What we can do RIGHT NOW on Cuba travel

By Alvaro F. Fernandez
alvaro@progresoweekly.com

All hell broke loose earlier this week when media outlets started reporting that the freedom of Cuban-Americans to visit relatives and support their families on the island was on the chopping block – again! And the truth is we’ve all been aware of this possibility since spring of this year. At the time we reported (along with many others) that U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and David Rivera were up to no good in congress maneuvering pieces to return Cuba travel restrictions to levels set by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Too many of us sat on our hands then and wished the problem would just go away. Instead, the ticks kept burrowing. Then Tuesday the Miami Herald’s Juan Tamayo reported that “A proposal in Congress to roll back the Obama administration’s broad opening of Cuban-American travel and remittances to the island appears likely to be approved as part of a massive year-end spending bill, according to Congress members.”

Of course we will do all that is in our power to defeat this cruelty. But we should have been better prepared. Mario, and the other Cuban Americans now serving in the U.S. Congress, will not go quietly into the night. The fact is that they have never believed in a fair fight. And to their credit, they are tireless. And they possess unlimited amounts of money, a key ingredient of American politics.

All this and we are again faced with the possibility of only one trip to Cuba every three years and a cap on remittances of $1,200 per year. We’d also return to the shameful W. Bush definition of the Cuban family.

It’s not a rosy picture.

What can we do right now?

There is still time to turn this thing around. But we must act immediately.

Our to do list:

• Call the White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111 (it’s a recorded comment line) or (202) 456-1414 (switchboard) to tell President Obama that it is not acceptable for the ‘Megabus’ spending bill to include a rollback of Cuban-American family travel or remittances. Tell him to support Cuban-American families and reject any provision that limits their travel to Cuba. You may also leave an email message on the White House website by clicking here.

Others to call on Capitol Hill:

• Senator Inouye (D-HI), chair of the Senate appropriations committee (202) 224-3934
• Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate appropriations committee (202) 224-5054
• Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), chair of the House appropriations committee (202) 225-4601
• Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), ranking member of the House appropriations committee (202) 225-5916
• Senate President Harry Reid, (202) 224-3542

Please note that chances are great none of these elected officials will speak to you. But that doesn’t mean you cannot ask for their chief of staff, legislative assistant, or anyone in the office who will listen to you. And make sure to be firm and courteous.

Finally, after this battle is won, it is time to seriously consider planning ahead. With the businesses, jobs, and other interests affected by our limited relationship with Cuba, it is time that an organized group or association be started that may deal with issues that seem to catch us by surprise every so often…

Part of that plan should also include an organized and professional one-year, five-year and 10-year plan to register new voters. The plan going forward should also include a search for new, fresh faces to train and prepare to run for elected office. And persons who can also work for elected officials, who later become our eyes and ears in government.

As time goes by we should be electing city council members and commissioners, school board members, state representatives and senators, and, of course, members of congress. No position in government should be considered too inconsequential. Using sports terminology, they will become our minor leagues as we groom well-intended and honest leaders to push us forward.

If not, my political crystal ball only sees David Riveras on the horizon. And that would be tragic.

These folks are like human ticks. They are small-minded, bloodsucking parasites that won’t rest until they’ve sucked all the life and blood of