Castro retires.

[tierk]

Just read this.......

BBC NEWS | Americas | Fidel Castro announces retirement

A great revolutionary or just another dictator who spent too long in job?

Discuss.....

 

[Dukat]

Either way, I'm suprised he lived long enough to retire!

 

[old.Tohtori]

Wasn't it that the US thinks he's a superdictator and an oppressor and the Cubans think he's a-ok?

 

[kivik]

Mr Castro will leave a mixed legacy, he adds, with both friend and foe recognising him as an iconic leader and major figure in the post-war era.

Sums it up quite well imo.

Wasn't it that the US thinks he's a superdictator and an oppressor and the Cubans think he's a-ok?

Yup. Almost every western country has put up economical embargoes against Cuba since Castro took the power just because USA wants it. So most of USAs claims of Castro being a coldhearted dictator ruining his land's economy and oppressing his people is actually their work.

 

[Dukat]

Wasn't it that the US thinks he's a superdictator and an oppressor and the Cubans think he's a-ok?

Something like that ^^ some cubans dont like him either though, there was an attempted coup in the 60's that went arse up, thats CIA planning for you though I guess!

 

[Sharma]

"And we're going to help. The United States will help the people of Cuba realise the blessings of liberty."

GAWD BLESS AMERICUH!

I'll bet there'll be more pissed off cubans at American interferance.

Inevitably, if democracy does take off again and the cubans on the whole end up flipping America the birdie due to past tensions, they'll inevitably end up labelled as a terrorist state by the king of the world - Mr Bush.

 

[Vasconcelos]

A great revolutionary or just another dictator who spent too long in job?

Both

 

[eksdee]

GAWD BLESS AMERICUH!

I'll bet there'll be more pissed off cubans at American interferance.

Inevitably, if democracy does take off again and the cubans on the whole end up flipping America the birdie due to past tensions, they'll inevitably end up labelled as a terrorist state by the king of the world - Mr Bush.

yep. fucking scary.

cuba was one of the few countries in the world that seemed to actually 'work' without all the bullshit we see from countries like the states. not that any country has no bullshit what-so-ever, i'm sure cuba has it's problems - but the patent lies of the americans calling cuba a dictatorship is hilarious. especially seen as people apathetic and stupid enough to just sit back and believe it.

 

[Vasconcelos]

yep. fucking scary.

cuba was one of the few countries in the world that seemed to actually 'work' without all the bullshit we see from countries like the states. not that any country has no bullshit what-so-ever, i'm sure cuba has it's problems - but the patent lies of the americans calling cuba a dictatorship is hilarious. especially seen as people apathetic and stupid enough to just sit back and believe it.

Yet, it has a goverment totally blind and unaware of the rest of the world.
As anecdote, some weeks ago a student of the oficial university asked one of the members of the goverment why the cubans can't travel to other countries. The response of said gov member was "If every person of this world could travel anywhere, imagine how the sky would be? full of planes crashing."

Sadly, Cuba has al the chances to become the next Puerto Rico, tho the majority of puertoricans are very happy with his current status as "asociated state".

From my pov, is a matter of trying to reach an "equilibrium" between the 2 sides of the coin...

 

[eksdee]

oh yeah for sure, all polticial ideologies have their downfalls. communism moreso than many purely because it is far too idealistic. equilibrium is surely the dream, of course. sadly i don't ever see it coming. i would far rather live in cuba from what i know of it than the states though. america frightens me.

 

[Binky the Bomb]

To be honest, America should just fuck off for once, and let the Cubans make up there own minds as were to go from here. America only gave a shit because they needed a military base (Guantanamo) outside there back garden. America can go spit its dummy out and whine away for all I care, and Cuba can decide were it wants to go from here.

In a sence its lucky, it doesn't suffer from as many enviromental problems as other nations, having almost no heavy industry. With all the 'clean' technologies available now, if they play there cards right and get the right aid and support, they keep the islands beuty whilst bringing in various smart technologies and toursim, bringing the economy back up and creating jobs, hopefully helping to end the poverty.

Course, thats depending when Castros brother decides to hold them, and once thry get through all the political crap thats gonna get thrown their way first.

 

[tris-]

anyone ever visited cuba?
i was interested in goin at some point in my life.

 

[Dukat]

anyone ever visited cuba?
i was interested in goin at some point in my life.

Ornithology?

 

[tierk]

anyone ever visited cuba?
i was interested in goin at some point in my life.

My neice came back from there a few months ago. She was out there on some sort of work project - she is an architect - as they apparently have some really cclassical style buildings from like 1294 or something. Said it was the most awesome place and i have to say from the pictures looked like you could have fun. Dirt cheap too!!!

 

[Vasconcelos]

anyone ever visited cuba?
i was interested in goin at some point in my life.

