Castro is a demon because he made a fool out of Uncle Sam in the fifties. That joke is still funny, 50 years later.

I subbited a comment, it never showed up here, but it's in the archives, along with the one above and another. I been tarred and feathered?

Guess not, I submitted it and the screen went blank and the entire CD letter was gone. This one came in. Am I being snooped by someone? I don't know squat about computers.

I'll write my comment again.

When I was in high school, Castro won the Revolutionary War in Cuba. I thought at the time, he was a great man. I had my thoughts, but have never been able to form a strong opinion on the issue of Castro and Cuba. Perhaps someone could enlighten my ignorance.

Castro deposed a brutal dictator, shortly after he sought assistance from the United States government. He was not only turned down, he was treated as an enemy. Those initial failed negotiations were never made public. Castro had pissed off a lot of American tycoons ___ and the Mafia. Hmmm.

The Soviet Union wasted no time in assisting Cuba with decent trade agreements, money and technical assistance. Castro embrassed Communism. He probably had little choice if he wanted any help. Was Castro an evil man, is he still? Our dead dork pres. speaks as if he is.

Hell, we helped China, helped to the point where the Chinese now literally own us. It won't be too long before our voting ballots are printed in English, Spanish and Chinese, all 500 dialects. Butttt, no help for Cuba, don't buy a cigar made in cuba or put their sugar on your Cheerios.

It just don't make any sense to me. If we'd acted decent and helped them, we may have a good friend for a neighbor instead of another who doesn't like or respect us. Am I wrong?

No Evelyn, not wrong. The stars and bars has alienated every other country on the globe. Why should Cuba be different?

What is glaringly obvious to Castro who has lived with a target on his chest since 1959 seems like a "conspiracy theory" to many Americans, maybe most.

The "family jewels" revelations are a scripted psychological operation, directed by General Michael Hayden, former chief of the NSA until he was appointed DCI earlier this year.

FOIA requests are an unavoidable nuisance to government and the only weapon available to the people. The people are seriously outgunned.

Government co-exists with the people it purportedly serves and without whom it would not exist in a condition not unlike the Cold War. Information released voluntarily to the people should always be considered in its true context, which is the psychological theatre of war.

The only revelations about government worth considering are those made involuntarily and accompanied by a cry of "It's a threat to national security!"

In responding to the FOIA request, Slimy Michael Hayden believes he's been able to convert lemons to lemonade.

He sure as hell isn't fooling Castro, but Slimy Mike knows he's achieved a victory in the endless campaign against the stupid American public.

Sometimes there are no good guys, just gradations of grey.

Castro is a fanatic, who did what he thought was right for the Cuban people, but he limited freedom. I wish the Cuban people well and hope Cuba has a good future after Castro.

I think we have some very dangerous people working within the CIA. Some of them imo are very extreme to the right politically and this administration has not been good about following laws, to put it mildly. I wouldn't be surprised to read that CIA agents have been working within the US.

Means, motive, opportunity. Jackie had JFK killed because she was tired of his fooling around. It was paid for by Onasis that is why she had to marry him. She did the "Coup de grace" herself and you can see her pass the gun off to the agent on the back of the car. She refused to sleep with the " Old Greek" which is why he had Marie Callas. Offing "O" was the best way to keep him quiet as he was gtting Demntia and might talk. Jhon Jhon was about to go public but he lost control of a plane he flew often, Every body has a conspiracy theory.

