mcease022 Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 Fidel wrote a letter responding to the Obama visit. Link below. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/Fidel-Castro-to-Obama-We-Dont-Need-Your-Presents-373727371.html
JohnInCleveland Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 I know we don't really get into politics on here, so I'll tiptoe the line... Fidel comes off very poorly. Obama went out of his way to extend an olive branch, to treat Cuba not as a little brother but as equals and showed nothing but the utmost respect in his actions and his words. Fidel responded with a vitriolic rant about us being "the empire." He's a relic of a generation that's past and Cubans want to be part of the rest of the world. I was there all week. They're so excited about Americans bringing not only their culture but also their money, which is sorely needed. They are understandably apprehensive, but the excitement and optimism for the future definitely outweighs their concern for preserving their way of life. It's worth noting that a recent poll I saw on CNN showed Obama with a higher approval rating than Fidel or Raul among Cubans. (this is coming from someone who is far from Obama's greatest supporter. I just thought he did an admirable job of representing our country, he made me proud to be represented by him last week) 1
mcease022 Posted March 29, 2016 Author Posted March 29, 2016 I know politics are off limits, but this is a big deal for Cuba, the people of Cuba, and Cuban cigar smokers. It seems that Raul and Fidel have different views at least to some degree, but time will tell. I thought it was an interesting, yet typical response from Fidel. 1
Orator Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 yet typical response from Fidel. This ^... None of us, or anyone, should be surprised by this response from Fidel. That being said, thanks for sharing. It was an interesting read and one that continues to bring everyone back to reality in regards to US & Cuban relations. There is still a long way to go.
mash Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 Hopefully this kind of thing won't by itself change the improvement of US-Cuba relations. It seems to me it benefits both countries. You have to do business and make deals with people who say bad things about you. Whether it's for internal political gain, or the person who makes the comment is an ideologue, paranoid, a demagogue etc., you have to have your eyes focused further down the road. 1
SofaKing Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 And why is it we have not seen Fidel publicly in a long time yet he still can crank out a rant out of the blue. I swear he had been long dead and Raul uses him as his old revolutionary alter ego!
Lotusguy Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 Does anyone actually believe this was personally written by him?
SofaKing Posted March 29, 2016 Posted March 29, 2016 Does anyone actually believe this was personally written by him? Of course not, clearly Santa penned it and it was delivered by Fidels little pink unicorn sparkle.
Ken Gargett Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 It's worth noting that a recent poll I saw on CNN showed Obama with a higher approval rating than Fidel or Raul among Cubans. when i was there a few months back, the people were so in awe of obama (the problem is that they see him as everything from santa claus to the second coming and no one will ever live up to that). in one nightclub, they started chanting his name when he was mentioned by the singer. it went on for ages and everyone was doing it. never seen such adoration for another human. they believe he will save them, open up cuba, make them all rich.
MrGTO Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 when i was there a few months back, the people were so in awe of obama (the problem is that they see him as everything from santa claus to the second coming and no one will ever live up to that). in one nightclub, they started chanting his name when he was mentioned by the singer. it went on for ages and everyone was doing it. never seen such adoration for another human. they believe he will save them, open up cuba, make them all rich. The American sheeple did the same thing and look how that turned out... 3
JohnInCleveland Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 Fidel's letter smacked of fear. Think about it, Obama's strategy of speaking directly to the Cuban people breaks down the barriers that exist between US and Cuba. It's hard to portray him as the antichrist when he's watching a baseball game with Raul and they appeared to legitimately like eachother. Communist regimes require control and while Fidel is trying to regain it, Raul clearly realizes the toothpaste is out of the tube and the best they can do is allow some freedoms with heavy restrictions. I just find the whole thing utterly fascinating to watch because it's historically unprecedented.
Ken Gargett Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 Communist regimes require control and while Fidel is trying to regain it, Raul clearly realizes the toothpaste is out of the tube and the best they can do is allow some freedoms with heavy restrictions. i think that pretty much sums it up. i suspect fidel is so frail and probably dotty that anything he says/does is little more than a curiosity. and once the toe is in the water with minor freedoms, there will be a strong desire for more. some might think that this was a good reason to have dumped the embargo decades go but we can't change that. just watch in fascination indeed.
CaptainQuintero Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 It makes me wonder if Fidel has any power at all. I realise that he has to write something like this, even if he approves of the warming of relations he has created such a persona that he probably can't step away from it. It would be like the pope coming out and saying the dogma and system of the church has little, if anything, to do with what Jesus preached. They are too heavily invested/down the rabbit hole. Does raul go have chats with Fidel and they argue over policy etc or is Fidel just sat in a villa lost in his memories like a living myth and the party higher ups don't give him a second thought when making decisions?
helix Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 the party higher ups don't give him a second thought when making decisions? Or Raul . http://laredcubana.blogspot.ca/2016/03/excerpts-from-alan-gross-talk-at.html Alan Gross: "Gross said that Carter attempted to persuade Cuban President Raul Castro to free the contractor. "I was visited by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, and President Carter told me that the night before our visit he had met with President Raúl Castro, who told him, 'Jimmy, I know that Alan is not a spy.' And President Carter said, 'Well Raúl, I have my plane with me (so) why don't you let me take him home?' And President Castro said, 'If I do that Jimmy, they'll run me out of town on a rail.' I don't think that sounds like a person who has total control over his government," Gross said. 2
JohnInCleveland Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 Or Raul . http://laredcubana.blogspot.ca/2016/03/excerpts-from-alan-gross-talk-at.html Alan Gross: "Gross said that Carter attempted to persuade Cuban President Raul Castro to free the contractor. "I was visited by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, and President Carter told me that the night before our visit he had met with President Raúl Castro, who told him, 'Jimmy, I know that Alan is not a spy.' And President Carter said, 'Well Raúl, I have my plane with me (so) why don't you let me take him home?' And President Castro said, 'If I do that Jimmy, they'll run me out of town on a rail.' I don't think that sounds like a person who has total control over his government," Gross said. What a great story, thanks for sharing
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