Fidel Castro . . .

DON CHELO · Guru

RE: Fidel Castro . . .

soloyo · Regular Plus

Bistro - I would rather have lived with a roof over my head and concrete falling then live in a dumpster without a roof. A meat mixture... rationed out.. Better than no food of having your kids sniff glue so that their hunger goes away. No sure if or when my kids and I are going to eat.

What about the people that resort to violence so that they can get money to feed themselves and or their habits???

Poverty is relevant to where you live. Poverty here is not the same as poverty in another country.

Again, I didn't say I agreed with it I was just being the devils advocate and pointing other things out that people don't always think about.

Have you even been to other countries? Hondura, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil,Peru, Bolivia? I have and I have to say… it’s awful to see poverty like that. **** my own friends still live i homes made of rotting wood, and their are considered lucky to have a home.

TV Buff · TOP Guru

Very good points made here (except for you-know-who... I don't read those anymore 'cause I know exactly what he'll say).

Cuba's situation is rather difficult. So much knowledge, high education, a great health system, which I truly believe wouldn't have happened under any other ruler's tough hand. Maybe that was their blessing and their tragedy as well. Unfortunately, we live in world that is meshing more and more as time goes by. We're so global that there is no way a nation can keep their nationalism the same way they did years ago. Plus human nature is such that we always want more, more and more, and being bombarded by images from around the world where people can have, have, have, must be really tough for some cubans whose ideologies are not as strong as others. There will be a big change in Cuba, but hopefully it'll be gradual and the country won't go into chaos. There's a whole lot of good things we can learn from the Cuban model, but it'll also be tough for them to incorporate to the world as it is today, 'cause even though they've been "repressed" as some say under the heavy rule of Fidel, they've also been protected and spared many of the things we've been subjected to. It's yet to be determined what changes will take place, but changes WILL take place fo' sho'.

bistor · Guru

Sorry solayo, we seem to have different ideas of what poverty is.

I would have to say that countries that afford their residents a GDP per capita that is between 8 and 13 times higher than Cuba's 3000 USD are, indeed, better than the dictatorship of the proletariat installed there.

Call me crazy!

Basic needs met? How about having your house collapse on you in the middle of the night because there has been no money to repair it in decades? Ever heard of the acronym "OCNI" (objeto comestible no identificable)? That's what they call the mixture of meat and soy you get as part of your rations. Health care? Lets hope you don't end up with one of the many sicknesses that require medications that Cuba cannot afford to import, and is incapable of manufacturing. If that happens, you will be asking tourists to please send you the medication by mail.

How many cubans do you know? Because I have yet to meet a single one that has anything good to say about the regime. Not one. The only ones that speak of the marvels of Cuba are western leftists (the one's that wear "che" t-shirts, and spent a week in Varadero last christmas). Arm-chair revolutionaries that wouldn't be caught dead advocating Cuba's fantastic political system in their home countries, but wax lyrical about it when it is far away from their shores and they don't have to suffer its consequences.

Blindness caused by ideology can do that sometimes.

But frankly, the proof is in the pudding. Do you like Cuba? By all means, emigrate there. I'm told things are fantastic, and not like the bourgeois western democracies. Racism, much like homosexuality, has been erradicated from this worker's paradise (both "evils" being proper of decadent democratic societies, and not the vigorous marxist cuban state).

Enjoy!

miguel · TOP Guru

soloyo wrote:

How long do you think it will take USA to invade and take over the ruling of Cuba and make it into a money hungry American paradise? They will take over and pay the Cuban's minimum wage all the same. Is that type of "democracy" really any better?

i agree with you on this point. the one thing cubans don't want (as unhappy as they may be) is to see their island overrun by pizza huts and macdonalds and starbucks

miguel · TOP Guru

going to cuba just made me angryfor its people. most of the cubans i met told me they felt trapped. they wonder about the outside world (most of them have at least a highschool education so they are fairly literate), they get very little news and they have to stay in their island. they can't leave (or at least it's incredibly difficult to do so).

i rmet this engineer there randomly and he took me to his house (if you're an engineer anywhere else in the world you are generally middle class) and his house was smaller than my living room, the roof had holes in it from a hurricane two years earlier that were still not fixed.

everyone clamours for the tourist industry jobs because tourists tip. cuban girls offer themselves up to you to do anything you want with them for five to ten bucks (i am not kidding).

anyone tried going to a book store in cuba? i did. they don't have normal books, only party-approved ones.

i can't say that this level of poverty and desperation doesn't exist elsewhere, obviously it does. but i can't express admiration for a represive regime that restricts individual freedom like that, which is incredibly sad beecause cuba is such a beautiful place.

