Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90 in Cuba. He was the leader of Cuba since 1959.

Castro is dead



Fidel Castro's key dates

1926: Born in the south-eastern Oriente Province of Cuba
1953: Imprisoned after leading an unsuccessful rising against Batista's regime
1955: Released from prison under an amnesty deal
1956: With Che Guevara, begins a guerrilla war against the government
1959: Defeats Batista, sworn in as prime minister of Cuba
1960: Fights off CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles
1962: Sparks Cuban missile crisis by agreeing that USSR can deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba
1976: Elected president by Cuba's National Assembly
1992: Reaches an agreement with US over Cuban refugees
2008: Stands down as president of Cuba due to health issues

Source: BBC History



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 08:06 by The Sicilian.

RIP

It should be possible to mark the passing of someone who, for good or ill, will be marked as a major historical figure of the 20th century, without the discussion becoming instantly partisan. SHOULD be . . .

Coincidence that the Stones were just there? ... I think not!

RIP Fidel, and a safe journey to the Heavens.
One Love
Jeroen

Quote
Monsoon Ragoon
That is a political thread, will soon be closed ;-)

And so it should be ...... calling BV, calling BV, calling BV. Political thread alert !! Lights flashing, sirens blaring ......

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Political and offending posts will be deleted.

Bjornulf



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 19:35 by bv.

I wrote and deleted a couple of posts, not wanting to get people riled up, but I must say around 1995 this man started getting my respect. My whole life he was labeled the worst person ever by the MSMedia in the US.... and I guess there are some people whom I understand were treated badly by him in Cuba... but he was in power a long long long long... maybe the longest time of any dictator ever. He must have been doing something right or as has happened many times in this world the dictator gets booted out.

I always kind of expected to hear how he got the boot... and when he never did I slowly started thinking isn't that interesting and impressive

I do not claim to understand how these things work, but I know bad guys tend to get the boot. I wont name names to not offend anyone but the people will rise up and overthrow a dictator if things get too bad. That has happened 1000s of time all over the plants forever


So whatever Fidel Castro did, or didn't do, or said or didn't say... he seems to have had his story (all the way back in 1959) and he stuck with that story and he outlasted a lot of people who really wanted to see him go.

The strange stories of what some folks tried to do to him... it was all very odd.... loading his cigars? nairing his beard? wtf?


90 years seems like a long long time to be a dictator. That is impressive.

So around 1995 I started to think about how he leads this country just 90 miles to the South of the US and he basically holds up his middle finger to the US and says fkyadontneedyadontlikeyafkya... and he seemed to have a sense of humor.... like not cashing the rent checks the US sent him for Guantanamo BAY. A weird thing. I have never really understood how/why the US has a military base on Cuban property if/when/while the US supposedly dislikes Cuba so much. I still dont know why we have a base there.

But it is all world politics and the world is strange and the way things REALLY work is REALLY strange. So over my life I slowly became somewhat amazed and impressed with how long Fidel Castro was in charge. He never took the money and ran. He set up his deal... and that was the way things are.


Of course I have heard all the bad things... and even today the MSM (aka the actual fake news) is pounding on him saying all the yadda yadda yadda... but I never heard of him doing really insane things to the masses like some leaders are doing today, this very minute, in some countries.


Maybe if I knew the ALL the facts about everything I might feel differently, but as it is, I see a man who did not like the corruption he saw happening with the gambling and foreign interests taking over his country back in 1959, so he and his people stepped up and stopped that. And then it was stable for the next... my whole life.

Well put, Frank. To make it short: He was a revolutionary hero and a dictator. Descansa en paz.

I'm not Cuban but apparently they are very happy, and they ought to know:

[www.pbs.org]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 21:37 by bleedingman.

...................



ROCKMAN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 22:02 by Rockman.

Wow, big news. Don't know what to say or think. Anyhow, hope the people of Cuba will have happy long lives. Maybe we will see some kind of progress there, the good kind.

I kind of wish I smoked cigars, so I could see and understand what the fuss isallaboot.

But them cigars hate me. Once I gave my Dad "good" Cigars for Christmas and I gave him enough so I could have one with him... and I never even lit he dang thing, I just had it in my mouth while we played cards and I chewed on a little bit. I was gonna light it. I planned on lighting it... but holy moly... after an hour or so of just having it unlit I was wasted. And the unpleasant effects stayed with me for 3-4 days. And I never did that again. So let that be a lesson to you youngsters out there.

Maybe we will see some kind of progress there, the good kind.

Me too, it would be nice... but... I wouldn't be surprised if the old advice "the devil you know is better than the devil you dont" happens here. I guess we will see in 5-10 years. I hope for good things for the people of Cuba and all the people of the world.

Bleedingman: The Cuban exiles are of course a vested interest. They aren't exactly patriots if you put it that way. And they tried to murder Fidel Castro on numerous occasions.

I find it ironic how he passed on Friday, November 25. In America, it's Black Friday, an extremely capitalistic 'holiday'...

EDIT: Just a small note, not meaning to offend or be (overtly) political. Some important background may be that Castro was a self-proclaimed Communist/Marxist (i.e. capitalists encourage the public to 'vote' for what products are made, while Communistic leaders decide what gets made).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 22:32 by BeforeTheyMakeMeRun.

Quote
Stoneage
Well put, Frank. To make it short: He was a revolutionary hero and a dictator. Descansa en paz.

That's exactly right.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-26 23:46 by schillid.