Castro Resigns as Cuba's President

[HotHotHeat]

Not a bad guy, as far as dictators go.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...rvaiWh-7P7JMdg

HAVANA (AFP) - Fidel Castro resigned Tuesday as president and commander in chief of Cuba in a message published in the online version of the official daily Granma.

"I neither will aspire to nor will I accept -- I repeat -- I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," wrote the Cuban leader, who had been in power for almost 50 years.

The question is, where does Cuba go from here?

[InSutterWeTrust]

Well I just hope everything remains all right down there. My wife and a few of her friends are in Cuba right now and do not leave until Saturday!

[Vulcan]

When Castro came to power he was infinitely better than Batista but I was hoping he would put some kind of democratic succession in place, such as Franco did in Spain. I fear all the gangsters and landed gentry will move back in and rape the country like they once did.

[Bill Bumface]

^ Not on Team America's watch they won't. F#%& yeah!

[Cowperson]

This is one very poor country.

Just like it could have used some socialism in the 1950's, it can now use some capitalism.

There's an optimum balance there that the Caribbean and many parts of the world struggle to find . . . . and people suffer as a result.

Still, the people with the guns are still in charge and the people with the guns are probably going to stay in charge.

The brother, however, seems more likely than Fidel to ease up on the long ago disgraced tenets of communism that have rendered this place one of the poorest around.

The people at the top won't change but you're likely to see a push towards capitalism.

Cowperson

[peter12]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

Not a bad guy, as far as dictators go.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...rvaiWh-7P7JMdg



The question is, where does Cuba go from here?

Castro was a monster. Simple as that. Wonder why Cuba doesn't have a high HIV/AIDS prevalence like a lot of other Caribbean countries? Castro introduced mandatory testing and threw all those infected into concentration camps and let them die.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by peter12

Castro was a monster. Simple as that. Wonder why Cuba doesn't have a high HIV/AIDS prevalence like a lot of other Caribbean countries? Castro introduced mandatory testing and threw all those infected into concentration camps and let them die.

My understanding is that he separated them and their families from the general population when the AIDS epidemic started but that is no longer the case. Do you have any proof for the concentration camps?

[JohnnyB]

It's really too bad the US are such jerks to that poor country. I'll be interested to see what happens with Cuba over the next few years with Castro gone.

[algernon]

Hunh. We're also flying out...on Sunday(same day as elections, i believe). I doubt there'll be revolution in the streets, but the unknown is slightly unnerving, none the less.

[Montana Moe]

I was under the impression from my Latin American history professor that Raul was not a good alternative to Fidel. He may be more oppressive, was I misled?

I understand the gaming industry is licking thier chops, waiting for the opportunity to make some inroads.

This is all hearsay, as we don't have much access to the daily workings of Cuba here in the States.

[habernac]

yeah, Raul is no boy scout either. He's been there since ay one, was a big participant in the revolutionary uprising. He's not the powerful presence his brother Fidel is, though, which gives some people hope of a change.

[Ford Prefect]

The big question is, what impact this will have on the price and availability of Cuban cigars?

[BavarianHorde]

Here is a website for you: http://www.therealcuba.com/

[Fuzzy McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

I was under the impression from my Latin American history professor that Raul was not a good alternative to Fidel. He may be more oppressive, was I misled?

I understand the gaming industry is licking thier chops, waiting for the opportunity to make some inroads.

This is all hearsay, as we don't have much access to the daily workings of Cuba here in the States.

When Castro came to power, Raul (along with Che Guevera) embraced Marxist communism much more than Fidel did. Fidel was never really a true communist, he was more of a chameleon who turned to whatever political ideology would secure his grip on power.

A lot of Canadians see Fidel as this charming socialist who stood up to the Americans. Yes he is charismatic and yes, he stood up to the U.S. But don't forget about the bloodshed. He was responsible for the massacre of thousands of people who didn't support his regime when he took power.

I just finished reading this book, "the man who invented fidel". Good read, and great insight into some of the cold-war tensions of the time.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=DE_I...mbnail#PPP1,M1

[Montana Moe]

Thanks for the links, folks! Always good to get a fresh perspective.

[habernac]

this is another book which goes into incredible detail on Che Guevara, recommended reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Che-Guevara-Re.../dp/0802135587

[CaptainCrunch]

I've never understood the respect for Che Guervara, he was a murderer, a rapist and a thug who prayed on the weak, and he died basically begging for his life and trying to leverage his name to survive.

I'm sure that the executioner who drew the short straw and got the honor of plugging him prayed that he would shut up and die like a man.

Instead he screeched, "Do you know who I am, I'm worth more alive then dead"

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I've never understood the respect for Che Guervara,

. . . . . because he makes a helluva t-shirt.

Cowperson

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

. . . . . because he makes a helluva t-shirt.

Cowperson

'

Yeah you got me there.

I just never understood making him the face of a revolutionary, he was a failure at it.

If your going to make the face of the revolution and put it on your T-Shirt, then you might as well be as contraversial as possible and put Stalin on your shirt.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

'

Yeah you got me there.

I just never understood making him the face of a revolutionary, he was a failure at it.

If your going to make the face of the revolution and put it on your T-Shirt, then you might as well be as contraversial as possible and put Stalin on your shirt.

Yeah, but then Socialists would have to be honest about their absolute disregard for human life.