The U.S. Delegation of the Crazy to Cuba

I'll never understand as long as I live why so many on the left refuse to acknowledge the human right abuses in Cuba. Take a look at these astonishingly stupid remarks by Rep. Emanuel after visiting Cuba:

[U.S. Rep. Emanuel] Cleaver called his trip the most interesting he had ever taken. He said he preached Sunday at an Episcopal church where he was allowed to speak freely and meet privately with congregation members. An interpreter was at Cleaver’s side throughout his trip.

“To see all of these myths melt right in front of my eyes was something to behold,” he said. “We’ve been led to believe that the Cuban people are not free, and they are repressed by a vicious dictator, and I saw nothing to match what we’ve been told.”

Really? All those repressed in Cuba by a vicious dictator is just a myth? So... people climb on rickety rafts and tires with their children and risk death (and many die) to make it 228 miles to Miami just for fun?

What planet does this man live on? People who have survived to tell about Cuba here describe post revolution firing squads. Execution without trial. Gross human right violations, on children as well as adults. There are hundreds of political prisoners languishing in Cuban prisons as we speak.

Does this delegation, which was headed by Rep. Barbara Lee of California accompanied by Rep. Cleaver, Reps. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, Mel Watt of North Carolina, Bobby Rush of Illinois and Mike Honda and Laura Richardson, both of California, HONESTLY believe that the Cubans living here in the United States are lying about these abuses? What do they imagine that the people who risk an agonizing death at sea to get here are running from?

It boggles the mind that these people are actually elected officials.

After this embarrassing trip, Fidel Castro released a statement where he noted that members of the delegation said that American society “continues to be racist” despite President Obama’s election. When asked about this on the news this evening the delegation insisted that they said nothing of the kind.

What? Fidel is lying?

Imagine that (although something tells me that he wasn't lying in this instance).

Fidel also said that one "lawmaker" expressed that the United States "should apologize to Cuba for all these years of hostility and for the blockade policy..."

You can read Fidel's entire statement here where he paints the picture of a lovely Cuba where there are no "illiterate people or children shining shoes on the streets." Where all young people attend school and universities. Where all people enjoy free day-care-centers, free senior citizens homes, free hospitals and "no citizens queuing up to apply for a job."

What a paradise! Yet, there is that pesky rickety raft thing. I mean, if all that is true, then why, WHY in the world would Cubans risk their very own lives to leave such a Utopia?

They would have to be crazy, right? No. Who is crazy are the Representatives listed above who dismiss all those brave Cubans who risked everything they loved to come to the United States because of a brutal Communist evil dictator.

As Sen. Mel Martinez, a Florida Republican says, “This is the time to support pro-democracy activists in Cuba, not provide the Castro regime with a resource windfall.”

Castro,

Free political prisoners. Let your people travel freely, let them speak freely, let Cubans living here visit family without reprisals, let people leave Cuba if they wish.

Try all that FIRST, then we can "open a dialogue" with you.

For more about all things Cuba, visit the most excellent blog Babalu.