Democratic Pilgrimage to Cuba

For the past 50 years Fidel Castro has been patiently waiting for a U.S. President and Congress to bend his way.

That time has come. His perseverance has been rewarded.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus traveled to Cuba following Senate lawmakers’ announcement to ease travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba. The following Democratic members of Congress that recently visited Cuba included Reps. Barbara Lee(CA), Mel Watt (NC), Emanuel Cleaver (MO), Marcia Fudge (OH), Mike Honda (CA), Bobby Rush (IL) and Laura Richardson (CA) discussed lifting trade and travel restrictions with both Raul and Fidel Castro.

Critics of this delegation voiced concern that revenue generated from easing travel to Cuba would bolster the communist economy. There was also no mention of the human-rights violations of this country during this visit.

Republican Congressmen Chris Smith (NJ) and Frank Wolf (VA) have been denied a visit to Cuba twice where their intent was to talk with political prisoners. Smith said,”The Cuban government routinely denies lawmakers who have criticized its human-rights record any access to the country itself. But for members of Congress who signal they will be docile, it rolls out the red carpet.”

This country still runs on the principle of oppression. Why is it that there were no visits to Cuban dissidents during this Congressional trip? Let’s not forget the number of Cuban political prisoners that remain incarcerated. This is a country where people are literally dying to get away from this place when they set out on the piece of ocean that separates Cuba and the U.S.

This Congressional visit was a major propaganda endorsement of the Castro Brothers regime. They played right into the hands of the Castro dictatorship. Fidel must have thought he died and went to communist nirvana and that the U.S. thumbnail on Cuba is finally starting to lift.