LAB_ · Guru

well, what i hear from habana is that everything is apparently in order.

yes, julie, thanks for that. we sure need it.

it's gonna be hard to move forward without throwing away "the baby with the water". We'll see. For the time being, my hopes are that,

a) Carlos Lage is still around, and he could well help to turn the economy around in, say, weeks,

b) Raul is not nearly as bright, but neither as derailed, as his brother and

c) most people around the world who know what Cuba is, would wish us well. That says a whole lot of things in a whole lot of directions, wouldn't you say? From someone in Barcelona who saw us go up to the 5th place in the 92 Olimpic Games to someone in Bolivia whose children were cured, for free, by a cuban doctor.

You ask about all the bad stuff. Well, we all KNOW that, don't we? Which is why we barely blinked when boy Stephen threw himself (and Canada) behind Israel's shelling of southern Lebanon. For example.

I wish everyone, including the f***** USA govt., would leave Cuba alone. Without the whole theatrics of the blockade and the permanent political war, Fidel would have been off the map since long ago.

soloyo · Regular Plus

LAB - I was only there your usual week, but I was in Havana walking the streets talking to real people, I wasn't at the resorts where I only saw the tourists.

I made it a point to talk to everyday people and based on that and some reading that I have done on the topic is how I based my opinion.

Bistor - is it better that everyone has the "basis" necessities or that a high percentage live below the poverty line where the necessities aren't even there.. I.e. shelter, food, and clothing. You know those commercials where kids are rummaging through garbage dump and where they drink nasty brown water, they are true. Not only in "Latin America" but through out Africa this is the reality for a large percentage of the population. Is that better?? That's a reality of other Latin American countries. Illiteracy is non exsistant in Cuba, can that be said for other Latin American countries? NO. Is that not a great thing to have, free education to become what you want, a doctor even. Without having to pay a cent? Even in this counrty or USA it's unheard of. Is that a crime.

If or when the Castro rule ends, Cuban's will be ok. They are highly educated people who are prepared for anything that may come their way.

How long do you think it will take USA to invade and take over the ruling of Cuba and make it into a money hungry American paradise? They will take over and pay the Cuban's minimum wage all the same. Is that type of "democracy" really any better?

I don't pretend to be correct as I am fully aware that if you are not submerged in that environment and live there as a true citizen and not a tourist you will never know what it's like. I am only giving points so that people can see the other side of it. I enjoy discussions of any kind.

Julie · Comandante

@ Coco, I saw somthing very similar on the news as well but what is to celebrate if his brother comes into power after him ?

Like LAB said, and I think here, he is THE one with the most accurate view and opinion

"it's really hard to know what could happen next, because the structures for change and change-management are simply not there. The structures there are were created for controlling, inducing or disabling change, but never for reallistically dealing with it."

I just hope for the best for the pple of Cuba, specially the one that are still in Cuba.

Cocotaso · Guru

I seen a clip last night en Univision ........all the Cubano in Miami were celebrating in the streets.. all happy that Fidel will soon die

bistor · Guru

It's always amusing to read about admiration for a political system that had had its people under rations since 1962 (well before the collapse of the soviet block) and where soap and other toiletries are a luxury item.

What a marvel, the cuban worker's paradise.

Lets hope the dictator dies and political and economic reform are put in place in a hurry.

rangoon · Regular Plus

Por lo q se ve es que fidel quedo atrapado en su tiempo revolucionario y con el todo el pueblo cubano.

asi q lo q venga no es de sorprenderse; para muchos se habla de una guerra civil y bueno creo q es de esperarse, con todos estos anos de represion, el rencor que la gente a construido a sido por generaciones....

