Happy Birthday Fidel

Joe Castro · 08-14-2008, 10:29 PM

These are two touching letters to the greatest man to ever walk our planet, that sum up the love for the man and the indefatigability of the revolution. Fidel has made the world a better place and when the inevitability of history unfolds he will be remembered. I cannot help but think of the famous words, "condemn me, it does not matter, history will absolve me".

Viva Fidel

City of Havana,
August 13, 2008,
Year 50 of the Revolution
Dear Fidel:
More than a century ago, José Martí, our national hero, wrote: "Human beings, as patriotic human beings, are only the sum of hope or justice that they represent." And that is what you symbolize for our people.
We know that you would like a day like today to go by unnoticed… but that is impossible, because for millions of Cubans it has become its own, intimate celebration, forged in almost 50 years of Revolution and consolidated deep in the hearts of all revolutionaries.
For that reason, the complicit silence of many years that we have observed to respect your wishes, has been gradually broken with the passing of time, because we feel the need for you to know how happy we feel to share your birthday, and August after August we celebrate it in the way that we know gives you the most satisfaction: by completing works, tasks and special productive sessions, and fighting with dignity as our athletes are now doing in Beijing.
And how much cannot be said on an occasion like this of someone who has signified and signifies so much for Cuba?
How can we overlook the many, many moments and circumstances in which our little country has shone with its own light and voice thanks to your wise, sound and serene leadership?
How can we not recall the glories and the victories, the shared dreams and even the setbacks, together with you throughout almost half a century? How can we not celebrate, even if it is deep within our hearts, the enormous privilege of being your contemporaries?
You synthesize the finest values of our people and, at the same time, with your example and actions, you made them emerge, forged them and empowered the vast majority of Cubans during these years of revolutionary process, in hundreds of combative struggles and work, in internal and external confrontations. Because, although we have not always been outstanding students in all subjects, there is no doubt that in the principal ones, in those related to freedom, independence, dignity, honor, justice, solidarity, internationalism, unity, defense of the homeland, of the Revolution and of socialism, revolutionary spirit and the capacity to resist, we have excellent grades.
"A people stand by the one who has taken them to victory," stated Martí, and we, the generations of Cubans whom destiny gave the privilege of living in this epoch, we have made your apothegm our own.

Comandante en jefe:
We dedicate to you today our best thoughts, we send you our best wishes for your total recovery and we reiterate our gratitude to you for you teachings and your example.
We send you our most sincere message of love on your 82nd birthday and our firm decision to continue to move forward, united, alongside the Party and Raúl, to make the homeland solid and the Revolution invincible, and to convert all your dreams into reality.
Cuba’s workers

granma.cu - Letter to Fidel from Cuba’s workers

C4Casey · 08-15-2008, 12:13 AM

Are you really scottish?

Joe Castro · 08-15-2008, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by C4Casey

Are you really scottish?

Indeed i am. I am in a small town outside our largest city and there are thousands of people like me. Infact, as an example one of the countries two largest football (soccer) teams (whom i support) regularly fly Che and Cuba flags. Fidel is a hero to many, many people here and we fully endorse and admire the Cuban revolution.

C4Casey · 08-15-2008, 12:24 AM

Wow. I'll take your word for it.

motivez · 08-15-2008, 03:03 AM

Hopefully one of the last he has. I thought we'd be rid of him with his recent sickness, but I guess when you loot an entire country of all it's wealth for your own personal enrichment, you can afford to extend your life by a few years.

The sooner the oppression and dictatorship that's been forced on all Cuban people is lifted the better for the world.. his death wont bring that about immediately, but it will be a large step in the dismantling of his oppressive regime.

Communism as an ideology and economic theory has been proven to be an absolute failure, and even China has embraced capitalism in large part as a superior method for enriching the lives of its citizens.

He hasn't left the world a more free place, he's left it one where him (a near billionaire) and the chosen party elite live a life of privilege while other people suffer in poverty and without common household items like microwaves, but with things that are nearly inconceivable here in the US, such as food rations and lack of housing..

They suffer through the indignity of being unable to make life decisions for themselves, instead being forced into servitude and slavery by the state, forced by the chosen elite who has gamed a broken system to live a life they have little to no say in.

So, yes, happy birthday to Fidel Castro. I hope he's proud of the suffering he's inflicted on his country.

