Fidel Castro dead at 90

[imastawka]

Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied US efforts to topple him, has died, state-run Cuban Television said. He was 90.

Castro had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006 and he formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later.

It was Raul Castro who announced his brother died on Friday evening.

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/fidel-castro-dead-at-90/ar-AAkM2Hm?li=AAavLaF&ocid=spartanntp

[the_great_she_elephant]

I am not arguing that Castro was some kind of hero or 'saviour of his people'. He may not have been (in fact very likely wasn't) a very nice person at all, buthe was certainly no worse than the regime he replaced and  do you think Cubans would be better off today if the Bay Of Pigs invasion had succeeded. Can you think of any country invaded by the US that is better off today than it was before it was  'liberated?

[imastawka]

It will be interesting to see what transpires when Raul steps down in 2018.

From the link in the OP -

Although Raul Castro always glorified his older brother, he has changed Cuba since taking over by introducing market-style economic reforms and agreeing with the United States in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties and end decades of hostility.

                                           ...............................

Raul Castro vows to step down when his term ends in 2018 and the Communist Party has elevated younger leaders to its Politburo, including 56-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is first vice-president and the heir apparent.

                                          ................................

Cubans earn on average the equivalent of $20 a month and struggle to make ends meet even in an economy where education and health care are free and many basic goods and services are heavily subsidised.

[davidc4430]

good to see the people getting a say in who runs the country hey

[imastawka]

Where on earth did you get that idea David?

It's still a Communist country.

They'll get who they're given and they'll like it or lump it.

[imastawka]

This was supposed to be a news thread.

But the inevitable happened, and now that it's a political thread..........

 I'm outta here     

 

[peteepie]

I think David was being sarcastic but I can't be sure cause the whole thing reminds me of the third reich

[davidc4430]

---

@imastawka wrote:

Where on earth did you get that idea David?

It's still a Communist country.

They'll get who they're given and they'll like it or lump it.

---

sorry, i was bean sarcastic.................failure

[village_person]

Carlos Santana will mourn his passing.

[myoclon1cjerk]

Quote :

I did for a time work for an ex-USAF officer (out of Singapore)
His former role was at the level of directing the deployment of nuclear weapons. He served in the Cuban, Korean and Vietnamese theatres (of war).

It would be fair to say that he (and some of his colleagues) left the air force with an implacable sense of absolute and utter contempt for the upper (political) echelons of the hierarchy.

He recalled that at the hight of the Cuban missile crisis, it was his daily routine to supervise the nuclear weapons loaded on to the bombers.
The flight crew's orders were to proceed to the target and drop them unless they were told otherwise when they got there... at which point, they were to enter a holding pattern (over Cuba) until the fuel ran out.. then return home to fuel up again.

I think it germane to the discussion to point out that Khrushchev's decision to bring nukes to Cuba was in response to the highly provocative stationing of nuclear weapons (by the US) on Russia's door step in Turkey and Italy. It is also worth noting that the reason for the punitive treatment that Cuba has been subjected to (for the last 5 decades) relates to Castro telling certain American financial instruments (we are talking the vultures attached to the oil industry) If you wont respect our national sovereignty, you can basically flick off.. They laughed in Castro's face, He nationalised the oil fields, and the US chose to act as the enforcer for gangster capitalism in response. (as it has done repeatedly and continues to do so till this very day)... This is where Bush senior made a significant portion of his money, he was a CIA NOC, hiding behind an oil industry servicing company as cover.... As history will show, the Bush family went on to become intimately involved with the Bin Ladens - one of the largest construction companies in the Middle East - contracted to build the extensive underground military installations in Afghanistan - sucking the soviets in to an un-winnable war.. Syria anyone?

As a side note... Australia in roughly the same time period, was being milked by the same oilygarchs ... domestically, there was public support and much debate about holding a royal commission in to the affairs of the global oil industry and how it was taking the **bleep** out of Australia... The US state department called the Australian ambassador in to his office to 'clarify' our relationship with America...

quote/unquote... If you proceed with this royal commission and it negatively impacts our trading terms, we reserve the right to destabilise your country politically and economically.. until such time as you reconsider.

The difference between Cuba and Australia might be described as that Castro gave them the bird... we licked their boots.

Khrushchev was later to admit that he backed down because he came to the realisation that he was dealing with the clinically insane.. Bullys who genuinely would incinerate the planet if they didn't get their way.

The world is no different today.