"We could learn a lesson from Cuba on how to run an economy." Obama said as he donned a raincoat from 1955."...WH Press Secretary Tweet (satire)
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The image of Obama in Cuba reminded me of Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton. In her diplomatic trip to North Korea to visit dictator Kim Jong II in 2000, she toasted the monster with a glass of champagne. Even the left-leaning Washington Post wrote at the time: "...We were amazed that the Secretary of State would allow herself to be photographed, smiling, as 100,000 essentially enslaved laborers performed for her and one of the world's most repressive dictators. Secretary Albright clinked champagne glasses with Mr. Kim..."
Well, today, we've learned how well that diplomacy turned out. And then there's the Obama administration's biggest clusterfu#k, the Iran Deal. Is it any wonder then why so many are not hailing Obama's trip to Cuba this week? One fact has always been clear: Dictators cannot be trusted EVER. And anyone who does trust one of these repressive dictators is naïve and stupid. But that would be letting them off too easy. Everything these progressives do is calculated. And when it comes to Cuba, they like wearing their Che T shirts. So let's take a moment to look at some facts:
- Cuba today harbors at least 4 American domestic terrorists responsible for the murder of 17 police officers and well over 100 bombings. One of those, Joanne Chesimard, formally of the Black Liberation Army, murdered NJ State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973. She escaped from prison and Fidel Castro granted her asylum in Cuba in the early 1980's.
- Cuba has imprisoned thousands of "political" prisoners and journalists.
- The Cuban people have to live on rationed beans and rice.
- The entire country and its infrastructure suffers from decay and neglect. (Kinda like many US cities governed by progressives).
- Cuba has no free press. In fact, Cubans do not even have access to the Internet.
- The country suffers from rampant poverty. But the ruling class lives relatively well.
You get the picture. In fact, it reminds me of the many times I used to visit Eastern Europe when under the boot of Communism. People had to wait in lines for an entire day to get a small piece of meat---if any was left. Shopping at a men's store and the only available suits on the racks were brown, size 48. Millions living in what we commonly call in America projects---gray, cold 5-10 story apartment buildings that all looked alike. But even life in Eastern Europe then was a tad better than in Cuba. One was able to purchase a vehicle built after 1958.
Having said all this, I hope things turn around for the Cuban people. There's always promise even under repressive regimes. And, like most people, I'm sure every Cuban can't wait to break out of that repression. After all, thousands have tried---many died--attempting to cross the 90 mile stretch of ocean to America.