JaJae · 08-15-2008, 07:05 AM

He deserves a painful death. He is one of those radicals who at one time supported good, but turned corrupt and drunk on power. He's abusing and oppressing an entire nation for his own benefit. The world is better off without him.

WickedLou9 · 08-15-2008, 08:30 AM

Yay Fidel! The man who has been responsible for keeping the CUban people in poverty for the last 50 years, waiting in lines for government bread. What a great guy!

What a joke.

Joe Castro · 08-15-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by motivez

Hopefully one of the last he has. I thought we'd be rid of him with his recent sickness, but I guess when you loot an entire country of all it's wealth for your own personal enrichment, you can afford to extend your life by a few years.

The sooner the oppression and dictatorship that's been forced on all Cuban people is lifted the better for the world.. his death wont bring that about immediately, but it will be a large step in the dismantling of his oppressive regime.

Communism as an ideology and economic theory has been proven to be an absolute failure, and even China has embraced capitalism in large part as a superior method for enriching the lives of its citizens.

He hasn't left the world a more free place, he's left it one where him (a near billionaire) and the chosen party elite live a life of privilege while other people suffer in poverty and without common household items like microwaves, but with things that are nearly inconceivable here in the US, such as food rations and lack of housing..

They suffer through the indignity of being unable to make life decisions for themselves, instead being forced into servitude and slavery by the state, forced by the chosen elite who has gamed a broken system to live a life they have little to no say in.

So, yes, happy birthday to Fidel Castro. I hope he's proud of the suffering he's inflicted on his country.

Where to start. Fidel has looted nothing, he lives very modestly for a head of state. You are just regurgitating US propaganda and lies. Your claim about being a near billionaire is a known lie.

And your claim that it isa failed ideology is simply rubbish. It has not failed. The only reason there is no Soviet Union is because it was caught up in an arms race in an attempt to save itself from an aggressive west. Any other country but the US empire would have went bankrupt too. So it is no failure of communism. As for China, it has made its people poorer not richer. They now have to pay for things like educations which they never did before.

And you are being extremely foolish to say that the Cuban people suffer. Is having a first world life expectancy in a third world country suffering ? Is having less mothers and babies die in childbirth than in the US suffering ? Is having a free education including university suffering ? Is free housing suffering ?

The true wealth of a country can only be determined by looking at the wealth of its poorest citizens. If we do this Cuba comes up a winner against almost and maybe all states.

WickedLou9 · 08-15-2008, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

Where to start. Fidel has looted nothing, he lives very modestly for a head of state. You are just regurgitating US propaganda and lies. Your claim about being a near billionaire is a known lie.

And your claim that it isa failed ideology is simply rubbish. It has not failed. The only reason there is no Soviet Union is because it was caught up in an arms race in an attempt to save itself from an aggressive west. Any other country but the US empire would have went bankrupt too. So it is no failure of communism. As for China, it has made its people poorer not richer. They now have to pay for things like educations which they never did before.

And you are being extremely foolish to say that the Cuban people suffer. Is having a first world life expectancy in a third world country suffering ? Is having less mothers and babies die in childbirth than in the US suffering ? Is having a free education including university suffering ? Is free housing suffering ?

The true wealth of a country can only be determined by looking at the wealth of its poorest citizens. If we do this Cuba comes up a winner against almost and maybe all states.

China's citizens have become poorer?

Nothing could be further from the truth.

7960 · 08-15-2008, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Yay Fidel! The man who has been responsible for keeping the CUban people in poverty for the last 50 years, waiting in lines for government bread. What a great guy!

good luck.

his supporters (who, ironically/interestingly don't live in cuba) blame the US for that, not Fidel.

Joe Castro · 08-15-2008, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

China's citizens have become poorer? Nothing could be further from the truth.

Indeed. The poor have become poorer and cant afford an education. Wealth is not just the money in your pocket. Its the services available to you also.

7960 · 08-15-2008, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

Indeed. The poor have become poorer and cant afford an education. Wealth is not just the money in your pocket. Its the services available to you also.

and according to a canadian friend who recently took a bike riding tour through cuba, services suck.

if you love cuba and castro why haven't you moved there?

Donkey® · 08-15-2008, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Yay Fidel! The man who has been responsible for keeping the CUban people in poverty for the last 50 years, waiting in lines for government bread. What a great guy!

What a joke.

