What Would Martí Say?

If we could take a spaceship at high speed towards the sun, applying the brakes at a precise moment that would create a sling-shot around the sun that would hurl us 115 years into the past… and we could, somehow, mange to land in New York City of 1890… What would Martí say to us?

Would he support the economic embargo against his beloved Cuba?

Would he hate Castro enough to support the cuddling of terrorists and assassins?

Would he support U.S. control of Latin America and a right-wing theocracy?

Would he rubber stamp a 45-plus-year dictatorship?

Lucky for us, Martí left his word in the form of articles, letters, poems and journal entries, and it’s safe to say that he would not be happy with events in Cuba since his death in 1895. And its probably with Cubans that he would be most disappointed… The Cubans that supported American-style racism after the war… the Cubans that made the island’s experience with Democracy such a shameful one… The Cubans that pretended that terrorism against innocents can be called a “war” and the Cubans who fund and defend them…

It’s also very likely that Martí’s views on Americans would not change much from what it was, as we seem to be just as easily riled up for war now as we were in his time… all it takes is a rich son with dreams of glory… and an economic system in bad need of expansion... the promise of new markets… and the opportunity to showcase new deadly weapons.

Peace.