23 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

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.

You forgot to mention that he was also responsible for over 100,000 deaths. Hope he burns in hell the commie goit.

1 hour ago, Credo said:

Oh, you mean Batista.   I think he died along time ago, so I don't think the topic is about him.   

Again not an argument is it? - that particular post was about US phobia you seem to have missed the point?

12 minutes ago, rijb said:

 

No one could agree with your posts, more than you.  I will not attempt to argue about your hate and jealousy for the U.S..

 

But, I am curious.  What do you see as Castro's greatest accomplishments?  Other than thumbing his nose at the U.S.?

You are curious...period - If you want to take part in the discussion at least get yourself up to speed on the topic - don't pretend that asking others questions is an argument - it is a sign that your simply are uninformed and have no argment - quite frankly suggesting someone is jealous to be a valid response is just childish in the extreme. Why not go and get up to speed and then come back with a reasoned point of view.

2 minutes ago, cumgranosalum said:

You are curious...period - If you want to take part in the discussion at least get yourself up to speed on the topic - don't pretend that asking others questions is an argument - it is a sign that your simply are uninformed and have no argment - quite frankly suggesting someone is jealous to be a valid response is just childish in the extreme. Why not go and get up to speed and then come back with a reasoned point of view.

 

I was hoping for something more than a content-free (and very emotional) post.

 

Everything I've seen and read is that Castro was all about himself...just another hypocrite with above average persuasion skills.  Is that why he's your hero?

2 hours ago, rijb said:

 

No one could agree with your posts, more than you.  I will not attempt to argue about your hate and jealousy for the U.S..

 

But, I am curious.  What do you see as Castro's greatest accomplishments?  Other than thumbing his nose at the U.S.?

 

Jealous of the US lolz...

 

How about wiping the floor with the US on literacy and health care provision despite the US being one of the richest countries on the planet and Cuba one of the poorest(thanks to the stranglehold of US trade sanctions...  they were probably jealous and  scared that the Cuba had a better school system than America).

 

9 minutes ago, onthesoi said:

 

Jealous of the US lolz...

 

How about wiping the floor with the US on literacy and health care provision despite the US being one of the richest countries on the planet and Cuba one of the poorest(thanks to the stranglehold of US trade sanctions...  they were probably jealous and  scared that the Cuba had a better school system than America).

 

 

What school, in Cuba, did you attend?  How was lunch?

5 minutes ago, rijb said:

 

What school, in Cuba, did you attend?  How was lunch?

 

Which school in Cuba did you go to?

 

Yes, it is terrible how the US starves(via trade bans) poor countries that refuse to obey their regime.

6 minutes ago, onthesoi said:

 

Which school in Cuba did you go to?

 

Yes, it is terrible how the US starves(via trade bans) poor countries that refuse to obey their regime.

 

Where was the help from the USSR and the rest of South America?  Are you still in school?

2 hours ago, Credo said:

Oh, you mean Batista.   I think he died along time ago, so I don't think the topic is about him.   

Yes, the topic is Castro and he was miles better than Batista, the man that the US government and the Mafia loved.

52 minutes ago, rijb said:

 

I was hoping for something more than a content-free (and very emotional) post.

 

Everything I've seen and read is that Castro was all about himself...just another hypocrite with above average persuasion skills.  Is that why he's your hero?

Is that why Cuba has an excellent public health and education system? Because it was just about him?

1 hour ago, rijb said:

 

No one could agree with your posts, more than you.  I will not attempt to argue about your hate and jealousy for the U.S..

 

But, I am curious.  What do you see as Castro's greatest accomplishments?  Other than thumbing his nose at the U.S.?

The public health and education system.

He was also a very clever man to give all his bad people to the US when they offered to take any Cuban that was able to reach the US.

1 hour ago, jesimps said:

You forgot to mention that he was also responsible for over 100,000 deaths. Hope he burns in hell the commie goit.

Mao and Stalin were responsible for many millions more than him and are still held in high regard by many in the West. Just killing people isn't enough to be hated apparently, but standing up to the US seems to do the trick.

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The public health and education system.

He was also a very clever man to give all his bad people to the US when they offered to take any Cuban that was able to reach the US.

 

Only the ones that could swim.

The U.S. is far from perfect.  But, how does that make Castro a hero?

I sure am sorry I missed those 6 1/2 hour 'speeches "  , never mind  might meet up some time ........................

19 hours ago, Lampang2 said:

But you failed to see that the Cubans themselves where prohibited to check into hotels.

Touristing in Cuba ( possibly with out speaking Spanish) will give you any random impression you like.

Live there , different story.

I didn't fail to see anything,...and I speak Spanish !!!... I don't have to tell you or anybody ells anything of what I saw...

I made my point about there free health care and education !!!...one more thing...!!!...Every Cuban I met knew more about my country (Belgium) than any US citizen I ever met in my life up to this day !!! And I am not anti American I have good well educated American Friends..

Off topic baiting posts have been removed. 

4 hours ago, Credo said:

Oh, you mean Batista.   I think he died along time ago, so I don't think the topic is about him.   

