After thousands of Cubans poured into the streets in early July to protest the island nation’s Communist government, President Joe Biden said America “stands firmly” with the people of Cuba.
The demonstrations were prompted by short-term shortages of food and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as long-term dissatisfaction with the hardships created by Cuba’s strict economic controls. Protesters clashed with Cuban police, and the government cracked down on the island’s already limited internet access in order to quell the uprisings that were organized spontaneously over social media.
Biden’s words of support for the protesters—some of whom waved American flags as they demanded “Libertad”—are nice. Actions would be better. And there is plenty the U.S. could, and should, do to aid Cubans in their fight against authoritarian communism.
For starters, Congress could lift the 59-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the island country.
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THE REAL THREAT IS AN ISOLATED CHINA
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MATERIEL LOSS
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THE IMPROBABLE RISE OF MAGA-MUSK
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A Free-Range Family
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Q&A Penny Lane
PENNY LANE'S NEW Netflix documentary, Confessions of a Good Samaritan, delves into her life-changing decision to donate a kidney to a stranger. Known for her thoughtful and provocative storytelling, Lane has explored human connection and empathy in films such as Hail Satan? and The Pain of Others. Last October she spoke with Reason's Nick Gillespie and shared her emotional, physical, and philosophical experience with anonymous kidney donation and the challenges that came with it.
