CASTRO:"They are a group of shit-eaters who don't deserve world's respect"

[kpete]

(Kpete: before you flame me for quoting Castro, remember we are liberals - which means we are open to all opinions, whether we agree or disagree is another question.)


Castro weighs up Rice
Friday 23 December 2005, 23:12 Makka Time, 20:12 GMT


Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, has dismissed Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, as mad woman deserving of pity.


His comments came in response to a meeting that Rice held this week with a US government commission intended to prepare for a “democratic transition” in Cuba after Castro.



"I am going to tell you what I think about this famous commission: they are a group of shit-eaters who do not deserve the world's respect," Castro told the Cuban parliament.



"In this context, it does not matter if it was the mad woman who talks of transition - it is a circus, they are completely depraved, they should be pitied."

http://www.haloscan.com/comments.php?user=atrios&comment=113537286100539791
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C9A4604F-84EB-4725-B802-215E01F9DC59.htm

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. The man has a way with words.

Merry Christmas, Fidel.

[hwmnbn]

7. Yep, and it sounds even better in Spanish.........nt

[mark414]

2. that's beautiful

[eve_was_framed]

3. he's quite right there

[yella_dawg]

4. I gotta hand it to the man...

He's got Kindasleezy pegged dead on.


Except for the pity bit.

[NorthELiberal]

5. It takes a shit-eater (Castro)............

to know a ........

[me b zola]

10. How do we know that you are not really Castro...

...and are disguising yourself as a McCarthy loving red-baiter? Hmmm?

[NorthELiberal]

14. "McCarthy loving red-baiter?"

Awwwww c'mon man your gonna start with that red-baiting stuff again? It's not red baiting when someone(Castro) proclaims openly he is a full blown Communist........ he is not some college kid who read Marx one semester and thought Communism is a great idea (until the world knocked some sense into him)or some dumb hollywood actor with a kooky new passion trying to jusify to themselves whether they should redistribute some of their millions. Castro took over a country, man.

[me b zola]

17. I'm just trying to figure out who you are

I can't tell much about you from your profile :shrug:

[NorthELiberal]

35. "I can't tell much about you from your profile"

Until I write my profile.......... Don't Panic....... a Good Democrat isn't necessarily defined by their opinion of Castro. The Democrats I know in real life who vote for Democratic candidates think Castro is a cold war relic whose time has come to go........ I don't understand why it is different here.

[me b zola]

41. LOL. Sweetie, I never panic

I would agree with your statement, "a Good Democrat isn't necessarily defined by their opinion of Castro." But I would add to that, most Dems don't buy into the boogy-man theory. The only people that I know that get all riled up, one way or the other over communism or Castro, are repugs.

You assumed that because I object to red-baiting that I am pro-Castro. Actually, I am neither pro-Castro or anti-Castro. I am anti boogy-man.
I have only seen two threads where you have posted and both of your posts were reactions to the words communism & Castro. I'm just saying, is it really that important to you?

[NorthELiberal]

64. "I have only seen two threads where you have posted and.....

both of your posts were reactions to the words communism & Castro"

Then you haven't read other posts I made during the week..... they are not only on Communism and Castro. I didn't make any assumption you are Pro-Castro....... I am just curious why a few comments about Communism or Castro on my end (because I usually start with only a passing comment intended to be brief) cause a minor uproar....... There are 1 billion plus people who suffered under Communism and yet many people here seem to view it exclusively through the effects of Mccarthyism. If you meet a Ukranian who had a parent and relatives sent to a GULAG when Stalin tried to forcibly collectivize farms in the 1930's and he tells you "Communism was no good" are you going to call him a Mccarthyist? He may not even know who Mccarthy was. Mccarthy went after, what, 200 people....... which is bad...... but by the 1950's Communists in Russia and China had already killed millions. By not acknowledging the bigger picture (I am not talking specifically about you, I mean people in general) and only viewing it through the effects of Mccarthyism you are in a way behaving just like the right winger who has a US-centric view on everything, albeit in a different way.

