Castro's Cuba, like Bush's America, is neither all good nor all bad, but is an intriguing mixture of both. This should be taken note of by zealots on both sides of the issue, but zealots want "bad guys" to rave on about. I've been to Cuba. I've seen some of the good and some of the bad. My general impression is that Cuba has been far better off under Castro than it would have been had he not come to power in 1959.

Some will agree with that...like my friend Anna Maria, who is living near Cardenas, Cuba. Some will disagree. That depends on the unique circumstances of their own lives, and how they were personally affected by the revolution...or it depends (in far too many cases) on what they've merely heard others say...

Propaganda. You hear it everywhere. The question is, do you believe it or not? And do you investigate it through actual experience?

- LH