[daviddennis]

I went to Cuba in December of 2002.

They have $100,000 plus Volvo tour busses and $20,000 Audi A6s, all in service of their tourist industry.

The regime can get anything you're prepared to pay for - the Audi rents for around $100 a day.

The typical Cuban lives a Kafkaesque horror that mainly subsists off trying to extract what money they can from tourists. I know because I was one, and I both heard the horror stories and experienced them for myself.

You gotta love those Cubans, though. They do their best to keep their disposition cheerful and their heads above water. It really is an amazing place to visit.

But I can't do it again in good conscience; this year's jailing of dissidents, combined with Castro's support of Chavez, have told me to send my tourist dollars elsewhere.

It's a real shame, since it's such a beautiful and magical place. But I can tell you Communism doesn't work in ways few people here can.

You really have to live it to believe it.

D

PS Luis, this is a great article and deserves to be pinged to your regular list.

[Luis Gonzalez]

As the man said, this is a great article.

[PoisedWoman]

I went in '99....and saw film, "Azucar Amarga" the week I got back to the States....If you haven't seen it, I think you'll like it, or at least find it a realistic portrayal of the Cuban people.