Mr. Rich Lowry
Editor
National Review
New York, NY

Dear Mr. Lowry,

I’ve been an avid reader of National Review Online (NRO) and The Corner for many years now. The brilliance displayed, the depth and breadth of most of your articles and blogs, the witty stiletto penmanship of your authors and contributors, and the no-holds-barred defense of conservatism and conservative principles makes NRO an oasis for the mind and heart and a must-stop-daily-pilgrimage in search for the truth. And the truth has been a daily companion reading NRO, who has become, by its own right, The Conservative Medium of Record (paraphrasing an infamous newspaper not worth mentioning).

It is then with a heavy heart and profound abhorrence that I read that ignorance, insensitivity and pure and consummate gall is unfortunately not absent in NRO, when a piece as shallow and obtuse as ‘800-Mile Landing Strip for the Drug Cartels’ is published in NRO’s The Corner by a Mr. Mark Krikorian.

In Mr. Krikorian’s opinion, he has (my emphasis),

“…gone back and forth on the Cuba embargo…”

and,

“…With the end of the Cold War, the embargo no longer seemed justifiable. But now, with Fidel at 84 years old, it would seem to make sense to wait til he dies to lift it, both so he can’t claim a victory before his death and to show the Cuban people that he was the reason for the embargo”

“…But I’m rethinking even that… when Communism is finally extinguished there you’re likely to see the same problems that persist in the other former Soviet colonies — a state with little legitimacy, weak and rootless institutions, public amorality and distrust and disconnectedness, rampant corruption, etc.”

Enter Los Zetas and La Familia and the other Mexican cartels…”

And then he gloriously concludes that,

“… continuity in Cuba’s government, along the lines of Vietnam or China, is probably the least-bad outcome for the United States”

Recoiling at saying this, as he allegedly acknowledges in his article, does not save him from damnation and the cruelty and callousness of his death-wish for millions of Cubans.

Now, that the end of the Castroite vermin is near, haven’t millions of Cubans suffered enough death, blood-spilled, torture, deprivation and hardship to have no better recommendation and foresight of their destiny by such an influential medium as NRO than a nouveau and Caribbean Vietnam and China?

Mr. Nordlinger is copied in this email, because through the years, he’s become a sort of champion for the Free Cuba cause in NRO (and for it, I have thanked him many times), and since no one in NRO has step up to challenge and object to Mr. Krikorian’s demential “solution to the future Cuban problem”, maybe with this email Jay will debate him on such an unacceptable “krikorian quick-fix” for the alleged consequences to the United Stated he foresees from the upcoming crumbling of the Castro tyranny.

Liberals and Democrats have long sold-out to marxism and socialism in the Cuban question and the Cubans plight. Et tu Brute? Conservatives too? Is this NRO’s Editorial position and opinion on the subject?

With kindest —albeit sad— regards,

Abelardo A. Tous-Mulkay

PS. I’m also copying Messrs. Val Prieto and Alberto de la Cruz of Babalu Blog, Mr. Humberto Fontova of Townhall and Human Events, Mr. Ernesto Hernandez Busto of Penultimos Dias Blog, and The Real Cuba Blog, to hear their valuable opinion about Mr. Krikorian’s eggheaded, profound and gifted “solution” that a “free” Cuba, and for the benefit of this great country of ours, should become a new Vietnam or China after the downfall of the Castro hyenas. This “brilliant” plan by Mr. Krikorian, as his genius solution for a Tom Clancy-worthy post-Castro Cuba takeover by the Mexican drug cartels (as if they haven’t taken over Cuba for many decades now…) Like Mr. Fontova frequently signs off, Unreal…