Cuba: Americans should be free to go see it for themselves

Our organization was pleased to read about plans to begin charter flights from BWI to Cuba in March ("Hola, Cuba! Flights from BWI to Cuba to start next year," Nov. 4). It's about time.

The ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba has been in place for over 50 years. It is part of the economic embargo the U.S. instituted to try to starve Cuba into complying with our vision of what Cuba's form of government should be.

If it was up to people like the restaurant owner from Towson quoted in the article, that policy would stay in place another 50 years. Thankfully, the tide is turning because a lot of people believe that, if a policy hasn't worked for 50 years, it probably won't ever work.

Cuba is an independent country, not an extension of the U.S. People who left there after the revolution and don't want to go back shouldn't. But for the rest of us, let's go see for ourselves.

Frank Pratka, Baltimore

The writer is co-chairman of the Baltimore-Matanzas Cuba Association/Maryland-Cuba Friendship Coalition.