Babalu Blog

What angers me about this Moncada attack the most is that Fidel wasn't executed for treason. In most countries there are treason laws. Yet, in Cuba apparently there were no treason laws or if there were, they weren't observed. Can you imagine someone like Fidel pulling a Moncada on a U.S. military barracks? He would be sent to the electric chair quicker than a gnat bats a wing! What happened to Cuba was so needless, so avoidable that it makes one sick to think about it! The truth must be said, we had lousy leaders who made a sham of governing Cuba and this gave rise to the Monster.

As Carlos Alberto Montaner wrote, in a country like Switzerland Fidel Castro instead of rallying followers behind him, would have been put in a straitjacket and sent to the nearest insane asylum. Think about it. The man is certifiably insane with his crazy eyes, his wild gesticulations, and his grotesque hyperbole and histrionics. Castro is an asshole as well as a psychopath, yet in Cuba he rallied followers behind him. Que verguenza para nosotros.

Ray, de la Cova said that one of fidel's nickname was "El Loco" -- guessed they pegged 'im even back then.

George, I can atttest to the "El Loco" or more accurately "Fidel el loco" nickname. My uncle by marriage, Candido Delgado, (aka) El Barbero de Belen" cut his hair during his Belen years and heard this often. He always described him during this period of his life as being very smart and audacious, but a little nutty.
In 1959 Candido told my dad that if Castro stays in power he would destroy the country-my dad thought likewise. When Castro went to Belen with his henchmen (which is a story in itself), he went to see my uncle and greeted him with a big abrazo and asked; "Te acuerdas de mi?" Candido would go into exile with his family months later.
After running a clandestine barber shop out of a duplex in little Havana for a while, he later opened the Belen barber shop on N.W. 7th Street right near the Orange Bowl -a meeting spot for dozens of Belen alumni in need of a haircut.

Omar, I went to Belen on SW 7th Street. We called it "the dust bowl" because it had no grass...

George, I went to Miami High School. We smoked "grass". :-)

If the sentence, "History will absolve me" was not actually uttered by Castro, then what about the link to Hitler's speech? Even Padilla, in his book Mala Memoria refers to Castro's penchant for Mein Kampf and the "Venceremos" ripoff from Mussolini. Would we assume that Quevedo thought it favorable at the time to link Hitler with Castro.
I really want to read this book.

Though he never uttered the phrase at the trial, he added it to his "official" version of his defense speech which he elaborated while in prison. The point isn't to discredit his known affinity for Adolph Hitler, but to show that this was again one of his lies. In fact de la Cova presents what he says is the first document lie of fidel castro showing that at a young age he was a liar and manipulator. In the famous letter he wrote to FDR asking for a "10 dollars bill, green American" (about $100 in today's dollars) he says he's 12 years old. But in actuality he was 14 years old.

Omar, LOL! We were a little more conservative at Belen, despite the priests that had a propensity to discuss agrarian reform...

Omar, What year did you graduate from Miami High? I'm class of 72.

Orgullosa: Class of '73, but I'm told I have not changed a bit!

Yes, Ray, what happened in Cuba is both tragic AND shameful, immensely so, and that remains to be addressed. I'm not sure it ever will be, though, at least not fully. The fact is that Castro, who is clearly abnormal and unquestionably perverse, could only get as far as he was allowed to get, and he was allowed plenty. I cringe whenever I see people, including presumably serious and informed people, imply that it was all Castro's fault, or the fault of a small group. That's bullshit, but it's far less sticky, painful and uncomfortable than what actually happened.

Yes, there were plenty of foreign enablers, but the first and most crucial enablers were Cubans, LOTS of Cubans. Without them, the foreign bastards wouldn't have gotten the chance. I try not to think about it too much, because it's sickening. There are some such people in my extended family, as I expect is true in practically every Cuban family, and they make my skin crawl. They might as well be rapists or child molesters. To me, it's like they're covered in shit from head to toe.

This is like a dirty secret that everybody knows but is afraid to tackle head on. In my opinion, it HAS to be dealt with, or we will never truly recuperate and heal.

George,

my dad went to Belen and was acquainted with the pondscum and he attests to the fact that Fidel was known as "el loco fidel" . . .

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