I’m a softie for stories about couples whose romance is going strong decades after their wedding. As I read this News and Observer piece, I concentrated on that angle, but by the end, I realized there are two stories at play here.
Story #1 is an uplifting look at the 50-year love and commitment of Andy and Dottie Book, who’d like to re-live their honeymoon trip to Cuba to celebrate their anniversary.
Story #2 is an unsettling look at the romanticized notion of Castro’s Cuba. The reality is that today’s Cuba is a nightmarishly oppressive dictatorship. Food is rationed. The suicide rate is high, particularly among women. Abortions are commonplace. And what about the health care so lauded by liberals? Here’s the real story on that. The sobering bottom line is that Cubans continue to die trying to escape Cuba for freedom. To keep track of the real Cuba, check in with Cuban emigre and author Humberto Fontova.