[Joe Chi Minh]

68. How many quintillions of people have suffered and died a

painful death from starvation, alone, under capital right up to and including the present day? That's not to mention from wars and domestic tyrannies. Ever heard of the School of the Americas? Pinochet? And all the other far right caudillos in South America, supported by the American military-industrial complex?

However many Chinese died under Communism,I guarantee to you that billions more will have died from famine, alone, under previous capitalist governments within a similar time frame. Even the American leaders who financed Chiang Kai-Shek were stunned and appalled by the latter's corruption - his misuse for private purposes of the funds they had been giving him. His soldiers had to be chained up at night to stop them deserting to the Communists. Not even lemmings will serve a leader who starves them. Though they would have been pressed into serving the psycho.

Consistent with a pattern that is all too familiar with us (think Santos Traficante, for starters), Chiang Kai-Shek had been involved with organized crime in China in his younger days. Do you reallly think he would have ruled China in a greater spirit of altruism and service than Mao or Fidel, for instance? I know you do. Wake to yourself, man!

All totalitarian governments are deeply flawed and ultimately undesirable, and all the more so when a devil leads them, but of the two, Communism at least upholds up a key Gospel ideal, however perversely secular and inadequately implemented. Remember the parable about the two sons in Christ's parable. The one who said he would do his father's bidding, and didn't, and the one who said he wouldn't do it, and did? It has pronounced overtones for our political ideologies (even the latter term is flattering to capitalism).

[NorthELiberal]

86. Quintillions?

Thats an exageration even by Communist standards.

Every famine that occurred throughout history is now Capitalism's fault? Capitalism as an "-ism" is a little harder to blame because it is something that evolved a little more naturally as opposed to being theoretically imposed on people. When you create something, most people's natural instinct is to sell it and the markets and support system that evolve around that process evolve more organically (and historically over longer periods of time)...... people have been trading for thousands of years....... Communism on the other hand is a flawed theory that people basically tried to implement overnight, worldwide with a very similiar revolutionary playbook wherever it was tried. Hence there is a clearer link between the suffering it caused and all the natural disasters, and human catastrophes you would like to throw under the label of Capitalism (I'm not saying Capitalism is perfect, no way------- I simply think there are better ways of reforming it).

Now, I'll admit what I wrote is an extreme oversimplification because I don't have all day to spend on DU writing a response but if you take into account the short period of time it has been around, 80 -90 years, Communism has created a great deal of suffering. The CIA (another very long topic) may have had an unenlightened approach in battling Communism where it did but only looking at it through the U.S. perspective misses a great deal of the picture. Irregardless of the U.S. approach....... the Czech, Pole, North Korean, Russian, etc. who suffered under it still have valid grievances (to put it mildly) with the Communist system........... Even the Pope may have disapproved of CIA methods yet he still played an active role in Communism's downfall in his own way.

You can't sweep the reality of a billion plus people under the rug by always turning the blame on Uncle Sam. Pinochet was a bad dude, but that doesn't create excuses for Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il Sung, Kim Il Jong, and every other Communist dickhead/despot. Eventually he was captured (Pinochet) in a western country (Britain) on a warrant from another western country (Spain)........ countries which, if the Soviets (and their allies/cronies) had their way, they would have overran with their tanks. Liberal Democracies live on, reinvent themselves and try to make amends for their past errors. You might not be living in one today (a liberal democracy) if Communism continued it's spread through Europe, Asia, Africa, and South/Central America and eventually wound up at the USA's doorstep.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

44. Oh, please. Give it a rest.

[NorthELiberal]

65. "Oh, please. Give it a rest."

I'm trying to...... at least for Christmas weekend.... but some people (maybe just a few) get bent out of shape when someone knocks Castro.

[tkmorris]

18. Castro saved that country once upon a time

Would you rather Batista still be in charge?

It amazes me how many people absolutely LOATHE Castro but haven't the foggiest idea why they hate him. They just know that he's a Communist. They pick up from society that they are SUPPOSED to hate Castro and so they do. It's bizarre.

