Obama in Cuba to Celebrate Himself

[apples]

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/obama-in-cuba-to-celebrate-himself/

President Obama?s ?historic? trip to Cuba, which began on Sunday, is a legacy-building monument to both him and the Castros. But for the Cuban people, it?s business as usual.

According to human right organizations, the Cuban government?s repression of its people shows little sign of being weakened by Obama?s friendly outreach in the waning days of his presidency.

?Cubans are being beaten, arrested, and otherwise muzzled at higher rates than ever before,? Sen. Bob Menendez said on the Senate floor last week. ?The Cuban Commission for Human Rights has documented 1,141 political arrests by the Castro regime in Cuba during the short month of February 2016. In January 2016, the CCHR documented 1,447 political arrests. As such, these 2,588 political arrests ? thus far ? represent the highest tally to begin a year in decades.?

According to a Human Rights Watch report, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation received more than 6,200 reports of arbitrary detentions from January through October 2015. While this is a relatively minor decrease from the number of detentions during the same period in 2014, ?it was still significantly higher than the number of yearly detentions prior to 2012,? the report stated. ?Other repressive tactics employed by the government include beatings, public acts of shaming, and the termination of employment.?

[Stan In FL]

yeah, and he didn't appear to have a host.  Never seen a US president show up in a foreign country, and be met and shown around by a tour guide.

[jafo2010]

Why would he be greeted appropriately?  He represents the Great Satan.

It could be argued the Castros have stayed in power because the USA has embargoed Cuba and turned their back on the Cuban people.  Had we established relations decades ago, life in Cuba today could be very different.  Can't sell ideas to a people you ignore.  Just does not happen.

[Stan In FL]

you can't "sell" ideas to a population that has no liberty to choose those ideas.   you seem to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of dictatorship.  the cubans aren't enslaved because they just haven't had a better idea in the past 50 years.

"huh?  what?  liberty and economic freedom?  that's a thing?  holy sh*t, who knew?!?"

Why would he be greeted appropriately?  He represents the Great Satan.

It could be argued the Castros have stayed in power because the USA has embargoed Cuba and turned their back on the Cuban people.  Had we established relations decades ago, life in Cuba today could be very different.  Can't sell ideas to a people you ignore.  Just does not happen.

[jafo2010]

It is not just selling ideas to the general population, it is a matter of selling their leaders too.

Ask yourself one question.  In the time we have known each other, have I ever sold you on an idea, or the notion of hiring someone because we sat down and discussed it?  The same could be said for you as well.  Haven't you sold me on ideas as a result of us discussing something face to face?  Communication is always better than complete avoidance in motivating/persuading someone or a group of people to your mindset.

Our strategy in regard to Cuba is purely moronic.  And there is no logic to treating Cuba one way and Vietnam another.  And there are other countries that have a dictatorship, and we embrace them and consider some an ally.  So, just because a country is governed with a dictator does not mean we avoid them.  That is simply not our history as a nation.

[Stan In FL]

you're honestly talking about selling democracy to the castro brothers?  did I read that right?

[jafo2010]

Can't sell the Castros anything.  But they have an infra-structure of people, and someone will inherit the reign in Cuba.  Just as we have analyzed Russia, and potential future leaders in Russia, we should be doing the same in Cuba, and targeting those people, intent on influencing those individuals.

The Castros will both be gone in the next ten years.  The people that rise up behind them may be influenced.  I have no idea who they are or how they see the future, but again, you cannot influence people by ignoring them.  Fidel and Raul Castro are soon to be 90 and 85 years of age.  Fidel has 11 children, so perhaps one of them will take Raul's place.

Think back to things you thought would never change.  Change is ever present.  I believe we accomplish more with communication than the stupidity of ignoring Cuba.