Looking Forward to Peace With Cuba

A recent article by Matt Novak (13 Horrifying Ideas America Had for Invading Cuba) http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/13-horrifying-ideas-america-had-for-invading-cuba-1697348447  touches on the sad recent history between the two countries that I love. As we finally move towards peace, it’s important to recognize what we leave behind.

Novak’s article doesn’t provide a comprehensive overview of U.S. aggression towards Cuba, but many  may still find it distressing… and rightly so.

I remember how disturbing all this seemed when I was first learning about it… some of it was so utterly mean and ridiculous that it seemed farfetched… but as declassified documents rolled out, the truth of the war on Castro could no longer be kept under wraps, or simply blamed on the few nut-cases steering the various activities.

When I was a kid, most of the anti-Castro activities that took place at the time were never discussed at home. We just assumed that everything that “went wrong” in Cuba was the fault of Castro and his brand of communism.  Our actions, the embargo, the anti-Castro efforts, the terrorism and vandalism and harassment and everything else we did to trip-up the regime was... well, beyond criticism.

Today, as we move towards peace, it’s obvious that the leaders of the anti-movement will never be held accountable for the suffering they’ve caused or the way they’ve made us look to the world.

Thinking about the 50-plus year war on Castro… I wonder how much money it cost us... How many resources did we squander? How many human lives were lost? How many families were kept apart for most of their lifetimes? And how many communists did the war on Castro convert to Democracy?  

Still, one of my favorite Gandhi quotes is about forgiveness; “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” There’s a related quote from Nelson Mandela; “Courageous people do not fear forgiving. For the sake of peace.”

As our streets fill with racial violence, perhaps due to a history barely discussed in public or in schools, making peace with… somebody, anybody, is a good idea.

In order to be strong and courageous for the two countries that I love, I will try to forgive the anti-Castro movement (they were few but powerful) and forgive the many Cubans who disagreed with them in silence and fear (I was one of them) for year after year... and forgive the misguided souls who trained, funded and pardoned these terrorists into our general population... and forgive the millions who simply chose the comfort of not knowing. (We should still turn Posada Carrilles over to Venezuela to face the legal system we’ve helped him avoid. There’s no better way to show our opposition to terrorism than making those who practice it accountable.)

The next step is to return Guantanamo Bay, and to start replacing these old-world-thinkers with more humanist political candidates.

The age of the ORC is over and the age of humanity begins! (I’ve always wanted to say that.) 

I can’t wait for a Cuban-American politician that all American Latinos can embrace, someone who stands for a peaceful future and for telling the truth on Cuba and our sordid history of attempted conquest… one who will truly embrace the concept of truth and justice… most likely he or she will be a Democrat.

The immediate challenge will be in restricting those who’ve acted without impunity for decades, and making sure they don’t poison the well. They’ve done it before.

A more recent article by Jonas Gamso claims a rosier future for Cuba http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30586-the-real-reason-the-end-of-the-embargo-will-unleash-the-cuban-tiger# given the changes of healthcare and education. We should be support these positive changes in Cuban society, not just reclaim past conquests.