I'm sure this will put me on the radar of some intelligence agency ... but I can't NOT comment on today's announcement that Fidel is retiring as President of Cuba ...I, for one like the guy and what he brought to the tiny island country of Cuba.
I think back to a study tour we took of Cuba in the early 1990's. We saw much of Cuba beyond the Resorts and Beach front hotels and talked to innumerable ordinary citizens ... over and over we heard about how beautiful Cuba had been prior to the revolution. BUT, when we asked if they would rather live in Cuba today, or the pre-Castro Cuba, the answer was ALWAYS the same:
"Oh Cuba isn't perfect today ... Brother Fidel could do better ... but it is SOOOOO much better today than it was then ..." and the litany of education, medical care, and food for EVERYONE rolled out ... then the line - "we might be poor, but we ARE all poor, BUT we ALL have enough to survive ..."
It was NOT just mindless parroting of the official Party line ... it was a deep appreciation of what the Revolution brought to the island as it drove out the excessive wealth that used the island as a sunny play ground ... farmers, factory workers, teachers, nurses, and ordinary folks in the street all shared their DEEP love for their country, and their commitment to the values of equality, justice and sharing that were embodied by the bearded revolutionary who stepped off the Gramna five decades ago ...
Love him or hate him ... he left an impression on Cuba ... and for many, life DID get better because of him ... and that is a simple fact that too many narrow minded Politicians have lost sight of over the last 50 years ... George can talk about the high ideals of democracy, but for the average Cuban forgoing some freedom is acceptable in the name of community ... that is something guys like George just don't get ...
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