And how does one answer that?

Does he know about Ivan Hernandez Carrillo who is in jail for 25 years for peaceful opposition and running an independent library? Does he know that Ivan is a young black man who is blind and suffers from hypertension and is being denied medical attention as well as any medication his family has attempted to deliver to him? How about Dr. Elias Biscet who is also black and is serving 25 year jail sentence he received simply for peacefully opposition? This is just a tiny tip of the iceberg.

Where do you begin? How can you not have a problem with someone responsible for the torture of family members, for stripping a child of her innocence after witnessing atrocities? How can you not have a problem with someone who is responsible for so much misery and death? I don’t know if to cry or just be really pissed – I’m at a loss.

Val, my eyes well up with tears looking at these. I can't show these to my mom; she will not believe her eyes. Mr. Landers is obviously following the party line that fidel's Cuba is egalitarian and racist-free. He couldn't be more wrong, and worse, more naive. Sad stuff, bro.

The old Batista argument. Infinitely flexible. Whenever Castro is bad, you just revise Batista so he was worse. Then whenever someone criticizes the tin god Castro, present the old false alternative.

If you go to a doctor and complain that you're having chest pains, does he say "So, would you rather have cancer?" Only if he's preemptively dismissing you. Same with "So you'd prefer Batista?" A plague is a plague, and wanting to be rid of one plague doesn't oblige you to like or dislike another.

People jump into shark infested waters and lie down to die in mine fields because of Fidelzebub. If they did any such thing under Fulgencio-the-Perpetual-Excuse, history has not passed down any such information to us, and even if they did, it is still a bad thing to inspire the people you wish to protect to choose between escape and suicide.

Batista is a red herring that Castro apologists wave when they want to manipulate you into paying homage to one of the living god-kings of the communist past. Robbery, rape, assault, murder and slavery suck, and therefore Castro sucks. No footnotes about F. B. are required to explain why someone might not like El Comandante.

MY 2 cents on the afrocentric blog:

"What exactly do I have against fidel castro you ask?"

I can tell you what I have against Fidel.

Fidel is a white man of Spanish Galician origin. His father sided with the Spaniards during the war of Independence and it even has been said that he murdered many blacks who worked on the Castro plantation.

Also in the higher ups of the Cuban Communist party there are only white people - no Afro Cubans hold any important positions in the Cuban Communist Party. It's a white mans club.

If Cuba was such a utopia for Afro Cubans how can you explain that the majority prison population in the Cuban prison industrial complex is mainly black and mulatto?

Try being a black Cuban man and try walking into any tourist hotel in Cuba - especially in Havana. I dare you. See what happens. You will accosted, questioned, kicked out or worse.

FYI - Batista was not a white Cuban. He was of mixed blood - Indian and Mulatto. Many blacks supported him.

Many of Cuba's human rights activists - most who are Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience are Afro Cuban.

Let me introduce my personal friend and Cuba's most famous Afro dissident - Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet.
You can check him out in this website:
www.biscet.org
He is in jail - and treated badly because he (a black Cuban) decided to stand up to a man called Fidel Castro who still likes to dress in Army costumes in this day and age.

The African American community should be helping and supporting Biscet - but they are not - they rather fawn over a white Galician man who has sent countless numbers of Afro Cubans to their graves.

That is why I have a problem with Fidel Castro.

Remember:
www.biscet.org

The disturbing thing this exchange (and the ridiculous posts on the Black Bloggers forum) highlights is the amazing gullibility of many, many American blacks. Tell them Church's fried chicken is run by the Klan, and that they put special chemicals in the food to sterilize black men, and they'll believe it without hesitation. Tell them Jews created AIDS to kill black people, and they swallow it; never mind the thousands of Jews who have died from AIDS or that Jews were instrumental in securing civil rights for blacks in the U.S. Tell them the wackiest conspiracy you can make up, and it slides down their open gullets with no resistance. Just make sure it's a theory that flatters blacks or makes them seem like victims.

Gullibility makes people weak. There is no hope for people who abandon reason and follow the mindless herd.

Black people who think succeed. For the rest, poverty and failure are assured.

As for Castro, politically correct black people love him (as instructed), because Nelson Mandela loves him. Of course, Mandela also loved his wife, who ran a murder gang and told her followers to burn other black people alive.