Marky Mark · Foro Master

You had me then you lost me but at the end I totally agree with you.

Even if Fidel dies, taking his government with him, the country has no way of dealing with a 'democracy' if all they've known for decades is communist rule.

I remember when the Soviet Union broke apart into separate states, everyone was left with no means of sustaining themselves, no income, no food... nothing.

Heck, look at Iraq... democracy or bedlam?

LAB_ · Guru

Hey MM.

I've been really busy in the last days -got that job and it really takes a lot of my time. So I only heard about this late last nite.

I don't think we will actually know what, when, happens with Fidel's health.

Of course, his age, the condition he supposedly faces and all those "good wishes" from places like Miami could potentially get the best of him.

Whatever the case, my guess is that Raul will effectively take over and, after some time, go China. Which means: the party rules, but money commands.

And, what about Cuba, you ask?

Fidel's biggest mistake may have been his insistence in embodying himself what the Revolution has to say about this, that or that other thing. Turning a populist uprising into a ideology-oriented dictatorship will only give you a dictator, and that also means a gradual, consistent desarticulation of the society's ability to deal with political change.

Which means, it's really hard to know what could happen next, because the structures for change and change-management are simply not there. The structures there are were created for controlling, inducing or disabling change, but never for reallistically dealing with it.

Marky Mark · Foro Master

LAB, what's your take on this? I waited all day for u to make a post about it.

I'm just curious.

LAB_ · Guru

sOLOYO.... how long did you stay in Cuba?

Cuz time makes all the difference, you know.

soloyo · Regular Plus

I can't say racial discrimination isn't there because i never lived there.. but it's definitely not as prevalent as it in other Latin countries when gente indigena are always considered lower class as appose to being praised for their heritage. or Where if you are white you are somehow a better class. If you look at the banking or executive jobs in Latino countries it's majority white folks who have been fortunate to study abroad. In my country los blancos are almost always los mas ricos.

i didn't see any while i was there, white and black Cubans were all alike.. no one is better than the next.. in any way.. really. Even those that have degrees, you see them being door men. All of cuba is highly educated. They have some of the best doctors in the world. They even have cures for certain things that are unheard of here. Why it’s not here you ask… because if their secrets are divulges.. the USA will play their dirty trick and “patent” the product as their own, charge people for it and make tons of money while they are at it. Meanwhile in Cuba, health care is free for all and high standards to boot.

Lahtina · Foro Master

TV Buff wrote:

I recommend you watch Castro, the biography. You can get it at any of the public libraries. It'll give you a pretty good insight on the life of Fidel. Then you make your own judgement.

I truly think that Fidel's death would bring about enormous changes to Cuba. There's never two leaders with the same exceptional capabilities in a generation, and Fidel, whether ones likes him or not, is one of those people. He may have prepared his successors, but no one will ever be him or nearly like him. If he dies, that'll be a major moment in history, IMO.

Hmmmm... yeah, you're right. Not everyone has the charisma to be the influential leader that Fidel Castro is.

Lahtina · Foro Master

soloyo wrote:

hey... it's my first time in here and your topics peaked my curiosity. Why i am in so way an "expert" on this topic, I will give you a few things to think about....

Cuba is where it is because of the USA, when Russia was a communist state Cuba was doing great, they had strong allies that they could count on and find support in.

If you look at the different countries that make up "Latin America" and the Spanish Caribbean, no one is better off than the next. All the countries have serious corruption, Violence, Education is pretty lousy unless you have money that is.. And forget the drugs that run the country. We have "Latino" countries that might as well be part of the USA since their economy is based in U.S. currency. To loose your denomination (currency) is like losing your identity. El Salvador and Ecuador have inexplicably fallen into this trap. And sad to say other are soon to follow. The US is always putting their nose in other people's business. Why do they always assume that they know best for "our" people? Look at Colombia, the Guerrilla was trained by US Army and no one said a thing.