[RB TexLa]

22. A novel idea, allow the Cuban people to chose who leads them

Oh, I forgot Castro isn't going to let that happen.

Take a look at what happens when you try.



Luis Enrique Ferrer and José Daniel Ferrer García

The Varela Project

Doesn't take too much searching to find more.

[NorthELiberal]

33. Would you rather Batista still be in charge?

Here we go again, there was another thread where this topic was beat to death..... I have to find the link.... don't have it handy right now........... Batista was bad...... Castro is worse...... Cubans were duped...... let me ask you a question:

Would you rather replace Bush with the next Joseph Stalin? Bush is bad, but do you really another dictator who is worse?

"It amazes me how many people absolutely LOATHE Castro but haven't the foggiest idea why they hate him. They just know that he's a Communist. They pick up from society that they are SUPPOSED to hate Castro and so they do. It's bizarre."

Awfully patronizing of you, isn't it....... people can't make up their minds of about Castro by themselves? Are you nuts? Do you think people are really that clueless?

As to the reasons why, I have to dig up the other thread (I went through this before)..... because I am not going to spend my Christmas weekend debating whether or not Castro is a good guy.

[NorthELiberal]

34. Here is one of those other threads.......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1987239#1987242

I am sure the Castro propagandists are going to show up again and start filling this thread with their contradictory points. Why bother posting any links again...... Any Cuban who writes negative things about Castro is automatically a paid agent of Uncle Sam, A rich Batista supporter, a Cuban traitor, etc. etc. according to Castro supporters.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

45. So, anyone that disagrees with your point of view is a.....

..."Castro propagandist"? Interesting response. We usually here that kind of comment from the very far rightwing.

Hmmmm.

By the way, maybe you should spend a little time digging into the actual facts surrounding Castro's rise to power, a rise that was aided by the CIA. Maybe you should also try to understand why the U. S. failed to aid Cuba with basic supplies and medicines, forcing Castro to seek assistance from the Soviet Union. Also, what do you know about the business interests of the major corporations and the Mafia in Cuba, and their entertwinment with the CIA?

[NorthELiberal]

62. You obviously didn't go through that other thread.......

which I linked too...... I have done digging (for about the past 15 years) and spoke to several Cuban-Americans but their opinions and whatever info they pass along doesn't count for much among Castro supporters. If you go through the other threads you will see many credible sources of info are simply ignored, hence the reason for my attitude. My views are very similiar to those of Democrats I meet in real life who voted for Clinton, Gore and Kerry...... so I don't see why I get lumped into the far right category. The reason they are probably not more vocal about it online is because of people like you who are so willing to label them right wingers.

[Mika]

75. So, you have zero first hand experience.

All you have is rhetoric from Miamicubano "exiles".

As mentioned in the other Cuba related thread that you linked to, I have been to Cuba AND witnessed an entire election process. FIRST HAND.

It is you who have ignored the information and links posted that refute your suppositions, which are based on second hand repug agenda based reports from Miamicuban "exiles' with an axe to grind.


Your nasty habit of constantly and repeatedly calling supporters of Cuba's sovereignty and excellence in social stats & supporters of the charitable works of all of the Cuban people "Castro supporters" or "Castro propagandists" is simply ad hominem attack - meaningless and baseless.

[NorthELiberal]

85. I trust info from Cuban -Americans.........

.......Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the BBC more than I do your propaganda.

You had first hand experience in a very flawed one party election process.... so what? Do you want me to try to get into your head and try to figure out why you have a stake or interest in a backward system? I find that a useless exercise.

I will grant you this..... calling Cuban Americans, Miamicuban exiles, is still a little misleading but an improvement over labeling them, rich Batista supporters, Cuban traitors, paid agents of Uncle Sam, etc. .............. then again you could be just fine tuning your propaganda..... so why give credit where there is no credit due.

[Mika]

91. Once again you misrepresent.

Posted by NorthELiberal-->"I will grant you this..... calling Cuban Americans, Miamicuban exiles, is still a little misleading but an improvement over labeling them, rich Batista supporters, Cuban traitors, paid agents of Uncle Sam, etc. .............. then again you could be just fine tuning your propaganda....."



