Wouldnt you think George Bush had enough on his plate to deal with? Iraq. Afghanistan. Darfur. Sudan. Threats from Turkey over the Kurdish PKK attacks on their border. Iranian aspirations for more influence in the Middle East. Rising oil and gas prices. Runaway fires in California. The list grows longer day-by-day.
But no now he has chosen to challenge the people in Cuba to seek more democracy from their leaders. Taking advantage of an aging and ailing Castro and playing to the rich Cuban emigres in Miami devout Republicans all he made a truly stupid statement to be broadcast to the Cuban people, promising our support for their efforts to influence their government and asking the Cuban military and police to stay out of the peoples way.
So tell me just how much influence do you have on this administration?
Has this president listened to the national consensus to get us out of Iraq? Did he listen to the large number of us who said not to go in there in the first place? Does he prefer spending money hiring Halliburton and Blackwater to repairing our roads and bridges or making a better health system for all Americas children one like he and his family and all the legislators and their families enjoy?
And how much influence do you and I have on his decisions?
It is clear to me that this president doesnt give a tinkers dam for what anybody thinks except Dick Cheney and his rich and/or evangelical supporters.
As for Cuba, under Batista they were a typical Spanish-colonized third-world country. A small, powerful and wealthy elite many of whom now live elsewhere and everybody else served them.
Under Castro, their health system is the envy of most of the world, infant and maternal mortality is among the worlds best, education and literacy is also near the top of any list, they are producing so many medical doctors they are exporting them to nations in need of their help (Africa for one). To top all of this off, they are making great strides in organically producing their own food in small and large pea-patches across the island nation.
And thanks to the continuing sanctions by our country, they are not endangered by BT milk or Monsantos dumb but profitable gene-tinkering experimental seeds and pesticides and such.
Bush, Bush, Bush listen to me. Leave them alone.
Benita Helseth
Lake Stevens