Originally posted by eugeneflyer:
Yeah, going to Cuba is great if you like financing an oppresive Communist government that has been cited by the U.N. numerous times for violating human rights. But hey, the beaches are nice, so who gives a s**t about the people who live there.
1. Do you think the Cuban people are better off without our money or with it? Cuban government revenue means medicine and food for the Cuban people. Tourism means jobs, and the informal economy puts dollars directly into people's hands.
2. There are many countries with worse human rights violations than Cuba. Why have we not banned trade with and travel to China, Saudi Arabia, any number of African nations? Hell, the US
supported governments in Chile & Argentina that regularly picked up their citizens and dropped them alive into the middle of the ocean. Our policy towards Cuba is inconsistent with the rest of our foriegn policy.
3. The best way to move Cuba to democracy is to engage them. This worked with the Soviet bloc. The only reason we don't do this is because of the power of a bunch of expatriate Cubans care more about the return of their appropriated land and money than they do about the Cuban people.
4. The United States is not by any measure a leader in the protection of Human Rights. While the violation of human rights is abhorrent in Cuba, I find it appalling that the United States takes such a self-righteous stance on human rights violations abroad while developing such a poor record at home.
[This message has been edited by Dudster (edited 04-22-2001).]