No that would be OUR fault and anyone else going with this stupid ass embargo.

WickedLou9 · 08-15-2008, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

Indeed. The poor have become poorer and cant afford an education. Wealth is not just the money in your pocket. Its the services available to you also.

The poor have not become poorer. The middle class is growing and as a result there is now greater wealth disparity, but on average chinese citizens are better off now than they were 20 years ago, by quite a large margin.

Joe Castro · 08-15-2008, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

The poor have not become poorer. The middle class is growing and as a result there is now greater wealth disparity, but on average chinese citizens are better off now than they were 20 years ago, by quite a large margin.

Wh, the services provided have decreased or disappeared. If children could used to be sent to school but now their family cant afford it, they are poorer. It's that simple.

motivez · 08-15-2008, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

Where to start. Fidel has looted nothing, he lives very modestly for a head of state. You are just regurgitating US propaganda and lies. Your claim about being a near billionaire is a known lie.

Modestly? Don't delude yourself. Look at pictures of his palace while the rest of Cuban society lives in ramshackle houses.

There's also pictures showing the stark differences between the Cuba Castro has put together for propaganda purposes when tourists visit, what's available for them to buy, and what's common for the average Cuban.

Look at what foreigners are allowed to buy without ration cards.. making Cubans second class citizens in their own country!

All the while they wait with empty shelves, hoping to get their rations filled instead of being allowed to provide for themselves:

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

And your claim that it isa failed ideology is simply rubbish. It has not failed. The only reason there is no Soviet Union is because it was caught up in an arms race in an attempt to save itself from an aggressive west. Any other country but the US empire would have went bankrupt too. So it is no failure of communism. As for China, it has made its people poorer not richer. They now have to pay for things like educations which they never did before.

It has failed, time and time again. The Soviet Union not only ruined the lives of the citizens who were forced to live under their system, but even without the arms race they were not capable of being successful. As we see in Cuba today, there were rations on even the basic necessities of life.

You're wrong about China.. and you have no facts to back you up. There are millions of Chinese who've been able to provide for themselves for the first time, able to afford cars, pay for school, and bring themselves out of poverty.

Is there a greater disparity in the wealth? Of course, but on the average, the Chinese people have benefited greatly from their economic expansion through capitalism.

Contrast that with Cuba, where the people have stayed poor while the rest of the world has gotten richer.

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

And you are being extremely foolish to say that the Cuban people suffer. Is having a first world life expectancy in a third world country suffering ? Is having less mothers and babies die in childbirth than in the US suffering ? Is having a free education including university suffering ? Is free housing suffering ?

What use is living a long life if you can't make any life decisions for yourself? If you're a slave to the state every day of your life, being told you aren't responsible enough to provide for yourself.. that someone who's been chosen by the party elite is better qualified to decide for you how your life shall play out?

As far as health care, Cuba's health care is horrible. I don't agree with the way the US system works currently, but we don't deny anyone care who needs it in our emergency rooms.. Lets look at some of those Cuban's receiving that free health care:

I guess they didn't think he was worthy of having an ambulance ride added to his ration card..

You'd never see that amount of flies in a US hospital, even the poorest hospital in the US is many, many times better than in Cuba..

Free education, so what? Look at the quality. The US certainly has problems with its education system, but you don't see people flocking to Cuba by the hundreds of thousands for a chance to get an education there.. you do here in the US, as we have some of the most elite institutions in the world.

That also doesn't even delve into the fact that people aren't allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to pursue an education, the state decides for them.

Instead of being allowed to make a determination about their lives, they're once again subjected to the humiliation of being told whether or not they'll get to enrich their lives in a way they see fit by someone they've likely never met.

Putting an end to another myth

Another big lie fabricated by Castro's propaganda machine, and repeated by thousands of ignorant people around the world, is that before Castro came to power only rich Cubans could afford to attend college to become a doctor, lawyer, architect or choose any other type of career that they wanted. But as these receipts from the "Law School" of the University of Havana show, in 1959 the cost of one year of Law School was only 45 Cuban pesos, or 45 dollars because back then the peso and the dollar had the same value.

And you could pay it in three separate installments of $20, $15 and $10! And in addition, there were many free scholarships for those who wanted to attend the University of Havana and couldn't afford to pay anything. And the students were not forced to go to labor camps, like they are now; and they were not forced to march whenever a dictator ordered, like they have to do now; and their food was not rationed, like it is now; and they had freedom of expression, that they don't have now; and they were free men and women and not slaves, like they are now.

