The legitimacy of the current regime depends on Cuba being a special country in the eyes of its current political leadership. It does not depend on providing economic success like Vietnam or China or on democratic representation of the people.

Therefore the more that Cuba is treated by a normal country by the US the more that the leadership of the country will have to seek another source of legitimacy other than protecting the country from an aggressive US foreign policy.

I think most people who have visited Cuba would agree that the current leadership has had its day but isolation and hysterical posturing by the hard line anti communists / the Miami contingent really does nothing other than further secure the current regime.

The reality is that is the travel ban and other restrictions were lifted this would increase the expectations of the Cuban people in terms of material development and other political freedoms. These would always increase faster than they could be met by the leadership.

The Cuban leadership is very capable of demanding austerity and further sacrifice from the Cuban people in the name of defending the gains of the revolution. It would be much less good at justifying its economic failure and political restrictions without the hostility from the US.

One issue overlooked in all this is why does the Cuban government charge almost $800 for a two year Cuban passport which even Cubans who become American citizens must obtain. Why does the Castro government then require these same Cubans to obtain a visa as though they were foreigners?

All these greedy bastards from Congress are doing is securing a big piece of the pie. It's all about greed and money, not about the well-being of Cuba and its people.

Only a Cuban (or someone who has lived there long enough) can have a fair idea how twisted, perverse and paranoid that system is. I could write pages about this, but I'll put it very simple.

Nothing on Earth, I mean no money, no riches, anything is worth nothing when there is no freedom.

Nobody mentions the Cuban apartheid, yet it's even worse that South Africa's. Thousands of Cubans gave their lives to destroy apartheid. Yet, those same Cubans are discriminated against daily, in their own country, treated as third class citizens. Tourists come, bring their money, and most are so naive to believe that they are "helping" the country. No, you're not. At some point they will have to understand that you can't help a country that's run like a hacienda. All money from all state-run businesses go to one single bank account. Where's the transparency and accountability that a free democratic society needs? The state controls everything, everyone, all the time. Big brother is watching!

The state controls everything, down to cellular level, the press, the mass media, education, what our children read, and learn. They indoctrinate children from kindergarten, all the way up. Not even Hitler's nazis were so imaginative.

They control who you are, what you say, what you feel, what you do, what you eat, what you watch, where you work. They make all the decisions for you. They want Cubans to hang their brains to dry. They keep them "informed", by hiding everything the whole world says, complete censorship. Why would Cubans need free access to Internet, if we can do a better job? Cubans have no access to internet, no international news, because everything coming from outside is wrong. "We" are right.

I have always found very hard to understand why most foreigners who "support" the regime in one way or another have never wondered if they would accept that type of lives in their countries of origin, for themselves.

Would they accept their governments denying them the right to free information, internet access and free e-mail? Would they allow their governments to tell them that they can't go to a hotel, or a beach, because they are reserved for foreigners?

Would they accept not being allowed to use a cell phone, and depend on a foreigner to buy it for you? Would they accept not being able to travel freely? Are they aware that Cubans need to ask for permission to leave the country? Do free people need that? Do they know that the Cuban government uses sons and daugthers of Doctors working abroad as family hostages to prevent them from defecting? Do they know that doctors and other professionals get punished for 5 years not being able to leave the country if they married a foreigner, or simply wanted to emigrate? Do they know that the government confiscated all the property of anyone who emigrates, without compensation? They keep their house, their car, anything of value. What right do they have to keep property that is not theirs? Isn't that plain theft? Wait a minute, I forgot that the Revolution was born in theft? It was a theft. It was born as an aberration.

Where's the respect for the individual property? What about the right to family reunification, separating husband from wife? Do they know that with every sports team they send abroad, there are more security of state agents than sportspeople to watch them?

So, to reply to the first person in this blog. why Cubans are willing to give up their lives? Simple, because those Cubans have understood life is meaningless without FREEDOM.

50 years is long enough suffering for a people that never deserved it. We never harmed anybody in this world.

FREEDOM. That's the only word that should be discussed in Congress. Not business.

FREEDOM is NOT NEGOTIABLE!

Obama, take note of this, and act accordingly.

Focusing on money from tourism is besides the point.

The Cuban government withstood the devastation that came with the loss of Soviet subsidies. And not much changed when foreign investors from everywhere but the US were allowed in. Nor did it change when Chavez started sending billions daily or Fidel got sick and handed over power to his brother.

Why didn't these events change Cuba? Because the system is a perfect, diabolical system of complete control.

The same applies for visitors from the US. There is no way the Cuban government could handle a flood of US visitors nor would they allow it. If the travel ban is lifted, the Cuban government will severely restrict entry for US citizens. I am certain they will require visas and restrict travel to certain areas of the country, such as the all-inclusive resorts, and only allow it under certain conditions like government-run tours.

This would at least clear up the confusion over which party is restricting freedom.

http://franklinslocke.blogspot.com/