End an Irrelevant Era: Lift the Cuba Travel Ban

[Judi Lynn]

End an Irrelevant Era: Lift the Cuba Travel Ban
By JoJo Farrell
CommonDreams.org, July 26, 2009

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The Soviet Union collapsed shortly thereafter. The Central American Civil wars are over. The cold war is long dead, yet the United States still enforces a relic of that cold war with an economic embargo against Cuba. With a new administration in the White House ushering in a era of renewed diplomacy and international cooperation, isn't it about time for the U.S. to do what most other countries around the world have done and normalize relations with its largest Caribbean neighbor?

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Americans defying what is now a half-century-old embargo. In the next few days over 250 Americans are traveling to Cuba. When they return on August 3rd, they will defy the ban on American citizens visiting Cuba. By doing this we all hope to draw attention to what is now an outmoded, outdated and irrelevant blockade of the island nation. We want to convince the Obama administration that now is the time to get rid of the travel ban and embargo.

During last year's presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he was willing to sit down with Cuban leaders without preconditions. Hopes were high for the change that Obama had promised during his campaign for the White House. He has, however, been slow to implement any significant policy shift towards Cuba since taking office, worrying those eager to see a new relationship with the island nation.

This is why we are challenging federal travel restrictions and protesting the slow pace of change. We are glad that the Obama Administration now allows Cuban Americans to visit their relatives much more easily and send remittances back to Cuba. But what about the rest of us?

Cuba is often so vilified by politicians and the media in the U.S. that we often forget what it actually has to offer in the way of travel, education and culture. Cuba provides tremendous free medical and other educational opportunities for people from around the world. On a cultural level, Cuban music is one of the most vibrant and innovative forms in the world. Cuba is bursting with history and culture that has been preserved in ways that many other Latin American nations have lost. Finally Cuba can give us some ecological lessons, as it is one of the more innovative and green economies in the world. This policy not only hurts Cubans everyday, it also prevents Americans from better knowing our largest Caribbean neighbor.

More:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18686.cfm