Maybe not but it helps to understand why Fidel Castro led the rebellion against this despicable dictator !!!

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The public health and education system.

He was also a very clever man to give all his bad people to the US when they offered to take any Cuban that was able to reach the US.

Exactly,...he emptied the jails from the worse criminals and let them go to the US,...who in turn took them with open arms !!...

Genius !!!...getting rid of the worse criminals and psychiatric patients send them to your enemy !!! who was dumb enough to accept them !!!

Best regards.

4 hours ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

Castro was honest about his failings, and of course socialists have learned from the mistakes of history, just look at the Nordic Model, the most thriving economies in Europe, the happiest people in the world and the most truly socialist regimes in the world.  But then I guess you are confusing communism with socialism, right?

 

Castro helped defend Ethiopia from the Somali invasion and they love him for it.

Angola was already experiencing a military intervention backed by the US, in what way are they not to blame for what preceded to happen in Angola?

Mozambique was already trying to overthrow their colonial masters when they received backing from Cuba and many others.  It would seem you have a problem with liberation if Cuba re the liberators, why is that?

 

Oooh so well said,....Couldn't word it so good as you did,...RESPECT !!!

3 hours ago, blazes said:

Was it Kissinger who said of some S. American dictator,  "he may be a sonofabitch, but he's OUR sonofabitch."

 

The people here condemning Castro for jailing dissidents etc forget that more than 2 million Americans are in jail, many for flimsy reasons.    They also forget that the American military helped kill thousands and thousands of Chileans, Nicaraguans, Guatemalans, and propped up dictators in El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay,, not to mention the Vietnamese who had to throw off the yoke of colonialism after 200 years of the French kind, until finally the Americans, 59,000 killed uselessly to contain "communism," slunk away from Saigon on April 30, 1975.

Go and re-watch movies like Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now for some insight into the madness that American imperialism left in its wake.  (And don't forget that "establishment" types like George W Bush and mr D  Trump managed to evade being shipped off to Vietnam to fight for those "capitalist" principles that many here hold so dear.)

It should be noted that this statement

"he may be a sonofabitch, but he's OUR sonofabitch."

has been attributed to a variety of United States presidential administrations in regard to foreign dictators.

Regards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasio_Somoza_García

2 hours ago, rijb said:

 

I was hoping for something more than a content-free (and very emotional) post.

 

Everything I've seen and read is that Castro was all about himself...just another hypocrite with above average persuasion skills.  Is that why he's your hero?

Accomplishments, ? how about creating one of the best free Health care and Education systems just 228 miles from the country with the most expensive health care in the world...

2 hours ago, rijb said:

 

What school, in Cuba, did you attend?  How was lunch?

When I traveled around Cuba 20 years ago ?, Every Cuban I met knew more about my country (Belgium), than any American I met upon this day..... and you talk about lunch ???????....get a education !!!

7 hours ago, cumgranosalum said:

 a very blinkered response - the fat is for decades Europeans have been visiting Cuba for holidays cultural reasons (my interest is music) and business - what they could achieve within sanctions.....we have bought  and imported paraphernalia into out home countries and continued both cultural and commercial dialogues with Cuba that the USA simply has not been able to do - in fact most Americans and many people posting on this thread seem unaware that although the US had a bizarre hatred of Cuba since the 60s this did not extend to the rest of the world.

Despite being a despot, many admired him solely for his resistance to US imperialism and that fact that despite all this superpower threw at him - including their almost comical attempts at assassination - he managed to resist to the end.

Americans have also been visiting Cuba for a long time. The reason more didn't go was due to the economic embargo. Americans don't hate Cuba. It's barely a blip on their radar. Unless you are Cuban  American. Then it's understandable their hatred.

 

Some admired Castro. Many more did not. Many assassination attempts were from his own people. 

19 hours ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

This was written by Jamie Suchlicki who was paid $6 million in US funds supposedly destined for Cuba to instead publish disparaging reports, none of it is in the slightest bit credible, it is US anti-Cuban propaganda.  I would prefer to go with the reports of the BBC, British government and the UN, all of which completely contradict Suchlicki's claims.

Excellent, and Well informed !!!!!!!

1 hour ago, off road pat said:

Accomplishments, ? how about creating one of the best free Health care and Education systems just 228 miles from the country with the most expensive health care in the world...

 

Must be why medical tourism is so big there.  How often do you go?

 

What kind of education visas do they offer for Spanish?

 

Off topic posts have been removed. 

5 minutes ago, rijb said:

 

Must be why medical tourism is so big there.  How often do you go?

 

What kind of education visas do they offer for Spanish?

 

 

Health tourism is booming in Cuba and they take over 20,000 foreign students per year, you have no clue.

8 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

Health tourism is booming in Cuba and they take over 20,000 foreign students per year, you have no clue.

 

I wouldn't call that a boom.  How often do you go?

 

How exactly was Castro responsible for this great achievement?

3 hours ago, rijb said:

The U.S. is far from perfect.  But, how does that make Castro a hero?

With a few people at the start he eventually defeated Batista's regime, and went on to defeat the US backed Bay of Pigs invasion. Pretty amazing guy. Most would have failed.