It was only a matter of time before the "hate U.S. crowd" would bring up the embargo as the cause of Cuba's deadly May 18 air crash. Well, it's not true.  Cuba is free to purchase spare parts in the world markets.  How difficult would it be for Cuba to purchase parts for a Boeing 737?  Not difficult at all. So what happened?  Why did Cuba allow such an aircraft to operate? This is a great summary via my good Cuban friends at Babalu: When the details of the poor technical condition of the Boeing 737 that crashed in Havana and caused 112 deaths came to light, Cuba's Minister of Transportation Adel Yzquierdo, instead of presenting his resignation, blamed the US "blockade" for the tragedy. Those were his precise instructions, handed down "from the top."  But when telling lies, or eating fish, you have to be very careful.  Shortly thereafter the British...(Read Full Post)