Hypocrisy is Not Good Diplomacy

It was recently in the news that Cuba is going to release 50 “political” prisoners as part of normalizing diplomatic relations. Cuba must reform its evil ways, but we can continue ours.

Ironically we still have 122 political “detainees” in Guantanamo Cuba. Most of them have not been charged or convicted of anything. Of these, 54 have been cleared for release but are still being held.

Estimates of other U.S. “political” prisoners range from hundreds to thousands. We certainly have many “prisoners of conscience” even though they may not have been officially convicted of a political offense. For example, Greg Boertje-Obed, a Duluth resident, Michael Walli, a Vietnam veteran, and Sister Megan Rice, an 83 year old Catholic nun, are in federal prison today for opposing nuclear weapons. They were convicted of “sabotage” for trespassing and peacefully protesting at a weapons production facility.

We have the largest per capita prison population of any nation. We are known for torture, secret “black site” prisons, drone attacks on innocents, and targeted assassinations. Our CIA is legendary for its illegal actions, including an invasion of Cuba and an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro. But Cuba must change in order to have normal relations with us!

Hypocrisy is poor policy. It does not advance our national interests or keep us safe. We would be more effective if we led by example and practiced what we preach.

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