The CIA was set up legally to be an agency for foreign intelligence operations, leaving the FBI to investigate domestic problems. The CIA has from its inception been Republican-dominated, whether overtly or covertly, and an instrument of the Robber Baron oligarchy that always had way too much clout in America, and is running wild under the Bush Junta. The stories are often covered up, but the CIA was used by Nixon to spy on political opponents inside the United States, and this is largely what Watergate was originally about, but the corporate media cooked up a whitewashed version to fool the public. Also the CIA and its mafia connections were central in Iran-Contra, which many Americans know next to nothing about because of the corporate media lies and distortions.
Both Watergate and Iran-Contra pointed to problems with CIA corruption and abuse of power, and it is probably the single most powerful weapon of the Bush Junta (Daddy being the Boss, and Grandpa Prescott tied in with it too). We may see No Change in the current mess inside our country until the CIA is exposed and neutralized and held accountable, and stripped of its secrecy rights. All this regardless of Fidel Castro or his comments. The CIA has long practiced subversion and terror overseas, and illegal domestic spying... but now it is a subersive, terrorist organization within our own country, implementing the slime of the Bush Junta.
Fidel Castro's story is and should be a matter for the people of Cuba, unless Castro clearly and with unquestionable evidence threatens the United States. Propaganda about Castro should not be used to support the old pro-Nazi Cuban Mafia's yearning to take control of Cuba again... as it was a giant corrupt gambling casino mob fiesta under their rule... hardly less criminal than anything Castro ever did, and less of a threat to the lives of everyday Americans than the Cuban Mafia (also friends of the Bush family) is, and which will only futher consolidate the Bush's criminal empire.
But, again, Castro and Cuba are beside the main point here. The CIA is the issue, and in this case Castro is telling the facts... the CIA is behind the Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib tortures, and creating cult-like training centers to commit terrorist attacks that will be used to justify more military intervention and wars, if we allow it. Bush's CIA wants to create chaos to justify armed intervention, both overseas and domestically... just like Hitler, his grandpa Prescott's friend, did.
Repeating again, if you want to know about the CIA, read Jonathan Bloch: KGB/CIA, and David Scheim: Contract on America, and you will see, for all the evil we can blame Castro for, he is speaking the clear truth about this issue.
Many Americans still need to realize that the Republican Party (primarily, with help from some Dixiecrats) has built up a political machine in the United States that more and more resembles the Nazi Party, and has similar overseas policies including concentration camps, menticide and brainwashing, and conscienceless political subversion of democracy. Unfortunately, the world holds us accountable for what we are not told that they do, and if we don't stop them, we may be on the verge of retribution that brings us great suffering.
Wilson and Roosevelt and Kennedy and Carter all made very conscious efforts to correct the evil of ruthless American corporations and their manipulation of the State Dept and intelligence agencies for their greed objectives in abusing other countries in a most arrogant fashion. Then as soon as Nixon and the Bushes went into office, they slammed things back to the ethnocentric arrogance of a 'Master Race' on a rampage. This is what is happening now. Democratic legislators dawdling about deciding whether it looks good to Impeach are not, are fiddling while a profit-motive powderkeg ignited by the pyromaniac Bush Junta is getting ready to blow up internationally. There is time still to stomp out the fuse impeach BushCheney(Rumsfled), but not much. We need to see some action in Congress... Pronto. And impeachment of Bush and Cheney together (yes it is constitutionally do-able) may be the only way left to take away their matches and guns before they blow up the world on a drunken or drug-induced spree. Otherwise, we may know what its like to see cities of the mainland United States bombed. And I'm not sure that BushCheneyRumsfled even care.. they may just get giddy over the sparks and noises, and wet themselves, while we look listen for bombs and run to the bunkers.

Earl, John John did not lose control, Junior's plane was shot out of the sky with a sholder fired missile, fired by the same guy that brought down the TWA 747. The "guy" was his murdering cousin, Smith. Hope you were joking too, even if it's bad jokes.

Restore Democracy: Excellent and informed commentary. Thank you for sharing it.
Years back when I hosted a TV show in the Florida Keys and strange Cuban man came up to me to ask if I thought Castro was a brujo (that means one who works with the powers of nature and is able to do spells). The thought had never occured to me, but this fellow told me that he knew so many "santeros" (persons who work with magic and spells) in Miami and even Cuba who had worked their thing to see no results. (They were trying to kill Castro in their own ways or remove him from power.) Carlos Casteneda's shaman teacher Don Juan related that some people are born with a great deal of "personal power." I believe Castro is one of those. Imagine what it's taken to live so close to the U.S. with a virtual target on his chest all these years. The world has seen far worse leaders; and again, I think the health care services on that small, not particularly rich island speak for themselves about a little thing missing from U.S. corporate life: compassion.