Hey, thanks for your post and welcome. I just learned about this a couple of days ago, actually. A co-worker of mine was talking about it and I found it quite interesting. I think the loss of identity is the least of the problems/repercussions - the focus, really, should be on the economy. Very interesting subject but maybe it deserves its own thread.

I’ve been to Cuba and they are more at peace than any of our nations will ever be. They walk around with gold on their hands and neck while other countries you could get your hands cut of or worse get killed for it.

USA always puts their interest in the countries that are rich in one thing or another... ie - Ecuador - Galapagos Island - serious tourism there and before it was untouched by "westerners - USA". Now I heard there is even a Best Western Hotel. Gray Line Bus Company now operates there where local companies now fiend it hard to compete. Is this fair?

What does the USA have to say to countries that want to trade fairly with Cuba???? Trade with them and we won't give you financial backing of any kind. They put these countries back against a wall???

So true.

While i don't fully agree with Fidel’s tyrant ways, I think he has to be that hard in order for people to oblige to his way of thinking. He doesn't want his now beautiful Cuba to be run by some money hungry Americans who will take away from his people.

Do you think Cuba should be like the rest of "Latin America" where your last name and skin colour still defines your social/economic status?

Are you saying that "racial" discrimination doesn't exist there?

confundida · Foro Master

Dogo wrote:

confundida wrote:

TV Buff wrote:

Lahtina wrote:

I'm very ignorant about Cuba and Castro's regime, to tell you the truth. I should educate myself more on it. All I know about Cuba/Fidel is little bits and snips I've heard here and there. Even the things I've heard from Cubans are contradictory.

I recommend you watch Castro, the biography. You can get it at any of the public libraries. It'll give you a pretty good insight on the life of Fidel. Then you make your own judgement.

I truly think that Fidel's death would bring about enormous changes to Cuba. There's never two leaders with the same exceptional capabilities in a generation, and Fidel, whether ones likes him or not, is one of those people. He may have prepared his successors, but no one will ever be him or nearly like him. If he dies, that'll be a major moment in history, IMO.

READY FOR THIS ONE?? I AGREE!!!!

CUBA HAS ALWAYS KNOWN FIDEL AND NO ONE ELSE....

BUT I THINK THAT FIDEL IS DOING THIS FOR STRATEGIC REASONS......TO SEE WAT HAPPENS IF HE DOES DIE....

Ummmm...........nO!

WAT DO U MEAN NO?? UHM YEA!!!

TV Buff · TOP Guru

soloyo wrote:

hey... it's my first time in here and your topics peaked my curiosity. Why i am in so way an "expert" on this topic, I will give you a few things to think about....

Cuba is where it is because of the USA, when Russia was a communist state Cuba was doing great, they had strong allies that they could count on and find support in.

If you look at the different countries that make up "Latin America" and the Spanish Caribbean, no one is better off than the next. All the countries have serious corruption, Violence, Education is pretty lousy unless you have money that is.. And forget the drugs that run the country. We have "Latino" countries that might as well be part of the USA since their economy is based in U.S. currency. To loose your denomination (currency) is like losing your identity. El Salvador and Ecuador have inexplicably fallen into this trap. And sad to say other are soon to follow. The US is always putting their nose in other people's business. Why do they always assume that they know best for "our" people? Look at Colombia, the Guerrilla was trained by US Army and no one said a thing.

I’ve been to Cuba and they are more at peace than any of our nations will ever be. They walk around with gold on their hands and neck while other countries you could get your hands cut of or worse get killed for it.

USA always puts their interest in the countries that are rich in one thing or another... ie - Ecuador - Galapagos Island - serious tourism there and before it was untouched by "westerners - USA". Now I heard there is even a Best Western Hotel. Gray Line Bus Company now operates there where local companies now fiend it hard to compete. Is this fair?

What does the USA have to say to countries that want to trade fairly with Cuba???? Trade with them and we won't give you financial backing of any kind. They put these countries back against a wall???

While i don't fully agree with Fidel’s tyrant ways, I think he has to be that hard in order for people to oblige to his way of thinking. He doesn't want his now beautiful Cuba to be run by some money hungry Americans who will take away from his people.

