Posted on 11/26/2016 10:37:01 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
Within half an hour of the Cuban governments official announcement that former President Fidel Castro had died, Miamis Little Havana teemed with life and cheers.
Thousands of people banged pots with spoons, waved Cuban flags in the air and whooped in jubilation on Calle Ocho 8th Street, and the heart of the neighborhood early Saturday. Honking and strains of salsa music from car stereos echoed against stucco buildings, and fireworks lit up the humid night sky. [snip]
Celebration, not grief, permeated the atmosphere. That was no surprise. Castro has cast a shadow over Miami for decades, and in many ways, his policy and his power have shaped the city and its inhabitants.
Cubans fled the island to Miami, Tampa, New Jersey and elsewhere after Castro took power in 1959. Some were loyalists of Fulgencio Batista, the president prior to Castro, while others left with the hope they would be able to return soon, after Castro was toppled. He never was.
Many others believed they would not be truly free under Castro and his communist regime. Thousands left behind their possessions, loved ones, and hard-earned educations and businesses, traveling to the U.S. by plane, boat or raft. Many Cubans died on the ocean trip to South Florida. And many never returned to see their childhood homes, their neighborhoods, their playgrounds, their businesses, their cousins and aunts and uncles, because Castro was still in power.
The ones that made it to Miami took a largely, and vehemently, anti-Castro stance.
On New Years Eve every year, Cubans in Miami utter a toast in Spanish as they hoist glasses of liquor: Next year in Cuba. But as the Cuban exiles aged, and as Castro outlived them, and as U.S. President Barack Obama eroded the embargo and younger Cubans returned to the island, the toast rang silent in many households.
In Miami, where Havana is closer both geographically and psychologically than Washington, the news of Castros death was long anticipated by the exiles who left after Castro took power, and in the decades since. Rumors have come and gone for decades, and Castros death had become something of a joke mostly because it seemed to happen so frequently.
This time, though, it was real.
Were all celebrating, this is like a carnival, said 72-year-old Jay Fernandez, who came to Miami when he was 18 in 1961. He and his wife and another woman held up a bilingual sign hed made four years ago when Castro first became ill. Satan, Fidel is now yours. Give him what he deserves. Dont let him rest in peace.
Several blocks away, at the Bay of Pigs Memorial, Antonio Hernandez, 76, rode his bicycle up in a light rain and stood at the eternal flame that honors the men who tried, and failed, to wrest Cuba from Castros grip in 1961. Everybodys happy. Now this guy wont do any more damage, said Hernandez, who came to Miami on the Mariel boat lift in 1980. His brother will now go down, too. But the world has to pay attention to this, not just we Cubans.
Wrote Valentin Prieto, a prominent Cuban-American blogger, on Facebook: A few hours of sleep tonight is the very last thing fidel castro will ever rob me of. In his writings on his blog, Prieto never capitalized Castros name.
Many Cubans made successful livings and raised families in Miami despite having to learn a new language and start their lives over. Exiles who arrived as teenagers with no money in their pockets became millionaires, political leaders, clergy members, teachers influential members contributing to the sturdy fabric of American society.
Cemeteries in South Florida abound with the remains of those who fiercely wished Castro had died before them. Their children weep today because they could not see their parents and grandparents return to Cuba under a democratic regime, to see their homeland one more time.
Gabriel Morales, a 40-year-old financial executive, monitored social media early Saturday from his home in Miami. His parents both left Cuba decades ago. His father left Cuba before Castro took over, and then returned to visit during Castros regime. He vowed never to return until the regime changed, Morales said.
Morales mother left after Castro assumed power; her family had their property appropriated by the government, Morales said.
Feels weird, Morales said in a text message to an Associated Press reporter. Been waiting to hear this news all my life. Seems unreal.
He’s not only merely dead- he’s really most sincerely dead!! Great timing too. Trump is going in and a brutal dictator checks out! Kinda like Reagan and the sudden release of hostages. Maybe the shock and fear of President Trump helped grease his descent into hell. Then Chavez’ buddy keels over- it’s a good trend. Maybe Kim Jung Il will drop next. I really thought they’d just embalm Castro and set him up as ‘immortal’ with taped news that went on forever. I’m in Louisiana and- facing south- it smells a little better already! Now to kill the IDEA of Communism in Cuba...
Oh yeah? Check reddit . There’s a lot of soros plots they exposed there. get a clue
Don’t hold your breath. Maybe the rent a mob BLM, anti everythings will don thick black arm bands on their left sleeves in a display of solidarity with their dead hero.
Everyone’s response is so what,Castro is dead. What planet am i on when criminals like Soros and Clinton get to do recounts to undermine our Country and democracy and everyone is worried about a dead communist and not worried aat all about what this criminal soros with a 100 billion dollars is doing .amazing
Soros already spent 1/2 billion to get Hillary elected, not to mention free support from the media. She spent double what Trump spent and still lost. I’m not going to worry about a few million spent on lawyers mainly because those lawyers just want the money/
Ann Coulter ~ Obama wins! Outlives Castro to become Western Hemispheres last iconic Socialist comandante.
