Reply #44: Compared to what? Not to us, I hope. If so we lose.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

The usual "dictator" "evil" tirade. Compared to what? Castro has his faults. But, he has managed to hold his country together against the overwhelming power of the American Capitalists and their surrogates.

You rightly (or, perhaps righteously) decry Castro for his dictatorial regime that oppresses the political opposition. As if the pure and democratic United States has never done so. There is a long list of incidents when this country has used methods to crush our own internal opposition with force that would make Castro's methods seem enlightened. All the way back to Shay's rebellion in the 1780's to as recently as the mass arrests in N.Y. "Castro uses torture". Uh-huh. Of course, we never, ever, would do that. Abu-Ghraib and Guantanamo ring any bells? The School for the Americas?

Murder, assasination? How may attempts have our thugs in the CIA made on Castro's life? How many times did "evil" Castro try to invade the USA? How many times did we attempt to invade Cuba?

Beyond that, comparing a 3rd world country to the USA is naive, at best. Try comparing Cuba to the countries in the Caribbean around it. How does it compare to Haiti? The Dominican Republic? Honduras? Guatamala? The places where the wonders of capitalism have reduced the population to starvation and are controlled by death squads funded by the rich.

What do I think of Castro? A dictator no doubt. But, a dictator who is concerned about the people of his country and has taken measures to protect them from a bullying, rapacious neighbor.