Obama Drags Heels on Cuban Travel Ban

Two years ago, Obama loosened slightly the travel ban by allowing visits of family members. In August of 2010, there was talk of loosening the ban for other groups. Here we are in April of 2011 and the administration refuses to let Irish musicians travel to Cuba for a Celtic Festival. The NY Times article (still free) on this last August says that Obama wants concessions from the Cubans before loosening the ban, such as the release of Alan P. Gross. I see no sense in this approach. It confuses matters. It entangles all disputes, one with another. It punishes travelers and Cubans. It prevents some good from being done, while trying for another goal. What comes to my mind is that Dizzy Gillespie did a tremendous amount of good when he went to the Near East, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and played jazz. Everyone knows that jazz is a musical language of freedom and dignity. One can sense it, hear it, and see it right off without being a music critic. After that, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, and Duke Ellington went to Russia. They opened up Russia! They tore down walls! Their travel was a turning point. Tying up people with travel bans is a political policy, a violent policy, and a policy that leads to more disputes. It is so wrong-headed. And did I mention that it’s anti-freedom? Does a free country prevent its citizens from traveling to other lands?

Share

7:57 am on April 12, 2011