Castro resigns as President

Whilst I welcome the retirement of El Commandante, I hope that this doesn't mean we're going to have MacDonalds and Starbucks on every street corner in Cuba in a decade...

[ETA - does this mean the US will now drop its rather pointless (unless you're chasing votes in FLA) embargo, or will that have to wait until after November (Florida 'too close to call' again!)?]

 

You mean multiple administrations since 1962, both Democratic and Republican, were only chasing votes in Florida? Who knew.

"The Cuban people were promised by the revolution political liberty, social justice, intellectual freedom, land for the campesinos, and an end to economic exploitation," he said. "They have received a police state, the elimination of the dignity of land ownership, the destruction of free speech and a free press, and the complete subjugation of individual human welfare." - John Kennedy, Dec 1962

Not to worry. Fidel is retaining his post as first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party. Besides, I used to work with some Cuban exiles, and they liked MacDonalds very much.

 

<Shudder> There are some things worse than authoritarian socialism, you know...

And the embargo, if it's done anything at all, has tended if anything to cause the Cubans to rally behind the murderous old beardie.

 

Of course there are. But American fast food? Your Anglo-chauvinism is showing Matt :laugh:

I'm not sure how you would know, considering there is no free press there. At any rate, the thousands of Cubans who made their way out over the last 40 years or so didn't do any rallying behind Old Beardy.

 

I have to agree with you on this point. I think the embargo was used by the Castro propaganda machine to bring more aingst against the "Evil Americans" by the mind numbed masses.

As for his retirement...i'm still looking for proof that he isn't dead. It's not like the commies down there are known for telling the truth.

 

This is really sad. His reign should have ended in a noose.

 

Castro

Now that is a loving Christian statement. :laugh:

 

I have only met and talked to one Cuban. She was married to an American and they lived someplace in the US midwest. We met them in the queue at Versailles. She definitely felt this way about the embargo.