Cuba: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

We, as Americans take this big beautiful country for granted with our freedoms, (the right to bash our countries policies freely or joke about our Presidents without retribution from our government, protest without harm from our leaders), even take for granted of our top notch medical care and knowing our food is protected under law to be of the highest quality, (yes, some do try to get away with shortcuts and harm us, but they do not get away with it).

I had a unique opportunity to see Cuba through my friend's eyes who was a student major in Political Science. He was down there for six years and seen the country in the truest sense of the word. What he explored, witnessed and experienced made him mad, angry, disgusted and yes at times, content.

The Cuban people are a generous, sweet natured society who only wants to make a good living and to be free of oppression. They would rather not leave their homeland because of their love for their country, but sometimes they are forced to make that decision. I have received several photos of locals and their eyes tell their story, however I will not use the photos for this article to protect them since I don't truly know what would happen to them. I can't risk them facing imprisonment, torture or exile; their lives in Cuba could turn for the worse and what meager earnings they do make could be in jeopardy.

Castro's regime despises our and tries to convince the world his people despise all Americans; it is the government not the people, not all the people, but the majority happen to welcome our presence and our efforts for change. Castro has signs and billboards up everywhere stating that we, Americans are the terrorist; our country is a dictatorship, not Cuba. I think the people would contest that statement if they could without retribution.

Sample of one such poster: Bush, Fascista,/Condena Al Terrorista!
Venganza No,/ Justicia!
Frente a la Fuerza Del Pueblo/ Tiembla la Injusticia!
Con La Verdad/ Cuba Triunfara!

You can pretty much decipher what it states.