Crossing the Line on Cuba

Mayor Bloomberg made the essential point about the trip to communist Cuba that was organized for a group of students and led by a teacher at Beacon School. The trip, first reported by David Andreatta of the New York Post, turned out to be seriously illegal, and the city is launching an investigation. The mayor indicated he thinks federal government regulations on travel are a problem. But, he said, "I think we should be a law-abiding society." Added he: "If you don't like the regulations, get the government to change them."

What a contrast to the comments, quoted by our Sarah Garland yesterday, of the president of the United Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, who defended the teacher who organized the trip. She spoke as though the issue were whether it was, on the one hand, the school, or, on the other hand, the teachers and families who made the arrangements for the trip and a matter of who was paying. She seemed prepared to ignore the question of whether the trip was a violation of American law and of the trade embargo our country maintains against Cuba.

What a shocking position for a labor union leader, particularly one whose union has been part of the anti-communist wing of the American labor movement. The fact is that it's not just the students and parents at Beacon School who would like to visit Cuba. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers, hundreds of thousands of Americans long to visit Cuba. But they are expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of Cuba by respecting the embargo America has established. The aim of that embargo is to prevent hard currency from ending up in Cuba, a nation where free trade-unions are not allowed to exist. One can think of the American embargo of Cuba as a picket line that Ms. Weingarten has just suggested is okay to cross.

Even more shocking is the letter approving the trip in advance that was written by Rep. Jerrold Nadler. It is reported on page one this morning by our Jacob Gershman. It's not the first time we've seen Mr. Nadler turn a blind eye to Cuba. Not long after the attacks of September 11, 2001, he fetched up at a meeting at the Workmen's Circle building in Midtown at which, in the context of a discussion of the attacks, Cuba was praised as a preferable model to our system — and he declined to confront such nonsense.

The case of the Beacon School trip to Cuba is shaping up as a real test for the federal authorities, as to whether they will mount an aggressive investigation of any wrongdoing in this case. It strikes us that it would be useful for the authorities to use all the powers at their disposal to find out who knew what, and when, about this trip and what the legal implications were. The case is also a challenge to Chancellor Klein and Mayor Bloomberg, as to whether they are employing individuals to teach our children who are siding with the communists — or are indifferent to the dangers of communism — and who care little about obeying our laws.