Do you think Cuba should be like the rest of "Latin America" where your last name and skin colour still defines your social/economic status?

Welcome, Soloyo.

Julie · Comandante

confundida wrote:

READY FOR THIS ONE?? I AGREE!!!!

CUBA HAS ALWAYS KNOWN FIDEL AND NO ONE ELSE....

BUT I THINK THAT FIDEL IS DOING THIS FOR STRATEGIC REASONS......TO SEE WAT HAPPENS IF HE DOES DIE....

Thank God you haven't use the red letters

Julie · Comandante

confundida wrote:

Julie wrote:

confundida wrote:

Julie wrote:

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect

Confu........come back !!!!!

I CANT!!! DAM TEACHER IS LOOKING AT ME!!!

Ok, 11am will be then

OK, IM BACK!!!!!

WHAT THE HECK IS WITH U AND ARGENTINOS.....DID U CONVERT??

I was looking for la paroquia pero nunca la encontre asi que si el padre wants to chase me around, good luck Oups wrong thread SORY ... AH

I have my Mexi-Argentinian dictionnary and it help a lot, now I have to find a Mexi-Chilenian for real though, I found one !

Dogo · Comandante

confundida wrote:

TV Buff wrote:

Lahtina wrote:

I'm very ignorant about Cuba and Castro's regime, to tell you the truth. I should educate myself more on it. All I know about Cuba/Fidel is little bits and snips I've heard here and there. Even the things I've heard from Cubans are contradictory.

I recommend you watch Castro, the biography. You can get it at any of the public libraries. It'll give you a pretty good insight on the life of Fidel. Then you make your own judgement.

I truly think that Fidel's death would bring about enormous changes to Cuba. There's never two leaders with the same exceptional capabilities in a generation, and Fidel, whether ones likes him or not, is one of those people. He may have prepared his successors, but no one will ever be him or nearly like him. If he dies, that'll be a major moment in history, IMO.

READY FOR THIS ONE?? I AGREE!!!!

CUBA HAS ALWAYS KNOWN FIDEL AND NO ONE ELSE....

BUT I THINK THAT FIDEL IS DOING THIS FOR STRATEGIC REASONS......TO SEE WAT HAPPENS IF HE DOES DIE....

Ummmm...........nO!

confundida · Foro Master

TV Buff wrote:

Lahtina wrote:

I'm very ignorant about Cuba and Castro's regime, to tell you the truth. I should educate myself more on it. All I know about Cuba/Fidel is little bits and snips I've heard here and there. Even the things I've heard from Cubans are contradictory.

I recommend you watch Castro, the biography. You can get it at any of the public libraries. It'll give you a pretty good insight on the life of Fidel. Then you make your own judgement.

I truly think that Fidel's death would bring about enormous changes to Cuba. There's never two leaders with the same exceptional capabilities in a generation, and Fidel, whether ones likes him or not, is one of those people. He may have prepared his successors, but no one will ever be him or nearly like him. If he dies, that'll be a major moment in history, IMO.

READY FOR THIS ONE?? I AGREE!!!!

CUBA HAS ALWAYS KNOWN FIDEL AND NO ONE ELSE....

BUT I THINK THAT FIDEL IS DOING THIS FOR STRATEGIC REASONS......TO SEE WAT HAPPENS IF HE DOES DIE....

soloyo · Regular Plus

hey... it's my first time in here and your topics peaked my curiosity. Why i am in so way an "expert" on this topic, I will give you a few things to think about....

Cuba is where it is because of the USA, when Russia was a communist state Cuba was doing great, they had strong allies that they could count on and find support in.

If you look at the different countries that make up "Latin America" and the Spanish Caribbean, no one is better off than the next. All the countries have serious corruption, Violence, Education is pretty lousy unless you have money that is.. And forget the drugs that run the country. We have "Latino" countries that might as well be part of the USA since their economy is based in U.S. currency. To loose your denomination (currency) is like losing your identity. El Salvador and Ecuador have inexplicably fallen into this trap. And sad to say other are soon to follow. The US is always putting their nose in other people's business. Why do they always assume that they know best for "our" people? Look at Colombia, the Guerrilla was trained by US Army and no one said a thing.

