From dissidentvoice
Hurricane Katrina brought offers of help from around the world. One such offer that the government tried unsuccessfully to keep hidden from the American people came from Cuba. It has been reported that President Fidel Castro offered to send as many as 1,500 English-speaking doctors to help the injured and dying in the areas affected by the hurricane. This generous offer comes from a nation that has suffered great hardship for decades under the illegal U.S. blockade. What most people in the U.S. don't know is that this is not the first time that the offer from Castro has been made. There has been a long-standing offer of aid. Several years ago, in 2001, Castro was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize partly because of such generosity and humanitarianism. He has repeatedly offered free medical school training to the U.S. and other nations with unmet medical needs. The only string attached to the Cuban offer is that when the training is completed, the doctors must return to their home country to help their own fellow citizens.
U.S. policy restricts our freedom by rigidly controlling travel to Cuba. Does this restriction constitute a violation of rights under the U.S. Constitution? Many U.S. citizens go to Cuba via Canada or other countries. That should not be necessary. The amount of money that is allowed to be sent to relatives in Cuba is strictly monitored and limited by our government. What justifies that infringement on the freedom of U.S. citizens? It is time to open the maritime border, end the blockade, and accept the needed assistance from a benevolent nation.
