How About Some Suggestions?

Now for what I really think.

Somehow with all the reading I've done, I've never read The Art of War, but I do know the concept of a strategic retreat. I think that's what we need to do now. Let's pretend that we don't mind how they're going to try to take apart the Cuba policy. Messrs. Flake and Rangel are at it again, you know. And as they say about terrorists, they only have to get through once. Besides, our present attempts to hold the line make us look intransigent.

A while back at Killcastro, the idea was raised that a sort of Free Cuba be established in Guantanamo for those who are fleeing the dictatorship. I thought it was a great notion. Picture a model town where Cubans can work and live and even eat. Let's provide air conditioning. Build a Cuban Mayberry. What better demonstration of the joys of capitalism and democracy?All of this can be funded with some of that money designated to help bring democracy to Cuba. Anyway, this discussion got me to thinking that there are all sorts of ideas out there.

I may be wrong, but I think that we need to retreat to the nearest hill, preempt those who would steamroll over us by presenting our own ideas for policy before we face what I fear will be a humiliating rout, one which will strip us of whatever credibility we have left after Elian. So let's collect ideas. I'll even start with some of my own half-baked propositions, this being a warm up exercise. I'm really counting on someone else to come up with something good.

• Let's start with the hardest nut to crack- political prisoners. No matter which way I parse it, this will be the toughest. Why would the regime make itself vulnerable? Only thing I could come up with is greed. So why not dangle the biggest carrot? If Cuba releases it's political prisoners, it can have access to our markets. Even if they don't accept it, we look like good people. I mean who can root publicly against political prisoners?
  
• How about tourism? Okay, American enterprises will be allowed to join with the regime to build hotels, run tourist companies, etc... as long as they pay full salary directly to employees in American dollars. We could also get fancy and say they have to allow Cubans also. At the slightest hint that the regime is playing games, a moratorium on American tourism will be imposed.


• Speaking of tourism, all Americans will be allowed to visit Cuba. However, they can only stay at approved hotels, those that pay employees directly in American dollars. That'll learn the Europeans, as well as steer American tourists to American-owned hotels.


• Oh, and about seized American corporate assets, impose a surcharge on travel to and transactions with Cuba and set up a fund to pay back claimants.
  

I'm sure there are many objections, so tell me about them. Tell me your own ideas. I'll even try to disable the comment moderation for this one. All I ask is that while we may not agree, (and being Cubans, we won't) we be respectful of each other's opinions. Agent provocateurs will be removed.