Would the U.S. Let Castro Speak Here?

Your May 15 editorial chastises former President Jimmy Carter for his attempt to broker better relations between the U.S. and Cuba. I wonder whether the U.S. would have the courage to allow Fidel Castro to come to the U.S. and address the citizens of this country. Would the U.S. government allow him to explain why Cubans view their system as being more democratic than ours and how we should improve and change ours?

It was the U.S. that torpedoed the enforcement protocol proposed for the Biological Weapons Convention last year because it would allow inspections on U.S. soil--an intrusion that the Bush administration firmly opposes. Why? Perhaps it is the U.S. and not Cuba that has something to hide in its biotechnology production.

On the other hand, it is Cuba--not the U.S.--that is developing technologies for eradicating many dreadful diseases and that freely offers these technologies to needy countries.

Diana Marcus

Encinitas

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The Bush administration is the one that put its foot in its mouth, not former President Carter. By giving a speech that linked Cuba to the “axis of evil” and then admitting that it had no hard evidence to back up its claim, only “concerns,” it gave ammunition to all of our true enemies who claim that our statements on Iran, Iraq and North Korea are void of evidence as well.

Mimi Nuelle

San Francisco

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Laura Ingraham (Commentary, May 15) says that “it is appalling that [President] Carter would criticize his government while visiting one of the world’s most abusive regimes.” That Carter can freely speak his mind and not be persecuted for it by his government is, in fact, the most important message that he can give to the Cuban people. Carter for president in 2004?

Gerald Gollin

Redlands

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What is it with ex-presidents’ (Bill Clinton’s and Carter’s) desperate need for attention? This is a democracy, and there is a reason we vote for a new president every four years--it is because we want a new leader, a new perspective. Have they no shame? There is a place for ex-presidents, but it should be at the request of the current president, not of their own choosing. Carter is an embarrassment and a disgrace to America. As for Clinton, there are no words to describe the shame.

Harlee Spiker

Huntington Beach