Castro breaks a leg on stage

[void_false 1]

Someone of us really needs a doctor.... :\

[DarkLight 0]

Someone of us really needs a doctor.... :\

Yeah well

at least i don't murder ppl

at least i don't support useless wars

at least i'm not ashamed for who i am

at least i can have a good laugh once in a while

at least .....

I like my life just the way it is, thank youuuu

[DarkLight 0]

Well yes, actually Bush trying to eat a Bretzel was goddamn funny indeed.  

You know, they're complex little bastards!

I'd have no idea where to start!!!

[Tovarish 0]

LOL. First of all he's a human.

As are the people he tosses into jail just for publicly speaking out against his policies. Anyone who does that deserves a broken bone or two, and a laugh at his expense.

Quote[/b] ]Then i cant understand. Do u wet yr pants when u hear word "communist"?

No, As a matter of fact, I have regular e-mail correspondence with several people in Cuba, some of which do believe in communism (no, we are not dumb enough to discuss politics in such e-mails)

Quote[/b] ]

No? Then whats the problem? Do u think that if there's reform on Cuba, everyone suddenly gets happy there?

most would be happier ....now keep in mind that all depends in what kind of reform, I do place as much blame on U.S. policy as I do on Castro for the situation in Cuba. Despite what the outspoken right-wing exiles in Miami say, Cubans do not want to return to being Las vegas South or America's back yard - there's a reason the revolution had so much support in the first place.

[Winters 1]

Bush falls from bycicle - uahaahhahahaah!!! roflmao!!!

First he would need to have Colin Powell tell him how to ride said bike.

[Bordoy 0]

Lol, Anyone see the headling on the page about this in the Metro paper?

"Toppling of a Dictator"

[llauma 0]

most would be happier ....now keep in mind that all depends in what kind of reform, I do  place as much blame on U.S. policy as I do on Castro for the situation in Cuba. Despite what the outspoken right-wing exiles in Miami say, Cubans do not want to return to being Las vegas South or America's back yard - there's a reason the revolution had so much support in the first place.

I agree that the US policy for Cuba has a huge part in the current situation on Cuba. I am actually surprised that it isn't worse. Infact the standard of living is high compaired to the other countries in the region. The credits goes to communism but on the otherhand communism is the reason why USA has the current policy for Cuba, but I doubt it would be much better with a US friendly government at least not for the lower class.

Cuba is the only free country in the region but the citizens have no democrazy. The alternative would be to fall for the US pressure and loose the freedom but gain democrazy. Under normal conditions Cuba wouldn't turn much better with a right wing government but I am sure USA would invest quite alot of money to prove what Cuba 'could have had' without Castro. It sure wouldn't look good if Cuba turned worse without Castro.

I hope Cuba will have free elections once Castro is dead and elect an European style socialist government as far to the right as needed for the US to accept them. That would be the best for all the people and not only the majority.

[Tovarish 0]

...but on the otherhand communism is the reason why USA has the current policy for Cuba, but I doubt it would be much better with a US friendly government at least not for the lower class.

Not true, Castro was actually pushed to the Soviet block by the U.S. when it became apparent that they would not tolerate his government over the puppet government they had there with Batista. The only thing initially "Communist" about Castro was agrarian reform - he made it clear he intended to re-nationalize the Cuban lands Batista had been bribed to sell to U.S. corporations, and he was willing to pay compensation for it. However, the U.S. decided he was another troublesome Arbenz to be toppled. It was also an issue of winning the votes of all the Batistaite Cubans that made for Miami as soon as the revolution began gaining ground (this is still the major reason the embargo is in place). Plus, after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, it became a personal matter for JFK, who felt he had been humiliated.

I'm actually reading a very good book on the Missile Crisis at the moment, which goes into the history between Cuba and the U.S. from the late 1800's onward, and does a very good job of explaining why things turned out as they did. It's called The Missiles of October by Robert Smith Thompson.

*edit* Amazon.com link for the book

[Sniper_Panther 0]

Well my images are better.

[llauma 0]

...but on the otherhand communism is the reason why USA has the current policy for Cuba, but I doubt it would be much better with a US friendly government at least not for the lower class.

