Why Doesn't Fidel Just Die and Be Done With It?
At the very real risk of not having other exiled Cubans speak to me for the rest of my life, including my mother and other members of my family, I have to admit several things about our recently retired "Comandante," Fidel.The guy had balls: At least at first, he had a good game, wanted to bring social justice to the island (which is not a bad thing), wanted Cuba to be completely independent from the US (much more difficult than it sounds but again not a bad thing), wanted to shake the foundations of decades of corrupt governments (not a bad th-, ok you get my drift), etc. How many heads of state have thumbed their noses at the US and maintained their stranglehold on their country? For almost five decades? Not too many. I do believe he beat Franco, didn't he? How about Duvalier?
Fidel stayed the course through thick and thin, never swayed from his views or beliefs. He did drastically raise the literacy rate in Cuba which was dismal before Castro, to say the least. He did open scores of rural schools and gave everyone access to health care. But that's about it for the list of good things he achieved.
On the other hand, he took a bustling economy and drove it to the ground. He nationalized everything, and destroyed the concept of private property for Cubans. Keep in mind that there are huge foreign conglomerates that own hotels, stores, businesses in Cuba, but Cubans are not allowed to own anything. There are even beaches to which Cubans are not allowed because they are open to tourism. They probably don't want vacationing foreigners to be approached and harassed by ragged, tattered, native Cuban people who would probably beg for handouts or try to hook up with one of the vacationers as a ticket out of their misery. How can a Cuban person not be allowed onto a Cuban beach? That to me is just illogical and stupid. And sad.
He leveled all salaries and possibilities for the Cuban people. I already admitted in the first paragraph that some of the things he did were not totally negative, but as anyone knows, if people work without an incentive such as a salary increase, a bonus, a promotion, something to look forward to, they will stop caring about their work. It's just human nature. Working for a cause will work for a while but then people get hungry and don't have money to buy food, or their car breaks down and they cannot afford another one (notice I didn't say a new one). Or they became a neurosurgeon because they are really smart but make the same salary as the guy who makes bricks in a factory. This is what happened to the Cuban people and I don't blame them.
He improved health care in the sense that everyone in Cuba can walk into a clinic and get treatment. But, guess what? You can get diagnosed but there is no medicine available for the Cuban people. Foreigners come to Cuba to have treatments or surgeries because we have some of the best doctors in the world, and health care is cheap there. The Cuban government makes money off them. But there are no medicines for Cuban people. Frequently there are shortages of toothpaste or soap or detergent, which is inconceivable.
I could go on and on about the stupidities of Castro's government. One of the worst is that no one can run for office if they are not members of the Communist Party. You can also be a brainiac and have perfect grades all through your schooling, but if you or your parents don't belong to the CP, you will not become a brain surgeon, EVER.
When I was 19 and living in Argentina, my parents and I took a flight back to Miami for a little vacation. We were traveling in first class along with four or five attaches or whatever you call them from the Cuban Embassy in Buenos Aires. They were getting off in Mexico City. While we were getting frantic letters from our relatives in Cuba that they needed vitamins, eyeglasses, razor blades, blood pressure medication, etc, these Cuban men were decked out in very expensive suits with gorgeous calfskin boots and Rolex watches, traveling first class. It made us sick and I will never forget that experience.
So, in effect, Fidel, what you did was crap. Just go ahead and die already.
On a positive note (I feel much better now, thank you), look at the beautiful island that is my birthplace. A friend sent me this satellite picture and I have always treasured it.
posted by Carmenzta @ 3:15 PM
9 Comments:
Bravo! If only Fidel had looked like Che...then he would have been a more marketable Icon.
As we all know from our History lessons on CSI Miami, Godfather 2 & Scarface, that 'Kuubah' rightfully belonged to the Mafia and was robbed of that glorious opportunity by those rotten Commie Bastards!
..and thank goodness that JFK didn't Nuke la isla bonito into a submerged coral reef during the Missile Crisis! Luckily Cuba went on to become the premier, embargoed, pariah of the Western Hemisphere.
Once the propagandic dust settles, Fidel will probably emerge as just another run-of-the-mill tyrannical megalomaniac ((yawn)) who enjoyed his luxurious tenure at the expense of his people.
There is another revolution on it's way and it will inevitably be Democratic...in our lifetime.
Since I'm Canadian I can still travel there, and actually my daughter went there last year and loved the experience, especially the beautiful children who watched her dance!
Actually, Homey, Fidel was very marketable even though he wasn't as handsome as Che. He cut a very dashing figure before he got old and decrepit.
So your daughter went to Cuba, how awesome! I would love to hear what she thought about the island.
That was an amazing and enlightening post and I thank you for it! We here on the West Coast have had a 'nosebleed seat' on this whole ongoing situation...'another country, someone elses' problem'. You just gave me a front row seat and explained it from the point of view of someone i can relate to.
Stuff like this is exactly why I blog. People like you who can provide real world views of things, undigested by the media. Carmentza, thank you!
Ah, I see.
You too, have seen that communism is a lovely idea, but will never never work when you put people in it.
A whole thirty years of not-quite-open war could have been avoided if Marx had worked that out straight off.
Essentially it's something like 'Where ever people are lazy, stupid and like material possessions, communism will not work'
. . .
Poor Marx...
NSS, Welcome to my humble blog! I have yet to find a place where people are not lazy, stupid and greedy so I don't think communism will ever work anywhere. At least in this universe.
Hi Carmentza,
So this is where you've been! Glad to hear things are swimming along-well, we're about the same age, so I know how it goes. In answer to your three last posts, from the bottom up, it's a) Holy SHIT, aren't you glad to be rid of that one-I'd cross the street if he was coming the the way down my side, b) not in a million years, and c) I think he's dead already-has been since last August.
Best,
Kat
Thank you Carmy! I really learned a lot from this post. I recently watched the Buena Vista Social Club and really admire the Cuban peoples' ability to create and survive under such circumstances.
I'm not saying communism works, but is anyone daft enough to say capatalism does!
FN, I'm glad you liked this post.
Kat,thanks for the comments, yes I'm glad I'm rid of him, me neither and I hope he is dead.
Kindness, Cubans in Cuba have had to do without for almost 50 years so yes they have become very resourceful.
Tommy, Tommy, did you see me say such a thing? I don't think Capitalism works either but at least it lets you fly out of the country if you don't like the government.
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