Patrick: Oh come on Renegade already did the "He's not perfect, ergo he sucks" argument. You might have made a good cheesecake last time you were baking, but was it PERFECT? If not it is certainly worthless.
QUOTE
His betrayal of Che? His intolerance toward homosexuals? His denyal of the prospect of free elections? His betrayal of all the liberal ideals he claimed as the impetus for his rise to power? His use of secret police, torture to keep said power?
His Excellency in no way betrayed Che Guevara and continued to finance him secretly after publicly breaking ties. His Excellency has decriminalized homosexuality and even allowed a gay wedding recently. His Excellency is faced with a monstrous imperialist state 90 miles away spending literally millions to overthrow him.
His Excellency is not the reason elections are impossible, the US is. If the government of Canada was capable of influencing American elections to install a candidate who would be a puppet of Canada would you REALLY want an election? No. His Excellency in no way betrayed his ideals. Under his reforms women and minorities gained voting rights. The poor were given free healthcare. Businesses were nationalized after years of foreign domination. This is not a betrayal, it is a stalwartness that has earned him several attempts on his life by the imperialists.
On the subject of torture I have not recently seen anything claiming that His Excellency's government tortures anyone, and according to Amnesty International they only hold 7 political prisoners who receive decent medical care and are not tortured. Compare this to how the US treats those who oppose them and you'll see one of many reasons why so-called free elections must never happen until the US promises not to interfere.
QUOTE
The only people who have admiring love for Castro are white commy's outside of Cuba. They're usually between the ages of 17 and 26. They take liberal arts in some univeristy. They also have killer convo during pot smoking sessions. "it's the system, MAN"
They eventually out grow it. I think many cubans like Castro because they're used to him. They see him as a survivor.
I don't know where you get that statistic. And why do they have to be white? There are plenty of African American progressives, as a matter of fact the Black Caucus has been fervently in favor of lifting hte blockade. The BPP supported His Excellency as well, and were indeed a communist group. Progressivism isn't just a liberal white ideal system. It simply looks that way because the government systematically destroys minority groups that oppose it.
As for Cubans liking their leader because they're used to him, bull. I think it might have something to do with the fact that they're not slaves to US corporations, that they can feed their families, that they can afford medical care, that ALL of them can vote (despite what the capitalists tell you) and that their country, for the first time in its history, is sovereign. His Excellency is like George Washington, only he's not a rich Christian slave owner. His Excellency is the father of the free nation of Cuba, and the American regime, much like the British after American independence, is determined to bring his country back into subservience. I tell you that as long as Cubans have pride in their country that will never happen, even if His Excellency dies.