Please point out ONE post where I call all Cuban immigrants such things. You won't find one, because I have always delineated the difference between the radical exile community and the rest of the Cuban immigrant community. It seems to be you that lumps them all together.

Your post is simply ad hominem attack - once again.

[Mika]

70. Being called a "Castro propagandist" doesn't mean much..

.. coming from a Bush policy supporter.

[NorthELiberal]

87. Who is supporting Bush's policies?

I didn't vote for him........... Do you really believe you can get intelligent Democrats to support Castro?

[tkmorris]

52. Then don't

I didn't ask you to have this debate. But if you want to go out into the big bad world with your naked opinions hanging out don't be surprised if people notice.

The truth is that Castro is neither an angel or a devil. It is impossible to deny though that he has improved the general welfare of Cuba rather dramtically. Time and again I meet people who trash him but refuse to acknowledge the good things he has accomplished. You are clearly one of them.

There is little point to debating you, you are so certain of your convictions you don't even hear those who would disagree with you. Do not expect however that your publicly aired prejudices go unchallenged.

[NorthELiberal]

63. Whatever.

"There is little point to debating you, you are so certain of your convictions you don't even hear those who would disagree with you. Do not expect however that your publicly aired prejudices go unchallenged."


I said I wasn't going to waste my time over Christmas...... I posted the link to the other thread which shows why a great deal of it is a waste of time...... If someone posts llinks from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Slate, the BBC and other sources and they are completely ignored, what's the point in continuing further debate? I am not the closed minded one...... it's the people who praise Castro who don't expect to be challenged.

[Yupster]

80. By that logic any German leader is home free from now on

No matter how bad he/she is it can always be said "would you rather if Hitler were still in charge?"

[NorthELiberal]

88. Whether you intentionally misrepresented what I said......

or just didn't read it right, I do not know. What I meant was you do not want Bush replaced by someone worse than him? correct? You don't want the pendulum to swing completely in the other direction and have some new Ultra-left Communistic dictator........ you prefer in 2008 a nice democrat, like Dean, Gore, Clinton or you'll even settle for some moderate Republican like Mccain or Hagel (maybe not a Republican - but most people would get my point), correct? That is what I meant............... somehow you interpreted that as support for Hitler.

Can't say anything bad about Castro without being labeled an ultra right winger. I am still puzzled as to why?

[RagingInMiami]

40. Would Batista still be in charge?

It's been 46 years. Does it always have to be one extreme or the other?

[Yupster]

79. I just hope he wins his next election

When does his term end anyways?

[NorthELiberal]

89. "I just hope he wins his next election...When does his term end anyways?"

You mean Castro?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

You want to know when his term ends?

You replied to #18..... and all though I can't believe what I am reading, yes it seems like you are talking about Castro........ but I don't want to jump to conclusions.


Castro's term ends probably the same way Ceausescu's term ends...... or Milosevic's term..... if he is lucky he'll go of natural causes.

[IndianaGreen]

42. Fidel liberated Cuba from tyranny and the Mafia

Americans always long for Havana casinos, and easy sex with Cubans, including sex with children. That's the legacy of capitalist Cuba that the Cuban Revolution tried to eradicate and that Condi Rice wants to bring back.

[pocket]

12. I'm sure Bush agrees

.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

43. Yeah, right. Whatever you say. Did you gain your opinion....

...from the captive mainstream media from the last fifty years of anti-Castro rhetoric?

How about we clean up our own mess before telling other people what to do?

[Lost-in-FL]

6. "shit-eaters" equals "come mierdas"

Like saying they are a bunch of dumbasses...

Priceless.

[LaReservaPr]

11. Actually "come mierdas"(shit-eaters)

is used when referring to snobs not dumbasses.

[thebigidea]

24. a fine Cuban insult. And actually, kind of an low end "safe" one.

my insanely religious family would use it often, though would turn red at some of the other cuss words.

