Seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently returned from a trip to Cuba. The taxpayer-funded Cuban trip seems to be an annual affair for leftists who are in love with the brutal regime of Fidel Castro. CBC chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-California) and CBC member Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) -- both members of the U.S. House -- spoke glowingly of their meeting with the former dictator. In February 2008, Fidel kept the rule of his country "in the family" by appointing his brother, Raul, to his former position as "premier."
It's obvious these leftist CBC representatives have forgotten the definition of "slavery." Wherever it raises its evil head, slavery is wrong. Cuba has long enslaved its citizens with a very oppressive regime. Castro's fellow revolutionary, Che Guevara, was a mass murderer who was in charge of Cuba's revolutionary tribunals. Castro also appointed this Marxist thug to be Cuba's minister of industry. Remember, it was Fidel Castro who expropriated property from businesses and civilians not long after he came into power in Cuba. In 2005, Forces Magazine estimated Fidel's personal wealth to be around $550 million -- certainly more than the "moderate" means that CBC members implied in a press conference discussing their meeting with the retired Cuban dictator. The CBC also forgot about the estimated 1.2 million Cubans who have attempted to flee the island nation -- many successfully -- from 1959 to 1993. Why? Castro's government is oppressive. The Cuban government has tight controls over the media, education, and commerce. It is still a huge violator of human rights. A "tribunal on Cuba" held in 1986 by former captives and prisoners of the Marxist regime outlined in detail the corrupt penal system and hard labor camps in Cuba. At an April 9 news conference, Representatives Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) and Frank Wolf (R-Virginia) -- both of whom were denied entry into Cuba in February -- said the "Caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of the political prisoners under the Castro regime." Senator Mel Martinez (R-Florida) had stated the day before that "regardless of one's position on U.S.-Cuba policy, one would expect that any U.S. official would...raise concerns about the regime's systematic violation of human rights." Having the courage to raise human rights concerns with the retired dictator is something that longtime admirers of Castro would never do. Remember, this is former dictator of a country that is listed by the U.S. government as one of the 15 worst state violators of human trafficking in the world. The people of Cuba aren't free. They are slaves to their government. Ask Congresswoman Lee if Cubans can freely assemble to voice their criticisms of Castro or his Marxist thugs. I'll tell you the answer: they can't. Freedom of assembly doesn't exist on the island nation. Here's something I'd like to ask: Why do members of the Congressional Black Caucus defend a regime that recently denied visas to their fellow members of Congress who are critical of the Castro government? What are they afraid of? Surprisingly, for all the gushing admiration that CBC members like Lee, Rush, and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) hold for the former Cuban premier, Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) was quick to deny Castro's own claim that while the House Democrats were in Cuba, "one of the Caucus members said that 'America continues to be racist.'" (CNN) A little egg on their face? I guess it's too hard for dedicated leftists to recognize the truth of a regime they so very much admire.
James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to OneNewsNow.com and author of Porn in America, is a licensed nationwide real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.
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