Jaunted

Thanks for your posting. As a journalist, I've been able to travel to Cuba many times in the past decade, but everyone ought to be able to see the island for themselves. My father and his parents lived in Cuba from 1939 to 1942. They were German Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, and not political left-wingers. That family history is where my own interest in Cuba comes from. Cuban society today represents an effort to build an alternative to the way life was under the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who ran Cuba before Fidel Castro led a revolution there. No one complained about a lack of human rights and democracy in those days, but U.S. businesses were protected. Some things work, some don't. Like any society, Cuba its flaws and contradictions, as well as having some solid achievements. No society is perfect. But we can certainly learn a few things from Cuba's experience. For over eight years I've operated a Yahoo news group focusing on Cuba where over 90,000 items from, about or related to Cuba can be found in its free, easy-to-use archives. Details here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ Thanks, Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California

"In the case of Cuba, [Obama and Biden] will empower our best ambassadors of freedom by allowing unlimited Cuban-American family travel and remittances to the island". McCain in addition wants "free press, trade unions and political parties". Re the Obama-Biden plan, good but no cigar. While I wholly support removing the restrictions on travel and remittances by Cuban-American families, I have to say that anyone who believes that the "best ambassadors of freedom" are to be found in Miami has never been there, never talked to Cuban American journalists, art collectors and religious figures who've been rewarded for their advocacy of normal relations with the unfettered violence of the rightwing members of that community, ranging from boycotts to bombs. Not all Cuban-Americans are "good ambassadors of freedom and democracy". And, what about the other 99% of Americans who might want to travel to Cuba? Aren't we "good ambassadors of freedom"? The article goes on to say " Using aggressive and principled bilateral diplomacy he will also send an important message: If a post-Fidel government takes significant steps toward democracy, beginning with freeing all political prisoners". OK, since diplomacy usually involves a two-way street, how about proposing that normal relations will begin when both countries take significant steps toward democracy, beginning with freeing of all political prisoners? After all, why should Cuba's political prisoners go free while hundreds of political prisoners still languish in US prisons -- some, like Leonard Peltier or Marilyn Buck, for more than twice as long as the longest-held prisoner in Cuba? And to advance "democracy" in each place, Cuba could begin posting the histories of the counterrevolutionary "dissidents" who would like to run for office alongside those of the candidates who have popular backing, while the US could make all elections truly "free" by removing all costs from electoral campaigns: every candidate would be given equal access to the radio and tv airwaves, print media, and travel at public expense. (The costs would be covered by taking the necessary amount from the military budget.) As for Mr. McCain's proposals, the concept of "free press" was effectively described by AJ Liebling, founder of The New Yorker magazine, when he wrote:"Freedom of the press exists only for those who own one", and in this country, "that ain't you and me". Like most islanders, Cubans look carefully at what happens around the world, to see what they might want to borrow or adapt. And our two-party political system, with all its sniping, backbiting, and outright lying, combined with outrageous false promises doesn't hold strong appeal. They prefer the non-partisan elections that many states require for important positions, such as judges, so that those who hold public office will do so in the name of all the people, not just in the interests of one party or class.