January 08, 2008

A Personal Protest

Just imagine if the majority of Canadians had Terry O'Neill's conscience instead of just a few.

FACE TO FACE: Holidays and human wrongs...

By Terry O'Neill - The Tri-City News - January 06, 2008

Outsiders often say that we Canadians are polite and respectful. And when we ourselves look into our bathroom mirrors, we supposedly see the happy face of the world’s Boy Scout staring back at us.

Of course, while we may share some important characteristics, we Canucks actually have a great many differences. And I think I’ve come down with a handy-dandy way of separating Canadians into two distinct categories: those who think Cuba is some sort of political utopia and those who think the communist republic is an oppressive state.

Indeed, try mentioning Cuba at a social gathering and some folks will automatically go all dewy-eyed and start spouting stuff about social justice and Che Guevara. But, unless you’re at a BC Federation of Labour convention, you’ll also encounter a good number of folks whose eyes will go steely and who will start reciting facts and figures about Cuba’s repression of human rights.

You can put me down as one of these latter individuals. And that’s why, at a time when we frigid Canadians are looking for tropical beaches upon which we can thaw our frosted bodies, I think it’s important Canadians think twice before choosing to fly to Cuba.

This is not an insignificant issue because more people from Canada vacation in Cuba than from any other country. It’s also true that many of those snowbirds are unaware of just what goes on in Cuba.

Consider this: Amnesty International states that at least 69 “prisoners of conscience” are currently behind bars in Cuba because of their political opinions. “Political dissidents, independent journalists and human rights activists continue to be harassed, intimidated and detained, some without charge or trial,” AI reports.

Of course, if we confined our travels to countries with perfect human-rights records, we would never be able to leave Canada. But Cuba’s human-rights record is a direct consequence of its repressive form of government. Ignore the former and you encourage the latter.

I travelled to Cuba once on business and was glad I did, for it gave me the opportunity not only to see why it is so attractive to tourists but also to ponder its shameful human-rights record.

As a result, I will not travel there again. Consider it a personal protest.

Now imagine a world willing to make their own personal protest against tyranny.

Posted by Alberto de la Cruz at January 8, 2008 07:40 AM

Comments

All too many people simply believe what they want to believe, or what suits them. It's called willful blindness, and Cuba has been the victim of that from the beginning. It still is.

Posted by: asombra [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 8, 2008 10:47 AM

Those ol' Canadians sure love to come to my blog aye? Mostly they are interested in all the diseases and trouble they will get there should they follow through and actually travel to the slave island for a "vacation."

Posted by: Tomas Estrada-Palma [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 8, 2008 11:14 AM

There are lots of canadians that share that view, it just it seens like the media echo the lefties more tham any others, lots of my friends will not go as long as Castro is there, others do not care as long as they get to use the whorehouse.

Posted by: Fidel Pro democracy [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 8, 2008 02:44 PM


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