Fidel Resigns

[irt3hnubpie]

I really don't see the whole embargo's point; "Get Democracy, or we won't trade with you." Canada has maintained full diplomatic relations with Cuba since Fidel toppled the previous government and even to today.

[Russell]

But it's just so frustrating watching a country with so much power use that power almost invariably to do harm to the rest of the world.

You mean like the British Empire did from about 1600 to 1997?

QFT

[Deus_Mortem]

But it's just so frustrating watching a country with so much power use that power almost invariably to do harm to the rest of the world.

You mean like the British Empire did from about 1600 to 1997?

QFT

Every large 'empire' (for lack of a better word) does this at least once in their life. It's the way the world works.

[Mr. Happy]

Well the elections in cuba are rigged, it's not as terrible place to live as everyone makes it out to be, but it's certainly not free. There's a reason why there are so many anti-castro cuban immigrant groups in miami.

One of my cousins got to spend a semester at sea where they went from country to country hearing people speak and doing classes on a cruise ship. One of the places they went was cuba, and they had a lecture from castro. Extremely smart and educated man apparently.

Anyway, ya, his brother is gonna be in charge, but that guy is also in his late seventies. So are most of the old guard. Wouldn't be suprised if communism falls apart in cuba in 20 years or so.

[Woe Kitten]

Yup America is behaving exactly the same as Britain did from the 1600s to the end of WW2. And if I lived in Britain of the past I would be doing something about it, not sitting around spouting nationalistic bullpoop, and telling everyone about how it's OK because I don't care.

Also the immigrant communities in Miami actually stem primarily from the Cuban revolution, when a lot of the supporters of Batista's corrupt regime were exiled to America (because basically it was their job to run the gambling and prostitution rackets that the American ruling class loved so much, which incidentally disappeared after Castro gained power). It was those same Cuban exiles that were used in the Bay of Pigs, so it's no surprise really that they are still bitter 40 years later, and also no surprise that those communities are so rife with crime.

In a country which is as financially crippled as Cuba there is bound to be unrest and as far as I can see their financial problems are almost entirely the fault of the American government and it's vindictive embargo. Castro was a good man in a very bad situation and he did a fantastic job. If a single American president had had his heart or his brains in the past 80 years the world would be a much nicer place to live.

[RobQ]

"Doing a good job in a bad position" doesn't make him any less of a totalitarian dictator. A single person (or small group) imposing his will on others is wrong - no matter how good his actions and ideas are. You want the extreme scenario? Imagine he kills your parents and rapes your sister. What can you do about it? Nothing. Not gonna happen huh? That can't be your government of choice - "I hope that doesn't happen to me".

[Puhnkss]

"Doing a good job in a bad position" doesn't make him any less of a totalitarian dictator. A single person (or small group) imposing his will on others is wrong - no matter how good his actions and ideas are. You want the extreme scenario? Imagine he kills your parents and rapes your sister. What can you do about it? Nothing. Not gonna happen huh? That can't be your government of choice - "I hope that doesn't happen to me".

So by that logic; a large group (or majority) imposing it's will on others, is ok -no matter how "bad" their/he/she/it's actions and ideas are. They/he/she/it kills your parents and rapes your siblings, that's ok by you? -Of course it's not. The point I'm trying to make (and probably failing) is that, Good and Bad are always only a point of view. Even the "freedom" we live in today in the USA or GB or w/e is all relative and "from a certain point of view," is not even freedom. One person's democracy is another's dictatorship. One man's trash is another's treasure. At the end of the day, good or bad, suffering or not it's all just "Swings and roundabouts"?

Also, I think we can all agree it's kinda wrong to generalise about large and complicated things such as countries, but as narrow as that is; this "idiocy" is a valid expression of an over-all opinion. If one were to preface his/her generalisation with something like: "I realise what I'm about to say isn't absolute and doesn't apply to "X" as a whole, but it is applicable, generally to the majority, and it's the majority that counts/matters." would that go someway to making generalised statements around forums appear less... narrow-minded? -I guess what isn't said is sometimes the important stuff.

Personally I'm not sure what to think, I don't know enough of actual Cuban history to make assumstions, but I think be good for the country. lol I didn't even recognise him when I saw his picture in the paper.