I’ve been to Cuba and they are more at peace than any of our nations will ever be. They walk around with gold on their hands and neck while other countries you could get your hands cut of or worse get killed for it.

USA always puts their interest in the countries that are rich in one thing or another... ie - Ecuador - Galapagos Island - serious tourism there and before it was untouched by "westerners - USA". Now I heard there is even a Best Western Hotel. Gray Line Bus Company now operates there where local companies now fiend it hard to compete. Is this fair?

What does the USA have to say to countries that want to trade fairly with Cuba???? Trade with them and we won't give you financial backing of any kind. They put these countries back against a wall???

While i don't fully agree with Fidel’s tyrant ways, I think he has to be that hard in order for people to oblige to his way of thinking. He doesn't want his now beautiful Cuba to be run by some money hungry Americans who will take away from his people.

Do you think Cuba should be like the rest of "Latin America" where your last name and skin colour still defines your social/economic status?

TV Buff · TOP Guru

Lahtina wrote:

I'm very ignorant about Cuba and Castro's regime, to tell you the truth. I should educate myself more on it. All I know about Cuba/Fidel is little bits and snips I've heard here and there. Even the things I've heard from Cubans are contradictory.

I recommend you watch Castro, the biography. You can get it at any of the public libraries. It'll give you a pretty good insight on the life of Fidel. Then you make your own judgement.

I truly think that Fidel's death would bring about enormous changes to Cuba. There's never two leaders with the same exceptional capabilities in a generation, and Fidel, whether ones likes him or not, is one of those people. He may have prepared his successors, but no one will ever be him or nearly like him. If he dies, that'll be a major moment in history, IMO.

confundida · Foro Master

Julie wrote:

confundida wrote:

Julie wrote:

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect

Confu........come back !!!!!

I CANT!!! DAM TEACHER IS LOOKING AT ME!!!

Ok, 11am will be then

OK, IM BACK!!!!!

WHAT THE HECK IS WITH U AND ARGENTINOS.....DID U CONVERT??

Julie · Comandante

confundida wrote:

Julie wrote:

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect

Confu........come back !!!!!

I CANT!!! DAM TEACHER IS LOOKING AT ME!!!

Ok, 11am will be then

Lahtina · Foro Master

GENIE wrote:

Lahtina wrote:

God wrote:

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

How is his sexual preference relevant? So... this doesn't mean anything, does it? I mean, Fidel is pretty much in charge anyway. I don't see how even his death would mean a significant change.

IT WOULDNT! his brother has been trained by castro all the men that follow have been hand picked by Castro, meaning that no matter what the USA will never step foot there! and thank god for that! Cuba is such a beautiful country that any US involvement will ruin it!

I do hope that Castro does feel better soon, I do strongly believe that he is true to his people and that even though most suffer they are not all dying of starvation only the ones that refuse to live the way Castro has wanted them to!

I'm very ignorant about Cuba and Castro's regime, to tell you the truth. I should educate myself more on it. All I know about Cuba/Fidel is little bits and snips I've heard here and there. Even the things I've heard from Cubans are contradictory.

confundida · Foro Master

Julie wrote:

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect

Confu........come back !!!!!

I CANT!!! DAM TEACHER IS LOOKING AT ME!!!

McOSIRIS · Comandante

Julie wrote:

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect Confu........come back !!!!!

Julie · Comandante

Holy Cracker and I thought Argentinian was hard to understand, pffffft...............b=it's a piece of cake compare to this dialect

Confu........come back !!!!!

McOSIRIS · Comandante

Daeveed wrote:

Keri ke te moje el paño??

Igual te la pongo con ajo po' gil reculeco.... ke veni a tra'ajarla e' shoro????

confundida · Foro Master

Daeveed wrote:

McOSIRIS wrote:

ke wá comadre???

ki ti pá????

Keri ke te moje el paño??

