Pomp & Pageantry
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| Photos courtesy: EPA. |
Along with pomp, pageantry, and protocol, U. S. President Barack Obama had a long meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro today, his first full day in Cuba. Mr. Obama attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti monument and heard an excellent version of the American National Anthem played by a robust Cuban band. Monday afternoon both Presidents stood side-by-side and made televised statements. President Castro thanked President Obama for his "positive" efforts to normalize relations but added, "The blockade still stands as an obstacle to full relations." Mr. Obama said, "The future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans, no one else." And Mr. Obama pointed out that, with new economic changes in Cuba, more and more Cuban-Americans are "returning to the island to stay." After the statements by Obama and Castro, they opened up to questions from the press. Obama gave Jim Acosta the opportunity to ask the first questions.
Jim Acosta is a Cuban-American who graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In the U. S., with few exceptions, only anti-Castro Cuban-Americans are allowed to dictate media coverage of Cuba. Acosta asked not one but a plethora of questions, which upset President Castro and then subsequent replies from both Presidents consumed almost the entire Q & A session. Only one other journalist, the fair-minded NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell, got to ask Obama and Castro questions.
America's First Lady Michelle Obama spent a long time meeting with female Cuban students. Cuba has one of the world's highest literacy rates and education as well as health care are free to all students. One of the students asked Mrs. Obama, "We have problems here, the embargo and such, but we don't understand the problems American students have with student loans and American people have with too expensive medical care and we don't understand how Americans allow so many gun shootings. So, if we get excellent and total eudcations and health care, and none of us ever hear about anyone getting shot, is it fair to preach to us and is it fair to fund and support most of the best-known dissidents here?" Mrs. Obama listened politely and then said, "You make valid points. We too have problems in America. My husband is not here to preach to you. And he is impressed that young Cubans like you will chart a good and prosperous course for your Cuba."
Everyday Cubans like these are not nearly as enthralled with President Obama's trip as they were with the visit to the island by Pope Francis. While very appreciative of President Obama, Cubans pragmatically realize that a Republican-controlled U. S. Congress and the possibility of a Republican president in less than a year will most likely turn back the normalization that Obama has tried so hard to accomplish. An everyday Cuban, Jesus Diaz Cabrera, said, "We need to deal with nations we can trust. How can we trust America when a few rich and revengeful Miami Cubans can punish us with a blockade and other laws just by controlling Congress? The Miami Cubans know the Castro brothers are very old and they want to finally take advantage of their age to rule Cuba again, while Cubans in Cuba need to prevent that, one way or the other."
Because of tight security, Cubans trying to get upfront views of President Obama often have to contend with just watching live television broadcasts of various events or using their Smart Phones.
Throughout Obama's three days and three nights in Cuba, well-organized dissidents, like this one being escorted by female soldiers, will try to steal the headlines. U. S. television networks prefer such photo ops and videos but usually refuse to point out that such dissidence is also always met on Cuban streets by pro-government everyday Cubans. While the U. S. President is in Cuba, NBC and other U. S. networks have crews in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood to cover anti-Obama demonstrations. NBC's Monday coverage from Little Havana, as usual, didn't point out that even most Cuban-Americans in Miami support Obama's Cuban policy, not Congress's Cuban policy. Also, most everyday Cubans and most unbiased Americans are aware that the U. S. Congress continues to lushly fund regime-change schemes and Cuban dissidents, policies that will continue to create distrust of the United States despite Obama's decency.
The Tampa Bay Rays arrived in Cuba Monday afternoon and they will play a Cuban national team tomorrow night at Havana's Latin American Stadium. President Obama will attend the game. Major League Baseball in the United States is very embarrassed about the human trafficking of Cuban baseball stars to the 30 U. S. Major League teams and, to its credit, MLB officials are trying to make it possible for Cuban players to sign U. S. contracts without having to defect. But, just in recent years, over 100 top Cuban baseball prospects have defected and signed with U. S. teams, including players as young as sixteen-years-old. So, unlike in the past, tomorrow night Cuba is not likely to be competitive against Tampa Bay.
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This MLB photo was taken shortly after the Tampa Bay Rays arrived in Havana Monday. On the right is Tampa Bay's ace pitcher Chris Archer playing catch at Latin American Stadium with young Cuban Diego Lopez. Before leaving Tampa Bay, Archer said, "I can't wait to get to Havana ...I am truly EXCITED...because I want to play catch with Cuban children. I admire their love for baseball so much. I support them totally."
On Sunday -- the day President Obama arrived in Cuba -- Bill Weir hosted an hour program on CNN that actually presented a fair appraisal of the Cuba that awaited the historic visit from the American president. The image above shows Bill Weir engaging with Cuban architect Yoandy Rizo Fiallo who was explaining why he has returned to the island from the U. S. The program featured Weir meeting with a plethora of everyday Cubans on the island. At one point, Weir admitted that he was surprised that most randomly chosen Cubans strongly support their government, not Cuban dissidents and not hardline Miami Cubans.
Bill Weir, a rare bird, as a U S. journalist fair about Cuba.
Tomorrow will be the third and final day of President Obama's trip to Cuba. He will conclude the historic visit with a major speech to the Cuban people that will be carried live on Cuban television. He will also have the obligatory meeting with Cuban dissidents that will include Yoani Sanchez, the famed anti-Castro blogger. Tomorrow night President Obama will attend the baseball game featuring the Tampa Bay Rays. He is expected to depart in the 5th inning, by which time Tampa Bay figures to have a safe lead. Then Air Force One will fly to Argentina, which now has a pro-U. S. President, Mauricio Macri, who replaced Cristina Fernandez, one of Cuba's best friends. Argentina's shift from a strongly pro-Cuban to a strongly pro-U.S. President will likely soon be replicated in Venezuela and Brazil, complicating the future for Cuba. But, as President Obama flies between Cuba and Argentina, the Caribbean island is still afloat and still sovereign.
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