We should drop the embargo against Cuba and get the people out of our government that over throw foreign governments. Our own government has turned into an uncotrollable monster.

Willo, yours are pretty much the same words Lee Iacocca wrote in his latest book, titled "Where Have All The Leaders Gone".

Castro came to the United States years ago to plead his case before the United Nations. Our government siezed his airplane. Don't remember how he got home. We have never given the man a chance to be a good neighbor, except to maintain a large navy base in Cuba. Well, it's a well run prison now. The prisoners get plenty of fresh water.

In his memoir "The Motion of Light on Water," SF writer & literary-cultural critic Samuel R. Delany related his experience in listening to the UN session during the missile crisis while his wife & in-laws were watching tv in the other room. When Castro got up to speak, the tv switched back to the reporter in the studio, while the local radio staton stayed with Castro's speech, which was a rousing denunciation of the interference of the superpowers in the fate of the small non-aligned nations. The assembly received it with immense applause; the tv audience heard nothing of the speech or the response. It showed him how absolute was corporate power over what national audiences were allowed to know.

As I understand it, Castro was not aware that Russia was in the process of placing offensive, mid range missils on the air defense missle sites in Cuba. He was very upset with the Russians and it created a rift between his country and the Soviet union which never really healed. And yes Dichterfreund we never heard his speech, only about his aircraft being siezed.

Hey, Dich, how about a short nickname, like Defriend, you have any idea of how hard it is to spell that one? ___ Kidding you.

"Conspiracy theory"-- oh yes, we can't believe in conspiracy theories, unless they're blessed by the US mainstream media such as the "terrible Communists" in Moscow are out to get us "wonderful folks" in the USA and the rest of the West, but let it be some other conspiracy theory, and every silly right wing jack ass gets up screaming about conspiracy theory nuts. How about the official 9/11 conspiracy theory put out by a panel hand picked by this "all so reliable administration" which said a bunch of Arab extremists did this and plotted down to the last detail. Now that's a conspiracy that's OK to believe in, unless we consider what an absolute gang of criminals and pathological liars and phonies this administration has been ever since it took office. Somehow this gang can lie about everything else, but not about the 9/11 attacks. Get real, ya'll!

Let's remember to credit Ralph Nader for the Freedom of Information Act otherwise we would never have a way to learn what the government has done and is doing now.

Thank you Ralph for fighting for this single most important piece of legislation.

Castro is right to say that the so called "family jewels" are just a smokescreen. It's a clever way to help the ignorant masses believe that the CIA's worst deeds are in the past, and that justice is taken seriously here.

The USA is the #1 obstacle to world peace, and thanks to the work of economic hitmen, it's also the #1 cause of needless poverty and starvation in this world of plenty.

=================

"Man must change or die.
There is no other course."
The World Teacher
http://www.share-international.org

I don't even know where to begin with my comments on this article. Fidel Castro is a man much admired by the vast majority of human beings throughout the world. Sorry to break this news to everyone. No other world leader in the last 50 years at least has ever believed that the care of its citizens of a given nation as being the top priority in every sense of the word.

I hope the CIA have admitted in these "Family Jewels" to killing Che Guevara, an Argentinian hero in the Cuban Revolution. Che Guevara has saw first hand the injustices done by financially wealthy people to financially poor people. This is very similar to what is happening in the United States right now - the "rich" exploiting the "poor" to make more money than they deserve as they demonstrate cruelty via the actions of the "rich". This dynamic inspired Guevara to help Castro in his determination involving the overthrowing of Fulgenico Batista, a downright bastard! I should note that Castro had the support of 90 some percent of Cubans during the overthrowing of this USA puppet. This fact is critical for as many Americans to understand as possible because it helps to clarify WHY the Cuban Revolution of 1959 happened.

