File Under No Surprise

I oppose the travel ban to Cuba and I oppose the embargo. I do not believe that either policy has helped the cause of freedom in Cuba.

If you read me regularly, you also know I support the dissident movement in Cuba and the internal movement for democracy. I have excoriated the American Library Association for their equivocation on the issue of freedom of expression in Cuba.

Unfortunately, some of the usual suspects oppose the travel ban, but seem to never make mention of the repression on the island:

Venceremos organizer Ann Sparanese said travelers signed paperwork at the U.S.-Canadian border acknowledging travel to Cuba, but did not provide details, such as how much money they spent, she said. The group's name means ``We will be victorious.'' [my emphasis]

Ms. Sparanese kept Michael Moore's Stupid White Men from being pulped by its publisher. Good for her. I'm not a fan of his, but I think it's important to have more voices out there. What a pity Ms. Sapranese doesn't believe in extending that courtesy to Cubans.

Comments

[akaky]

randy, what she believes in is extending the blessings of cuban liberty to the oppressed masses of the united states. consequently, imho, she doesnt really see the philosophical disconnect between her positions on moore and cuba.

[Mark Rushton]

Hi Randy, interesting blog - I'll be checking it out in the coming days. On the Cuba issue, I continue to be both befuddled and perturbed at the perspective most U.S. citizens have about the Revolution. As an academic and community development worker, I've been travelling to Cuba since 1994. It's been the focus of my research and the source of a great many friendships. I do wish the U.S. government would allow Americans to visit Cuba, to see for themselves that it's not at all the 'tropical gulag' portrayed by Washington. Any country that puts so much emphasis on providing free education, health care, housing, income/employment and removing the profit motive from the electoral process can't be all that bad. Sure, it needs work... but the quality of life is far better for Cubans than it is for the majority of Latin Americans. Hope you get to see it for yourself before Bush drops a tomahawk on Havana....

[akaky]

yes, mark, and mussolini made the trains run on time and hitler built the autobahn, franco oversaw spain's transition from a primarily agricultural economy to an industrial one and pinochet returned the chilean economy to prosperity.

"Any country that puts so much emphasis on providing free education, health care, housing, income/employment and removing the profit motive from the electoral process can't be all that bad. Sure, it needs work... but the quality of life is far better for Cubans than it is for the majority of Latin Americans"

and you forgot the freedom to agree with fidel, mark, perhaps the most important freedom of all. everyone in cuba is free to agree with fidel.

[akaky]

and just a thought: the quality of life for most puerto ricans is higher than that of most cubans, and they dont have to agree with fidel to have it.

[Randy Paul]

Any country that puts so much emphasis on providing free education, health care, housing, income/employment and removing the profit motive from the electoral process can't be all that bad. Sure, it needs work... but the quality of life is far better for Cubans than it is for the majority of Latin Americans.

Mark, I appreciate the comments, but my response to you is the same response I make to those who defended Pinochet by saying that he helped Chile's economy: if the goals are so noble, why engage in the repression, the torture and the imprisonment? In the case of Cuba, why not call for the referendum that the Varela Project has worked for? It's mandated by Cuba's own constitution.

Costa Rica has a national health care system and has put an emphasis on education as well, yet they accomplished that without suppressing dissent and abusing human rights.

The choice for Cubans shouldn't be limited to the corruption of a Batista or the repression of a Castro.