[amitten]

8. Well, if the shoe fits.... n/t

[0rganism]

9. ...or the foo shits...

(to backreference the timeless classic of 4th-grade humor)

[Straight Shooter]

13. "... a group of sh*t-eaters who do not deserve the world's respect."

No problem, Fidel. They don't get the world's respect. In fact, I would venture to guess that most of the world feels about them the same way you do.

[JanMichael]

15. The best attacks on BushCo come from the far left.

No flabby ambiguity like our MSM spews daily.

[Cha]

16. I agree but they don't have

my sympathy..I'll save that for the ones they've screwed over.

[paineinthearse]

19. remember we are liberals?

Are you calling the DLC'ers who are members liberals?

[OneBlueSky]

20. the US doesn't give shit #1 about democracy in Cuba . . .

all our rulers care about is gaining access to one more little corner of the planet for corporations to exploit . . . and a very conveniently located one at that . . . from agricultural conglomerates to gambling and casinos outfits, they're all just standing in line waiting to raid the place as soon as Castro passes on . . .

[fujiyama]

21. Not exactly the biggest fan of Castro

but I gotta say, he's aabsolutely right about CondaSleaza.

[radwriter0555]

23. I love Fidel Castro, what makes you think I'd flame you? MOST people

consider him a genuine world leader.... it's only republicans and the uninformed who don't know what a great man he is.

And, he's absolutely correct in his assessment of the thugs in the bush regime.

[dogfacedboy]

25. Although I agree that BushCorp is a group of shit eaters,

Castro is not someone to admire. I'm neither a Republican, nor uninformed. I've studied quite a bit of history, and it's my assessment that democracy is the way to go. Of course, forced democracy such as the kind BushCorp is trying to lay on Iraq won't work either.

[radwriter0555]

26. Any political model is only as good or bad as the people running it. I'd

prefer to live in a socialist or communist state if the people running it were good, well intended, kind and honorable, and doing their best for the people they serve, such as ongoing in states like Sweden, Norway, Venezuela and even Cuba.

Political models in and of themselves are not evil.

[dogfacedboy]

27. Of course not, but I'd hardly compare Cuba to Sweden or Norway. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

28. They haven't been struggling under a horrendous embargo for 45 yrs.

They also have not been the target of 45 years of continuous acts of terrorism, and they ALSO have not been threatened by every Republican President since Eisenhower, and threatened in spades by the vile _Bush regime.

It would be valuable to hear more of your insights on Cuba.

[dogfacedboy]

30. Well, I'll tell you this.

Although I'm no fan of the right, I've never felt too good about having a heavily armed, tyrannical leader sitting that close to US shores. If you rally want to know how at least some Americans feel about Castro, talk to some of the Cuban folks here in the US. They seem to have an awful lot to say, and it's not Castro-friendly in the least.

As for the embargo, he brought that upon "his own people", you know, the ones he claims to "protect". I believe that the only reason he hasn't been taken out by "his own people" is that he'll soon be dead, and then the revolution can begin. Any successor to Castro would not have the political pull in the world that Castro has. What have his old pals from the former Soviet Union done for him lately?

[Judi Lynn]

31. That's not the story the CIA has given, not at all.

CIA: Most Cubans loyal to homeland
Agency believes various ties to island bind the majority
By Robert Windrem
NBC NEWS PRODUCER

NEW YORK, April 12 <2000> — Cuban-American exile leaders — and many Republicans in Congress — believe that no Cuban, including Juan Miguel Gonzalez, could withstand the blandishments of a suburban American lifestyle, that he and all other Cubans would gladly trade their “miserable” lives in Cuba for the prosperity of the United States — if only given the chance. Witness House Minority Leader Dick Armey’s invitation to Gonzalez, offering him a tour of a local supermarket. But U.S. intelligence suggests otherwise.

THE CIA has long believed that while 1 million to 3 million Cubans would leave the island if they had the opportunity, the rest of the nation’s 11 million people would stay behind.

