The only argument in opposition might be the minor points that under Castro the Cuban literacy rate is over 95%. And the infant mortality rate is better than that in the US. Other than that, your piece is a good exploration of the life Cubans suffer under a dictatorship.

I'm getting a little sick of those two statistics, which pop up regularly in any argument about Castro's Cuba. Neither the literacy (Cuban refugees have a significantly lower literacy rate in Spanish than advertised) or infant mortality statistics stand up to close examination.*

Lions in steel cages in zoos eat better and live longer than lions in Africa.

But then again, you did say they were minor points.

As far as trade goes, I agree that it's hypocritical to trade with other totalitarian nations and not Cuba, and the embargo has probably long outlived its usefulness.

*And who is actually coming up with Cuba's numbers in the first place? Could it be...Cuba? Are they independently verified? Or is this like the great 100 percent election of Saddam Hussein not too long ago?