Submitted by Hypocrisy on Cuba, Aug 3, 2007 14:17

More hypocrisy from the free-trade crowd. Your editorial on Cuba is pandering to the Miami Cuban crowd and is an affront to the ideals that the New York Sun supposedly supports: Free trade, capitalism and unrestricted commercial exchange.

The United States defeated the Soviet Union, not by isolationism, but by appealing to capitalist forces within Russia. It was bluejeans, rock music, sportscars and expensive watches that won the cold war more than it was force majeur.

I've said it once, and I'll say it a thousand times. The way to win the hearts and minds of the Cubans, the Arabs and all those regimes who culturally oppose us is with MTV, Vogue and the promise of opportunity. We should be air-dropping crates of fashion magazines and hip hop images on Arab youth. Let's see how well the mullahs compete with the greatest advertising machinery the world has ever seen.

The problems between the US and Cuba are not just a result of their anti-capitalist government, but our very own anti-capitalist policies as well -- it is American restrictions to trade that are holding Cuba back, and reducing opportunities to American business.

We should be inundating Cuba with offers to trade, develop and build enterprise.

And the Republican party should disengage from groups within America which hold back American interests in favor of minor goals.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.