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Fidel Castro has died

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811–820 of 842 posts

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#811
post #24

As an African, I'd say the world has lost one of the most influential leaders of the past century. To pretend here, for me, as if he was cruel to our continent would be both ungrateful and untrue. The man offered free training and medical school for most of our African doctors, he harbored, trained and armed many a guerilla group in our pursuit of independence from colonization. Up until today, Cuba still sends signi…

This is a disturbing position. I don't doubt that his doctors may have helped you. However, the man has committed grievous crimes, keeps 'his people' in abject poverty, on an 'island prison'. More than 85% of the economy is in the control of the military - his private Army. "Up until today, Cuba still sends significant numbers of doctors to remote African areas and provide expensive medical procedures for free." This…

I do not agree with most of what you said. You would have to point me to evidence of your claims.

As for the two doctors your pointed to, I am sure they are the exception. I happen to be Zimbabwean, actually, a good number of my childhood doctors were Cuban and they were there happily and willingly. My brother, a doctor himself, has many friends from Cuba who say the same.

You should read this article when you get a chance.

http://qz.com/846337/cuban-leader-fidel-castro-was-a-liberat...

There really is nothing disturbing about my opinion. At least on the African continent that is. Perspectives differ, I guess.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#812
post #799
post #786

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolute position are dangerous things without complete knowledge. I mostly agree with your position, and was hoping you had something useful to say about Singapore. Without it I think that the absolute position is naïve.

What should be added about LKY? He did many wonderful things for his country, but he was also a dictator. As a dictator, he was evil. He wasn't the worst kind of evil, but that was bad. I really can't imagine how intelligent people can still discuss about it. Being a dictator means forcing your decision to people with different ideas. That's violence. How can it be good? You may say that, in a case like Singapore, th…

Doing more good than evil is a pretty good outcome for everyone around him...

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#813
post #785

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's always a way of solving things. Except, not really. You can’t put any app using any encryption technology up on the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store, if you also distribute anything to Cuba. For the first you need to get an approval from the US DoD, which requires that you never interact with Cuba.

You could sell apks

I can’t sell anything to Cuba while also providing anything in the Google Store or the Apple App Store.

That’s part fo the issue.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#814

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe Americans value their rights more than anything else I certainly do, but sadly not every American agrees. There are many "law and order" types who would have that person arrested and beaten if they could. Fortunately our rights are still intact, even after all this time. People can do such things without fear. Far from being "laughable and disrespectful", I consider it a sign of a healthy, functioning society…

Very interesting and fascinating response for me. I wish I had more of discussions like this here.

The true issue is not the "rights" of American citizens in their own country (thats of no concern to most people around the world) but how the US government systematically and perennially denies other people these same "rights" or "rights" of their choosing. That is the point.

Leave other people alone to determine their own fate and destiny that's what the world asks

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#815

After reading some of the comments here, my fath in the human race is not enhanced. Castro was a genuine hero and a great man; indeed among the top 10 greatest individuals of the 20th century. He believed in freedom and dignity. He saw the US government as the enemy of progress everywhere in the world; he wanted people to be free and he devoted his life to that ideal. How many people can you say that of? > He was als…

Look I don't think Fidel was as black and white as most Americans make him out to have been, but people trying to just say "American presidents are worse" are just hilariously obtuse. Like comparing Nixon and Castro. Nixon's most famous scandal was when he tried to wiretap his political opponents. It ended with his resignation. Castro outright killed his political opponents, and had the rest thrown in prison. He cont…

Nixon was a piece of shit masquerading as a man. His most famous scandal does not even begin to shed light on his psychopathic tendencies.

Apart from carpet bombing Laos And Cambodia as hackeboos has pointed out, he engaged the Vietcong leadership in secret discussions to prolong the war so that Democrats would lose the '74. Elections. Think on that. Killing your fellow soldier citizens for political power.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#816
post #471
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Fidel - borderline evil The point isn't to quibble about the label. It's to refrain from leaping straight to applying labels. The pleas you're seeing for a calmer and broader conversation are not attempts to exculpate Castro.

>The pleas you're seeing for a calmer and broader conversation are not attempts to exculpate Castro. Those of us who have been directly affected by Castro's actions feel that justice was never made, his legacy is not something we want celebrated or glorified. Yes, it was not all black but the black/white ratio of Castros's regime is more 80/20 than 50/50.

Given that one of the changes that happened under Castro was (supposedly) to make the country have a more just distribution of wealth along racial lines, I find your "white/black" word choice amusing.

Perhaps, given the lack of slave reparations, the nationalizing of American property in Cuba is not the injustice that many in Florida would like us all to believe.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#817
post #802

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never once said that. In fact I asked for clarification on the incident but you seem unwilling to give that.

"but you seem unwilling to give that" No, you seem unwilling to read the link I gave? From the article: "That same month, on April 23, 1976, the Church Committee released its Final Staff Report on the FBI and CIA’s rampant domestic illegalities which included a chapter entitled “The FBI’s Covert Action Plan to Destroy the Black Panther Party.” The chapter concluded by highlighting the Hampton raid as a COINTELPRO ope…

I read the link. They were cleared several times on the given incident. Instead of taking a charitable approach you throw out your political bullshit.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#818
post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, Castro went about killing or jailing all those who opposed him. My original statement was that no US president has done so.

I think that considering just how much "droning" is basically inneffective in its purpose and just ends up killing thousands, it's really not any worse morally.

That's one man's opinion.

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#819
post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, Castro went about killing or jailing all those who opposed him. My original statement was that no US president has done so.

I think that considering just how much "droning" is basically inneffective in its purpose and just ends up killing thousands, it's really not any worse morally.

[deleted]

Re: Fidel Castro has died

#820

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Castro family can travel the world and enjoy a lavish lifestyle while most of the population lives in poverty and are not allowed to leave the country. Your naivete is cute.

This applies to literally every head of state that every country's had. It's a tired line of reasoning. I hope you start demanding humility of your own leaders too. But no, we hold Cuba to a standard that no country on Earth has achieved. Maybe except for the Germans, since Merkel is keen on doing her own groceries.

That sounds like a valid response to the first part:

> The Castro family can travel the world and enjoy a lavish lifestyle

But not if you finish the sentence:

> while most of the population lives in poverty and are not allowed to leave the country.

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