Been there on a 1 week holyday trip. However, it was one of those touroperator trips where they pack us all travellers into a 6 starts (yeah, 6 stars are posible apparently) resort at Varadero with everything included (beach, meals, drinks, discos, etc...). I only got to see Varadero and the cookie cutter visit to old Habana. So, i couldnt figure out the way of living of real cubans (the ones at the resort were all waiters or staff) like you are used when u travel inside Europe.

 

[Septima]

It would be sad that Cuba reverted to the pre-Castro state: USA private beach/casino. And probably it's what will happen if they let Americans come in freely. Castro dictactory is not the best way to go also, but at least they managed to have a relative independance and unique way of life. Some other islands on the carabean sea are just sad, since they made them as turistic resorts for ocidental turists while the rest of the population leaves in misery. Hope that will not be the faith of Cuba.

 

[tierk]

On a personal level this man along with Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Mohammad Ali have and always will be people that i have held in the very highest esteem. Men who have stood up and fought for what they believed in.

A lot of the stuff that Castro said many years ago can still be seen to have ebaring today. Take this speech from his trial after hsi arrest for his first attempt to over throw the government of Batista....

I warn you, I am just beginning!

If there is in your hearts a vestige of love for your country, love for humanity, love for justice, listen carefully...

I know that the regime will try to suppress the truth by all possible means; I know that there will be a conspiracy to bury me in oblivion.

But my voice will not be stifled – it will rise from my breast even when I feel most alone, and my heart will give it all the fire that callous cowards deny it... Condemn me.

It does not matter. History will absolve me.

Stirring stuff.

He brought his country, after all just a small little pissey island in the Caribbean onto the world stage and has spent the last fifty odd years spitting in the eye of repression and economic warfare by the USA.

Big Love from me and as the saying goes...


VIVA FIDEL!!! :worthy::worthy::worthy::worthy:

 

[Jupiter]

True Marxist imho

 

[Huntingtons]

but its not all a cherrydance though...

 

[Dahakon]

Especially in the old days there was a lot of toucher going on, but then I think more happened in Chile when the US back fascist dictator Pinochet was in power there, so it's swing and roundabouts really. He had some good and bad like all leaders, but it was one of the first South American countries to throw of the US yoke, which is catching on there atm, and good for everyone there. Just look at Venezuela, when the CIA tried to get rid of Chavez, the poor people rose up and forced him back into power.

 

[tierk]

but its not all a cherrydance though...

If you had to face the constant threat of assissnation and coup and invasion from a nieghbour over a period of fity years. Add to this one of the harshest sanctions regimes in the world spread over fifty years you would come to realise that the Cuban story is a miracle brought about by Socialism.

Socialist ideals put to the people and carried out on behalf of the people by one of the greatest leaders of all time. A true idealist a person who never gave up on his vision, even when things have not gone well (which in Cuba has been the story for a long time).

They send doctors all over the world to help poorer countries, this despite the fact that they dont exactly live in the best economic circumstances themselves. He has managed to bring the majority of peoples lives out of the mud and placed the name of Cuba on every persons lips. I think you would be hard pressed to find a person on this earth that has not heard of Cuba or Fidel himself.

 

[old.Tohtori]

On a*snip*

VIVA FIDEL!!! :worthy::worthy::worthy::worthy:

Bloody hippy...*reloads twinbarrel*

Naaah, from what i've heard, he wasn't much of an a-hole ruler, even if some tactics were a bit odd, and in general i don't have any other view on the guy except...he's always acted hellacool.

 

[echome]

True Marxist imho

Indeed.

A sad sad thing to see him go.

 

[crispy]

Maybe now the US will lift the embargo that have made the lives of the cubans so much worse?

 

[Marc]

Whilst he has a bad name, there is no doubt he has improved Cuba a hell of a lot. Gordon Brown would kill for the 100% literacy rate cuba now has.

YouTube - Zidane Headbutts Fidel Castro
[youtubevid]lpcREMropJI[/youtubevid]

 

[fl3a]

he showed what a bunch of motivated guys with a plan of action can accomplish. he also showed that a small country can hold their ground against a superpower. basically, for me he IS cuba. and as he said 'they talk about the failure of socialism, but they can never show you the success of capitalism in the third world'

 

[Sharma]

Maybe now the US will lift the embargo that have made the lives of the cubans so much worse?

No, what they'll do is completely disallow Cuba any right to freedom, then maybe they'll open up trade yes.

But America will basically say "Yeah, we're gonna use you as a military station and while we're at it, your current 'leader' will have to make choices which need to go through the American system".

Sadly since Fidel was the only one who had enough balls to flip the yanks the birdie, Cubans were labelled as a threat to the US, hence all the CIA assassination attempts.

 

[tierk]

........for me he IS cuba. and as he said 'they talk about the failure of socialism, but they can never show you the success of capitalism in the third world'

I acnt rep you but :worthy::worthy: