Cuba's Fidel Castro, who defied US for 50 years, has died

[rooster59]

Cuba's Fidel Castro, who defied US for 50 years, has died 

MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press
PETER ORSI, Associated Press

 

HAVANA (AP) — Former President Fidel Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half century rule, has died at age 90.

 

With a shaking voice, his younger brother, Raul Castro, announced on state television that his brother died at 10:29 p.m. on Friday night.

 

Castro's reign over the island-nation 90 miles from Florida was marked by the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis a year later that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The bearded revolutionary, who survived a crippling U.S. trade embargo as well as dozens, possibly hundreds, of assassination plots, died eight years after ill health forced him to formally hand power over to Raul.

 

Castro overcame imprisonment at the hands of dictator Fulgencio Batista, exile in Mexico and a disastrous start to his rebellion before triumphantly riding into Havana in January 1959 to become, at age 32, the youngest leader in Latin America. For decades, he served as an inspiration and source of support to revolutionaries from Latin America to Africa.

 

His commitment to socialism was unwavering, though his power finally began to fade in mid-2006 when a gastrointestinal ailment forced him to hand over the presidency to Raul in 2008, provisionally at first and then permanently. His defiant image lingered long after he gave up his trademark Cohiba cigars for health reasons and his tall frame grew stooped.

 

"Socialism or death" remained Castro's rallying cry even as Western-style democracy swept the globe and other communist regimes in China and Vietnam embraced capitalism, leaving this island of 11 million people an economically crippled Marxist curiosity.

 

He survived long enough to see Raul Castro negotiate an opening with U.S. President Barack Obama on Dec. 17, 2014, when Washington and Havana announced they would move to restore diplomatic ties for the first time since they were severed in 1961. He cautiously blessed the historic deal with his lifelong enemy in a letter published after a month-long silence.

 

"It's a tragedy," said Dayan Montalvo, a 22-year-old nurse. "We all grew up with him. I feel really hurt by the news that we just heard."

 

Fidel Castro Ruz was born Aug. 13, 1926, in eastern Cuba's sugar country, where his Spanish immigrant father worked first recruiting labor for U.S. sugar companies and later built up a prosperous plantation of his own.

 

Castro attended Jesuit schools, then the University of Havana, where he received law and social science degrees. His life as a rebel began in 1953 with a reckless attack on the Moncada military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago. Most of his comrades were killed and Fidel and his brother Raul went to prison.

 

Fidel turned his trial defense into a manifesto that he smuggled out of jail, famously declaring, "History will absolve me."

 

Freed under a pardon, Castro fled to Mexico and organized a rebel band that returned in 1956, sailing across the Gulf of Mexico to Cuba on a yacht named Granma. After losing most of his group in a bungled landing, he rallied support in Cuba's eastern Sierra Maestra mountains.

 

Three years later, tens of thousands spilled into the streets of Havana to celebrate Batista's downfall and catch a glimpse of Castro as his rebel caravan arrived in the capital on Jan. 8, 1959.

 

The U.S. was among the first to formally recognize his government, cautiously trusting Castro's early assurances he merely wanted to restore democracy, not install socialism.

 

Within months, Castro was imposing radical economic reforms. Members of the old government went before summary courts, and at least 582 were shot by firing squads over two years. Independent newspapers were closed and in the early years, homosexuals were herded into camps for "re-education."

 

In 1964, Castro acknowledged holding 15,000 political prisoners. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled, including Castro's daughter Alina Fernandez Revuelta and his younger sister Juana.

 

Still, the revolution thrilled millions in Cuba and across Latin America who saw it as an example of how the seemingly arrogant Yankees could be defied. And many on the island were happy to see the seizure of property of the landed class, the expulsion of American gangsters and the closure of their casinos.

 

Castro's speeches, lasting up to six hours, became the soundtrack of Cuban life and his 269-minute speech to the U.N. General Assembly in 1960 set the world body's record for length that still stood more than five decades later.

 

As Castro moved into the Soviet bloc, Washington began working to oust him, cutting U.S. purchases of sugar, the island's economic mainstay. Castro, in turn, confiscated $1 billion in U.S. assets.

 

The American government imposed a trade embargo, banning virtually all U.S. exports to the island except for food and medicine, and it severed diplomatic ties on Jan. 3, 1961.

 

On April 16 of that year, Castro declared his revolution to be socialist, and the next day, about 1,400 Cuban exiles stormed the beach at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba's south coast. But the CIA-backed invasion failed.

 

The debacle forced the U.S. to give up on the idea of invading Cuba, but that didn't stop Washington and Castro's exiled enemies from trying to do him in. By Cuban count, he was the target of more than 630 assassination plots by militant Cuban exiles or the U.S. government.

 

The biggest crisis of the Cold War between Washington and Moscow exploded on Oct. 22, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy announced there were Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba and imposed a naval blockade of the island. Humankind held its breath, and after a tense week of diplomacy, Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev removed them. Never had the world felt so close to nuclear war.

 

Castro cobbled revolutionary groups together into the new Cuban Communist Party, with him as first secretary. Labor unions lost the right to strike. The Catholic Church and other religious institutions were harassed. Neighborhood "revolutionary defense committees" kept an eye on everyone.

 

Castro exported revolution to Latin American countries in the 1960s, and dispatched Cuban troops to Africa to fight Western-backed regimes in the 1970s. Over the decades, he sent Cuban doctors abroad to tend to the poor, and gave sanctuary to fugitive Black Panther leaders from the U.S.

But the collapse of the Soviet bloc ended billions in preferential trade and subsidies for Cuba, sending its economy into a tailspin. Castro briefly experimented with an opening to foreign capitalists and limited private enterprise.

 

As the end of the Cold War eased global tensions, many Latin American and European countries re-established relations with Cuba. In January 1998, Pope John Paul II visited a nation that had been officially atheist until the early 1990s.

 

Aided by a tourism boom, the economy slowly recovered and Castro steadily reasserted government control, stifling much of the limited free enterprise tolerated during harder times.

 

As flamboyant as he was in public, Castro tried to lead a discreet private life. He and his first wife, Mirta Diaz Balart, had one son before divorcing in 1956. Then, for more than four decades, Castro had a relationship with Dalia Soto del Valle. They had five sons together and were said to have married quietly in 1980.

 

By the time Castro resigned 49 years after his triumphant arrival in Havana, he was the world's longest ruling head of government, aside from monarchs.

In retirement, Castro voiced unwavering support as Raul slowly but deliberately enacted sweeping changes to the Marxist system he had built.

 

His longevity allowed the younger brother to consolidate control, perhaps lengthening the revolution well past both men's lives. In February 2013, Raul announced that he would retire as president in 2018 and named newly minted Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel as his successor.

 

"I'll be 90 years old soon," Castro said at an April 2016 communist party congress where he made his most extensive public appearance in years. "Soon I'll be like all the others. The time will come for all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban Communists will remain as proof that on this planet, if one works with fervor and dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that human beings need and that need to be fought for without ever giving up."

 

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-11-26

[oldcarguy]

Miami is celebrating tonight !

[thaibeachlovers]

One of the extraordinary men of modern times.

While some ( probably many ) will dislike his politics, he liberated his land from dictatorship, American imperialism and the mafia. His biggest mistake was no doubt permitting Russian missiles to be installed, which IMO allowed the US to impose a severe embargo for many years. Were it not for that, I reckon his regime would have not been so extreme, and relations with the US could have been normalized many years ago.

 

Within Cuba, he is no doubt remembered with fondness and respect, which, IMO, is the only thing that counts.

Edited November 26, 2016 by thaibeachlovers

[metisdead]

A post commenting on moderation has been removed.  Thai Visa has written permission from Associated Press as well as other news sources to post news articles verbatim. 

 

A troll post has been removed as well. 

[Jingthing]

Did some great things.

Did some horrific things.

Condolences to those that loved him.

Happy party times to those celebrating. 

I'm neutral. 

[coma]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

One of the extrordinary men of modern times.

While some ( probably many ) will dislike his politics, he liberated his land from dictatorship, American imperialism and the mafia. His biggest mistake was no doubt permitting Russian missiles to be installed, which IMO allowed the US to impose a severe embargo for many years. Were it not for that, I reckon his regime would have not been so extreme, and relations with the US could have been normalized many years ago.

 

Within Cuba, he is no doubt remembered with fondness and respect, which, IMO, is the only thing that counts.

 

The US would still have imposed decades long sanctions upon him and his constituents because he made them look like fools. He told them in no uncertain terms to stick their version of democracy where the sun don't shine.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, coma said:

 

The US would still have imposed decades long sanctions upon him and his constituents because he made them look like fools. He told them in no uncertain terms to stick their version of democracy where the sun don't shine.

Agree, but I didn't want to get into the whole political thing. That would become just another argument about the US and this thread is about him.

[Jingthing]

To add, 2016 is quite a year, eh?

 

[OMGImInPattaya]

OMG...viva la revolucion...and now go and enjoy a few tobaccos with your old comrade Chè ?

[daveAustin]

All the 'good 'guys going out. Just waiting for Mugabe to depart (hopefully painfully), then I'll celebrate. 

[JHolmesJr]

RIP…takes a big set of cojones to stand u for what you believe in.