The kind of people who Castro kicked out of Cuba shortly after the success of this Revolution? Said people represented either millionaires under Batista or what in the United States would be considered CEOs. Castro also was willing to ship out of Cuba those Cubans who disagreed with the new state of affairs at that time. Now Castro could have rounded up dissidents and shot them ALL in the heads if he wanted to, but chose not to out of mercy. Castro basically believes that all Cubans should accept the Revolution as most Cubans already have. The slim minority of Cubans who does not, said Cubans should leave the island. Some Americans today share this sentiment in their own country - only difference? Castro talked the talk and walked the walk! Indeed, those who disagreed with the Revolution and their descendants no longer live in Cuba. The Cuban "refugees" in the United States are the descendants and the living Cubans who were millionaires in Cuba prior to the Revolution and who lost everything from it - AS THEY DESERVED! Must be horrible to these ultra-wealthy pieces of shit to honestly admit that in the rare cases in human history that the poor triumphs over the rich and that people who genuinely care for the downtrodden finish first in very rare cases! Hmmmm?

To Americans:

Some of you may believe that Castro is a "brutal and vicious tyrant" - even daring to compare him to Saddam Hussein - said Americans are mistaken! Would it shock Americans to learn adn accept the truth that most Cubans admire, even revere, Fidel Castro? Most Cubans inside Cuba treat Castro like a God! Not by force or mandate - but because they truly believe, even by emprical evidence according to Cuban history, that Castro is, quite literally, their savior from exploitation from the outside world and there is nearly fifty years experience to back that claim up. Indeed, aforementioned claim has stronger justification since the very early 1990s up to the present day. After all, Fidel Castro has, from day one of the Revolution, been extremely popular among the vast majority of the Cuban people.

Who knows - maybe the way Castro was able to rally up the vast majority of Cubans in 1959 could be an inspiration for the majority of Americans to overthrow their current political system. The Government system in the USA is unjust to their own people and people throughout the world, as we all should know. If the French, Russians, Cubans and many cultures thoughout the world, and in history, can do it, so can Americans if they truly care.

The USA Government should take care of Americans and have their basic needs met COMPlETELY for ALL their citizens - FIRST priority! Most countries in the world agree and implement this same opinion in their respective countries. Whatever President is after Goeorge Bush Jr. NEEDS to put Americans first on the domestic front. I hope so... otherwise there could be a Revolution against their Government. No amount of rubber bullets or tear gas would stop this either - if Americans were willing to risk their lives to have a successful Revolution happen there. Don't worry! You'll come back again...

Is this campout in Washington DC on 4th of July week hapening right now as I am writing this? I have not heard...

Maybe Bush should take a page from Castro's book, kick out all those who disagree with him and those willing to serve the flunkies let stay. In order for revolution to suvive it must be in perpetual change. Castro is a traitor to the revolution he should step down and allow Cuba to evolve without the "help" of the US > VIVE De REVOLUCION

Earl Simmins, apparently you did not read Sir Melvin's blog, and if so you may need to take a course in reading comprehension. Do you preach your message in Cuba?

No, of course not, silly question.

Sorry if this appears pedantic but what is going on with the language here? From the article: "You loose the target after every shot..." 'Lose' and 'loose' are different words with quite distinctly different meanings yet this primary school error has appeared like a rash over just about every internet forum I browse, and here it is in the body of the text! Ridiculous! In case there is any confusion this is from Dictionary.com:

lose   [looz] verb, lost, los·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered: I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3. to suffer the deprivation of: to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
4. to be bereaved of by death: to lose a sister.
5. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain: to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
6. (of a clock or watch) to run slower by: The watch loses three minutes a day.
7. to give up; forfeit the possession of: to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
8. to get rid of: to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight.
9. to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively): Ship and crew were lost.
10. to condemn to hell; damn.
11. to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.: to lose him in the crowd.
12. to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.): to lose one's bearings.
13. to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip: She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
14. to use to no purpose; waste: to lose time in waiting.
15. to fail to have, get, catch, etc.; miss: to lose a bargain.
16. to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.): to lose a bet.
17. to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.): He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
18. to cause the loss of: The delay lost the battle for them.
19. to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc.: We lost ourselves in the woods.
20. to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else: I had lost myself in thought.
21. (of a physician) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient).
22. (of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.
–verb (used without object)
23. to suffer loss: to lose on a contract.
24. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game: We played well, but we lost.
25. to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality: a classic that loses in translation.
26. (of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
—Verb phrase
27. lose out, to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired: He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.
—Idiom
28. lose face.

