Well, not only has Orbitz Worldwide, a Chicago based outfit, decided that traveling to Cuba is a good thing, it looks like some farmers from Illinois took a tour of Cuban farms and recommended that we open up trade with the island. They met with government officials, but of course did not meet with the democracy activists or the families of political prisoners or anything human rights related… it was pure business at the expense of the Cuban people.

John Block, also from Illinois and former U.S. secretary of agriculture under President Ronald Reagan, said “We met with (Cuban) government officials. They desperately want trade and tourism from the United States.” Good, then let them put an end to the systematic repression, the funding for terrorist groups, the continuous espionage, the unconditional support to anti-American leaders around the world, and then we can consider business. It’s called leverage and we should use it. Some people say it is not enough, the leverage has not brought change to the island so we need to abandon it… that’s ridiculous. If it is not enough, then we need more leverage, specifically by directly helping democracy activists get their message out. Imagine what camcorders coupled with the Internet could do. Cuban authorities could not easily get away with the flagrant mass arrests and repression of peaceful activists anymore. To sit by and simply funnel money into the pockets of anti-American tyrants is not only morally wrong, but it is un-American and it is dangerous to our national security. We have done it before and it has backfired. We gave aid to Kim Jong Il and look what that got us…

-AG