Cuban-American "relations" or lack thereof

a friend sent me the press release by Frank Calzon, Executive Director of the Center for a Free Cuba following three congressional votes yesterday which ".. demonstrated a growing congressional opposition to any efforts designed to weaken U.S. policy against the Castro dictatorship.”

i reproduce my response below:

i'm sure you know how i feel about this!

this is just perpetuating a failed approach, largely in order to placate the cuban american community and further a grudge (we feel he wronged us in 1959- and embarassed us further by having the audacity to stand up to our invasion during the bay of pigs - and we are taking this to the grave!).. of course all this hurts the lot of the already impoverished cubans whose very interest we proclaim to the four winds to have in mind!....

do people in government, and the media, fully realize that the embargo and sanctions have been in effect for decades and fail to accomplish much of anything?!... castro remains entrenched in power and the ones who suffered and continue to suffer are the cuban people who either do not wish to or cannot rid themselves of fidel... our policy is..in spanish the word is NEFASTA..i guess "nefarious" is what it means... we make things as bad as possible for the cubans arguing we are doing this for their own good to help them rid themselves of castro.. then when they flee the bad situation and arrive in our country we feel happy and say "See! i told you! things are really bad in cuba! they want to come to america!"..

i would have more respect for the US if it invaded Cuba and got rid of Castro rather than perpetuate this policy of isolationism (an embargo by the way constitutes an act of war under international law).. castro should retire or otherwise move on but he remains in power... since he does not attack the United States except in increasingly rambling long winded speeches few listen to and none take seriously or pose any threat to our interests our policy against cuba is unelightened and seems largely based on a petty grudge to punish a man that has always stood up to us and made our life difficult... this of course is why castro is, albeit mistakenly, a hero to people all over the world....he is viewed as the david to our goliath

perhaps during the cold war america's policy against cuba had some basis.... now cuban american relations resemble those of two brothers who had a fight over some woman 46 years ago.. one brother subsequently married the woman but she died 16 years ago....one of the brothers is now senile and the other died..... and yet the battle rages on.. meanwhile the children and grandchildren have no idea why there even is a fight or why they don't talk to their relatives!..

these policies have real consequences: ibrahim ferrer of the buena vista social club, a man who gave many americans pleasure ("dos gardenias.......") wanted to play some shows in the US (an 80+ year old OLD man!!!!!!!!!!!) last year and was not given a VISA...shameful absolutely pathetic stuff any way you look at it..

why can't the United States of America aspire to be better?...actions of this sort ought to be beneath us!

depressing

sergio magnacca
ps the kicker is the US bases its actions feigning concern for cuba's political prisoners when we ourselves have political prisoners in cuba at guantanamo!!!!!!!!!!!!