Send the First Lady to Cuba

Freedom to travel proposal is gaining support

2009-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

A beautiful gazebo at Emiliano Zapata Park along Quinta Avenida in Havana

The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, also known as H.R. 874., now has more than 150 cosponsors, its supporters said this week.
U.S. Reps. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., introduced the proposal. Flake said:

After nearly 50 years, it’s time to concede that our current policy toward Cuba has failed. If we’re serious about hastening democratic reforms in Cuba, we need to try a new approach.

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., also supports the initiative. She said:

Even though our policy toward Cuba has yielded no progress on human rights or democratization, we continue to restrict travel there. This policy is illogical and must be changed. Only by engaging with the Cuban government and Cuban society will we have the platform or the leverage to seriously address our concerns without having them brushed aside.

Fidel Castro, schmoozing and rubber chickens

2009-05-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

I can't quite envision Fidel Castro on the campaign trail, digging into those rubbery chicken dinners in the United States, but he is quite the politician.

Above, he works a crowd of visiting American. The story and more photos are here.

Intriguing predictions on Cuba

2009-05-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

End to U.S. sanctions?

U.S. lawmakers will "most likely" lift the trade embargo against cuba before the end of 2010. And a vote to allow all Americans to travel freely to the island could come as early as November.

* U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel made the first prediction.
* U.S. Rep. William Delahunt made the second one.

"We're building up support. We have 138 co-sponsors," Delahunt told Reuters, referring to a proposal that would allow all Americans to travel to Cuba.

More signatures: "go for it"

2009-05-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Celebrate

Thanks for signing the White House petition to send Michelle Obama to Cuba. Here are a few of the latest comments:

Margaret McNutt - great idea!
Charles McNutt - go for it

The First Lady goes to cigar country?

2009-05-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a spot Michelle Obama could tour - the Viñales Valley in western Cuba. That mound to the right is mogote, made of limestone.

Cuba has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Viñales Valley is one of them. UNESCO said the valley is special because it has an unusual landscape where traditional tobacco-growing methods "have survived unchanged for several centuries."

The region is also notable for its architecture, crafts and music, UNESCO said. I like the strange-looking mounds rising from the floor of the valley. They're called mogotes, and climbers love them.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, named Viñales Valley a World Heritage Site on Dec. 2, 1999.
There are 878 World Heritage Sites around the world. Of those, 679 are cultural and 174 are natural - like Viñales. The remaining 25 are considered "mixed properties."

The other eight World Heritage Sites in Cuba are:

* Old Havana and its fortifications
* Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
* San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba
* Desembarco del Granma National Park - where Fidel Castro and 81 followers arrived by boat in 1956 after forced exile in Mexico
* Archaeological landscape of the first coffee plantations in Southeastern Cuba
* Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
* Historic center of Cienfuegos
* Historic center of Camagüey

Viñales Valley screensaver for the First Lady's laptop

More signatures, no peace pipe yet

2009-05-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

There's plenty of tobacco in Cuba in case the two sides ever decide to light up the peace pipe

Not everyone agrees with sending Michelle Obama to Cuba. And some of those folks signing the White House petition say they're against it. I think it's great that there's a debate over the issue. And so keep the signatures coming whether you agree with the idea or not.
The petition is here. Thanks for your feedback.
Some of the most recent comments on the petition are below, including those from people who don't agree with the idea, made fun of it, signed anonymously or used other names:

* Margaret McNutt - great idea!
* Charles McNutt - go for it
* Candela - You go girl! Down with the Cuban rightwingers of Miami.* Myself She should go and see the Cuban apartheid in person without government guides or propaganda tours
* Tres Patines - Que cosa mas grande es la vida chico. Mi socio cual es la volá. Tu no tienes mas en que entretenerte? Por que no te sacas los mocos y te los comes?
* martin bove - A positive step in the right direction which is needed from the newly elected government of the USA.
* James Rollins - I'm in favor of sending not just Michelle, but also Barack, Biden, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Nancy Pelosi. But make sure you buy them a one way ticket!
* Crispin Gatiesa - If you like Castro so much, why don't you go there to lve under his boot. Moron!
* Free Biscet - Michelle, if you go to Cuba ask to see Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, an Afro-Cuban doctor who is languishing in Castro's Gulag after he was sentenced to 25 years in jail for following the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King
* Juan Kagada - This is a great idea. The Kagada family is in favor of this trip.
* Dalia Soto del Valle - Michelle, I am Fidel's wife. He needs a new jogging suit because this one smells bad and is getting old. Can you please bring one Size M? Thanks hon
* Panfilo Jama, jama - what we need is jama
* Raul Castro - If you bring an I-pod for Fifo you have to bring one for me too
* Fidel Castro - Send Michelle, I'll be waiting for her. Tell her to bring me an I-pod

