The Ugly American Strikes Again

I don’t know if there has been much news in the U. S. about the brown shirts in the U. S. State Department Office of Foreign Assets Control calling a Sheraton hotel in Mexico City to demand that the hotel expel a Cuban delegation that was meeting with Exxon and Valero Energy executives to discuss Cuban oil production matters. It has certainly been big news in Mexico. Mexicans, it seems, don’t appreciate having their national sovereignty trod upon by their powerful, arrogant neighbor to the North.

The U. S. Congress, in one of its many despicable acts, enacted the Helms-Burton Act in 1996. The act, which carries the name of one of the most despicable U. S. Senators to ever befoul Congress, prohibits U. S. based companies from doing business with Cuba anywhere in the world. No wonder most people around the world hate the U. S.

The U. S. Cuba policy is based upon the desire for Florida’s 27 electoral college votes over which the super rich Cuban expatriates of South Florida, who wish to regain control over Cuba, exercise inordinate influence. The President must demonstrate how tough he is toward Cuba to shore up support amongst those South Florida anachronisms.

The Sheraton is now subject to Mexican sanctions and maybe closed for numerous code violations that have now come to light and faces a discrimination investigation by Mexican officials.

I can’t imagine why the manager of the hotel and its parent company didn’t tell the State Dept. to taking a flying you know what into a rolling donut, and then fight the State Dept. brown shirts.

It seems to me that if we elected intelligent people to Congress and the presidency and they appointed intelligent managers we would have a policy that encouraged U. S. citizens to travel to Cuba. What better way to bring change to Cuba. The embargo affected in the early 1960s has done nothing except drive Cuba to become a client of the Soviet Union.

By the way, large agricultural product companies which have been generous with campaign donations, such as Arthur Daniels Midland, Tyson, and others are permitted to sell to Cuba.