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What To Do When The Rumor Becomes Fact |
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Gregory Morris, 8/24/07 10:08:53 pm |
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The latest (seemingly weekly) string of rumors flew around the news today that ol' Castro finally kicked the bucket. It seems yet again that we are all disappointed. Still, every time Cuba makes the news, it gets me thinking... Obama recently said he doesn't like our current policy, and would probably loosen travel restrictions and such. I think now is not the time, but soon.
Now, I've joked before about "bringing democracy to Cuba", but what I'm about to suggest is sorta like that... only I'm serious. Cuba is the last of the islands south of Florida that I can't go for a margarita and some feet-in-sand time. It is also a danger to western democracy, simply because it gives other South American communists an established ally in their war on freedom.
Here's the current situation: When El Presidente Para Vida makes his way to the one-way express elevator just outside the pearly gates, his older brother will inherit the throne. Since we know Raul (pronounced rah-ewwwwl) is as bad as his kid brother, if not worse, Cuba will clearly remain a communist dictatorship. Worse, they will continue their love-fest with (the now dictator for life) Hugo Chavez de Venezuela.
What I suggest is that when the transfer of power occurs, we offer every Cuban in America, illegal and legal alike, a free ride back to Cuba. I said offer, not force... maybe the illegals, but that's another topic. Anyway, we give them a safe boat ride back, and we can drop them off outside the gates at Gitmo with a suitcase, a bag lunch, and some motivation to take back their country. Think for a minute about what a stream of freedom-loving, Americanized Cubans could do to an already unsteady dictatorial communist regime.
We wouldn't have to drop a bomb, sabotage a power station, or do any of the clandestine meddling that America loves to fudge up. (Ok, well maybe some strategic, well-timed intervention... air-dropping Michael Moore without a parachute into the presidential palace comes to mind.) We pretty much just let freedom take its course. As soon as a revolution begins, we offer the rebels humanitarian aide, propaganda tools, and maybe some intel. No guns, no bombs, no tanks, no planes. Chow, band-aides, and information.
We can just wait for them to oust the Castro family and form their own government. Then, we move in with our mega-resorts and casinos. We'll work quick to get a Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner. As soon as their economy explodes, which the tourism industry would guarantee, we can start working on lucrative trade agreements.
One of the problems I've always seen with democracy in Iraq, other than the deeply ingrained corruption, is that it was given to them at the point of American guns. (OK, there are more problems than that... that's another post too.) They didn't earn it. They didn't do it themselves. That may be one reason they are doing a piss-poor job of keeping it alive now. In Cuba, I'm sure there is an urge to be free. An influx of new blood, new ideas, and able bodies could push Cuba in the right direction without military intervention.
Like Obama, I'm not a fan of America's policy regarding Cuba... the problem is, you just can't deal with a communist dictator. I'm sure everyone in the western hemisphere, other than Chavez, would love to see Cuba free and prospering.
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