Hillary Clinton: Even our friends say our Cuba policy is wrong

2009-05-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Don't throw in the towel on normalization of relations with Cuba

Hillary Clinton concedes that most of the world opposes U.S. policy toward Cuba. According to Cuban Colada, she told State Department employees on Friday:

We’re facing an almost united front against the United States regarding Cuba. Every country, even those with whom we are closest, is saying 'you’ve got to change, you can’t keep doing what you’re doing.'

Then came what looks like a pre-condition for dialogue. Clinton said:

We would like to see some reciprocity from the Castros on political prisoners, human rights, and other matters.

I get it. Cuba should not have political prisoners. But setting pre-conditions for dialogue hurts the chances for progress.
Be bold, Hillary. Try something different.

Trouble in Bloggerland (updated)

2009-05-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Blogger has some technical problem that sent many blogs crashing. Frantic bloggers are registering their complaints here.

When I try to access Along the Malecon I get a message reading: "This blog could not be saved..."

Geez, I knew the blog was a piece of crap, but beyond salvation??

Oh well, this gives me a chance to get some yard work done. The neighbors will be happy.

Update: The site's back up and the weeds in my yard are safe.

A shocker: Fidel Castro wears American flag on his lapel

2009-05-01T08:09:00.001-07:00

From this ABC News report today:

Photos of Fidel Castro meeting with a United States congressional delegation last month show the former Cuban president wearing lapel flag pins from both Cuba and the United States.

That surprising image is evidence of a thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations after limits on family visits imposed by the Bush administration were dropped by President Obama April 13 .

Not a bad gesture for a man who has called the United States his mortal enemy.

Here's a close-up of the type of pin Fidel is wearing. That's the Cuban flag on the right.

Mariela Castro: Obama's presidency marks "a whole new era"

2009-04-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

Daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro appears on Russia Today, an all-English news channel

Mariela Castro, director of Cuba's National Center for Sex Education in Cuba, told a Russian news channel she'd like to see the United States lift economic sanctions. She calls her uncle Fidel Castro "a wise old man," but also said she'd like to see the Cuban government find ways to allow for greater citizen participation.

Castro told Anastasia Haydulinam of Russia Today that the Cuban governemnt "lacks maturity. That's why we need to cultivate the mechanisms for people's participation. It's one of the things that preoccupy me most and that will bring about a whole range of other changes."

Castro also she expects great things from the Obama administration. Here's an excerpt from the interview, taken from the Havana Note blog:

Anastasia Haydulina: What do you expect from the new President of the United States?

Mariela Castro: I expect wonderful changes for the world and for the people of the United States. The people of the United States deserve a President like Obama and a first lady like his spouse. They and all of us need civilization and not barbarity. We need intelligent and honest world leaders. I think with Obama's presidency, a whole new era will begin. It will be a totally different story in the U.S. and all over the world.

Perhaps Mariela Castro could invite Michelle Obama to Cuba. Who knows where that would lead?

Links:

YouTube link to 11-minute, 25-second Russia Today interview

Note: A bizarre moment in the clip comes when Mariela is talking about same-sex unions and the Damas de Blanco are shown marching in front of the Capitolio. The Damas de Blanco, or Ladies in White, are the relatives of Cuban prisoners and have nothing to do with same-sex marriages.

Send the First Lady to Cuba blog

White House petition on sending Michelle Obama to Havana

Petition effort is on YouTube

2009-04-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

A video on the White House petition effort to send Michelle Obama to Cuba is on YouTube. Here's the link.