CANT ANSWER YOU RIGHT NOW IN CLASS!!! ILL DEAL WITH U AT 11:00

Daeveed · Foro Master

McOSIRIS wrote:

ke wá comadre???

ki ti pá????

Keri ke te moje el paño??

McOSIRIS · Comandante

confundida wrote:

CHILENO WE'ON!!!!!

ke wá comadre???

ki ti pá????

confundida · Foro Master

Daeveed wrote:

Julie wrote:

You got to love the disclaimer

I have to put it Julie, or else they're gonna think I'm Argentinian!!!

CHILENO WE'ON!!!!!

Daeveed · Foro Master

Julie wrote:

You got to love the disclaimer

I have to put it Julie, or else they're gonna think I'm Argentinian!!!

Julie · Comandante

Daeveed wrote:

God wrote:

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

Communist, hispanic, and gay??

.....now don't tell me he's also jewish!!!!

Disclaimer: For those without a sense of sarcasm, this post is meant to be a parody of those who discriminate and segregate others for stupid reasons.

You got to love the disclaimer

Daeveed · Foro Master

God wrote:

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

Communist, hispanic, and gay??

.....now don't tell me he's also jewish!!!!

Disclaimer: For those without a sense of sarcasm, this post is meant to be a parody of those who discriminate and segregate others for stupid reasons.

GENIE · Foro Master

Lahtina wrote:

God wrote:

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

How is his sexual preference relevant? So... this doesn't mean anything, does it? I mean, Fidel is pretty much in charge anyway. I don't see how even his death would mean a significant change.

IT WOULDNT! his brother has been trained by castro all the men that follow have been hand picked by Castro, meaning that no matter what the USA will never step foot there! and thank god for that! Cuba is such a beautiful country that any US involvement will ruin it!

I do hope that Castro does feel better soon, I do strongly believe that he is true to his people and that even though most suffer they are not all dying of starvation only the ones that refuse to live the way Castro has wanted them to!

Lahtina · Foro Master

God wrote:

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

How is his sexual preference relevant?

So... this doesn't mean anything, does it? I mean, Fidel is pretty much in charge anyway. I don't see how even his death would mean a significant change.

God · Foro Master

Isn't his Brother Raul Gay ? I recall reading he was gay

LaDyBuG · Comandante

I love this part:

The elder Castro asked that celebrations scheduled for his 80th birthday on Aug. 13 be postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

El Representante · Guru

Castro relinquishes power due to surgery

By ANITA SNOW, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago

HAVANA - Fidel Castro, who took control of Cuba in 1959, rebuffed repeated U.S. attempts to oust him and survived communism's demise almost everywhere else, temporarily relinquished his presidential powers to his brother Raul on Monday night because of surgery.

Castro, less than two weeks away from his 80th birthday, did not appear on the live television broadcast in which his secretary read a letter from the Cuban leader. It was the first time in 47 years of absolute rule that Castro has given up power.

In the note read by secretary Carlos Valenciaga, Castro said he underwent surgery after suffering gastrointestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and eastern Cuba. It was not immediately clear when the surgery took place.

"The operation obligates me to undertake several weeks of rest," the letter read. Extreme stress "had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure."

Castro, who has been affected in the recent past with occasional health problems, said he was temporarily relinquishing the presidency to his younger brother and successor Raul, the defense minister, but said the move was of "a provisional character." There was no immediate appearance or statement by Raul Castro.

The calm delivery of the announcement appeared to signal that there would be an orderly succession to Raul should Fidel become permanently incapacitated.

The announcement drew cheering crowds in the streets in Miami. People waved Cuban flags on Little Havana's Calle Ocho, shouting "Cuba, Cuba, Cuba," hoping that the end is near for the man most of them consider to be a ruthless dictator. Many of them fled the communist island or have parents and grandparents who did.

The elder Castro asked that celebrations scheduled for his 80th birthday on Aug. 13 be postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Castro said he would also temporarily delegate his duties as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba to Raul, who turned 75 in June and who has been taking on a more public profile in recent weeks.

