Good Exchange
HAVANA -- I came to Havana to cover the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution because this beautiful island holds a big place in my heart.
My parents used to bring me to Havana each winter, and we often joined Ernest Hemingway at the fabled La Floridita Bar. He was big, vivacious man with a white beard and a rumbling laugh. I still have one of his books, inscribed, "to Eric, from his friend Ernest Hemingway, Havana, 1951."
Eight years later, a Communist lawyer named Fidel Castro Ruiz stormed ashore with 81 men to begin a guerrilla war against the U.S.-backed Fulgencio Batista dictatorship. Cuba was then a virtual American colony: Americans owned 60% of Cuba's farmland and industry.
On Jan. 1, 1959, Castro's guerrilla fighters arrived in Havana and proclaimed a revolutionary republic. For the first time in its long history (Havana is 50-70 years older than Quebec City or New York), Cuba was genuinely independent of foreign rule.
Once Castro was in power, his comrade, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, today an icon of romantic revolution to the uninformed, ordered the execution of over 600 "bourgeois," then got killed leading a farcically inept revolution in Bolivia.
In an era when America bullied and exploited Latin America, Castro's revolution was a triumph. His resistance to 50 years of U.S. efforts to overthrow or assassinate him, and a near-lethal embargo, was epic.
MISSILE CRISIS
U.S. attempts to topple Castro nearly led to nuclear war with the U.S.S.R. in 1962. The crisis was resolved by Moscow withdrawing missiles it brought in to defend Cuba, in exchange for president John Kennedy agreeing not to invade Cuba and pulling U.S. missiles from Italy and Turkey. The result was a victory for Cuba and the U.S.S.R., but Kennedy got the kudos.
The cost of Cuba's independence and dignity was poverty, dictatorship and becoming a Soviet satellite. Today, only oil-rich Venezuela and Canadian tourists are keeping battered Cuba afloat.
Havana, once called "the naughtiest city on earth," is a museum of the 1950s: Decaying, melancholy, dark.
Cuba has Latin America's best medical and education system, and highest literacy. But life in Cuba is grim: Food and power shortages, endless queuing, grinding poverty and constant supervision by secret policemen and Communist party informers.
Castro blames this misery on the U.S. embargo. The U.S. blames Castro's rickety Stalinist economics. Both are responsible. Cuba has suffered 50 years of the kind of collective punishment that Gaza is now experiencing. The U.S. has maintained its crushing boycott under the pretext that Havana holds 200 political prisoners and is Communist. Yet the U.S. cheerfully deals with Communist China and Vietnam, and itself holds 36,000 Iraqi political prisoners, not to mention Guantanamo.
HYPOCRITICAL EMBARGO
I hope one of president-elect Barack Obama's first acts is to demand Congress end the hypocritical, idiotic embargo. Even half of Miami's once fanatically anti-Castro Cubans now support ending it.
Obama could neatly break the Cold War ice by flying down to Cuba for a round of golf. Or let Canada, which is hugely liked in Cuba, open the doors.
It's high time the West Indies' largest island was welcomed back to this hemisphere and given civilized treatment. Equally important, Chinese influence is moving into Cuba and Russia is reasserting its strategic presence. Moscow plans to rearm Cuba's military. So the U.S. has little time to lose.
First Fidel, and now Raul Castro, have been happy to keep the U.S. at arm's length. An end to U.S.-Cuban hostility could bring up to two million U.S. tourists a year.
The dying Communist control system could not withstand this invasion. So the party, which refuses to implement Chinese-style reforms, may keep Cuba frozen in time.
The age of ham-handed Yankee imperialism in Latin America is over. Cuba raised the banner of revolt and paid the price. We should now help Cuba rejoin the polity of Latin American democratic nations and hope Washington will have learned to tread lightly in Cuba and show more respect.

My Letter to EM:
Mr. Margolis
Good piece this morning.
Glad to see you're not on the Che bandwagon...
I was in Habana as well, and wasn't surprised to see the Jan 1 celebrations limited to the plaza by the Nacional (built for the Elian family reunion I seem to remember)..
There were no celebrations in the other parts of the city I visited. Ordinary Cubanos don't have much to celebrate - especially those of african heritage who don't get hotel jobs...
The greatest challenges faced by Cuba are not only political.
The place needs about 60 B US in infrastructure development (according to the CIA) to be able to take advantage of rapprochement and hordes of US tourists (who in my experience down there with such won't settle for Cuba 4 star accommodations). No roads, no water, no electrical, no ports to unload material, no rail, no refrgeration, etc.
And the current septugenarian leadership at all levels needs to go completely (which they will not do readily - note recent demotion of Perez Rogue and other youngsters).
Not to mention, that the leadership has to accept investment that doesnt play by their rules (ie you invest your money, we own it, you pay us to pay your staff and give us 10% off the top and we won't repay and loans you make).
Appreciate that it took US and Canada 14 years to negotiate a free trade agreement - and we were best friends and trading partners. How long will it take for two traditional philosophical enemies?
Long way to go - doubt we'll see a happy Cuba in our lifetime - Obama or not.