Tongues wagging about White House petition

2009-04-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Some water would be nice, thank you

Pirata, shown above says he'd sign the petition to send Michelle Obama to Havana if he could. But he was told it was for humans only.

"Not fair!" said Pirata, disgusted. "This is dog-scrimination."

OK, humans, that means it's up to us. The White House petition is here. Please sign. For those who can't. For Pirata. Woof.

"Love it - I'll carry Michelle's bags"

2009-04-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for signing the White House petition to send Michelle Obama to Cuba

Here are some of the comments people have written on the petition Web site:

* Sue Greene - Brilliant idea!
* Alberto N. Jones DVM - Such a bold, courageous decision, would bring this 50 year old senseless feud to a glorious end.
* Walter Lippmann - Nice project!
* Nobuko Miyamoto - Michelle would be a great emisary, but also see with her own eyes the real Cuba.
* Luis Moro - LOVE IT I'll carry Michelle's bags - EveryThingCUBA.com
* elsie echevarria - I would be happy to accompany Mrs Obama to Cuba
* Jorge Gonzalez - Restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and repeal the failed embargo.
* Aaron Levy - I hope to someday see where my roots lay, I'll do anything to get Cuba

Please keep those comments and signatures coming.

Turn the First Lady loose

2009-04-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Photoshop: The only way Michelle Obama can tour Havana

I've been rethinking the April 26 New York Times story that said, "The Obama administration is quietly pushing forward with efforts to reopen channels of communication with Cuba."

The April 26 story makes it sound dramatic, but I'm not convinced anything new or different is going on.

The Associated Press says informal U.S.-Cuba meetings are fairly routine. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon Jr. met on April 13 and on April 27 with Jorge Bolaños, chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, the AP's April 27 story said.

Before the April 27 meeting, State Department Spokesman Robert A. Wood told reporters that U.S. officials "have concerns about Cuban policies" and "we'll be raising them."

U.S. concerns rightly include the jailing of dissidents, journalists and pro-democracy activists in Cuba.

Wood said U.S. and Cuban officials would also talk about Barack Obama's recent steps to make it easier for Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba. "...Beyond that," Wood said, "I don't have much of an agenda."

Translation: We're meeting with the Cubans because there's public pressure to do so. But we're not planning to do squat.

No change, no action, no fresh initiatives. It's too much of a political can of worms, so let's move on.

So what's next? I have no idea. But a few things wouldn't surprised me:

* The routine U.S.-Cuba meetings will go on.

* All the buzz over Cuba will die down.

* U.S. policy will remain the same, for now.

I suggested a few days ago sending Michelle Obama to Cuba. I still think it's a good idea. Let her see Cuba for herself. Let her meet the Cuban people. If she decides it's not worth pursuing diplomatic relations with Cuba, so be it. Let her take back that message to her hubby Barack.

But I'm convinced she would come to another conclusion.

Personal contact is the key.

A visit to Cuba would give Michelle Obama a taste of the real Cuba, the good and the bad, something she'll never be able to experience by reading a book or a briefing paper.

A visit to Cuba would give the First Lady the courage and the confidence to break off from the pack, speak her mind and set a new course.

So turn her loose.

Let her go.

Let's her do what's right.

And if you like how that sounds, please consider signing the White House petition - Send the First Lady to Cuba.

Michelle Obama's VIP list

2009-04-28T10:52:00.001-07:00

Get on your dancing shoes, Michelle. You've got competition.

So if Michelle Obama goes to Cuba, who should she meet? I threw out a few quick suggestions in a post yesterday. Today a Cuban friend in Havana sent me her suggestions. Here they are:

* Marilyn Bobes. Poet, journalist and novelist. Named after Marilyn Monroe. Has won many awards. Member of the editorial council of Cuba's Union of Writers.

* Ana Lidia Vega Serova. Writer and novelist. Has a Russian mother and Cuban father. Her father studied in Moscow, where he met her mother. Writes in both Spanish and Russian. Has traveled throughout Europe. Lives in Cuba.