It was unknown how serious Castro's condition was. But "any major surgery in a 79-year-old person is life-threatening," mainly because of risks for complications such as pneumonia, blood clots and strokes, said Dr. Stephen Hanauer, gastroenerology chief at the University of Chicago hospitals.

In power since the triumph of the Cuban revolution on Jan. 1, 1959, Castro has been the world's longest-ruling head of government. Only Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, crowned in 1946, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth, crowned in 1952, have been head of state longer.

The "maximum leader's" ironclad rule has ensured Cuba remains among the world's five remaining communist countries. The others are all in Asia: China, Vietnam, Laos and
North Korea.

Streets in Havana, including the coastal Malecon highway where young people often congregate, were typically quiet late Monday. In Old Havana, waiters at a popular cafe were momentarily stunned as they watched the news. But they quickly got back to work and put on brave faces.

"He'll get better, without a doubt," said Agustin Lopez, 40. "There are really good doctors here, and he's extremely strong."

In the nearby Plaza Vieja, Cuban musicians continued to play for customers — primarily foreign tourists — sitting at outdoor cafes. Signs on the plaza's colonial buildings put up during a recent Cuban holiday said, "Live on Fidel, for 80 more."

"We're really sad, and pretty shocked," said Ines Cesar, a retired 58-year-old metal worker. "But everyone's relaxed, too. I think he'll be fine."

When asked about how she felt having Raul Castro at the helm of the nation, Cesar paused and said one word: "normal."

A leading Cuban government opponent in Havana said she believed Castro must be gravely ill to have stepped aside temporarily.

"It's almost the same as death," Martha Beatriz Roque said in a telephone interview. "No one knows if he'll even be alive Dec. 2 when he's supposed to celebrate his birthday."

In Washington, White House spokesman Peter Watkins said: "We are monitoring the situation. We can't speculate on Castro's health, but we continue to work for the day of Cuba's freedom."

Castro rose to power after an armed revolution he led drove out then-President Fulgencio Batista. The United States was the first country to recognize Castro, but his radical economic reforms and rapid trials of Batista supporters quickly unsettled U.S. leaders.

Washington eventually slapped a trade embargo on the island and severed diplomatic ties. Castro seized American property and businesses and turned to the Soviet Union for military and economic assistance.

On April 16, 1961, Castro declared his revolution to be socialist. The following day, he humiliated the United States by capturing more than 1,100 exile soldiers in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

The world neared nuclear conflict on Oct. 22, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy announced there were Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. After a tense week of diplomacy, Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev removed them.

Meanwhile, Cuban revolutionaries opened 10,000 new schools, erased illiteracy, and built a universal health care system. Castro backed revolutionary movements in Latin America and Africa.

But former liberties were whittled away as labor unions lost the right to strike, independent newspapers were shut down and religious institutions were harassed. Over nearly five decades, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have fled Castro's rule, many of them settling just across the Florida Straits in Miami.

Castro continually resisted U.S. demands for multiparty elections and an open economy despite American laws tightening the embargo in 1992 and 1996.

He characterized a U.S. plan for American aid in a post-Castro era as a thinly disguised attempt at regime change and insisted his socialist system would survive long after his death.

Fidel Castro Ruz was born in eastern Cuba, where his Spanish immigrant father ran a prosperous plantation. His official birthday is Aug. 13, 1926, although some say he was born a year later.

Talk of Castro's mortality was long taboo on the island, but that ended June 23, 2001, when he fainted during a speech in the sun. Although Castro quickly returned to the stage, many Cubans understood for the first time that their leader would one day die.

Castro shattered a kneecap and broke an arm when he fell after a speech on Oct. 20, 2004, but typically laughed off rumors about his health, most recently a 2005 report that he had Parkinson's disease.

"They have tried to kill me off so many times," Castro said in a November 2005 speech about the Parkinson's report, adding he felt "better than ever."

But the Cuban president also said he would not insist on remaining in power if he ever became too sick to lead: "I'll call the (Communist) Party and tell them I don't feel I'm in condition ... that please, someone take over the command."

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Associated Press writer Vanessa Arrington in Havana contributed to this report.