loose  [loos] adjective, loos·er, loos·est, adverb, verb loosed, loos·ing.
–adjective
1. free or released from fastening or attachment: a loose end.
2. free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered: loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.
3. uncombined, as a chemical element.
4. not bound together: to wear one's hair loose.
5. not put up in a package or other container: loose mushrooms.
6. available for disposal; unused; unappropriated: loose funds.
7. lacking in reticence or power of restraint: a loose tongue.
8. lax, as the bowels.
9. lacking moral restraint or integrity; notorious for his loose character.
10. sexually promiscuous or immoral; unchaste.
11. not firm, taut, or rigid: a loose tooth; a loose rein.
12. relaxed or limber in nature: He runs with a loose, open stride.
13. not fitting closely or tightly: a loose sweater.
14. not close or compact in structure or arrangement; having spaces between the parts; open: a loose weave.
15. having few restraining factors between associated constituents and allowing ample freedom for independent action: a loose federation of city-states.
16. not cohering: loose sand.
17. not strict, exact, or precise: a loose interpretation of the law.
18. Sports.
a. having the players on a team positioned at fairly wide intervals, as in a football formation.
b. (of a ball, hockey puck, etc.) not in the possession of either team; out of player control.
–adverb
19. in a loose manner; loosely (usually used in combination): loose-flowing.
–verb (used with object)
20. to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
21. to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
22. Chiefly Nautical. to set free from fastening or attachment: to loose a boat from its moorings.
23. to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
24. to shoot; discharge; let fly: to loose missiles at the invaders.
25. to make less tight; slacken or relax.
26. to render less firmly fixed; lessen an attachment; loosen.
–verb (used without object)
27. to let go a hold.
28. to hoist anchor; get under way.
29. to shoot or let fly an arrow, bullet, etc. (often fol. by off): to loose off at a flock of ducks.
30. Obsolete. to become loose; loosen.
—Idioms
31. break loose, to free oneself; escape: The convicts broke loose.
32. cast loose,
a. to loosen or unfasten, as a ship from a mooring.
b. to send forth; set adrift or free: He was cast loose at an early age to make his own way in the world.
33.cut loose,
a. to release from domination or control.
b. to become free, independent, etc.
c. to revel without restraint: After the rodeo they headed into town to cut loose.
34. hang or stay loose, Slang. to remain relaxed and unperturbed.
35. let loose,
a. to free or become free.
b. to yield; give way: The guardrail let loose and we very nearly plunged over the edge.
36. on the loose,
a. free; unconfined, as, esp., an escaped convict or circus animal.
b. behaving in an unrestrained or dissolute way: a bachelor on the loose.
37. turn loose, to release or free, as from confinement: The teacher turned the children loose after the class.

Earl Simmins

¿Cómo puede usted decir "Castro es un traidor a la Revolución. .."? ¿Cómo puede usted decir esto después de casi cincuenta años de la regla de Castro de Cuba? Significo. Castro debe estar haciendo algo derecho si él no ha sido matado ni ha sido rebelado contra después de casi cincuenta años de la regla. Este plazo de tiempo es muy largo por la mayoría de los estándares de personas. Hoy, Castro está ahí arriba con la Reina de Inglaterra por lo que plazo de tiempo que una persona representara la cabeza de una nación. Si Castro traicionó realmente a la mayor parte de las personas cubanas después de la Revolución, los cubanos lo habrían matado años hace.

I will let you go through the agony of translating my rebuttal to your ignorant comment Mr. Simmins if you are curious to know what I said.