* Zoila Lapique. Music expert who knows all about art. Has written important books about art. Has written and edited projects with the late daughter of Julio Lobo, the sugar baron.

* Alicia Alonso. The famous Cuban dancer known around the world. Speaks English - so she wouldn't need a translator when talking to Michelle Obama :)

Alicia Alonso, 1958. Link to photo

* Nancy Morejon. Award-winning Afro-Cuban poet. Speaks Spanish, English and French.

* Rebeca Chavez. Documentary filmmaker and wife of Senel Paz, who wrote the story for the award-winning 1994 movie, Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate).

* Flora Fong. Famous Cuban painter. Her parents are Chinese. She was born in Camaguey and has two children, both painters.

Art by Flora Fong. Link to photo

* Concepción Campa Huergo, president of the Vaccine Institute “Carlos J. Finlay” in Havana. Led team of researchers that created the Meningococcal B vaccine in Cuba.

* Mariela Castro. Director of Cuba's National Center for Sex Education. Also the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro.

Other ideas for the VIP list? Send 'em in and I'll post them.

Spreading the word about Michelle Obama's trip to Cuba

2009-04-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

My Twitter Page

I'm not really into Facebook or Twitter, but I realize these things have some power to reach people. So last night I went on Twitter to spread the word about the White House petition asking if Americans want the First Lady to go to Cuba.

I woke this morning to hundreds of messages on my cell phone.

Holy crap!

I hope I don't get a huge bill, like Alberto, the guy who downloaded a movie for his nephew and got slapped with a $62,000 charge.

Anyway, I got a kick out of some of people who sent me Tweets. Snippets from their profiles:

* Professional day dreamer

* Gay peace activist

* Repairing and testing microwave ovens

* Cubicle dweller

* Happily married to the Internet since 1994

* Life facilitator

* World's worst gambler

* A one-man National Geographic

* I dig dudes. I'm not really into the gay scene too much. I'm friendly

* Mobilizing the world to kick cancer's butt

And, my favorite,

* Melting faces using modern guitar riffs

Yep, it's great to be part of the human race.

Send the First Lady to Cuba

2009-04-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Get your bags packed, Michelle

An idea occurred to me while I was mowing the lawn: Why not send Michelle Obama to Cuba?

The U.S. and Cuba have been at odds for a half century. Bold steps are needed if the two countries are going to have better relations. Personal contact is needed. Changing a few regulations isn't enough. Reading a stack of briefing papers isn't enough. Someone from the White House needs to go to Cuba. Barack Obama should go, eventually. But his plate is full.

The First Lady isn't just sitting around, of course. But if Michelle Obama is going to be remembered for more than her fashion trends, she has got to do something spectacular. And a visit to Cuba would be spectacular.

A Michelle Obama trip to Cuba would recall Jacqueline Kennedy's famous 1961 meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. It would capture the world's attention. It would further help restore respect for America abroad. It would show that the U.S. government is about tolerance and cultural sensitivity, not arrogance and intimidation. (If you agree but don't want to read to the end of this post, click here to go straight to a White House petition to send the First Lady to Cuba).

I'd be shocked if Barack and Michelle Obama had no interest in traveling to Cuba. Most of the Americans I talk to are at least curious about the island.

Cubans are among the friendliest people in the world

I lived in Cuba from 2000 to early 2005. Since 1994, I've traveled to Cuba at least 55 or 60 times - I haven't really kept track. And people who know I go there often ask me what it's like. They've heard stories about Cuba, but have never traveled there. They're curious.
And why not?

Cuba is not some garden-variety Caribbean island. It has a certain mystique. It has a rich history and heritage. It's been at or near the center of pivotal events in American history for more than 100 years.

Havana's Hotel Nacional

Cuba is a fascinating social and political experiment that's been off limits to most Americans since 1959. You don't have to agree with Cuba's political system to travel there. But it may open up your eyes and give you a new perspective on your own country.
Michelle Obama would be an ideal emissary to Cuba. She's bright, articulate and sensitive.

