know the truth about Cuba. They don't believe that Cubans are nothing more than third-world people who are receiving free education and healthcare and are therefore grateful to fidel castro who endowed them with pride. After all, he has outlasted 10 American presidents.
If the travel ban is lifted, change will sweep the Castro brothers away in no time---the Castro brothers have absolutely no system in place to control the tourists and the fact that they, themselves, have made the lifting of the travel ban their number one foreign policy objective is inconsequential---why can't we see that?
Is our intransigence and right-wing lunacy blinding us to something that should be so obvious?
-"Lifting the prohibition on travel to the island would do much to promote democratic efforts in Cuba. Why? For starters, it would put more dollars directly into the hands of the Cuban population,"
Really - who is 'that' going to magically happen?
This reporter seems like an intelligent person, but I have to assume is missing an important brain cell.
What about all the current tourists from Europe, South America, and Canada that are visiting Cuba? Can this reporter explain why their visits has not anything to "put more dollars directly into the hands of the Cuban population" - but, magically visitors from one single country can.
Rayanera,
Do you really think that American tourists going to Varadero are going to... "spend their entire vacation talking about Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the system of balance, the revolutionary war, and Abraham Lincoln."
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!?!
I have mixed feelings about the travel ban, because of these facts:
- The entire Cuban tourist industry is controlled by the Cuban "REGIME" (i.e."CASTRO MAFIA" - not the Cuban "population").
- The Cuban TOURIST PROFITS pays the GODFATHERS (Castros) and the CAPOS of the MAFIA who terrorize the Cuban "population").
While I feel that everyone should be free to travel anywhere, there is no such thing as "absolute rights" (except for Kings). When an activity results in greater harm ( profiting a MAFIA) than good (enjoying Mojitos in Mafia's yard) - that's where the conflict begins.
For all of those that sincerely REALLY want to see Cuba into a democratic country, you need to find a way to TOPPLE the Mafia by force at the point of a gun! After all, how did Americans gain their liberty?
Conchita:
"Rayanera,
Do you really think that American tourists going to Varadero are going to... "spend their entire vacation talking about Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the system of balance, the revolutionary war, and Abraham Lincoln."
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!?!"
Of course not! LOL. I was being sarcastic! LOL.
In The Animal Kingdom I observe the same behavior, A Hyena will claim the spoils of a carcass that doesn't belong to it, although the Lion Or Cheetah that killed it worked for it.
I get the same rhetoric from Canadians , Spaniards ,Italians, they tell me ,Oh you Cuban Americans have no rights in a New Cuba" Who the fuck are you Mr. Tourists, The first thing to do in a free Democratic Cuba is to get after these foreigners that have interfered so much in the freeing of Cuba, IMO
Conchita, you got "punked" by Ray,...LOL
A commentator on the Sun- Sentinel article says:
"What confuses me, is how many Cubans here in the U.S. support a President who is hell-bent on taking the U.S. down the same road of totalitarian government. One would think that they would know better."
Perhaps I'm markedly out of touch, but is there still a significant number of Cuban-Americans who are supporting the current administration and trend? If so, then things are far worse than I thought.
Yes, Kat - I did ;>)
That's what happens when I touch the keyboard before my cafecito.