Edited November 26, 2016 by JHolmesJr

[khwaibah]

They are celebrating in Miami.

 

 

[Usernames]

Back in 1967, I wrote to Radio Havana, after listening on the short wave radio.  They sent me back a New Year's card: a drawing of Castro with his black beard shaped like a Christmas tree. You opened it and the black beard turned into an ornamented beard shaped Christmas tree. Wish I had kept it.

[JetsetBkk]

22 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

To add, 2016 is quite a year, eh?

 

 

Best year for a long time!   

[NongKhaiKid]

This is serious as it's the first time in weeks that BBC haven't devoted almost the whole news broadcast to a Donald Trump ?

[Silurian]

Well, this should put a twist on the currently restored trade agreements between US and Cuba. Even as talk of Donald overturning the trade agreements, I doubted he would actually do it.

 

Anyway, Goodbye, so long and so forth, Fidel. One less of your ilk in the world.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

36 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

All the 'good 'guys going out. Just waiting for Mugabe to depart (hopefully painfully), then I'll celebrate. 

One of the "couldhavebeenagoodguy" mob. I guess he couldn't get past tribalism and make Zimbabwe a better country for all the people.

[Thechook]

Another dictator gone oh well

[kannot]

33 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

RIP…takes a big set of cojones to stand u for what you believe in.

and  forcing  others  to follow it  with  no  option but  death

[pattayalover]

bye... and never come back. this guy took power for 50 years and had a nice life while people suffer. can not believe people who said he represented freedom.

[LivinginKata]

36 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

This is serious as it's the first time in weeks that BBC haven't devoted almost the whole news broadcast to a Donald Trump ?

 

The Beeb have gone a long way from being a serious news broadcaster, a shadow of their former reputation for straight news reporting. 

[Somtamnication]

A thorn on the bullies of America's ribs. Good on him. RIP, irrespective of his politics and warped sense of governing.

[NongKhaiKid]

Just now, LivinginKata said:

 

The Beeb have gone a long way from being a serious news broadcaster, a shadow of their former reputation for straight news reporting. 

Couldn't agree more.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 minutes ago, pattayalover said:

bye... and never come back. this guy took power for 50 years and had a nice life while people suffer. can not believe people who said he represented freedom.

 

http://silentcrownews.com/wordpress/?p=4230

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. who was a writer, historian, speechwriter and a Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy who worked primarily on Latin American issues analyzed Batista’s Cuba on the president’s request and said:

The corruption of the government, the brutality of the police, the regime’s indifference to the needs of the people for education, medical care, housing, for social justice and economic justice is an open invitation to revolution

 

If not Castro, it would have been someone.

 

Seems there are those that prefer Cuba as it was under the Batista regime when Cuba was exploited by US interests and the mafia.

[williamgeorgeallen]

the general here has a lot to learn from castro about holding onto power.

[Jingthing]

How did Fidel change your life?

 

In my case, my family built a bomb shelter in our basement during the Cuban missile crisis. Duck and cover!

 

As I preteen I wrote a long paper for geography class, entitled, wait for the creativity ... CASTRO'S CUBA.  Got an A plus. 

 

Got to know some interesting Cuban exiles in the U.S. that left because of his regime.

 

I realize Castro made his career hating on the USA, but really, I don't feel most Americans ever passionately hated him, except for right wing Cuban Americans. Not sure why. Maybe because his island is so teeny tiny compared to the USA. 

 

If you're an elephant, you don't hate on a mosquito in personal way, even if that mosquito is unusually annoying. 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2016 by Jingthing

[elgordo38]

I am neither a US hater or any kind of hater or a communist but Fidel retains my admiration for one thing only. He always till his dying breath retained his feelings towards the US right or wrong now only God knows. He never wavered or became wishy washy he stuck to his guns. Now looking at the recent election all the people that had vile things to say about Trump and the vilest was spit out by Mitt Romney and the new ambassador to the UN the first female in his inner circle. Now that he has won the election they are falling all over each other to kiss his ring. Frankly its disgusting deplorable as well as Hillary has espoused. This has gone a long way in exposing politics for its true nature and give me some time to think of a word disgusting enough to cover it.  

Edited November 26, 2016 by elgordo38

[JHolmesJr]

The only leader afaik who had a major brand of engine oil named after him.

[miamiman123]

Castro was invited to NYC by Malcolm X in the early 60's. NYC people refused to allow him to stay in a hotel arranged for him by Malcolm..

He and his entourage were moved to a hotel in Harlem. 

There is a story that Obama's mother traveled to NYC at that time to see him, and Malcolm. 

This occurred according to the story prior to Obama's birth, but then that's another story shrouded in mystery inside a riddle.

[seedy]

Troll Posts - and assorted Nonsense - Removed.