Thoughts on Cuba..

I've been wanting to write about the changes that have taken place in Cuba during the past couple of weeks. But time just seems to slip away.

The news that Fidel officially stepped aside shouldn't have surpirsed too many people. He'd been out of the spotlight for a year and a half with his brother Raul running things in the interim. Well, Raul is officially running things now. And most people don't expect things to change dramatically.

As a journalist I went to Cuba three times. It's a beautiful country with incredible people. The country has a different feel, one that is hard to explain. It's a mix between modern and old.

Internet cafes are just about everywhere. And there is always a line of Cubans waiting to use one of the computers.
Yet on the streets, '55 Chevys are a common sight as are the occasional horse-drawn cart. And yes, this is in La Habana.

The embargo, or blockade as the Cubans call it, has done nothing to stop Castro. The only thing it has done is to hurt the people.

I don't understand the logic of not allowing Americans to freely travel to the island that sits some 90 miles from the Florida shore.
Of the 11 million or so Cubans on the island, 70 percent have known no other leader other than Fidel. Imagine that, oyur entire life having lived under one ruler.
Pretty amazing when oyu stop and think of it. So, why would our government think that by telling someone oyur government is bad they will demand change?
What would work is allowing people to talk to foreigners and allow them to find out for themselves what they are missing, and what life is like outside of the island.

There are signs that Cubans are beginning to smell the wind of change.

A few weeks back, during a meeting with the National Assembly president Ricardo Alarcon, students at the University of Computer Science openly challenged some Cuban policies. The confrontation was videotaped and it aired on Univision and other news stations.
The students are seen and heard asking why Cubans aren't allowed to enter the island's tourist hotels freely. And why there are restrictions on Cubans traveling abroad. Typically, Cubans must present a letter from the person they will be visiting in which the person agrees to pay for their housing and meals. They also must put a deposit down, one that is often several thousand dollars before they can travel.
The students also asked about restrictions to Internet access...specifically why Yahoo and Google has been restricted.
In the video, Alarcon is heard giving answers that don't answer the quesitons asked.

Cubans have learned to do without and how to use the items they have in very inventive fashion.

Their spirit and joy of life is inspiring. I only hope that someday every American who so desires can travel to this island nation freely ans without having to do so through a third country.

And yes, I've heard the arguments about why our government refuses to budge. But gimme a break. If we truly believed in human rights and are so vehemently against communism, then why do we have trade with China...the worst human rights violator on the planet?
I don't buy those arguments.

As I said, the embargo has done nothing to hurt Castro. It has only hurt the people.


I have pictures, and once I locate them I will post.