Check reddit .Many soros plots. Soros is going to flip MI, WI, PA and steal the election.
What planet am I on?
2 criminals 2 monsters Soros and Hillary are undermining our country our democracy and they are above the law and Trump is tweeting about a dead communist
why why what is castro going to do why? worry about the 2 living and attacking communists soros and hillary. wake up
I would not assume he is doing nothing, but he can sit back and let Hillary dig a hole trying to steal it. That will fail. This is not Florida where Dem hacks could potentially manufacture a few thousand votes in Broward using hanging chads. Even that effort was doomed. Here they need 10's of thousands. Not going to happen.
What a sad moment in our history. I'll never forget the picture of one of our guys pointing a gun at a child in a closet
Clinton Legacy- Elian and The Bimbo Eruptions
-—Oh yeah? Check reddit . Theres a lot of soros plots they exposed there. get a clue-—
LOL...plots and feverish conspiracy theories on Reddit doesn’t change the reality on the ground...
Michigan has already been recounted, Penn is too large a margin, WI is there only hope and that’s a long shot at best
These are the events that signal the start of the Age of Trump! Good news! I predict Cuba will be free in two years! Once again the happy Island where Americans can relax and play.
Yeah the cutting edge site on the net .right get a clue
Which site figured out Soros was using a bot to fund Stein’s recount.Reddit
The Cuban story on Communism needs to be told in the history books, beyond the revolution. They need to describe how people have lived and with so little freedom. It needs to include their exclusion from communication with the world.
Sorry FRiend, freedom from tyranny and oppression TRumps making bucks off of Cuba. But it would be one heck of s spectacular giant resort right off our shores. Hopefully freedom is gained and communications and travel opens up for Cuban citizens.
Without your freedom, you have nothing. he’s a man of his word, Trump will not turn a blind eye on Cuban human rights violations. If you watch the video below, you will see the hundreds of photos of all the men that partook in the Bay of Pigs, many who lost their lives or were imprisoned for their effort. Trump promised not to forget them and their goal. The group of survivors called and gave Trump their endorsement and this mobilized the Cuban community to vote for him. When these leaders speak, many Cubans listen. This is the first time the Veterans of BoP have ever endorsed a US president since 1961. That 1961 president, JFK, abandoned them; so they have a some serious long term trust issues. They discuss this issue in the second embed video and the article.
Trump will stand on principle. He promised that to the Veterans of the Bay of Pigs in this embed video one month ago, today:
At the end of the video Trump acknowledges the abuse of political prisoners held by Casto for decades (ignored by the Clintons and Obamas) and he then states,” The United States will not prop up the Cuban regime Economically or Politically, as Obama has done....”
The idea of conquering Cuba through capitalism is interesting and if anyone could negotiate that deal, it would be Trump. So far, It hasn’t been working that way. It looks that American tourists spend a ton of money in Cuba and the -Castros get richer. American businesses invest in Cuba and they and the Castros get even richer. On the blackmarket, some benefit by selling their kids for sex trafficking to Europeans and Americans pigs.
Cuba has a dictatorship with complete statist control that has been passed within the Castro family like a monarchy. And between the brothers Castro they have at least ten viable sons. Somehow, I can’t believe that all the Castro boys-men are apolitical.
Perhaps they have access to so much money- 1 billion dollars- they will exit Cuba and become international playboys, who knows. That could be time for real change in Cuba.
If there is to be beneficial deals between nations, the people need to benefit-not their brutal dictator.
A very sad day, indeed. And a warning to the rest who think this could never happen to them.
And it was their beautiful home in its time and place. Castro never rebuilt or took care of the infrastructure and siphoned off everything for himself. That’s why much of it still looks like a time warp of 1959. Like it belongs on a Disney theme set.
And they would turn it into a paradise since many are engineers, architects and designers, doctors, professors and businessmen and women.
These original Cuban exiles were NOT welchers and many have become very wealthy.
And quit hating on Cubans, their votes helped deliver Florida for Trump.
If you’re so concerned, start a thread on the topic. There is our side’s latent group seeking to recount her states were the margins were close. Good luck.
I was under the impression that a majority of the Cubans in FL had turned Democrat. Is that incorrect?
About half of Cuban voters in Florida backed Trump | Pew ...
www.pewresearch.org/.../15/...of-cuban-voters-in-florida-backed-trump
Nov 15, 2016 · In Florida, Cubans were about twice as likely as non-Cuban Latinos to vote for Donald Trump. More than half (54%) supported the Republican president
Older very much so. The younger vote lib unless they are listening to their folks rather than media.
You could google this, you know.
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