El presidente in all his glory
It was hard to fathom that a US President would have his picture taken in Cuba with the image of Che Guevara prominently displayed behind him. Guevara, a communist murderer and major figure in the Cuban revolution, has become the international symbol for communist revolution. The US “president” took his entire family to Cuba, met with the Cuban regime, and even watched a baseball game with the murderous communist “president” of Cuba, Raul Castro. It was almost as if the US “president” was giddy about mixing with boyhood heroes and legendary figures of his passion. His remarks were more telling, saying: “It is an extraordinary honor to be here today.” But there is sadly more to the story.
The US “president” said, “President Castro, the people of Cuba, thank you so much for the warm welcome that I have received, that my family have received, and that our delegation has received. It is an extraordinary honor to be here today…To the government and the people of Cuba, I want to thank you for the kindness that you’ve shown to me and Michelle, Malia, Sasha, my mother-in-law, Marian.” As he spoke, he pointed out differences between Cuba and the US and said, “Despite these differences, on December 17th 2014, President Castro and I announced that the United States and Cuba would begin a process to normalize relations between our countries.”
He continued by apologizing for America’s foreign policy toward the only bastion of communism left in the Western Hemisphere: “And these changes have been welcomed, even though there are still opponents to these policies. But still, many people on both sides of this debate have asked: Why now? Why now? There is one simple answer: What the United States was doing was not working. We have to have the courage to acknowledge that truth. A policy of isolation designed for the Cold War made little sense in the 21st century…Before 1959, some Americans saw Cuba as something to exploit, ignored poverty, enabled corruption. And since 1959, we’ve been shadow-boxers in this battle of geopolitics and personalities. I know the history, but I refuse to be trapped by it.”
How about the truth that the Castro regime exploited the Cuban people, confiscated their businesses, forced them into poverty, murdered tens of thousands, and is known for its corruption. And somehow, to this US “president,” it is America, not Marxist Cuban dictators who are responsible. This is offensive–an American “president” siding with the propaganda and actions of murderous dictators against the people he has taken an oath to defend. 2 Timothy 3:13 says, “But evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” And Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” These verses are in the context of the end times, but they also serve as warnings for our every day life. The height of lies and hypocrisy are found in the remarks and actions of these evil men and seducers.
