Fidel Castro passed away at age 90.

[FlamesAddiction]

Castro wasn't the start of the problems there, he was the result. The way the Americans treated Cuba as colonial spoils of war and the ensuing post-revolution embargo is what messed that country up and allowed Castro to obtain and keep power.

Blaming Cuba going the communist dictatorship route and seeking refuge with the Soviet Union is no different than a country like Ukraine looking to the West for support. It's a direct result of being pillaged by their neighbour.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Castro wasn't the start of the problems there, he was the result. The way the Americans treated Cuba as colonial spoils of war and the ensuing post-revolution embargo is what messed that country up and allowed Castro to obtain and keep power.

Blaming Cuba going the communist dictatorship route and seeking refuge with the Soviet Union is no different than a country like Ukraine looking to the West for support. It's a direct result of being pillaged by their neighbour.

Yes.....but that doesnt absolve Castro of his abuses while in power.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't know if that's how I see it.

Trudeau just wants to be seen as ultra-progressive leader. He wants the support of as many people as he can get, and doesn't want to be seen that he's offending somebody. After all, it is [current year].

Sometimes it leads to some stupid statements like this.

If part of being a progressive is to be apologetic and supportive of mass murdering scum like Castro and Mao and others, then I prefer to be called a regressive.

There's no way Castro should be mourned. The statement should have been that there isn't a hole deep enough to bury him and his ideology in.

[GirlySports]

compare Trudeau's statement to Trump's

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...castros-death/

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Castro wasn't the start of the problems there, he was the result. The way the Americans treated Cuba as colonial spoils of war and the ensuing post-revolution embargo is what messed that country up and allowed Castro to obtain and keep power.

Blaming Cuba going the communist dictatorship route and seeking refuge with the Soviet Union is no different than a country like Ukraine looking to the West for support. It's a direct result of being pillaged by their neighbour.

Agreed, and the revolution was the right thing to do (IMO, based on seeing "The Godfather") but he was still a bad guy.

Trudeau should have kept his yap shut on this one.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Locke

Yes.....but that doesnt absolve Castro of his abuses while in power.

No but history isn't as clear cut as good vs. bad as many people here like to believe. The Batista regime was one which was rife with corruption, poverty, and heinous crimes primarily supported with American dollars to deplete the country of resources. The American embargo has been responsible for the country being incredibly poor and relying on Soviet aid for survival. The actual history of Cuba is one that is extremely complex and to just say that they hope someone died a painful death doesn't do service to the actual issues and is rather just intent on having divisive and unproductive Trumpian rhetoric.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

compare Trudeau's statement to Trump's

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...castros-death/

Trump is the last guy who should be talking about human rights.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

No but history isn't as clear cut as good vs. bad as many people here like to believe. The Batista regime was one which was rife with corruption, poverty, and heinous crimes primarily supported with American dollars to deplete the country of resources. The American embargo has been responsible for the country being incredibly poor and relying on Soviet aid for survival. The actual history of Cuba is one that is extremely complex and to just say that they hope someone died a painful death doesn't do service to the actual issues and is rather just intent on having divisive and unproductive Trumpian rhetoric.

And this absolves labor camps, executions imprisonment of political prisoners how?

Absolutely the Batista reign had to go, but Castro's was pretty much equally regressive and brutal. They replaced a monstrous regime with a monstrous regime.

Castro shouldn't be mourned there should be hope that his long awaited and deserved death should open the way to proper reforms.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

No but history isn't as clear cut as good vs. bad as many people here like to believe. The Batista regime was one which was rife with corruption, poverty, and heinous crimes primarily supported with American dollars to deplete the country of resources. The American embargo has been responsible for the country being incredibly poor and relying on Soviet aid for survival. The actual history of Cuba is one that is extremely complex and to just say that they hope someone died a painful death doesn't do service to the actual issues and is rather just intent on having divisive and unproductive Trumpian rhetoric.

And nowhere did I say that.

Castro is was far from a Saint but also not complete Evil, he did what he did for the obvious social reasons of the time.

All I indicated was that this doesnt mean you should forgive and forget what he did while he was in power.

