Land of the free, home of the foolish

The free are us: the American Public. Unless, of course, we want to travel to Cuba.

The foolish are the neo-CONs who think that "tightening" travel restrictions to Cuba will somehow topple Castro. The Bushies want to clamp down on Americans who want to visit Cuba for any reason - especially if that travel would allow a few peach-and-mauve Jacksons into Cuba.

Hasn't anyone in that bunch read a newspaper since 1989?

FACT: Castro has had an iron grip on Cuba through more than 4 decades of US Sanctions, but nothing we've done has weakened him. His rule is slowly crumbling: Disidents are getting louder and more numerous; he has reached out to the US to improved relations; he has no sugar daddy to prop him up; Communism has become irrelevant in today's word. All of this is in spite of our futile efforts.

FACT: Even though the USA went nose-to-nose with USSR for nearly 45 years, the USSR unraveled completely on its own. Nothing that we did - arms races, military skirmishes, endless rhetoric, embargoes - brought down the Communists. They simply fell apart, unable to carry their own weight (especially with the size and misdirection of their military).

The best thing the USA did in those 45 years was to be (on rare occasions) a good example to the Soviet people. Opening trade and travel with them led to the simplest, cleanest, cheapest victory in history. Likewise, freeing up trade and travel with Cuba would quickly lead to the end of Castro. If we let the word out that Pep Boys has plenty of parts for '54 Chevys - Cubans would crawl over Castro to get there. Put a franchise in Havana, and the Secret Police would be too busy fixing their cars to worry about obeying orders.

We could sweeten the deal by letting Halliburton set up a car stereo shop in every hamlet. Whaddaya think, Dick? Let George know there's easy money in it.

No bloodshed, no taxpayer dollars down a sewer, no anger, no acrimony.

A few cellphones, some personal computers, and a rock-n-roll tour are more powerful than any WMD, more effective than any tax cut for the rich.