Opinion: Poll: Lift the Cuba travel ban?
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Long Beach Democrat Laura Richardson and a few other members of the U.S. House scored some private face time today with ex-Cuban President Fidel Castro -- a feat that, as Sergio Muñoz pointed out a few weeks ago in a Times Op-Ed article, many Latin American presidents have tried but failed to achieve. Reuters reports:
The meeting took place at a time of possible change in long hostile U.S.-Cuba relations, spurred by U.S. President Barack Obama’s promises to take steps toward normalizing ties with the communist-ruled island, 90 miles from Florida. Three members of the seven-member visiting U.S. delegation met Fidel Castro at the end of a trip in which they also met with President Raul Castro, who took over from his ailing brother last year. [Rep. Barbara] Lee [D-Oakland], who led the U.S. group, and the other delegates said in Washington that Fidel Castro appeared eager to do his part to improve links between the countries. “He was very well aware of what was going on,” said Representative Laura Richardson. “As he leaned in, he looked directly into our eyes, quite aware of what was happening, and said to us ‘how can we help President Obama?’”
Funny, I was under the impression that Castro’s reluctant abdication of the Cuban presidency to his brother in 2006 because of illness was the best thing the former dictator could do to improve his nation’s relations with the U.S. I can’t imagine that having Castro -- the man who established a Communist Party-run state 90 miles from the Florida Keys in 1959 and allowed Soviets to park nuclear-tipped missiles there in 1962 -- play a role in improving U.S.-Cuba relations would help at all. (Of course, the U.S. is arguably just as culpable in getting the two countries to where they are now, having attempted to assassinate Castro many times, among other things.)
But I digress. As the Reuters article notes, the meeting is worth noting because the Obama administration is considering loosening the 47-year-old travel ban that bars nearly all Americans from going to Cuba. As this recent South Florida Sun-Sentinel article notes, a growing number of lawmakers want to go further by completely doing away with the travel ban.
As potential American tourists to Cuba, what do you think about easing restrictions on commerce and travel between Cuba and the U.S.? Take our unscientific poll.