Whether you are for open arms and brotherhood with Cuba and Castro, or want to bring Castro down and Cuban Communism with it, the prescription is the same:

Drop the trade embargoes.

Yup-same solution for both aims!  My proof? For 50 years we have embargoed Cuba and they have survived, thrived (to some extent) and turned Castro into a living God who can do no wrong—especially with that big bully 90 miles to the North.

But…Trade with Cuba, opening Cuba up, will allow ALL the products and ideas of the USA, besides just the politicians’ aims, to flow in.  To put it bluntly, access to American products will “poison” Marxism on the island.  Think of the market for American cars, which they love!

And think of the people who can visit relatives. Think of the tourist trade!  Heaven for cigar smokers! (yech…IMHO all a cigar’s good for is repelling mosquitoes…)

No, the embargo has been a mistake for 30 years now—at a MINIMUM!

And it doesn’t matter if you are for brotherhood and openness or for bringing down Marxism there—open trade is the key. It worked in Europe, Russia and China (which only pretends to be Marxist as it growing to be on the biggest capitalist nations).

Jordan…Open up a HISTORY book. Then point to the part where “Cuba tried to annihilate us” and share it with the Truthdig readers.

We’ll be waiting.

Meanwhile - back to reality. I have a lot of friends from South Florida whose parents came over during the first wave of emmigration shortly after Castro took over. These parents were primarily wealthy businessmen, lawyers, politicians, and doctors - all who had a lot to lose under Castro and most who’d benefitted under Batista’s curruption.

They were pissed that Castro stole back what they’d already stolen from the Cuban people. Because most were in the pockets of equally-currupt U.S. corporations whose businesses had been nationalized, they all quickly moved to paint Castro as a power-hungry madman. Castro was no saint but he pales in comparison to what came before him.

Now, as that first wave of wealthy, anti-Castro immigrants die off, so will their political strength. My only fear is that once again, Cuba will be so overwhelmed by U.S. Corporations that it’ll be the 1950s all over again - and the seeds for another revolution will be sowed.

Or maybe opening America to new ideas from Cuba. Same as Cuban music has long been so influential. Khuly’s thinking is typical liberal patronizing (like Jon Stewart portrayed here at TD going after Jim Cramer. What silliness on Stewart’s part). She’s solidly stuck in American liberal straight-jacket. In a way bygone ex-patriot Cubans never were.

There seems to be new prevailing notion that the best reason to end embargo is so that Cuba might become American (capitalist, of course) satellite open to hardly-new ideas from the U.S., just like before when Batista was committing mayhem at will. And just as Bahamas and Caymans are U.S. satellites today.

I’m not entirely sure that were I Island Cuban I’d want any dealings with DC-based idiots and their big-biz masters, not hardly a one of which has had a new idea since New Deal, almost 30 years BEFORE Cuban Revolution.

As Chavez, Morales and Correa know: Who needs antiquated U.S. ideas? Reactionary as espoused by Ayn Rand, renowned dogmatist who sought to excuse any nastiness on behalf of libertine ego. (Compared to Rand, de Sade was pussycat lover.)

Having said above, ongoing embargo—for purposes of propaganda on part of idiots still running this lost-in-space place—should be ended, if only for sake of family reunions and some economic benefit to average Island Cubans. Yeah, we got stuff they could use after decades of the most ridiculous policy. Alas, not car parts anymore. Not since we don’t even make those anymore. Irony might be that Americans have become more like Island Cubans than they like us over decades. So we DO have more in common than previously thought. Oh, goody! (Ya got to love it, got to love ironic twists and turns that make for history.)

Cuban proviso should be as follows: We agree, so long as U.S. returns Cuban Five and does not attempt to extort us in exchange for ending embargo. Otherwise, F-off.

And might embargo be ended at the same time U.S. closes prison at Guantanamo housing political prisoners. Maybe even giving that piece of Cuba back to Cuba to be used for more peaceful purposes. Miami pols are opposed, of course. (Same as Obama and Pelosi oppose single-payer healthcare that Island Cubans enjoy.) There was fly-over attempt to poison fine tobacco crops along with Fidel. Looks like Fidel’s the one who prevailed. No doubt sometimes at expense of average Island Cuban. But then when was revolution easy? (Keynes stupidly made fun of long-term, perhaps leading to broker-think nowadays of 15 minutes being too long-term.)

Hypocrisy is what really rules in the US of A, baby. By now become meta-hypocrisy obscenely coupled with arrogance, which come to think of it ain’t hardly nothin’ new. Just ask Leonard Peltier, political prisoner by these United States, otherwise citizen of another nominally sovereign nation. Sovereign so long as U.S. government says so, pending “ideas” rammed down proverbial throat, by military force if necessary.