I agree with Cockerell that the U.S. embargo against Cuba should be lifted, having visited Cuba in April 2012. I had also been in Havana in 1957 visiting cousins.
My visit was carefully orchestrated by the Cuban government. It seems that Cockerell did see the poor conditions, but to see how really bad things are, he should read some recent accounts of life and conditions in Cuba such as Cuba -- Going Back by Tony Mendoza.These accounts were done by returning Cubans hiding the fact that they were reporters risking imprisonment. For example, the highly touted healthcare is a disaster for most Cubans.The wonderful statistics on education, life span, healthcare, etc., I believe have been strongly skewed by how the Cuban government reports failure or success. All the data provided in these areas can be manipulated to improve the numbers. Since Fidel's goal was to attract international attention to his successes in these areas, in anyway possible, the resulting statistics should be suspect.But, by lifting the embargo, these depressing conditions in Cuba would be brought to light.-- Jim Beckman, Fort WorthHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
