Cuba Vows Post-Castro Communism

NewsMax ^ | 7/16/06 | AP

[wagglebee]

Pope John Paul II was able to make appearances until just before his death. If alive, Castro could be made up, placed in a chair and shown from a distance for a minute or less -- the American media would be more than happy to edit anything negative out as long as they could verify the footage (i.e. they would want to be there and see for themselves that he was really alive). None of this has happened, so my guess is that it can't because he's either dead or so close to death the best they could show was a dying man in a hospital bed.

[wagglebee]

Nah, they all still have jobs, maybe someone who has been a recent victim of Bush's "worst economy since the Great Depression":

[6SJ7]

Look at the photos. Havana, once one of the most beautiful cities, is crumbling.

Those photos are heartbreaking. I remember seeing pictures of pre-Castro Havana. It was a fantastic vacation destination. Now, it is sadly a ruin.

[FreeManWhoCan]

Castro wont die. He has relatives that lived past 100. He has the best medical care. We must take him out. c'mon Bush family!

[river rat]

Communism is when the State pretends they care for and pay the workers, and the workers pretend they're working...

Anyone with ability, ambition and a work ethnic -- does anything possible to escape a Communist state. Those left behind are the dregs of society, perfectly comfortable to live beneath their ability -- or too frightened to strike out on their own..

In the late 60's, my fatherinlaw ordered a boat to be built by Bertram Boats in Florida. When we went to take delivery -- we learned that almost every craftsman had escaped from Communist Cuba - with their families.. The treatment we received and the quality of the workmanship on that boat was unbelievable... Even my old curmudgeon fatherinlaw couldn't find anything he wanted "corrected" or "changed" -- I think that was the first time I ever saw him smile from ear to ear..

I had the pleasure of meeting a former Soviet Army Airborne Officer --- who had led an Infantry company into Afghanistan - and out. That experience was all he needed to know about the Soviet Union... He and his wife now run a VERY successful and profitable contractor business here in Northern California - one of his employees is a Mongol who served with him.. His wife mentioned that over 85% of their business is referrals from former customers! Incredible!

America benefits when we can attract THIS level of immigrant....

Semper Fi

[wagglebee]

My mother's family went to Cuba every year (except during WWII) from the early 1930's until Castro came to power. My mother and grandparents tell me that none of the resorts in the Caribbean today are anywhere near as luxurious as the Cuban ones were back then.

[chilepepper]

priceless!

[shield]

Sounds like good logic to me. Wonder how long he's been dead?

[Rastus]

Smith was appointed by and is still a close friend of Carter's, and thus nothing he has to say is worth hearing.

[wagglebee]

The rumors started a couple of weeks ago, I would assume that the CIA and NSA started floating them within a day or two of his death.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

We should buy the island outright, offer asylum in Puerto Rico to Castro and his cronies, and let U.S. entrepreneurs work their magic. Cuba is a frickin' gold mine.

[Lurker]

My ex and I rented a house from a Polish couple about 15 years ago.

Eva and Tajic came to this country with $50.00 between them. In less than a decade they owned 9 rental properties and ran a very succesful contracting firm.

He was so meticulous about caring for his rentals that he came over to change the filters on the furnace once a month.

American benefits from immigrants indeed. But we need to attract people with that kind of ambition and drive who are also willing to comply with our laws during the process.

As usual, you and I are very much in agreement.

L

[wagglebee]

There are companies like Hilton that still have legal claims to land in Cuba and probably some Mafia groups that do too. The Bacardi family also lost large holdings there.

[shield]

Gosh...I didn't realize this...so it's more than rumors?

[wagglebee]

No, they could easily still be rumors. But if the CIA did know something, these rumors are consistent with how they would handle it. (Granted the CIA's track record for figuring things out is pretty crappy, but we've had our eye on Castro for so long that we probably have better intelligence in Cuba than we do in other areas.)

[SIDENET]

well, we certainly don't want to upset the Soviet Union!

LOL!

[Cheburashka]

John Paul II was a leader not just because he was Pope, but because character and the strength of his spirit. Seeing that spirit trapped in a tired wreck of a body was troubling, but you knew the spirit was still in there. So you saw past the tired body.

Castro is a dictator and rules by fear. Even his senior lieutenants fear him - he can cast them down from their lofty perches with a few words. But to command by fear demands the appearance of strength, and the appearance of a disease-ridden body most assuredly does not inspire fear. If Castro is really ill, the habit of obedience will survive for a while, but soon the other wolves will sense that the alpha male is no longer alpha, and the succession struggle will begin.

Perhaps Raul Castro will be able to win it for a while, but his remaining time is also short.

And any dictator is weakest on the day he first assumes power, because the habit of obedience to him personally is not there yet.

Time to reread "The Prince".

[Cheburashka]

Castro wont die. He has relatives that lived past 100. He has the best medical care. We must take him out. c'mon Bush family!
---
Best medical care. Hah. The night nurses go into his room and stand on the oxygen hose for thirty minutes at a time.

[spokeshave]

" "Anyone who knows Cuba knows the Cuban people aren't going to rise up against a successor regime."

Good point...however they are all in jail