JFK pronounced it "Cuber"

In this vocation we have people, friends, people I love, all over the political spectrum. I have firm, even absolute convictions on most every subject, especially political, and when elections come round I vote my conscience and convictions. But I try never, from pulpit or even personal blog, to assert my views and their correctness. For one thing, it creates tension that I always regret and find was unnecessary and hurtful. For a main thing, I often find out that I was wrong. So I prefer to watch and learn than to pontificate.

Cuba is different though. I have a friend who many years ago was brutally and cruelly humiliated by Cuban authorities in the process of leaving Cuba for the United States, and I respect that friend’s hatred of the Cuban regime and bitter wish never to see the U.S. make peace with it. I think the bullying brutality and cruelty were the rule, not the exception. Who wants to make up with bullies? 

On the other hand, it is opposite to our economic and political interest to continue to embargo and snub so close a neighbor whose “enabling angel” the USSR is long dead and even as the enabling angel was cowed and humiliated by the United States in the Cuban Missile Crisis. I still remember watching that freighter loaded with Soviet ICBMs boarded and inspected and turned round. Even at its most detestable, the new Russia will have no national interest in adopting Cuba, forget it. In continuing our Cuba policy, we ourselves have become the bully. Furthermore, economic and political issues must give way to human. There’s no vital or non-vital U.S. national interest in continuing to make enemies with Cuba, to making Cubans hate us. I am enormously disappointed in Senator Rubio, but I reckon he feels he must support his angry fellow Cuban-Americans who supported him into office. I hope it’s not just that he has to fight everything President Obama does even if it’s in America's best interest. If Rubio alone would come round, that would help sway others. I’m not really interested in what other politicians have to say about it, but Senator Rubio could be the key to a new American - Cuban age. Castro? Fulgencio Batista was no angel either, sadistic cruelty and deeply hated. Far right Batista or far left Castro, a competent political economist will show you that at the extreme, which both were, they eventually meet at the back door and you can’t tell one from the other. 

Castro is 20 years obsolete, a doddering failure. It's time for us to make our move. If Buicks can be made and sold in China, if Vietnam can be a major tourist destination, we can do business with Cuba. It’s simply not in our interest to do otherwise. And much as we love them and sympathize with them, the angry Cuban-American community in South Florida doesn’t need to be wagging the U.S. foreign policy dog any longer. Even their grandchildren no longer agree with them.

The best roundup I’ve read on this is an article in the WSJ, at the following link. http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-cuban-regime-is-a-defeated-foe-1418946550

Different subject. Much as I want him to come, I'm afraid of Harbaugh. He's dyed in the wool NFL and I don't think he'll stay at Michigan long if he comes. He can even stay in San Francisco if he wants to. If he comes to Michigan, I pray he'll stay his whole contract and earn his pay. This will be my one case of preferring a B1G team to any SEC team except UF and SCAR even in playoffs, MGoBlue back in the game. I know he's in competition with his brother, but he's never going to come out on top in that match. He can do as well and even better though if he goes to the top in CFB, and he can do that at Michigan if he will. But if he turns Michigan down, or comes and stays a year or two, I will hate him forever. This is my solemn vow!

TW