120 years hasn't diminished Us cruelty to Cuba

Cuba has always been a prize for the US to exploit. Back in 1820, former President Thomas Jefferson proclaimed "The US should take Cuba at first opportunity." The unsuccessful 1854 Ostend Manifesto was designed to acquire Cuba as a slave state. Four presidents, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan and Grant all failed to acquire this economic plumb till the fifth, William McKinley, succeeded by declaring war on Cuba's ruler Spain in 1898. The US booted the Spaniards, making Cuba safe for rapacious American capitalism, before granting them independence in 1902. Freedom came at a price. Uncle Sam could intervene at will, which he did in 1906, 1912 and 1917. Tiring of keeping order, the US settled on puppet presidents starting with Gerado Machado in 1924. We hit the jackpot in 1933 when Cuban Army Sargent Fulgencio Batista staged a coup, taking over Cuba for a quarter century, becoming fabulously wealthy looting the Cuban people and treasury while allowing US companies and the mafia to gobble up the rest. Castro's successful 1959 revolution was both necessary and inevitable, quickly implementing political control and land reform which crippled the capitalists' and the mafia's cash cow. Instead of accepting that 61 years of unwarranted wealth was enough, the US, with help from the mafia, tried to kill Castro and reassert control. Undaunted by endless failure, America as maintained a cruel and self destructive embargo on the poor but unbroken Cuban people for the last 59 years.

I was reminded about America's 120 years of exploitation and cruelty against Cuba during my recent trip. Free enterprise there is up from about 10% early on to over 30% today. Infrastructure development is everywhere and all the equipment involved is Russian, Chinese, Indian, German, Italian, French; just about every developed country except mine.

It is heartbreaking. It is unnecessary. It must end.