The sentencing (a conviction was never in question) of Alan Gross to 15 years in prison by the rogue Castro dictatorship has caused an understandable and appropriate stir in the U.S. While thankfully there are those who see this criminal act by the Cuban regime for what it is, there are still some who blame the victim instead of the assailant. To the latter, Alan Gross is the proverbial woman who invited a rapist to violate her by wearing a dress that was too tight, too short, and too revealing.

As a hostage of the Cuban regime for more than a year, the Castro dictatorship is attempting to squeeze what they perceive to be a weak and inept U.S. administration. They understand that the standoff regarding the Gross issue between them and the U.S. these last 14 months is due to the Obama administration's inability to make tough decisions and preference for inaction, not because of a principled stand. By boldly sentencing Gross to 15 years, they hope to spur the Obama administration to action, which if the previous two years are any indication will mean more concessions to a brutal regime by the U.S. and a victory for the Castro dictatorship.

Here's more on the Alan Gross situation:

From the Wall Street Journal:

Cuba Sentences U.S. Contractor

Jaime Suchliki, a Cuba expert at the University of Miami, says the Cuban government may now use Mr. Gross as a bargaining chip to gain the release of five accused Cuban spies who were convicted in 2005 of espionage in the U.S. Those in the group, known as the "Cuban Five," have become national heroes in Cuba, which has demanded their release for years. Were Cuba to pursue their release through Mr. Gross's case, Mr. Suchliki said it would put the U.S. in a difficult spot, tantamount to a spy exchange of the Soviet era and "admitting Gross was a spy as well."

From AFP:

US slams Cuban prison sentence as 'another injustice'

WASHINGTON — The United States said Cuba had committed "another injustice" in sentencing a State Department contractor to 15 years in prison for allegedly attempting to undermine the government.

Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic:

Dear Fidel, Let My Person Go

Dear Fidel,

Okay, you and your brother have made your point. Now that the Cuban government has secured the conviction of Alan Gross, an American who was charged with spying for bringing to Cuba contraband communications devices for the benefit of your country's Jewish community, it is time to let him go. A 15-year jail sentence for carrying a satellite phone? Really?

U.S. State Department:

Statement on Sentencing of Alan Gross

• We deplore this ruling. Alan Gross is a dedicated international development worker who has devoted his life to helping people in more than 50 countries. He was in Cuba to help the Cuban people connect with the rest of the world..-
• ·As Secretary Clinton said, Alan Gross has been unjustly jailed for far too long. We are deeply concerned about his and his family’s well being.

We call on the Government of Cuba to immediately and unconditionally release him. To allow him to return to his family, and bring to an end the long ordeal that began well over a year ago.

U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC:

USCD PAC Statement on Alan Gross

The time has come for the Obama Administration to turn its rhetoric into tangible repercussions against the Castro regime. It must make unquestionably clear to rogue regimes that American hostage taking is unacceptable and will not reap dividends.

U.S. Interests Section in Cuba:

USINT on Alan Gross

U.S. spokeswoman Gloria Berbena at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana said Gross was "in Cuba helping average Cubans connect with the rest of the world. It is appalling that the Cuban government seeks to criminalize what most of the world deems normal, in this case access to information and technology."