After fifty-some years of boogeyman politics, it seems that the U.S. and Cuba will finally have diplomatic relations restored, and U.S. Citizens will be again able to visit the beautiful and historic island. I, for one, cant wait!! While anyone can go to Cuba by simply flying to Mexico, or just about any other country (including Canada), and buying a ticket there, to have done so could cause the State Department to revoke your passport, something I was unwilling to risk. Now, I may be able to see Old Havana, after all. Our nation has a long history of denouncing one dictator and embracing another--the Castos in Cuba are bad; the Shah of Iran and Pinochet of Chile are good, to cite but a couple of examples. My prediction is that within ten years of opening Cuba to U.S. tourism, capitalism will sweep away the austere situation that we are told exists there today. For its part, Cuba turns out some very well-educated doctors and medical professionals, teachers, and engineers, who provide a great deal of health care services, education and infrastructure assistance in parts of the world where the first world nations show little interest. Cuba is not simply an extension of its leader, anymore than the U.S. is an extension of our President. People-to-people foreign relations will overcome government-to-government standoffs, if government will just get out of the way! I had a wonderful time and made wonderful friends in Russia, last June. I will be going back to Russia next May. Maybe 2015 will also be the year I get to scuba dive the reefs of Cuba, and get to enjoy a glass of Cuban rum and a real Cuban cigar, bought directly from the Cuban who hand-makes it. Maybe there is progress after all.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:29:02 +0000
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