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Allowing Cubans and Americans to Be Free
by Jacob G. Hornberger

From this week’s New York Times: “President Bush announced Wednesday that Americans would soon be allowed to give their relatives in Cuba cell phones to use.”

Now, doesn’t that just say it all? Notice the operative word: “allowed.” The American people are being allowed to send cell phones to Cubans.

Hey, President Bush: Since you’re now allowing your child-adults to send cell phones to Cuba, how about allowing them to travel to Cuba to deliver the cell phones personally? Why continue to threaten them with criminal prosecution at the hands of the Justice Department for traveling to Cuba and spending money there without federal permission?

The reason that President Bush is allowing his child-adults to send cell phones to Cuba is to test the sincerity of Cuban President Raul Castro’s decision to allow the Cuban people to own cell phones. Bush doesn’t think that Castro is truly sincere, given that many Cubans cannot afford to buy cell phones.

So, there you have it — two omnipotent rulers allowing their citizens to own or send cell phones. The real tragedy in all this is that both Cubans and Americans are celebrating the “freedom” of being allowed to exercise what some would consider to be fundamental, inherent rights that should require no governmental permission at all.

Mr. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation.

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