Here's to you, Fidel!

The BBQ Pit
1

Apparently Fidel is feeling better! Who would have thought! Just when this whole, “let’s just wait for him to die” thing was almost coming to an end, Fidel comes in with a final “fuck you” and gets better! You can see his ass in this article sitting there reading a newspaper!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070524/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cuba_castro;_ylt=AhXyIXXoBNF_JUktd8S1mG3MWM0F

I started this in the pit though because I know a lot of people have strong sentiments about him and all, but regardless of his politics, etc, and what he’s done to Cuba, I gotta say I’m proud of the old fart for sticking in there. Hell he’s gonna live to be a hundred!

2

Now that he’s back on solid food, I have some creative suggestions on some things he should eat.

3

[QUOTE=Mr. Moto]
Now that he’s back on solid food, I have some creative suggestions on some things he should eat.
[/QUOTE]

And I’m sure he’d have a nice idea on how you could consume a torta cubana.

4

I’m sure I’m just one of many, many SDMB Death Pool players sharing a single sentiment: “Knock it the hell off, Fidel!”

5

[QUOTE=Hal Briston]
I’m sure I’m just one of many, many SDMB Death Pool players sharing a single sentiment: “Knock it the hell off, Fidel!”
[/QUOTE]

Forget it. Fidel is too stubborn to die.

6

[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe]
Apparently Fidel is feeling better! Who would have thought! Just when this whole, “let’s just wait for him to die” thing was almost coming to an end, Fidel comes in with a final “fuck you” and gets better! You can see his ass in this article sitting there reading a newspaper!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070524/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cuba_castro;_ylt=AhXyIXXoBNF_JUktd8S1mG3MWM0F

I started this in the pit though because I know a lot of people have strong sentiments about him and all, but regardless of his politics, etc, and what he’s done to Cuba, I gotta say I’m proud of the old fart for sticking in there. Hell he’s gonna live to be a hundred!
[/QUOTE]

Actually the photo is from last year, the second set published in Cuba to prove that Fidel was not dead. The last Fidel photos to appear in the press are from April this year where he is seen with some Chinese diplomats. Since then all that has been seen of Fidel is more or less regular postings from him in Granma, Cuba’s official newspaper. Fidel has gone from Commander in Chief to Blogger in Chief.

And I for one hope disagree with you and hope he dies as soon as possible.

7

I too noticed “undated photo” in the caption.

It’s not impossible that he’s already dead, or is terminally ill on life support somewhere, and they (as in “They”) are blogging in his name. Blogging means absolutely zero, as far as proof that he’s still alive, let alone alive and kicking and saying “fuck you” to the world.

8

Sorry, I don’t agree with his politics, but I can’t help but unwillingly admit that I like his “fuck you” attitude.

9

Color me Cuba confused. I really don’t understand a lot of the anger toward Castro.
Because I do not understand the situation very well. Help me out here, why?
Things I know:

1: Castro led a revolution and turned his country communist.

2: After the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba became broke

3: He imprisons political dissidents.

4: The Cuban missile crisis.

5:???

So number 3 is why a lot of people hate him? I mean a lot of countries the USA has strong ties with do shady things themselves. So why the hate aimed toward Castro?
I’m assuming I’m missing something, but if not the people who hate Castro have some serious issues. Or the anti-Castro league have a lot of media savvy.

10

The source of the animosity, from what I can figure out, is the the US backed the wrong horse in the Cuban revolution, and friends of the US Powers-That-Be at the time lost a lot of money when their property was nationalized.

Of course, a Cuba exile living in Southern Florida probably has other reasons, but I think that’s where it all started. Castro jumping in bed with the Soviets at the height of the Cold War didn’t help matters either.

11

[QUOTE=RyJae]
…
3: He imprisons political dissidents.
…
So number 3 is why a lot of people hate him?
[/QUOTE]
What, isn’t that enough?

OK, so we single out Cuba more than nearly any other dictatorship in the world except perhaps North Korea. And he probably isn’t even the nastiest dictator out there. But the fact is that Florida has a shit-load of Cuban emigrées who still feel passionately about Cuba and Castro and insist on that nation’s isolation – at least as much as the US can get away with. And the rest of America really doesn’t care one way or another about the subject, so the Florida Cubans get there way on the matter. It’s just democracy in action, that’s all.

12

That fucker is on my dead pool. I weighed between him and Don Ho. Fuckin die already.

He’s in politics?

13

[QUOTE=RyJae]
Color me Cuba confused. I really don’t understand a lot of the anger toward Castro.
Because I do not understand the situation very well. Help me out here, why?
Things I know:

1: Castro led a revolution and turned his country communist.

2: After the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba became broke

3: He imprisons political dissidents.

4: The Cuban missile crisis.

5:???

So number 3 is why a lot of people hate him? I mean a lot of countries the USA has strong ties with do shady things themselves. So why the hate aimed toward Castro?
I’m assuming I’m missing something, but if not the people who hate Castro have some serious issues. Or the anti-Castro league have a lot of media savvy.
[/QUOTE]

I can tell you why I hate him, but it will be different for most people here. I grew up in Fidel’s Cuba. To be able to come to this board and see how everyone here bashes every government and political leaders, including their own country’s is an unbelievable experience for me. In Cuba you get sent to prison for wondering if Fidel might be wrong, it’s called 'disrespect for the figure of the commander in chief." You also get sent to prison for questioning any government official, it’s called “official disrespect”. In fact you get sent to prison without having done anything, that’s called “pre-criminal dangerousness”.

