- The “Powerful” Cuban-American Lobby 

I am somewhat of a news junkie. Every morning I sit in front of my computer with my cup of coffee and read the happenings of the day on various news sites. Because of my obvious interest in Cuba (and to amuse myself), I will search for news stories using various news search engines. 

The usual diatribes published by the propaganda rags, like Granma and Juventud Rebelde, come up, but I largely ignore them since once you have read one of their articles you just as well have read all of them: America and capitalism are bad—communism and Castro are good. They change the dates, the names, and the locations, but the plot and the protagonist remain unchanged. 

With all the brouhaha going on now regarding the 26 of July anniversary that happens to coincide with the first anniversary of the supposed transfer of power from Big Brother Tyrant to Little Brother Tyrant, there is a plethora of news articles regarding Cuba and many of them address the US embargo against the communist dictatorship. There is a common thread throughout these US embargo articles from Reuters, AP, the Miami Herald, and the rest of the usual suspects; the “Powerful Cuban-American Lobby” is forcing the US to keep its embargo against Cuba in place. 

Really? Are we Cuban-Americans that powerful? Is there a red phone on a pedestal covered by a glass dome somewhere in the offices of the Cuban American National Foundation with a direct line to the president? If so, I think someone should pick it up and tell the president that we “powerful Cuban-Americans” are feeling a little bit slighted as of late. 

If my recollection is correct, the reasons behind the embargo had more to do with the private property that castro’s communist regime expropriated with no compensation whatsoever and little to do with the machinations of Cuban-American influence peddlers. This little fact is overlooked time and time again by these so-called journalists who allow themselves to be used as mouthpieces for castro’s propaganda machine.  

So how powerful is the Cuban-American Lobby? I think if we ask the survivors and the families of the men who died at the Bay of Pigs invasion they will disagree with this summation. If we ask the families of the Brothers to the Rescue pilots shot down and killed in international waters, they would probably also disagree. If we ask widower, Agustin Uralde, who watched his wife slam head first into the side of the boat they were using to escape castro’s island prison and later die when the Coast Guard recklessly shot out the engines of their boat, I think he will find this alleged power a bit exaggerated.