Yeah he removed Batista but he didnt exactly improve the overall situation.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I was referring to Dion's comment but I just didn't want to quote him as I was too lazy to go back and find it. It is difficult to say how Castro improved the population (or didn't), however with an embargo placed on the country it is sufficient to say that there would be difficult times regardless. I don't think he should be celebrated as a leader for all that he had done, but I also don't think that he is the monster that propaganda would have you believe.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

No but history isn't as clear cut as good vs. bad as many people here like to believe. The Batista regime was one which was rife with corruption, poverty, and heinous crimes primarily supported with American dollars to deplete the country of resources. The American embargo has been responsible for the country being incredibly poor and relying on Soviet aid for survival. The actual history of Cuba is one that is extremely complex and to just say that they hope someone died a painful death doesn't do service to the actual issues and is rather just intent on having divisive and unproductive Trumpian rhetoric.

this is very true. The very people that are celebrating Castro death in Little Havana today, how would their lives have been under Batista? Nobody knows.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

trump is the last guy who should be talking about human rights.

why ?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I was referring to Dion's comment but I just didn't want to quote him as I was too lazy to go back and find it. It is difficult to say how Castro improved the population (or didn't), however with an embargo placed on the country it is sufficient to say that there would be difficult times regardless. I don't think he should be celebrated as a leader for all that he had done, but I also don't think that he is the monster that propaganda would have you believe.

Right.

up to 100,000 executed is merely....propoganda.

Come on.

The guy was a monster not unlike many others of his ilk.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Agreed, and the revolution was the right thing to do (IMO, based on seeing "The Godfather") but he was still a bad guy.

Trudeau should have kept his yap shut on this one.

It's politics. Other leaders have made similar statements.

Canada is in a unique position to keep playing peace maker between Cuba and the U.S., especially with anti-Cuba Trump coming to power. Let's not forget that Castro is still widely popular among many Cubans and his family is still in power. Alienating the regime further probably serves no greater good.

I just think it's funny when American leaders mouth off about Cuba. It would be like the Queen of England mouthing off about the problems in Canada's aboriginal community like they didn't have anything to do with it.

[afc wimbledon]

Just to remind everybody that's having a hissy fit, Harper sent the Governer General to the King Abbdulah of Suadi Arabia's funeral and he was just as big a ######, killed just as many people as Castro, regardless of party and politics Cuba is a growing market for Canadian goods and services, any PM would be doing their best to suck up to his brother whose now in charge.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Locke

And nowhere did I say that.

Castro is was far from a Saint but also not complete Evil, he did what he did for the obvious social reasons of the time.

All I indicated was that this doesnt mean you should forgive and forget what he did while he was in power.

Yeah he removed Batista but he didnt exactly improve the overall situation.

He should have been assassinated years ago, he asked for a nuke strike against the US, killed 10's of thousands and jailed anyone who spoke against him, when he ordered 2 humanitarian US civilian planes to be shot down for trying to spot rafters I thought for sure his days were numbered, but a stupid weak Clinton did nothing.

This guy never should have reached and died of old age.

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Just to remind everybody that's having a hissy fit, Harper sent the Governer General to the King Abbdulah of Suadi Arabia's funeral and he was just as big a ######, killed just as many people as Castro, regardless of party and politics Cuba is a growing market for Canadian goods and services, any PM would be doing their best to suck up to his brother whose now in charge.

Yeah but Harper wasn't a drama teacher so it's okay.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Just to remind everybody that's having a hissy fit, Harper sent the Governer General to the King Abbdulah of Suadi Arabia's funeral and he was just as big a ######, killed just as many people as Castro, regardless of party and politics Cuba is a growing market for Canadian goods and services, any PM would be doing their best to suck up to his brother whose now in charge.

And Canada and the U.S have supported murdering presidents before and still do.

[MoneyGuy]

Trudeau just lost my support.

Oh wait, he never had it.

Can't believe he lauded this criminal.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Just to remind everybody that's having a hissy fit, Harper sent the Governer General to the King Abbdulah of Suadi Arabia's funeral and he was just as big a ######, killed just as many people as Castro, regardless of party and politics Cuba is a growing market for Canadian goods and services, any PM would be doing their best to suck up to his brother whose now in charge.

Unfortunately, emotion tends to "trump" pragmatism.

The thought seems to be that Castro ruled with an iron fist, therefore our PM should not offer condolences about him regardless of whether it would actually be practical and politically useful..