[Marxism] 94-YEAR-OLD PHYSICIAN TAKING ACTION, DEFYING CUBA TRAVEL BAN

[Ralph Johansen]

[Incremental surely, but positive. By the way, remember Jessica 
Mitford's son Benjamin Treuhaft's long-time campaign to ship pianos to 
Cuba, involving convoluted-comical-indecisive exchanges with the US 
government?   rj]

 From Mike Munk:

*RETIRED OREGON PHYSICIAN TO DEFY CUBA TRAVEL BAN, CHALLENGE PRESIDENT 
OBAMA TO LIFT BAN* 

*Press Conference May 1 (tomorrow)  10:30 a.m.
Law Offices of Kafoury & McDougal
320 SW Stark     Suite 202
*

Charles Grossman, MD, a retired Portland physician, will hold a press 
conference Friday, May 1, at 10:30 a.m., at the law offices of Kafoury & 
McDougal, 320 SW Stark, Ste 202.  Dr. Grossman will formally announce 
his intention to challenge the federal ban on tourist visits to Cuba, 
and to encourage President Obama to lift the ban /now/.  Dr. Grossman 
released the following statement:

    In view of the lack of action by President Obama on lifting the ban
    on tourist visits to Cuba (Wall Street Journal, 4/17/09), I have
    decided that I shall challenge the ban by going as a tourist to Cuba
    on May 3, 2009. Legislation has been introduced in Congress
    regarding lifting all bans for US citizens to visit Cuba; however,
    President Obama has failed to administratively permit tourists
    access to free travel. His lack of action is not satisfactory for
    several reasons: 1) needed US leadership in international diplomacy;
    2) the chance to support and strengthen both Cuban and US economies
    regarding trade/tourism; 3) the chance to study the positive and
    negative benefits of a single-payer healthcare system.

    Senator Michael Enzi (R) of Wyoming introduced The Freedom to Travel
    to Cuba Act (S. 428), and it is co-sponsored by 25 Senators,
    inluding Oregon's Ron Wyden, and the companion version House HR
    (828) is co-sponsored by  125 Representatives, including Oregon's
     Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio. [Where are Merkley, Wu and
    Schrader?]

    I demonstrate my support for the legislation to permit tourist
    travel by leaving tomorrow.  It is my hope that my travel will draw
    attention to the slowness of Congressional action. As a 94 year-old,
    retired physician, I am not sure how long it will be before I can
    "legally" visit Cuba, or whether I shall live that long.

    In the tradition of Linus Pauling, an old personal friend, who
    always called a press conference when he had difficulty traveling
    abroad, I encourage all Americans to follow my lead to challenge
    injustice as I am demonstrating today, and as I have tried to
    demonstrate my entire medical career.

Charles Grossman, MD

          Recipient of Citizen of Year Award by Oregon Social Workers (1980)
          Recipient of Albert Schweizer Peace Award by the International 
Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (1989)    
          Member of Physicians for Social Responsibility and 
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Recipients 
of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985
          Dr. Grossman was the first physician in the U.S. to administer 
penicillin.  The patient was a moribund woman at Yale University in 
1942.  She made a full recovery.