While an extraordinarily high number, there are still 8 million to 10 million Cubans happy to remain on the island.
(snip)

The CIA believes there are many reasons Cubans are content to remain in their homeland. Some don’t want to be separated from home, family and friends. Some fear they would never be able to return, and still others just fear change in general. Officials also say there is a reservoir of loyalty to Fidel Castro and, as in the case of Juan Miguel Gonzalez, to the Communist Party.

U.S. officials say they no longer regard Cuba as a totalitarian state with aggressive policies toward its people, but instead an authoritarian state, where the public can operate within certain bounds — just not push the envelope.

More important, Cuban media and Cuban culture long ago raised the banner of nationalism above that of Marxism. The intelligence community says the battle over Elian has presented Castro with a “unique opportunity” to enhance that nationalism.

There is no indication, U.S. officials say, of any nascent rebellion about to spill into the streets, no great outpouring of support for human rights activists in prison. In fact, there are fewer than 100 activists on the island and a support group of perhaps 1,000 more, according to U.S. officials.
(snip/...)


http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQ019.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[dogfacedboy]

37. Do you trust this story?

It's a pretty fair bet that Cubans would want to remain with their families. That's not a very profound statement. I still think that after Castro is dead, a new form of government will rise. Will it become an American-style suburban wasteland? I doubt it. Will it benefit from US tourism? Obviously.

[RagingInMiami]

39. Put it this way

When Castro dies, Cuba will eventually become McCuba.

[Yupster]

82. Is Castro's brother Raul still

in charge of the Cuban military?

It seemed like he had set himself up pretty well, but it's been years since I've heard of him so he may have retired.

[Joe Chi Minh]

72. No we'd rather trust your profound insights than those of

the hideously partisan pro-Castro, pro-Communist CIA.

[High Plains]

58. Castro brought the embargo on his own people?

Gee, I don't recall him announcing that. I thought that came from Washington.

As for the Cuban-Americans, well, I will just say that's a rather self-selected sample and leave it at that.

Or, if you're really interested in what Cubans think about Fidel, go to Cuba and ask around. You'll get a variety of opinions.

Oops, nevermind! You can't do that. Your government forbids it.

[dogfacedboy]

66. Through his actions.

Human rights violations will get a leader on all kinds of shit lists. This is why I can't stand the fact that the US is so deeply involved in commerce with China.

[RagingInMiami]

32. When was the last time they had a free election?

[dogfacedboy]

36. That's what I'm talking about.

My main point is-- What good is Castro?

[RagingInMiami]

38. Castro has done a lot of good things for Cuba

Especially when it comes to healthcare and education. But I don't see him as the hero that so many people on DU see him as.

Anybody who's been running a country for more than 40 years is nothing but a dictator.

Would any of these Castro lovers want the same American president for four decades?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

48. "Castro lovers"? Yet another phrase that usually comes from....

...someone from the far rightwing persuasion.

It's not a question of seeing Castro as a "hero" or not...it's what the Cuban people want, otherwise they would have revolted against him long ago.

[RagingInMiami]

54. Here we go again

Being accussed or being associated with the "far right-wing persuassion" just because I'm not joining the DU choir in whatever it is they're rallying about.

[Balbus]

60. Depending upon who the president was,

I'm sure you'd find a lot of support for that.

[Joe Chi Minh]

71. Yes, Clinton would have been fine - under such difficult

circumstances as the far right darksiders exerted. Hillary would have introduced some kind of health service too.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

46. When is that last time WE had a free election?

[RagingInMiami]

47. Last century

[Joe Chi Minh]

73. Ha! Ha! Nice one! But wasted on these shameless

corporatist myrmidons.

[RagingInMiami]

84. Who you're calling a "corporatist myrmidon"?

[citizen snips]

59. They never had any elections.

[jmatthan]

67. When was the last time in the US

you had a fair and free election?

[RagingInMiami]

83. Sometime back in the 20th century

[Mika]

69. Cuba's last elections for the National Assembly were in 2003.

I've been to Cuba many times, including during the entire 1997-98 elections season. The Cuban system is more open and fair than any election that I have seen in the US.