Not true, Castro was actually pushed to the Soviet block by the U.S. when it became apparent that they would not tolerate his government over the puppet government they had there with Batista. The only thing initially "Communist" about Castro was agrarian reform - he made it clear he intended to re-nationalize the Cuban lands Batista had been bribed to sell to U.S. corporations, and he was willing to pay compensation for it. However, the U.S. decided he was another troublesome Arbenz to be toppled. It was also an issue of winning the votes of all the Batistaite Cubans that made for Miami as soon as the revolution began gaining ground (this is still the major reason the embargo is in place). Plus, after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, it became a personal matter for JFK, who felt he had been humiliated.

I'm actually reading a very good book on the Missile Crisis at the moment, which goes into the history between Cuba and the U.S. from the late 1800's onward, and does a very good job of explaining why things turned out as they did. It's called The Missiles of October by Robert Smith Thompson.

*edit* Amazon.com link for the book

Yes, I know under what circumstances Castro was pushed towards Soviet. Castro didn't want contacts with them as he didn't consider himself a communist by Soviet standards. In the views of the CIA the 26th of July movement and later PURSC was a communist threat that could turn really big among people in the region if Cuba did well.

Castro was finally forced to take over US refineries as they refused to process Soviet crude oil.. Cuba was in need of basic supplies while the country had factories that were not being used. Infact the Soviet oil was cheaper than the American oil. After Castro nationalised the refineries the US relations got really bad. US withdrew the Cuban sugar quota which lead to Castro nationalising all the factories which lead the ban of US exports to Cuba.

Castro nationalising the factories and plantations because the people of Cuba needed that is a Communist thing so yes, communism is the reason why US has their policy for Cuba. A non-communist dictator didn't do that, just look at Batista.

Thanks for the book tip.. I'll read it

[cozza 24]

Well my images are better.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

it was the little man in the white shirt who walked past

[Nemesis6 0]

Well my images are better.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn.....ap.jpg

it was the little man in the white shirt who walked past    

Exactly my thought. He could've been a CIA agent, anything!

Does anyone here see a pattern? Let me elaborate...

Milosevic - Too ill to be proscecuted, develops a cold each time anyone says "haag".

Castro - Trips on open TV, thus making thousands of people laugh at his misfortune.

The same old dealy'o with all those old dictators. Old, weak, and trippy. :-P

Anyway, could've been the white suite. Hell, President Bush himself could have ordered and planned it all. :-D

[Tovarish 0]

Castro nationalising the factories and plantations because the people of Cuba needed that is a Communist thing so yes, communism is the reason why US has their policy for Cuba. A non-communist dictator didn't do that, just look at Batista.

Taking back your country when it was sold off for private profit to another nation is Communism? Think about it, what if for some reason Texas was sold off to Japan and all the money from the sale went into the American president's pockets? The CIA did not consider Castro a communist threat at first - it was just standard operating procedure at that time to use the Red Scare to further USA's interests in Latin America

*edit* some snippets from the book - first one from New York Times reporter Herbert Matthews, who interviewed Castro in the Sierra Maestra during the revolution:

Quote[/b] ]"The personality of the man is overpowering, It was easy to see that his men adored him....Here was an educated, dedicated fanatic, a man of ideals, of courage, and of remarkable qualities of leadership...

...

...radical, democratic and therefore anti-Communist...no animosity toward the United States and it's people"

Quote[/b] ]In 1959, at the invitation of the American Society of Newspaper Editions, Castro flew to the States. Although President Eisenhower refused to meet him, the press heaped him with praise, the CIA briefed him (on the mennace of communism), vice president Nixon conversed with him (Nixon thought him "sincere [but] incredibly naive about communism"

...

Ambassador Bonsal said to a caller, "he, Bonsal, could handle him [Castro] if he were left alone...Castro was a terrific person, physically and mentally, he was far from crazy, he was not living on pills [as some U.S. newspapers had alleged], and he was not a Communist"

And then, as soon as it became apparent that Cuba would no longer in effect be owned by the U.S. that all changed.