Modernizing Cuba

One Deal at a Time

        John Legere is the latest American business executive to sign a major deal with Cuba, taking advantage of President Obama's brave and historic efforts to normalize relations with the neighboring island. Mr. Legere is the President and Ceo of T-Mobile, which is based in Bellevue, Washington. He has signed a deal with Cuba to provide affordable phone calls between the U. S. and Cuba. Starting in July Americans will be able to take their phones to the island and access voice, text and data contacts.

       John Legere at T-Mobile is ecstatic that his company is able to help Cuba modernize into the 21st century after a stifling, revengeful, and imperialistic U. S. embargo of the island since 1962 has failed to overthrow its revolutionary rule nor starve its people, though -- at least prior to Obama -- they have been deprived by a cruel foreign intervention inspired by two generations of Cuban exiles from the 1952-1959 Batista-Mafia dictatorship and their easily acquired right-wing acolytes. Mr. Legere, after announcing T-Mobile's deals with Cuba, was euphoric. He said, "We have more customers of Cuban descent than any other wireless provider, so connecting them with family and friends is a message we have heard loud and clear." 

      Last week Cubans warmly welcomed 704 joyous American visitors on the magnificent ship, the Adonia, that is owned by the Miami-based Cardinal Cruise Lines. The ship will now visit Cuba twice a month while ten other cruise lines are also trying to take advantage of President Obama's courageous defiance of revengeful Cuban-Americans and their key sycophants/enablers in America's dysfunctional Congress.

      This photo was taken by Josefina Vidal, Cuba's feisty Minister of North American Affairs, and she proudly posted it on her Twitter page. It shows the passengers from the Adonia mingling with Cubans on a street in Havana. As shown by CNN and other news outlets, many of the Americans and Cuban-Americans cried buckets of happy tears and emotionally thanked President Obama for allowing commercial cruise ships to visit Cuba. While revengeful Cuban-Americans and Congress have mandated since 1962 that Americans are the only people in the world without the freedom to visit Cuba, President Obama has sliced into that undemocratic law by slipping in twelve loosely defined reasons for Americans to visit Cuba.

         Commercial flights from America to Cuba have not been permitted since 1962, but the democracy-loving President Obama has changed that too. The United States and Cuba have agreed that up to 120 daily commercial flights from the United States to Cuba can commence this fall. American Airlines is competing with nine other carriers to fill those flights. Cuba is restricting it to 20 additional flights to coveted Havana but allowing ten flights daily to nine other Cuban cities. Meanwhile, the island is struggling to update its hotel and other accommodations to handle the influx of tourism resulting from President Obama's Dec. 17-2014 announcement of his plans to normalize relations with Cuba, totally ignoring seven particularly angry Cuban-Americans in the United States Congress but pleasing most Cuban-Americans even in Miami.

      Since 1962 the United States embargo has stymied Americans and Cuban-Americans who have longed to take convenient ferries from South Florida to Cuba. Well, President Obama has authorized ferry traffic from Tampa, Miami, Port Everglades and Key West to nearby Havana, which ferry businesses and customers have direly desired for decades. HOW ABOUT THAT!! The VOA {Voice of America} heralded the ferry development with a major article that included the above map revealing the departures sites.

President Obama has ushered in "a new era" in U.S.-Cuba relations.

          Most Americans, most Cuban-Americans, most Floridians, most Latinos, and most of America's very best friends around the world support President Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba.

      The Trump-Sanders phenomenons in this ongoing presidential election year reflects the fact that American voters have tired of the Batistiano-aligned Bush dynasty as well as radical anti-Cuban Cuban-Americans whose politics follow the dictates of special interest money, not the desires of most Americans and most Cuban-Americans. Yet, there are several million Cuban-Americans and many millions of Americans who would make excellent Presidents or members of Congress if the U. S. democracy is strong enough to shed the cancerous stranglehold created by bought-and-paid-for, establishment politicians.

         President Obama's two-terms as America's President will end in January. The ominous reminder is this: If he is succeeded by a Republican president, Cuba will once again have to "fear a threat from the United States." That threat, whether or not it's ever realized, will shame America in the eyes of the world although, it seems, the Republican leaders don't care about such things while catering to the whims of their rich patrons. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four presidential terms because situations required his astute and brave leadership right up until the day he died after guiding America through World War II. Speaking as a former conservative {but not right-wing} Republican, I believe that the quotation from Mr. Obama depicted in the above graphic indicates that America needs a 3rd and 4th term from Obama. It might hold Bush-Rubio-Cruz at bay for maybe another decade, something America's democracy needs and deserves.

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