Fidel Castro passed away at 90

[Queen K]

That's not it. It's when so many Canadians were sure Trump was the most embarrassing thing in the Western World, when Trump trumped Bretix, a long comes Trudeau.

[The Green Barbarian]

So fine, let’s overlook the 5,600 Cubans Fidel Castro executed by firing squad, the 1,200 known to have been liquidated in extrajudicial murders, the tens of thousands dispatched to forced labour camps, or the fifth of the Cuban population that was either driven into the sea or fled the country in terror.

What is not so easy to overlook is that Fidel and Raúl Castro reneged on their promise of a return to constitutional democracy and early elections following the overthrow of the tyrant Fulgencio Batista. The Castros betrayed the revolutionary democrats and patriots who poured into Havana with them on that glorious January day in 1959. The Castros waged war on them in the Escambray Mountains until their final defeat in 1965, four full years after John F. Kennedy’s half-baked Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

After he solidified his base in Cuba’s Stalinist party–which had been allied with Batista, Castro’s apologists tend to conveniently forget, until the final months of 1958–Fidel Castro delivered Cuba to Moscow as a Soviet satrapy. He then pushed Russia to the brink of nuclear war with the United States in the terrifying 13-day Missile Crisis of 1962.

For all the parochial Canadian susceptibility to the propaganda myth that pits a shabby-bearded rebel in olive fatigues against the imperialist American hegemon, by the time he died on Friday night Castro was one of the richest men in Latin America. Ten years ago, when he was handing the presidency to Raúl, Forbes magazine calculated that Fidel’s personal wealth was already nearly a billion dollars.

In his twilight years, Castro was enjoying himself at his gaudy 30-hectare Punto Cero estate in Havana’s suburban Jaimanitas district, or occasionally retreating to his private yacht, or to his beachside house in Cayo Piedra, or to his house at La Caleta del Rosario with its private marina, or to his duck-hunting chalet at La Deseada.

Fidel Castro was not merely the “controversial figure” of Justin Trudeau’s encomium. He was first and foremost a traitor to the Cuban revolution. On that count alone, Castro’s death should not be mourned. It should be celebrated, loudly and happily.

http://www.macleans.ca/news/trudeaus-tu ... ing-stock/

[Queen K]

My brother went on a fishing trip to Cuba. He was aghast at how poor the people were outside of Havana. He also said that the staff would all come to visit the tourists and try to practise their English.

I also know of a local antique dealer who would travel to Havana and buy up high quality collector items from the rich who had their bank accounts frozen for years. It was a way to release some monies from their Estates.

[The Green Barbarian]

I also know of a local antique dealer who would travel to Havana and buy up high quality collector items from the rich who had their bank accounts frozen for years. It was a way to release some monies from their Estates.

I am surprised that Castro's animals didn't just seize it all and move most of the antiques on to their estates. That's what they did with all of their money.

[Queen K]

These were what would be called "smalls" in the collector world, but small valuable items can be hidden.

[Glacier]

This is one of my biggest beefs with the slow minded leftists out there. Just because someone bashes Trudeau, doesn't mean we think Harper was God's gift to Canada. It's quite possible that we can absolutely hate Trudeau and acknowledge that Harper had his shortcomings, was no better, was worse, etc....

Knowing Trudeau is a complete imbecile and loving Harper not mutually exclusive

I was going to replay with the exact same response, but no use repeating what's already been said. It's dumb, annoying, and a red herring.

That said, I agree with Omnitheo in that there's no corelation between being a dictator and views of homosexuality. Cuba was no worse than Canada. Most nations, whether run by brutal communist dictators or liberal democracies, have evolved at pretty much the same rate on homosexuality. There's little correlation between how a nation treats homosexuals and how they treat political dissidents. It correlates more with year.

[The Green Barbarian]

There's little correlation between how a nation treats homosexuals and how they treat political dissidents. It correlates more with year.

Unless you are Iran. I can't wait for Justin's glowing eulogy when the latest loony-tune Ayatollah dies.

[averagejoe]

The Quaterback ya love to hate....

Kaepernick in Miami after he PRAISED Fidel Castro hours before his death and wore a shirt adorned with the Cuban dictator's face

Kaepernick gave an interview this week praising late Communist ruler
Quarterback was asked about a Castro t-shirt he wore in August
49ers star defended the move in comments made public on Friday
Kaepernick hailed the Cuban leader for his 'education system'
Castro's death was announced by his grieving brother Raul hours later
Twitter users were quick to point out Kaepernick's ill-timing




Http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... astro.html

[averagejoe]

Sounds like the old leaders of Soviet Russia....The Communist party leaders lived in luxury while the people starved.

Inside Fidel Castro’s life of luxury and ladies while country starved

While his people suffered, Fidel Castro lived in comfort — keeping everything, including his eight children, his many mistresses, even his wife, a secret,” wrote Juan Reinaldo Sanchez, Castro’s longtime bodyguard.

Sanchez’s book, “The Double Life of Fidel Castro: My 17 Years as Personal Bodyguard to El Líder Maximo,” describes his former boss’s hidden life of political ruthlessness, mistresses and greed.

http://nypost.com/2016/11/27/inside-fid ... y-starved/

[The Green Barbarian]

The Quaterback ya love to hate....

Kaepernick in Miami after he PRAISED Fidel Castro hours before his death and wore a shirt adorned with the Cuban dictator's face

Kaepernick gave an interview this week praising late Communist ruler
Quarterback was asked about a Castro t-shirt he wore in August
49ers star defended the move in comments made public on Friday
Kaepernick hailed the Cuban leader for his 'education system'
Castro's death was announced by his grieving brother Raul hours later
Twitter users were quick to point out Kaepernick's ill-timing




Http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... astro.html

This is what happens when sports celebrities get involved in politics. Though I don't know why Kaepernick should be subjected to so much negativity when Hollywood celebrities say even dumber things and do even dumber things. Do people boo Sean Penn when he does public appearances? I know I would if I saw that dingbat, but is this actually a thing?

[Glacier]

[Glacier]

Lol you guys and your anti-Trudeau tunnel vision. Remember that time Harper spoke for all Canadians in mourning the Saudi dictator's passing?

Terry Glavin is left, and to the left of Trudeau. But he must be a Harper lover now...

Trudeau’s turn from cool to laughing stock

[The Green Barbarian]

Michael Den Tandt: Earth to Trudeau — Fidel Castro was a brutal dictator, not a benevolent, grizzled uncle

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unfortunate and sadly hilarious Fidel Castro moment may not do him or the Liberal government much lasting harm. That’s not to say it has been anything but a colossal cock-up.

There is a simple formula for officially eulogizing authoritarian-yet-important political figures, which Castro — a revolutionary leader, dictator and deliverer of extremely long speeches — clearly was. It boils down to saying as little as you can, while not obviously lying.

Consider the terse comment issued by Stephen Harper’s office in 2013 on the death of Venezuelan strongman and darling-of-the-left Hugo Chavez. After first offering condolences, Harper said “at this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.”

Implicit, of course, was that Chavez had denied Venezuelans freedom, democracy and the rule of law, which he did. But out of deference to the feelings of any who might be genuinely mourning the man, Harper’s criticism was indirect. The Venezuelan government issued a diplomatic protest. No one else, that I can recall, noticed.

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comme ... to-trudeau

[sobrohusfat]