Too bad that Americans are travel banned by their own government to see the place for themselves.


http://www.poptel.org.uk/cuba-solidarity/democracy.htm

This system in Cuba is based upon universal adult suffrage for all those aged 16 and over. Nobody is excluded from voting, except convicted criminals or those who have left the country. Voter turnouts have usually been in the region of 95% of those eligible .

There are direct elections to municipal, provincial and national assemblies, the latter represent Cuba's parliament.

Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties. No political party, including the Communist Party, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any given candidates.

--

Representative Fidel Castro was elected to the National Assembly as a representative of District #7 Santiago de Cuba.
He is one of the elected 607 representatives in the Cuban National Assembly. It is from that body that the head of state is nominated and then elected. Raul Castro, Carlos Large, and Ricardo Alarcon and others were among the nominated in 2003. President Castro has been elected to that position since 1976.

http://www.bartleby.com/65/do/Dorticos.html

Dorticós Torrado, Osvaldo

1919–83, president of Cuba (1959–76). A prosperous lawyer, he participated in Fidel Castro’s revolutionary movement and was imprisoned (1958). He escaped and fled to Mexico, returning to Cuba after Castro’s triumph (1959). As minister of laws (1959) he helped to formulate Cuban policies. He was appointed president in 1959. Intelligent and competent, he wielded considerable influence. In 1976 the Cuban government was reorganized, and Castro assumed the title of president; Dorticós was named a member of the council of state.

The Cuban government was reorganized (approved by popular vote) into a variant parliamentary system in 1976.

You can read a short version of the Cuban system here,
http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQDemocracy.html

Or a long and detailed version here,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0968508405/qid=1053879619/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8821757-1670550?v=glance&s=books

[RagingInMiami]

76. Hey Mika

I knew you would show up sooner or later. I have read that Cuba has had elections in the past, but I've also read there is a one-party rule, meaning if you're not communist, then you can't run.

And what happens if someone wants to run against Castro?

[Mika]

92. So, the Cuban Christian Democratic Party (Paya's) is a communist party?

Surely you jest.

:rofl:


Someone better let Mr Oswaldo Paya know this.


______



http://www.poptel.org.uk/cuba-solidarity/democracy.htm

Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties. No political party, including the Communist Party, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any given candidates.

[Yupster]

81. It's been said that the best, most efficient form of government is a

benign dictatorship. Probably true too.

[Judi Lynn]

29. The BBC covered his remarks, and didn't mention "shit-eating."

Quite a bit milder, actually. I saw it earlier, and had to go look it up after reading your post:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4557176.stm

So much seems to depend on who's doing the retelling of an event.

[wysiwyg]

49. So what *does* happen after Castro is gone?

Has Castro let anyone else have enough power to avoid chaos when he dies? He's no spring chicken. Hopefully it happens at a time when our government is run by rational people. The current Bush crew and GOP leadership would probably see advantage in a violent transition.

[mitchtv]

56. Commie lovers you quoted the dreaded Castro

:popcorn: :rofl: :boring:

[Rex]

50. He is telling the truth.

Boosh and crew should be pitied and shown mercy once they repent. 15th century mercy!

[donsu]

51. I'll second Castro - they are shit eaters

nt

[WritingIsMyReligion]

53. Really not a Castro fan...

But that is just amusing. He is very correct.

:D :D

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

55. He's dead wrong.

They do not deserve pity. They deserve prison.

:evilgrin:

[citizen snips]

57. Three words- Bay of Pigs.

[WillyT]

61. Silver Bells !!!

Oops... Wrong Thread...

:evilgrin:

[tsuki]

74. What right does the US have to interfere in the internal workings

of a sovereign nation? Are we going to invade every country in the world?

[Hardrada]

77. I like Fidel Castro

and his beard.

And his excellent remarks on our secretary of state of war.

[madrchsod]

78. where i come from

shit eaters were profoundly retarded people who actually eat shit..i wonder if that was fidel was saying?

[ComerPerro]

90. Coming from Castro... But, even a broken watch is right twice a day