How many times have you seen celebrities hugging Fidel? Movie stars love him. They have flocked from all over the world to fawn before him.

They finish their visit with a press conference in which they tell the world Cuba is simply wunnerful. (These days they are also private jetting to Venezuela and sucking up to lovable dictator Chavez.) They chide others for criticizing Cuba or its venerable leader. All he has ever wanted to do is make life better for his people.

These days, of course, they have to forego Fidel. They will soon rush to embrace brother Raul. He has been making headlines by granting Cubans such luxuries as cellphones.

The celebrities have made their mark. I cannot tell you how many folks have echoed their praises about Cuba.

The communists no doubt still use a phrase, supposedly from Lenin, about “useful idiots”. That is, people who they could con into believing paradise was just around the corner. And that a few sacrifices along the way should not blind us to the reality of that paradise.

You don’t have to spend time in Cuba to figure out what kind of a place it is. Or what kind of rulers the Castro brothers have been. You don’t have to be an economist. Or an historian. Or a movie star. In fact, that will probably work against you.