It was 1962 when the American embargo against Cuba began over the tiny island’s communist alliance with the Soviet Union. That embargo was reinforced under the Helms-Burton Act in 1992 which was formed to penalize foreign countries doing business with Cuba when stolen American goods were involved. After nearly half a century, polls show that nearly 71% of Americans want diplomatic relations re-established with Cuba. President Obama is extending an olive branch to Cuba in exchange for talks about democracy and human rights; that branch has been accepted by Raul Castro. The process is beginning with a bill in the senate proposing to lift the travel ban to Cuba. As an aside, while attending the Summit of the Americas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (who once proclaimed Bush the Devil at the UN General Assembly) shook hands with President Obama saying, “Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend.”