Is Castro Dead?

[jordan179]

There is a rumor on the Net right now that Fidel Castro is dead. If so, it would be one of the happiest pieces of news in a while -- it means that Cuba may at last be emerging from the long nightmare of tyranny and poverty that Castro committed the island to in order to protect his own ambition and vanity.

Let's all hope it's true!

Comments

[patchworkmind]

There's no telling, and I could not much care less. I swear if it wasn't for all the Cubans-who-aren't-really-Americans-but-say-they-are-so-they-can-own-property-make-money-and-vote-so-they-can-fuck-up-U.S.-foreign-policy no one in Washington, DC would care either. Hell, we may have normalized relations with Cuba years ago(, which I'm for.)

[patchworkmind]

If the Castro regime falls, we almost certainly will have normalized relations with Cuba soon after. That's one of my points.

Another one is that Cuba may finally be free again.

[patchworkmind]

I know. It's also certain that a certain Venezuelan presidente-for-life will do everything he can to "save" the Cubans from us. Cuba will become a Cold War country again, except that instead of the USSR it will be the South American Communists who will be jockeying for Cuba's soul.

[jordan179]

It's also certain that a certain Venezuelan presidente-for-life will do everything he can to "save" the Cubans from us. Cuba will become a Cold War country again, except that instead of the USSR it will be the South American Communists who will be jockeying for Cuba's soul.

Hugo Chavez is hardly a threat on the scale of the Cold War Soviet Union, and "everything he can" is far less than everything Kruschschev could. If it did come to even a limited war, the US Navy could easily keep the Venezuelans from messing in Cuban affairs, with no risk of strategic nuclear warfare.

[linwenilid]

Ah, you clearly speak like someone who doesn't live in Cuba

[madmaggie]

I echo that sentiment commonreader. Too bad we can't ask all the dead Cubans that were killed by Castro what they think of him.

[sameinanylingo]

I'm glad someone said something because I wanted to, but I'm new around here and didn't want my first comment to start something!

[xolo]

I've mixed feelings about Fidel. He was part of the Triumvirate of Evil when I was growing up, a sort of junior sidekick to Brezhnev and Mao. He was undoubtedly our enemy. At the same time, I do think he was honest and uncorrupt, and did what he sincerely thought was best for the Cuban people, however misguided he may have been.

[banner]

Uncorrupt? Hardly. Misguided? How? He's as evil as they come, that's not misguided. You don't murder that many people and get called 'misguided'.

[jordan179]

It's not just the murders.

70 thousand people over 50 years comes out to "only" 1400 people a year. This is a lot, but not that much when you consider that the 70 thousand figure includes those who died trying to escape, often at the hands of the sea rather than Castro's goons directly.

It's more that this man, with his colossal ego, has insisted on being the sole autocratic ruler of Cuba for the last 50 years, with no attempt to hold open elections or to allow the expression of political dissent. Why aren't more people outraged that Castro's victims, for the most part, died (or suffered cruel imprisonment, under conditions far worse than any First World penal system) simply for Disagreement With Fidel? Or that the boat people had to hazard their lives in leaky small craft, because Castro wouldn't let them emigrate peacefully?

Consider that Castro could have ended the US embargo on Cuba, and brought prosperity to his people, at any point over the last few decades simply by resigning his office. But, of course, that would have been

[banner]

Why aren't more people outraged that Castro's victims, for the most part, died (or suffered cruel imprisonment, under conditions far worse than any First World penal system) simply for Disagreement With Fidel?

Because he's a leftist/socialist. People on the left never criticize each other, no matter how bad or how evil. That's why all the actors in Hollywood go over there, get down on their knees, and suck his you-know-what.

[glenniebun]

Honestly, I'm pessimistic about the chances of Cuba truly changing for the better whenever Castro dies, whether it's now or not. It seems too likely that some of his cronies could just slide in and continue business as usual, probably after a short and violent power struggle.

[xolo]

Here - you might like this: http://xolo.livejournal.com/151428.html

It's the opening scene from an unfinished fanfic about the Rescue Rangers being sent to assassinate Castro, after the CIA repeatedly humiliate themselves.