That's why you see Cubans desperate to flee that country, and why once they're finally able to leave that hell hole, they speak out about how much better it is in the US. People don't come here after living a life in Cuba, and decide "Oh, this sucks. Let me turn around and go back."

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

The true wealth of a country can only be determined by looking at the wealth of its poorest citizens. If we do this Cuba comes up a winner against almost and maybe all states.

Really?

Then as these pictures show, Cuba is horrible.. because that level of poverty is wide spread. People forced to eat out of dumpsters because the state isn't capable of providing for them, and they aren't allowed to attempt to provide for themselves.

Only in the last year or so have things taken even a slight turn for the better, with the regime allowing them to purchase things like microwaves and computers.. things they would have been jailed (

) for having only a year ago.

Even though the elite in Cuban society have been allowed to have it before now.. Even though they've let foreign tourists have access to it before now while Cuban citizens have to go without..How do you rationalize that?

motivez · 08-15-2008, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

No that would be OUR fault and anyone else going with this stupid ass embargo.

I certainly think we should be trading with Cuba, but remember, Castro doesn't want his people to have access to the kinds of things they'd be able to get if we were actively trading with them anyway..

There's no shortage of things in Cuba except for Cuban citizens, any tourist who goes there is met with full store shelves, luxurious hotels, feasts, and the companies that produce those items are based right in Cuba..

Castro has impoverished his own island, we haven't done that to him.

7960 · 08-16-2008, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Joe Castro

Indeed. The poor have become poorer and cant afford an education. Wealth is not just the money in your pocket. Its the services available to you also.

services such as?

also, china has compulsory education and their kids do go to school for free so what are you talking about?

Joe Castro · 08-16-2008, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by motivez

Modestly? Don't delude yourself. Look at pictures of his palace while the rest of Cuban society lives in ramshackle houses.

Well the leader of a country can hardly live in a hut. The world we live in requires a leader to have a nice home to satisfy visiting dignatories. It is extremely modest compared with other world leaders

The only luxury visible to visitors, said Fuentes, is a big-screen television that Castro uses to satisfy his interest in foreign news reports and videos secretly recorded by Cuba's intelligence services......

An acquaintance who has visited both Fidel and Raúl's homes described them as very large by Cuban standards but relatively simply appointed with Cuban-made furniture, with Raúl's home ``a bit nicer than Fidel's.''

Fidel Castro's Family

Originally Posted by motivez

There's also pictures showing the stark differences between the Cuba Castro has put together for propaganda purposes when tourists visit, what's available for them to buy, and what's common for the average Cuban.

Look at what foreigners are allowed to buy without ration cards.. making Cubans second class citizens in their own country!

All the while they wait with empty shelves, hoping to get their rations filled instead of being allowed to provide for themselves:

Such pictures are a pathetic appeal to emotion. It would be easy to find a full shelf and then find the very worst store for the public, or to find that store in a bad day. It is quite often pictures lie, particularly pictures that are cxomposed with an agenda.

Originally Posted by motivez

It has failed, time and time again. The Soviet Union not only ruined the lives of the citizens who were forced to live under their system, but even without the arms race they were not capable of being successful. As we see in Cuba today, there were rations on even the basic necessities of life.

This is the biggest nonsense i have ever heard. The Soviet Union was the second most powerful country on the planet. That does not happen under an ineffective system, it just can't. So you better re-think your comments.

The Soviet Union lead the way in space exploration, it had arguably the strongest military on the planet. It achieved the quickest industrialisation of any state in history.

It was bankrupted by an arms race, an arms race that would also have bankrupted the UK or France if they had to keep such levels of spending up. Is that proof that British or French capitalism is a failed system ?

Originally Posted by motivez

You're wrong about China.. and you have no facts to back you up. There are millions of Chinese who've been able to provide for themselves for the first time, able to afford cars, pay for school, and bring themselves out of poverty.

Is there a greater disparity in the wealth? Of course, but on the average, the Chinese people have benefited greatly from their economic expansion through capitalism.

Contrast that with Cuba, where the people have stayed poor while the rest of the world has gotten richer.

