Every so often over the years I would stumble on something about Cuba and the US embargo. Yeah, we let in food and medicine (the food because of the U.S. farmers' lobbyists efforts) but otherwise it was more than half a century since we had really talked.
At one time a couple of years ago I applied for a visa to Cuba as a journalist but gave up after a year of dueling the snobbish State Department.
So the recent move by President Obama to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba seemed like an upward ticket. After all, the embargo was set up originally because the Cubans defeated the U.S. planned and backed invasion of Cuba. Beat us and pay, seemed to be the format. Of course there was the Cuban Missile Crisis when the Soviets tried to place missiles in Cuban bases, but that frittered away.
So now we're talking with Raul Castro, president since Fidel's health waned, we'll set up an Embassy in Havana and Cuba will set one up in Washington. Lifting the embargo will probably take years as the right-wing politicians see if as a dastardly move, recognizing a communist country, not that we don't like communist China.
The humanitarians aspects of it all are ignored by such as Ted Cruz and other GOP favorites, as well as some Cuban Americans in Miami. But families will be able to communicate, American businesses such as GM and Ford will be able to supply parts and new cars to Cubans' aging American cars there.
So things are looking good and I think I may just apply for a visa from Cuba and ignore our State Department. Sure would like to try a martini at Hemingway's favorite bar.
The GOP crazies are up in vocal arms little realizing that they best way to free Cuba from its present yoke is by letting Cubans read via an open internet what the rest of the world is doing and enjoying. Freedom of information is the best way to take down a bad government.
The conservatives seem to think anything new is bad. They suffer from closed minds, the best way not to understand changes.
