Published February 3, 2002 in
The Miami Herald
The fawning over Cuba's depraved despot never fails to amaze, and Illinois
Gov. George Ryan's recent trip to Havana proved no different. Swooning coverage
by Chicago Sun-Times people columnist Michael Sneed described the "exchange
of flattery'' and "sumptuous meal'' at the "surprise state dinner''
staged by Fidel Castro for "the guv'' and his 15-person entourage.
"Castro joked as the two men blissfully bantered while the rest of the
group gawked and gulped over the surreal dinner table,'' Mr. Sneed wrote. During
the "five hours of endless conversation'' they feasted on "lobster,
lamb, four different cheeses, a plate of assorted cooked veggies, vanilla and
chocolate ice cream and a dollop of sour-lime buffalo yogurt, which Castro
shared with the table.''
No wonder Mr. Sneed described the dinner table as "surreal.''
Imagine what ordinary Cubans would say. These Cubans have laws that bar them
from consuming illicit lobster and enjoying tourist resorts reserved for
foreigners only. Only in their dreams do these Cubans feast.
But the topper came when, amid a frenzy of mutual hero-worship, Mr. Ryan
invited Castro to Springfield, Ill., for the opening of a new Lincoln Library.
The governor indicated that he intends to invite Nelson Mandela, as well. Is
there anything more inappropriate?
Abraham Lincoln freed slaves. Castro has enslaved the Cuban people. Nelson
Mandela defeated racial apartheid in South Africa. Castro has imposed political
apartheid on a nation. To bring this tyrant anywhere near the legacy of the 16th
president of United States is to insult the values of freedom and democracy that
Lincoln represents -- values trampled by Castro and his police state.
Fortunately Castro is unlikely to go anywhere near Springfield. One U.S.
State Department official called the Lincoln Library invitation "this
month's featured attraction in the Castro theater of the absurd.''
In any case, U.S. policy to date has been to deny Castro a U.S. visa unless
he is coming to an international event, such as a United Nations session.
Perhaps Mr. Ryan and his delegation were too busy peddling U.S.
pharmaceuticals and grains to notice the lack of free speech, free enterprise or
human rights. Boundless enthusiasm for ending the U.S. embargo may have blinded
the governor to the summary executions, torture and relentless persecution
dispensed by Castro in 43 years of dictatorship.
Gov. Ryan must be blissful, indeed -- blissfully shameless.
Copyright 2002 Miami Herald | 