R.L. = Real Lazy.

Seems like Ric wants you to provide HIS content, Val. Maybe after he gets Larry Elder...

Great site! Its good to have someone speak the truth. Keep it up.

PS - FUCK CHE~!

and let me add
fidel,
don't forget --
you're Val's bitch.

The Spaniards had a civil war to get rid of the communists and the likes of the pasionaria, a ruthless murderess. They now have great tascas and paella is not rationed.

The French had their civil war, heads rolled, the mob got out of control, had cake, came up with the metric sistem and fixed their country better than before. Too bad they're so wimpy now-a-days. The corsican must be rolling in his grave.

The Americans had their own civil war to preserve the Union, the slaves were set free as a result and it emerged out of it a modern nation with cool weapons and even greater tactics that european nations studied for years afterwards.

Don't you think Cuba is due for a jab at it?

Why are these apologists of fidel against us having a civil war? Every nation thats worth its salt needs a civil war to set things straight and clear the air.

Maybe as a result, tell the black caucus, the slaves over in Cuba will be set free. Surely they have to support that. Even if some of them are white and brown.

Tell them the plantation owner and his crackers like to bring in their white tourist friends and give them nice AfroCuban girls for fun and games.

If this does not piss them off one bit, then they are turning their backs on all they have based their belief structure on.

Or was it all just convenient repertoire?

I personally say, bring it on and lets see if castro really has a Götterdämmerung wish like some people have said. Ooooooo! Were so scared!

I just get tired of messing with that old worn out bitch and his bitchettes.

Sorry,

Just feeling a little Rambolike today, too many coladitos. Caffeine makes me crazy.

I've been accused of that once. Must be the hidalgo genes in me also that do that.

At least Bautista fed his people. Corrupt yes. A murdering oppressor like the bearded one..no.

Wow, lots of trolls from other web sites stealing Val's material (and LaShawn's) and criticizing it.

Pathetic.

46 YEARS OF A MURDEROUS REGIME
While some people bury their heads in the sand, Ric has it stuck between his butt cheeks, if he is not aware of the crimes fidelito has committed, or if he does not question why two million people have fled Cuba if it is such a paradise.

Let him go to: www.therealcuba.com/index.htm and begin his education there. Isn't he familiar with REPRESSION and what it's all about (Oh, yes, he might claim that he's repressed, eh)?

Well, why not recommend him to the site where names (and photos) of the thousands on the list of those who have been executed by fidelito's orders? Or why doesn't Ric read the copies of letters from prisoners of fidelito's illegal regime or the accounts of those who have been in those coffin-like cells.

IT'S A TERRORIST POLICE STATE
Lovers of fidelito always raise the specter of Batista, as if one dictatorship justifies another, especially one that is more murderous, more criminal in nature, and more repressive than the prior one. Batista was bad, but fidelito is simply a little Hitler, and a thousand times worse than the prior dictator. Obviously Ric approves of murderous, repressive regimes that enslave a whole nation, while ruled over by a dictator who has salted away approximatly one hundred million dollars in his own coffers.

Now, if Ric were to advocate freedom and a democracy in Cuba, he'd be worth listening to, even if he wanted to preserve fidelito and put him away in a sanitorium somewhere. As it is, he's little more than a parrot claiming to speak in general for blacks by adding "Association" to his name.

OK, OK. I get it. Fidel is really bad. :-)

Too bad your boy Bush won't really DO anything about it!

If the U.S. military took out Saddam in 3 weeks, it can take out Castro in 3 days. After 4 decades of embargo, Cuban military capability should be no match for U.S. forces. Logistics? No problem, right in the back yard, we've even got a naval base onsite for crying out loud! :-) Remember when Cheney was saying the Iraqis would be throwing flowers at the troops? Didn't exactly turn out that way, but I think it's safe to say U.S. presence in Cuba would be welcome for the most part by the people there. Despite the constant propaganda, there's no intense anti-American sentiment like in the Middle East, so that's another point in the plus column.

So why won't Bushie do it. . .?

Answer #1: The top issue for U.S. today is anti-American ideology/politics in the Islamic world and its relation to global terrorism. Communism/socialism is not such a priority anymore. Sorry Val, but you're a little behind the times here. . . :-)

Answer #2: Cuba's an island. Any poverty and political turmoil there would tend to STAY there. Cynical, but accurate.

