Ain't No Standing in the Way of History......

"Hillary and Rudy share tired view on Cuba policy" is the headline of a column in yesterday's New York Daily News, which takes both presidential candidates to task for supporting a "failed" policy. It accuses both of pandering to Cuban American voters, but cautions

... both candidates may be barking up the wrong tree. Every recent poll shows that a majority of Cuban-Americans and a whopping two-thirds of all voters nationally agree that the current Cuba policy has failed.

Now if toppling the Castro government were the only reason for the present policy, the columnist, himself a Cuban, might be right. But what about the other considerations. What to do about the hundreds of millions of seized American property? What about the moral issues?

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the current restrictions on travel and what's left of the trade embargo will eventually be lifted. The Cuban American votes are not going to be enough to stem the troika of greed and ignorance and propaganda overtaking them. To an extent, Hillary is right (my God, I never thought I would say that). Now is not the time to be proposing changes, as in we all know FC is dead as a doornail, or as good as, and some sort of transition or succession has to take place.


So to my fellow Americans, I say, if you just can't wait, go ahead, lift it all: travel restrictions, embargo, all. But while you are cavorting on the beach, remember that a Cuban cannot use that or any other decent beach. They are for tourists only. When the middle-aged pool boy hands you your towels, please note that he is an engineer condemned to a life of towels in order to eke out a living from your largess, so please make your tips commensurate. When you get thirsty, sidle up to the pool bar that is verboten to citizens of Cuba. Please be aware that all the employees who will make your stay miserable earn twenty cents of every dollar Melia or whatever company pays in salary. The difference will be pocketed by the military. On the streets, do not approach an ordinary Cuban. If you do, he or she might get hauled off to the local headquarters. They will have to do without your democratizing influence. You wouldn't want them to join the mass of political prisoners accused of "pre-criminal dangerousness." But then you don't care do you? It's a cheap vacation. You no longer have to resent those Europeans having all the fun.

To those who would do business with the regime, do it with my blessing. Please, extend the government credit. There is a slim chance that with all the new cash coming into the coffers from tourism, oh, wait, that's going to the generals as a cut. Don't fret, there is still a slim chance you will get paid. "Who knows" is a wonderful basis for making a business decision. And think, then we can open our markets to Cuban cigars, nickel, and sugar. That'll make our producers really happy. Those in the tourist industry can look forward to investing all of the money in developing hotels, etc... and giving 50% to the government, as well as the complete payroll.

Just think of how mutually beneficial the arrangements will be. The Cuban government, the enlightened liberals, the wanna be bourgeoisie, and the hungry corporations will all share in the spoils. And the Cuban people, well, you don't care about them anyway. They're those little brown natives. I mean, it's not like they're real people who lost a real economy, are they?