Fidel Castro Tells Cuba He Will Step Down

[another day]

Quote by: thebuescherman Perhaps will shall see an open Cuba in the future, though unlikely. If Cuba were to open its ports to Americans, they wouldn't be standing in line for hours waiting for bread within months.

Open it's ports to americans? The US is the one that imposed the embargo on Cuba...

[Nono]

Quote by: thebuesscherman If Cuba were to open its ports to Americans, they wouldn't be standing in line for hours waiting for bread within months.

Well that's one of the more ignorant statements I've seen lately. Talk about claiming that black is white and vicer-versa.

Also, it reflects that touchingly naive notion that "the Market" will solve everyone's problems.

[Rainbow]

Quote by: MariKine Maybe it's just because of Scarface, but I've always seen Fidel in a negative light. Dunno what to think about this really.. Cigars!..?

Yep, especially Fidel's Cigar :-)))

[Roxdog]

Quote by: Whilletal ABC News: 'Devoid of Drama'? It's the End of an Era as Fidel Castro Steps Down I think its interesting that he decided to step down instead of dying in office. I'm sure he will still have power via his brother. Either way its the end of an era. Do you think he was a bad ruler? Sometimes an iron fist is necessary to keep control. Thoughts?

I believe he was/is a Marxist dictator who murdered thousands and locked more away in secret prisons without trials. Complete scum...

[Roxdog]

Quote by: Nono Castro organized a guerrila group that, after years out in the boonies, finally took power....For my part, I have to have a sneaking admiration for the dude.

Of course he took power, he was backed by the West...then became their boogyman a la Saddam, Osama, Noriega, etc, etc....Admiration? For a tyrannical dictator?

[another day]

Quote by: Roxdog Of course he took power, he was backed by the West...then became their boogyman a la Saddam, Osama, Noriega, etc, etc....Admiration? For a tyrannical dictator?

Lol... Castro was probably the one dictator who was not backed by the west. I don't know where you get that from. He overthrew an american backed dictator who was much bloodier and tyrannical then he ever was, much to the dismay of the west who lost many of their economic interests - hence the blockade that still exists today.

[Nono]

Quote by: roxie (Castro) took power, he was backed by the West.

And not only that, but the Earth is flat after all and the Moon is made of cheese.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: another day Lol... Castro was probably the one dictator who was not backed by the west. I don't know where you get that from. He overthrew an american backed dictator who was much bloodier and tyrannical then he ever was, much to the dismay of the west who lost many of their economic interests - hence the blockade that still exists today.

What, Fidel was less bloody than Batista? Care to back that up with some legitimate figures?

Batista was a scumbag in the pay of the mafia, but he is by no means worse than Castro. At the very least, under batista Cuba had, according to a 1958 UN report, the worlds 8th most free press. As a result of Batista's expenditure, it had the biggest telecommunications industry of latin America (certainly no more, too hard to control the flow of information). It was an economic powerhouse in contrast to both the rest of Latin America and to todays Cuba. Batista won an open election (in 1940) and a disputed one later, neither of which Fidel has achieved. It was Batista who legalised the Communist Party.

[Nono]

It was still the "whorehouse of Latin America". You can't eat civil liberties, you know.

I'd still plump for Fidel, which doesn't mean whitewashing him.
What would you have done if you had been him? (90 miles from the world's mightiest superpower which is working overtime to overthrow you...)

[Whilletal]

Quote by: Nono And not only that, but the Earth is flat after all and the Moon is made of cheese.

Is it evil cheese or just ill tempered?