And if she does go, she ought to meet with a variety of people. The Cuban government shouldn't set her entire agenda and neither should the State Department or the anti-Castro forces in South Florida.
If she goes, she should get more than a dog-and-pony show highlighting everything that the Cuban government would like her to see.
She should meet with members of Cuba's political opposition, ranging the Laura Pollan, the head of Ladies in White, to dissident leader Martha Beatriz Roque and Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a former economic advisor to Fidel Castro who has served jail time for activities.

Laura Pollan

Martha Beatriz Roque

Oscar Espinosa Chepe

Michelle should also meet Yoani Sanchez, whose the Generación Y blog has brought her international acclaim.

Yoani Sanchez

But the First Lady should also seek out other points of view, meeting, for instance, with relatives of Cubans killed in terrorist attacks, former Cuban fighters who defending the country during the Bay of Pigs invasion, and perhaps ex-rebels who took part in the attacks on the Moncada barracks in 1953.

I imagine that Fidel Castro would go out of his way to see Michelle Obama if she were on the island. And the First Lady should see him. Such a meeting would break new ground.

Fidel Castro

Michelle Obama should also try to meet Cubans who aren't mixed up in controversy or politics. These people range from Olympic athletes and legendary musicians to filmmakers, artists, poets, dancers, teachers, historians and others.
Don't worry, Michelle, If you need help with your agenda, I'll help out. I've already started compiling a list of people for you to meet. :)

I'm sure Jorge Fis, Cuba's former national judo champion, would enjoy meeting the First Lady

Michelle Obama could also sit down with Cuban author Marta Rojas, who has been writing about Cuba for more than 50 years.

Michelle could take in a fashion show, tour the National Museum of Fine Arts, ride along the Malecon in a Coco-Taxi, climb to the top of the lighthouse at El Morro, visit the old Hemingway estate, tour a maternity ward in Old Havana. The possibilities are endless.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter traveled to the island in 2002

I was in Cuba when former First Lady Rosalynn Carter visited the island in April 2002. Photos are here and here.

First Ladies don't seem to get to Cuba all that often. According to the National First Ladies' Library, Edith Carow Roosevelt was the first incumbent First Lady to venture outside United States, traveling to Panama in 1907.
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson had a higher profile, going with Woodrow Wilson to the Paris peace conference in 1918, the library said.
Grace Coolidge went with her husband, Calvin Coolidge, to Havana in January 1928. She "enjoyed the trip with her usual gusto, but after their return, she became so ill that her husband was afraid she might die," according to the book, American First Ladies. (Don't worry, Michelle. Grace Collidge could not handle her mojitos, but I have faith in you).

Calvin Collidge had a better experience. In the opening address of the Pan-American Conference, he spoke of "the heritage of the people of Bolivar and of Washington" and urged:

We must lay our voyage of exploration toward complete understanding and friendship. Having taken that course, we must not be turned aside by the fears of the timid, the counsels of the ignorant, or the designs of the malevolent.

Despite such words, many Americans have been wary of Cuba.

I don't know of any current or former First Ladies, other than Rosalynn Carter, who have been to the island since 1928. But I did only a cursory Google search. There may have been others. If anyone has any additional details, let me know and I'll post the information.

Meantime, try to imagine Michelle Obama as an emissary to Cuba. And if you would like to send the First Lady to Cuba, please sign this petition, which is addressed to the White House.

Now I've got to go back outside and finish mowing the lawn.

Send the First Lady to Cuba

Recent comments: Michelle Obama "could make a world of difference"

Freedom to travel proposal is gaining support

Fidel Castro, schmoozing and rubber chickens

Intriguing predictions on Cuba

More signatures: "go for it"

The First Lady goes to cigar country?

More signatures, no peace pipe yet

Hillary Clinton: Even our friends say our Cuba policy is wrong

Trouble in Bloggerland (updated)

A shocker: Fidel Castro wears American flag on his lapel

Mariela Castro: Obama's presidency marks "a whole new era"

Petition effort is on YouTube

Tongues wagging about White House petition

"Love it - I'll carry Michelle's bags"

Turn the First Lady loose

Michelle Obama's VIP list

Spreading the word about Michelle Obama's trip to Cuba

Send the First Lady to Cuba