The Republican of Springfield (Mass.), April 16:
Prepare to hear a litany of tales of atrocities perpetrated by the tyrannical Castro regime in Cuba over the last half-century. Many of them are even likely to be true.
The stories will be told by those who believe that the White House is wrong to remove Cuba from the State Department’s list of nations that sponsor terrorism. Look, they’ll fairly shout, Fidel and brother Raul Castro have been responsible for this, for that, for the other thing. And that’s just for starters.
The only proper response: Yeah, but so what.
It is entirely possible to believe that the Castros are despicable characters who have been on the wrong side of history since forever ago, and to feel at the same time that Cuba should no longer be on the State Department’s terror list. One is not related to the other, no matter how much some will try to cloud the matter.
Our stance toward Cuba has effectively been unchanged since John F. Kennedy was president. It didn’t succeed in toppling Fidel Castro, who retained his hold on power until he could hand the reins to his brother. Our policy, however, has been successful in isolating our nation from others in our own hemisphere. It’s so long past time to change our Cuba policy that it ought not really be debatable. Nonetheless, it will be debated. So be it.
There are more than enough reasons to decry the actions of the brothers Castro over the past half-century. Let the ranters tell their tales. But don’t let them conflate those stories of atrocities with a place on the terror list.
When President Barack Obama recently signaled his intention to remove the island nation from the State Department list, he made exactly that point. A nation is put on the list for very specific reasons. And one is removed because those reasons no longer apply. It does not mean that we agree with the actions of those in power or approve of their methods. It does not mean that all is forgiven or that the past is forgotten.
It must all be remembered even as we ”“ and Cuba ”“ seek to move toward a better tomorrow.
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