On 5 May 2006 04:22:13 GMT, D Murphy wrote:

"Hawke" wrote in
:

If you weren't so ignorant you would know, like we do, that Castro has
done a lot for the Cuban people, COMPARED TO THE GUY BEFORE HIM. By
the way, a guy our government had no trouble with even though he
treated Cubans like ****. I don't expect you to be able to tell the
difference between them though. That takes some brains and education.

Not really. Castro has always been about Castro.

He does not seem to lead the Imperial bush lifestyle.

His revolution had
little to do with the people. The image of Batista as a ruthless wealthy
dictator holding all of the Cuban people in poverty is not accurate.

Oddly, that's not what all those that joined him thought.

Batista started as a dictator, but by the time of Castro's revolution,
he was a freely elected president nearing his final (mandatory) term

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
[
In October, 1938, Batista, who formed a coalition with the Cuban Communist Party
[4] was elected President of Cuba.
.....
In 1944, Batista was forbidden by law to seek re-election by term limits and
was succeeded by Grau.
]
[
Batista staged an almost bloodless coup d'état on March 10, 1952
]
[
Advocates of liberal democracy also viewed Batista's presidency as
unconstitutional and unacceptable because he was not elected (He later held an
election and won unopposed; this was to legitimize his status with the
Americans).
]
[
Against this backdrop of growing civil war, Batista, constitutionally prohibited
from continuing as president, organized an election in which his preferred
candidate Carlos Rivero Aguero defeated Grau. That was not enough, however, as
his regime began to collapse.
]
[
On January 1, 1959, Batista and Rivero fled Cuba ...
]

That's ~14 years after he was not allowed to be "president" due to term
limits ...

Castro's personal wealth on the other hand, is estimated to be around
$900 million, making him one of the wealthiest persons on the planet.
Yet the average Cuban lives in poverty. The image of Castro as a humble
poor servant of the people is just that; an image.

So you think he's a republican?
http://198.62.75.1/www2/fcf/fideldenies1.html

Where's the claimed money?

The notion that Cubans were suffering before Castro took over is just
plain wrong. Havana was the third most expensive city in the world.

The US mob was making a bundle.

It
was in the midst of a boom when Castro took over. Corporations were
opening plants and offices there. Cuba had become a tourist mecca,
providing opportunity and wealth that the Cuban people had not seen
before nor since.

Not many of the people of Cuba.

The real mistake was one which we are about to repeat in Iraq. The U.S.
was forcing democracy down Batista's throat.

Rubbish.

Cuba was not stable enough
to hold both free elections and the peace.

But you just said ....

Cuba had struggled to free
itself from Spain for years, fighting several wars, only to find itself
under the control of the U.S. More struggle and Cuba finally won its'
independence, but not its stability.

If nothing else, Batista brought economic growth

The mob.

and improved standards
of living to the Cuban people. Castro's revolution took place as
Batista's final term was nearing its mandatory end. The newly reformed
Cuban government didn't have the means nor inclination to defend the
country from Castro's invasion.

"Invasion"? Castro invaded Cuba?

Today Cuba remains very poor.

Trade with the US would help both.
Did the last major US candy maker close US operations & move to
Canada with it's cheaper Cuban sugar?

Castro's Cuba was heavily subsidised by the Soviet Union.

That was later.

Since the
collapse of the USSR, oil, food, medicine, and money have been scarce.
Food rationing is a daily reality for the average Cuban.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FE482
[
The reasons for the introduction of a system of food rationing in revolutionary
Cuba just three years after the revolution can be found in a combination of two
factors. The first factor was the increasing demand for food as a result of more
purchasing power for the public (increasing incomes and decreasing expenses such
as rent and electricity).
]

Non-subsidized non-rationed food can also be purchased.

The upside to the downside so to speak is that Cuba has a culture that
is unique in today's throw-away world. They conserve, repair, and help
each other out. Robbery and theft are nearly unheard of. No one person
is any better off than any other. In the U.S. everyone is equally free.
In Cuba everyone is equally poor.

Since medicine and health care supplies are scarce, Cubans concentrate
on preventative health care. They make an effort to eat a healthy diet
and get plenty of exercise. As a people they have one of the highest, if
not the highest expected life expectancy for a poor country. When
something breaks, they fix it. If a commodity is scarce, everyone does
their part to conserve it. Like I said, a very unique culture nowadays.

The Cuban people are for the most part a cheerful, close-knit,
resourceful bunch. In a way it will be a shame when modernity eventually
replaces Castro as the Cuban culture will likely be changed forever.

In the end does it really matter what form of government rules Cuba? Why
should we care anymore? Hasn't Cuba paid enough for throwing the
Kennedy's mobster buddies and their casinos out of the country?

If the U.S. really wants to change Cuba all we need do is open trade and
relations with them. Our culture and wealth would infect the place like
a virus, just like China.
--
Cliff