Answer #3: Economic importance. In the colonial past, Cuba was the strategic cornerstone of the New World. Today, stogies, rum, and salsa just isn't that important in the big picture. It's the black gold that gets the Yumas' panties all moist :-)

Answer #4: The embargo is enough to keep naughty Castro relatively harmless, without having to take on the burden of reforming yet another poor Latin-American country.

Conclusion: Republicans will continue to get easy votes in Florida but not commit serious resources to the "Cuban problem." This is one of the great political bargains in the history of the Republican party! Val, you need to reread your Jose Martí; he WARNED you about those Yumas. . . ;-)

Sorry guys. I know, the situation over there really sucks, but you're just going to have to keep waiting! Talk about the ultimate cola! :-) With your luck, Fidel will live to at least 90. There'll be peace and democracy in the Middle East before the same is found in Cuba. Sad. It's like a dreary telenovela with no ending in site. . .

turbo 7x7 wrote:

"Answer #2: Cuba's an island. Any poverty and political turmoil there would tend to STAY there. Cynical, but accurate."

Really? Explain the Mariel Boatlift to me, then.

Hey turbo, Cuba's situation isnt "Bushies" fault. So lets take the blame off of him, mmmkay?

Slick move, that. Change the subject to Bush, so we don't have to hold the dictator Castro responsible for the fact that human rights have WORSENED since he took over, the economy has WORSENED since he took over, that everything decent has WORSENED under his rule.

But oh no, let's talk about Batista, and then when that fails change the subject to Bush. What the fuck ever man.

Standard Operating Procedure, Dean.

Further proof that the ability to think independently is the basis for real intelligence.

(to distinguish myself from Bryan who commented above)

The kicker for me is that the operator of this blog wants you to go to his forums to defend yourself. Like the people in his forums can't waltz over here and peruse your archives their own bad selves.

Yeesh.

Here is my answer to your question about what exactly is wrong with the bitch( a.k.a. la puta). How bout we take your black ass and drop you off on the island so you can get a taste of what racism and oppresion is like on the island. Maybe then you can answer that question for yourself.

Jorge,

As much as I disagree with the womans inane point of view, I dont want this to get into a name calling thing. Lets try to keep it civil.

Keep it civil? Val, you're the one calling the Dear Leader a BIOTCH!

To dissent a bit, am I the only one that cringes at the thought of a US intervention/invasion of Cuba? Do I hear Platt Amendment all over again??

I think the last thing Cuba needs is the US running the show in a post-Fidel environment. Cubans and Cuban-Americans, yes; yumas, absolutely not.

Val the only person I would call a bitch was is fidel. No one else. I was not calling the woman with the inanes point of view that.

shenandoah,
while I agree with your point, be carefull, your walking on egg shells. That kind of thinking may land you a vote off this island.

Oscar,

I charge you to read every single entry in this blog and find one post where I promote or condone the use of military force by the US or anyone else to oust fidel castro.

Military action against Cuba is political suicide, my friend, and GW Bush is way too shrewd a politician to commit such a grevious error.

"Answer #2: Cuba's an island. Any poverty and political turmoil there would tend to STAY there. Cynical, but accurate."

OH YEA??? ASK VENEZUELA!!

The suggestion that the U.S. would invade Cuba is absurd. We haven't done it since Kennedy's ill-fated attempt, and there's no reason to do so now. Castro is going to die soon, and cooler heads will hopefully prevail.

Let's just call it the "arafat doctrine."

How do you say "freakin' wankers" in Spanish?

Mark,

"Comemierdas."

People not originally from a democratic society retain an unfortunate habit of assuming that everyone's beliefs and intentions are *made* to be exactly personified by "the man".

People not originally from an undemocratic society retain an unfortunate habit of assuming that everyone's beliefs and intentions aren't *made* to be exactly personified by "the man".

Remember this always, and repeat this everyday:

Oppress the oppressors. Or be oppressed.

Arrrrggghhh!!

Who cares about Bush? Bush this, Bush that, Bush everything! Of course....it all an evil plot by Karl Rove to get the evil-chimp-Bushitler his daily snack of oil!

Do not drink from the well of conspiracy, for it consumes you.

