Posted on 03/28/2002 3:57:25 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Nice visual. I'm afraid if we recognize Castro's oppressive regime by opening up travel and trade, we will be sealing their fate under communist rule. It will legitimize it and prop it up just enough to take off that explosion of hate and dispair you speak of. Castro has said the revolution will out live him and I can pretty well bet he's put in place all the stops on any revolt. Here is an interview you may find interesting and informative. Thank you for your posts.
Vicki Huddleston Q&A: speaks about dissidents, Castro and the U.S. role
[Excerpts] Q: What does the average Cuban on the island think of the Cuban exile community?
A: That's hard for me to answer. It depends on the education level. If they are not very educated, if they live in a rural area, they probably believe what they hear in the state-run media and in the rallies, which is not good. But if they are more sophisticated and listen to Radio Martí, or if you're at the university or work at a hospital, then you're likely not going to believe the negative propaganda. You're probably aware the Cuban American community does not represent a threat to you. But if you're a farmer in a rural area, or a teacher or a guard placed outside my house, you might believe what the Cuban government tells you. There is a billboard in Cuba that says ``There are a million children who will sleep in the street tonight. Not one is Cuban.''
……….. Q: Should Cuba be removed from the list of terrorist states?
A: Cuba knows what it has to do to get off the list of terrorist states, and that is simply not to give safe haven to terrorist groups as it has in the past. We suspect, and in some cases we know, that they have provided safe harbor to members of the ETA [Basque separatists], other leftist movements of Latin America, the macheteros [pro-independence radicals in Puerto Rico] and the 70-some fugitives from the United States [the FBI believes that 77 federal fugitives are in Cuba, including former CIA agent Frank Terpil, a convicted arms trafficker, and Robert Vesco, indicted in a multimilliion dollar fraud]. Those are not terrorists, but they are still fugitives from justice. Cuba is not the player it once was on the world stage. Ten or 15 years ago, Cuba was a major player and Fidel had a large platform. It's much smaller now. . . . I don't see Cuba even as a leader on the Caribbean stage. I see more democratic Caribbean countries taking leadership roles.
………….Q: Should travel restrictions to Cuba be lifted?
A: The problem with the lifting of travel restrictions is that the Cubans control it because they issue the visas. They can put quotas. They can decide to allow only the tourists going to Varadero and Cayo Coco and ensure they have very little contact with the Cuban people. And all that will do, initially, is fill the government coffers and build up the regime. It's ironic because what you need is for the government to respond to the current economic crisis by opening up, by letting Cubans own and operate their own businesses, by letting them invest, letting them stay at hotels. [In Cuba,] the economy is shrinking. It is too dependent on tourism and remittances. Their way of fixing the problem is to fill up the hotels. A far preferable way . . . would be to grow the economy by letting the people invest in their community by starting small businesses -- not just restaurants and taxis and services, but also . . . creating products. You have natural capitalists in Cuba, and the proof of that is in the cars they have and how they take care of them. If allowed to work independently, they would create wealth through their own labor . . .[End Excerpt]
The Cuban government does not hamper tourists, who run all over the place. You can rent cars, stay in private homes, speak with everyone in your path. Spies everywhere, but they basically just observe. More tourists than spies at this point. With the great numbers of foreign tourists there now, literally millions from every other country but USA, Cuban people are having their eyes opened bigtime. It's ludicrous that they cannot meet Americans on a personal basis.
Cuba is a major travel destination for Canadians, Brits, Germans, everyone but us. We didn't meet a single Cuban -- and we went out of our way to meet all kinds of people -- who didn't welcome us with, literally, open arms. They were thrilled and delighted to meet real live Americans. The good we can do far outweighs other considerations.
"Despite millions of foreign tourists every years Cuba remains a totalitarian state. Canada has acknowledged that its "policy of engagement" has failed to produce any significant change in the human rights situation on the island. Why should American tourists have an impact different from the thousands of Canadians who have been visiting Cuba for years." Pointed out Frank Calzon on February 11, 2002 at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee’s hearings on the U.S. travel ban to Cuba.
Mr. Calzon added:” I would be ironic if in the name of advancing tourist travel, a leader of anti-American violence around the world, a government on the U.S. Department of State's list of sponsor of terrorism, and one of the world's leading violators of human rights were to be bolstered by an infusion of American-tourist dollars." May I also add and the massive infusion of American taxpayer's money.
"Despite millions of foreign tourists every years Cuba remains a totalitarian state. Canada has acknowledged that its "policy of engagement" has failed to produce any significant change in the human rights situation on the island. Why should American tourists have an impact different from the thousands of Canadians who have been visiting Cuba for years." Pointed out Frank Calzon on February 11, 2002 at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee’s hearings on the U.S. travel ban to Cuba.
Mr. Calzon added:” I would be ironic if in the name of advancing tourist travel, a leader of anti-American violence around the world, a government on the U.S. Department of State's list of sponsor of terrorism, and one of the world's leading violators of human rights were to be bolstered by an infusion of American-tourist dollars." May I also add and the massive infusion of American taxpayer's money.
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