Children as young as 11 are sent to live in farms and work the fields for free, this is called “escuela al campo”. All food is rationed, all clothing is rationed, alll goods are rationed. Electricity and water are rationed. Housing is rationed.

All media is controlled by the government so you hear the government side of the story. All unions are controlled by the government so Cuban workers are sent to work for foreign companies and are paid pennies by the Cuban government, while the government charges huge amounts for their work.

I hope your question was an honest one, but since you know how Fidel treats dissidents I find it hard to believe that some of these things about Cuba are not known to you.

Is Cuba the worst place in the world? Not at all, there are wonderful things there. Is the Cuban government the worst in the world? No, there are worse. But it is bad enough if you have to live there. I would think simple empathy for fellow human beings would be enough to hate someone who harms a county full of people.

14

[QUOTE=Ponder Stibbons]
…But the fact is that Florida has a shit-load of Cuban emigrées who still feel passionately about Cuba and Castro and insist on that nation’s isolation – at least as much as the US can get away with. And the rest of America really doesn’t care one way or another about the subject…
[/QUOTE]
But certain people in the rest of America feel rather strongly about Florida’s Electoral College votes…

15

[QUOTE=Sean Factotum]
The source of the animosity, from what I can figure out, is the the US backed the wrong horse in the Cuban revolution, and friends of the US Powers-That-Be at the time lost a lot of money when their property was nationalized.

[/QUOTE]

This is factually wrong. The US government may have backed the Batista during his initial coup in 1952, but I’m pretty sure that by 1956 the US government had an arms embargo against Batista’s government and had pretty much withdrawn support, leading to his departure in 1958.

16

[QUOTE=lalenin]
I can tell you why I hate him, but it will be different for most people here. I grew up in Fidel’s Cuba. To be able to come to this board and see how everyone here bashes every government and political leaders, including their own country’s is an unbelievable experience for me. In Cuba you get sent to prison for wondering if Fidel might be wrong, it’s called 'disrespect for the figure of the commander in chief." You also get sent to prison for questioning any government official, it’s called “official disrespect”. In fact you get sent to prison without having done anything, that’s called “pre-criminal dangerousness”.

Children as young as 11 are sent to live in farms and work the fields for free, this is called “escuela al campo”. All food is rationed, all clothing is rationed, alll goods are rationed. Electricity and water are rationed. Housing is rationed.

All media is controlled by the government so you hear the government side of the story. All unions are controlled by the government so Cuban workers are sent to work for foreign companies and are paid pennies by the Cuban government, while the government charges huge amounts for their work.

I hope your question was an honest one, but since you know how Fidel treats dissidents I find it hard to believe that some of these things about Cuba are not known to you.

Is Cuba the worst place in the world? Not at all, there are wonderful things there. Is the Cuban government the worst in the world? No, there are worse. But it is bad enough if you have to live there. I would think simple empathy for fellow human beings would be enough to hate someone who harms a county full of people.
[/QUOTE]

All media is controlled by the government in a lot of countries we have ties with. The farm work/rations country you describe could very well be the USA and forcing sanctions fault not Castro’s. It was a very honest question, I see we’re in bed with people who disappear to death people, where Castro imprisons them. Does he kill them or?

I’m sure Cuba would be better off without Castro but to the point of everyone wishing him death, while no one is calling for Musharraf to die or Jintao to hurry and die, both of whom are just as bad if not worse than Castro make me wonder where the anger comes from.

17

[QUOTE=RyJae]
All media is controlled by the government in a lot of countries we have ties with. The farm work/rations country you describe could very well be the USA and forcing sanctions fault not Castro’s. It was a very honest question, I see we’re in bed with people who disappear to death people, where Castro imprisons them. Does he kill them or?

I’m sure Cuba would be better off without Castro but to the point of everyone wishing him death, while no one is calling for Musharraf to die or Jintao to hurry and die, both of whom are just as bad if not worse than Castro make me wonder where the anger comes from.
[/QUOTE]

If Musharaf or Jintao had had a close brush with death like Fidel just did you would probably see the same sentiments echoed. The original question however was not why are all dictators hated, just why this one is. He is hated, like all other dictators, for what he has done.

18

[QUOTE=RyJae]
All media is controlled by the government in a lot of countries we have ties with. The farm work/rations country you describe could very well be the USA and forcing sanctions fault not Castro’s. It was a very honest question, I see we’re in bed with people who disappear to death people, where Castro imprisons them. Does he kill them or?

I’m sure Cuba would be better off without Castro but to the point of everyone wishing him death, while no one is calling for Musharraf to die or Jintao to hurry and die, both of whom are just as bad if not worse than Castro make me wonder where the anger comes from.
[/QUOTE]

I had to come back and add to my previous response. This post from you shows an attitude that I just don’t get, and I see it all the time. I’ll have a conversation with someone about some of the abuses in Cuba and their response, like yours, will be along the lines of “it’s not as bad as others”. Well fuck them! And fuck you too, why not hate all the sons of bitches equally?

Who gave you the right to control the scale of badness where you weigh the merits of dictators against your standard and decide that one is not as bad as the other? All forms of dictatorship are bad, all forms of government abuse are bad, all dictators should die, the sooner the better, and all of those who say one dictator is not as bad as another should go live in that country and see how they like it.

19

headline in “GRANMA”: "El Jefe Recoverning, Lenin has a cold, Marx has a fever, and Stalin “recovering”!

20

[QUOTE=Plynck]
But certain people in the rest of America feel rather strongly about Florida’s Electoral College votes…
[/QUOTE]

Someone in the Clinton administration once said,“The U.S. does not have a Cuba Policy, but every four years we have a South Florida Policy.”