I think the Armies new motto should be "Sic Semper Tyranis" (I think that's the correct spelling) It means Thus always to Tyrants. We're doing pretty good so far. Hitler, Noriega, Saddam........

In my opinion, there is no doubt that Fidel Castro is just a ruthless dictator. I hope the Cubans will get rid of him as soon as possible, 45 years of terror are more than enough.

Val,
Your an idiot dude. Why? For one reason. Your so obsessed with getting rid of fidel, and expressing your views, that you don't take the time to LISTEN to anyone else. When I first heard about this blog site, I thought it would be a good sorce to get more insite into Cuba, it's culture, history ect. But I see that I was wrong. This is however a fantastic site to get into the ANGRY CUBAN AMERICAN/EXILE point of view. I have no problems what so ever going back to the library and checking out books on Cuba, talking to people who are pro/against fidel and his embargo, granted listening to those that are for fidel would be hard, but still LISTENING, and going back to Cuba to talk with my family members who want to come, and those who wish to stay. Good luck with all your hatered and anger. You'll need it.
I await your negative response. Yeah. Actually I don't.

oscar, there is only one truth regarding fidel. No matter how many times it gets repeated, a lie is still a lie.

Also, I think it's damn poor of you to come here and call Val names. Would you go to a Jewish center and want to have an open discussion on the pros and cons of the holocaust? Would you call an old camp survivor an idiot because he knows that Hitler was evil? That's what you are doing here. You're the idiot.

oscar,

Ill just let your commentary stand for itself. Read this wole thread and then my only my comment towards you and see if they merit your calling me an idiot.

If you dont like it here, get the fuck out, dude. I certainly dont need to be insulted by cretins like you.

Gracias, Kathleen.

And I might add, osacr, theres no schedule here. I dont wrte to please you. I write what I want, when I want. If I want to write a long sob story about culture, I will. If I want to write about my dog and the chicken bone he almost choked on, I will. Thats the way it works when its your own blog.

As I have said here many many times, I dont cater to an audience. I write for me. If you dont like it, im not apologizing. Its that simple.

Get a freaken grip, dude.

No hay de que

This reminds me of Sep 11. After we were attacked, we had the entire world on our side. Then we went into Iraq, and lost the support of most of our allies.

WAKE UP PEOPLE.

There's a lot of us who sympthasie with the Cuban community in the U.S., but when all we here are the name calling, see the anger, all of that crap, it's just turns people off from SUPPORTING your cause. WAKE UP!

Eagerly awaiting the negative comments now.

Heh, heh. As Val would say James, "Standard Operating Procedure"

C'mon guys. Lighten up! You don't have to get all protective about your boy Bush. I was just trying to say some provocative comments explaining WHY the situation is stuck in the status quo. . .

If anything, I don't think the U.S. should "invade" Cuba and neither do most Americans. I was just busting your chops because you give your vote away so easily and the powers that be have to do almost nothing for you guys in return. LOL!

If you guys really want to do something for your country: hire a contingent of ex-Special Forces and Commandos to take Fidel out! Why let all those mercs in Iraq stay stuck there when you folks have the moola to PAY them better and involve them in a straightforward mission with a 99% chance of success. I bet you can even get some Central and South Americans in on the action. At that point, even dubya will REALLY want to help you. ;-) Just don't let the CIA get involved, they might fuck it up again, heh heh!

It should be pretty quick and bloodless. How many Cuban soldiers are going to take a bullet for a leader they secretly detest? RIGHT VAL? The army and police in retreat would would look like the try outs for the Cuban Olympic quarter-mile running backwards track team. LMAO!!

You guys need to stop WHINING, stop badgering the U.S., and finish the job yourselves, that should have been done a LONG time ago. You guys boast about "independent thinking" yet you support a policy that has accomplished absolutely NOTHING in its 42 years of existence. Kiss my YUMA ass! LOL! ;-)

you don't have to apologise, and neither do I. if people here can not respect others points of views, 2bad.

Oscar... for the record I respect your point of view, because even people like you have this country's right to be respected.

Oscar, if Val is such an idiot as you said, how come he can spell you're (you are) and you can't?

Comment deleted by admin.

Once again, Erica, apparently you cant get anyone to visit your site by any other means than creating a completely inane argument over a subject that you know absoultely NOTHING about. You have been banned from commenting further ion this site as I refuse to be spammed by you.