EM Responds
Good analysis. Right on target. The Cuban government has been ripping off foreign investors and making their life miserable.
I watched the celebrations from the cliff in front of the Nacional - what a disappointment. Thanks for your thoughts.
Best Wishes,
Eric Margolis

1. Cigars - 65% of all cuban cigars sold in cuba are phonys - still better than White Owls, but not the real thing. Buy them as novelties but not for true Cubano smoking experience

2. Getting your exit pass - When leaving you have to pay 25 CUC for an exit pass. They will attempt to give you change in cdn or US dollars - do not accept.

3. Paladares vs Restaurants - Fidel is charging all private restaurants outrageous fees - so govt restaurants are now about 1/3 the cost of previously cheap private places.

4. Exchange rate - somehow the Cubans have figured out how to value their worthless currency about 1.35 Canadian... And we buy it. Figure that one out.

5. Peso Restaurants - you may eat at a place that is not designed for you - but for Cubans. Prices are in local pesos, not CUCs - make sure you pay them in their worthless scrip, not with something of value.

6. Amount of Rum in drinks - Some bartenders - for whatever reason - will poor short shots for mixed drinks. No idea why unless this allows them to free up a bottle that they can sell later. Watch and insist on a full shot.

7. Almost every quoted price is at least 1/3 too high.

I'll supplement these as I think of more. Good start, though, I thinl

While in Habana, got a chance to say hello to famed HR crusader Yoani Sanchez of Generacion Y. For facts and truth about the status of Cubans visit Yoani's blog.

Went down to Cuba with my sweetie Kate to catch rays, catch up with friends, and get an up to the minute update on how things are going as well as see how Cubanos were celebrating 50 years of papa Fidel. Last year went to Santiago de Cuba, so it's been two years since my last visit to the place.
The more things change, the more they stay the same and the more they don't.
First off - for the first time in my eight years of travelling to Cuba the food was great - providing you have about $25 pp per meal to spend. Not so good for the local folks. Langosta was available almost everywhere - likely to make the 50th anniversary more celebratory for those who can afford to buy it.
The license fees for paladars (as high as $1500 / mo) have changed the entire dynamic of eating - paladars are getting squeezed out of business and need to charge much higher prices than before - more than gov't restaurants.
They can't make do with $7 pollo, so are selling fixed price meals at around $20, which is costing them customers to their public sector competitors. Quick - call the CFIB.
Police harassment of residents was not being exercised as strongly as two years ago and several buildings along the Malecon are renovated or in the process of being so. The 50th anniversary celebration on Jan 1 wasn't noticeable; a big salsa party was held on the Malecon near the Hotel Nacional, and it was loud and a lot of people attended, but mostly Cubans just went about their business - survival.
Kate and I tracked down a little girl and her mom that I'd met through a friend two years ago - they had shared Christmas Dinner with us. I had taken some delightful pictures and wanted to present them. I did and they were delighted!
Listened to lots of okay music, nothing really great except for a string orchestra concert at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral. Nacional Ballet was, of course, outstanding - Alicia Alonso was present which made it more special. Went to a friend's birthday party was a buncha interesting characters there. One guy made a point of letting me know he just got out of prison for murder. In Cuba the penalty for murder is 8 years, the penalty for killing a cow is 10 years. I understand that government is still clamping down on unlicensed attempts by Cubans to feed themselves - some have been arrested for catching fish and growing vegetables.
Met Yoani Sanchez who is the famed blogger I link to a lot who is the best source for real news in Cuba. She remains under watch by the government, and plays a dangerous game to get her blog reports posted.
Arrived home at 0400 on Tuesday to find neither kids nor dog present, just a note that the kids were staying with person who was looking after dog. Smelled fishy. Was awoken at 0900 by said dog watching person who advised that instead of looking after our much loved little hairy family member, they let it get killed by a car. We are feeling great pain.