Obama approves Cuba travel - FINALLY!

I am not a Cuban American nor am I a fan of Fidel Castro, his brother or their Communist policies. However I have traveled to the island of Cuba legally but spent U.S. money illegally when I obtained a passport in downtown Havana quicker, cheaper and easier than you could in Athens or Atlanta. Yes, the United States Special Interests Section is in the Swiss Embassy looks like any Social Security office in Chicago or Miami. But the Treasury Department did not like me spending our precious currency (which was accepted and preferred everywhere) and I was given a notice of violating the Trading with the Enemies Act upon return to Northeast Georgia. They wanted $3,000.00 as a penalty but we made an offer of restitution of $1,000.00 each to satisfy our angry Treasury Department. I made a Freedom of Information Act request years later to see if there was a portfolio of my activities in downtown Havana, but alas, they would not let me see or know if indeed I was on any lists.

Essentially I think everyone should be free and legal to travel anyone where in the world, and thank God President Obama has taken steps to ensure Cuban Americans like my buddy Alex Marquez can send money back to his family and travel without restriction to see his mom and dad.

I know of at least one other single father in Oconee County who has traveled repeatedly to Cuba already. He knows what a beautiful country it is. In many respects it is as if someone stopped a clock in 1958 and if there is a boulder in the road, they drive around it. I would be willing to be that Oconee County travelers were visiting Cuba before the Revolution, and they will start to begin to do so again since President Obama removed the penalties for people going there.

I did receive permission for the State Department and Coast Guard to venture their on a 38-foot trawler and it was a fascinating journey. I remember a swimmer left and beat us back to Key West about the same time we left.