Many people are being left behind in China, there is no doubting that. The rural poor are not getting any benefit from the economic boom. However, they will be looked after once again, once this phase of destroying the empire is complete. Once China has squeezed the west into poverty, the party will reverse to communism and revolution will be exported.

Originally Posted by motivez

What use is living a long life if you can't make any life decisions for yourself? If you're a slave to the state every day of your life, being told you aren't responsible enough to provide for yourself.. that someone who's been chosen by the party elite is better qualified to decide for you how your life shall play out?

You are making delusional comments here. There is not a party elite. The people are the party. They are free to join the party and influence policy in Cuba's democracy. They can stand for election, debate party policy.

Its not a matter of being responsible enough to provide for yourself, it is a matter of some people simply cannot and you have a responsibility to help them.

Originally Posted by motivez

As far as health care, Cuba's health care is horrible. I don't agree with the way the US system works currently, but we don't deny anyone care who needs it in our emergency rooms.. Lets look at some of those Cuban's receiving that free health care:

I guess they didn't think he was worthy of having an ambulance ride added to his ration card..

More irrational appeals to emotion.

Originally Posted by motivez

You'd never see that amount of flies in a US hospital, even the poorest hospital in the US is many, many times better than in Cuba..

That is where your types are often so confused. You try to compare third world countries to an imperialits superpower. Compare Cuba to countries in the carribean and Latin America, compare iot to countries of similar wealth. What you attempt to do is compare apples and oranges.

Originally Posted by motivez

Free education, so what? Look at the quality. The US certainly has problems with its education system, but you don't see people flocking to Cuba by the hundreds of thousands for a chance to get an education there.. you do here in the US, as we have some of the most elite institutions in the world.

Indeed, look at the quality. Cuba produces more literate people than the US could dream of. Cuba produces more doctors per capita than any country on the planet. And i hate to burst your bubble but people to flock to Cuba to enjoy its education system. Cuba recieves large amounts of Jamaican, Nicaraguan, Ecuadorian, south East Asians and people from many other regions.

Originally Posted by motivez

That also doesn't even delve into the fact that people aren't allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to pursue an education, the state decides for them.

What are you talking about ? The decision to recieve an education, that is bonkers. No one has the right to choose not to be educated in the US or UK either.

Originally Posted by motivez

That's why you see Cubans desperate to flee that country, and why once they're finally able to leave that hell hole, they speak out about how much better it is in the US. People don't come here after living a life in Cuba, and decide "Oh, this sucks. Let me turn around and go back."

$45 dollars in a third world country in the 1950's was a huge amount of money, something you probably can't even contemplate. The corrupt individualism that is ingrained in the imperialist subjects conciousness results in a failure to empathise - false conciousness is the biggest tool in the capitalists arsenal.

The people who go to America are a minority of class traitors seduced by the American empire. Again you are really comparing apples and oranges, trying to compare an imperialist superpower and a plucky third world country. The day the empire falls, as it will, they will be out of there in a shot.

Originally Posted by motivez

Really?

Then as these pictures show, Cuba is horrible.. because that level of poverty is wide spread. People forced to eat out of dumpsters because the state isn't capable of providing for them, and they aren't allowed to attempt to provide for themselves.

Only in the last year or so have things taken even a slight turn for the better, with the regime allowing them to purchase things like microwaves and computers.. things they would have been jailed () for having only a year ago.

Even though the elite in Cuban society have been allowed to have it before now.. Even though they've let foreign tourists have access to it before now while Cuban citizens have to go without..How do you rationalize that?

You are spreading more nonsense here. It's hard to get someone so seduced by propaganda to even contemplate how wrong they are being. The CUban people are the best looked after in the third world. No one starves in Cuba.

Whether microwaves or computers are legal is irrelevant. The fact is people in such countries cannot afford them. Wha Cuba is doing is making sure people have the neccesities of life, luxuries are an afterthought and rightfully so.

C4Casey · 08-17-2008, 01:36 AM

Cuba produces more literate people than the U.S could dream of? I'm pretty sure there are more literate people in the U.S than there are people in Cuba.

And if you are trying to say the Cuban health care system is better than the U.S, then you have to directly compare it's health care system to the U.S. On one hand you are implying Cuba is a great society because of Fidel and Communism, yet when people give examples of how much better life is in the U.S than in Cuba you cry foul, saying Cuba is a third world country and shouldn't be compared to a first-world country like the U.S. That's a huge double-standard.