Red Dusk?

I try to stay away from politics here at Fool's Platinum, for two reasons: no one cares about my political opinions (nor yours) and the internet already has an overabundance of rabid partisans eager to gnash their obtuse teeth into the tender neck of any controversy (to the left and to the right of you), to the hurrah's of their equally partisan choir. But hopefully the passing of the Fidel Castro-era in Cuba is something all freedom-loving people can celebrate, whether the flag they're flying is red or blue. Unless you happen to be a misguided American professor defending tyranny ("Many in the West think that the [Cuban government] controls the newspapers. In fact, the state prohibits the private ownership of newspapers."), that is.

With the announcement today that Fidel Castro is resigning the presidency of Cuba, the future of that country is uncertain. The US will likely not lift its trade embargo (sorry cigar aficionados) and Fidel's younger brother Raul looks likely to take the reigns of the Cuban horse-and-buggy, if only for a temporary period (Raul is 76 years old). Yet the fall of Castro (pictured at right) more than anything else represents hope for Cuba's masses.

For those unfamiliar with Fidel's nearly fifty-year reign of terror (or who feel sympathetic to Fidel's revolution against dirty streets and economic progress), below is a partial listing of what Fidel's brand of utopia has brought Cuba's citizens. In fairness, pre-Fidel Cuba was not much better, having never enjoyed the luxury of a stable government without massive corruption. However, Fidel's cure was more painful than the illness. Here are some of Fidel's more notable accomplishments:

• Between 12,000 and 15,000 political dissidents murdered by the Cuban government, including 4,000 killed by firing squads in the first three years after the revolution.
• A cessation of individual rights, including the right to organize, the right to travel, the right to own property, the right to speak freely against the government, and even the right to use the internet.
• An excellent state-run health care system, as long as you aren't Cuban.
• Since the State is the highest power, God has been outlawed.
• Free education! All you have to do is work in the fields for 30 days each year without pay, starting in seventh grade.
• Raise your children how you see fit. But if you teach them about God, democracy, or anything contrary to the teachings of Communism, you will go to jail for three years. You may be the child's parents, but the State is the child's true father.

There are some who claim that Fidel was not a dictator. They claim that the only reason he is portrayed as such by the US is because he nationalized all of those US-owned industries back in 1960 and took all those rich Americans' money. Those apologists are flatly wrong. Let's take a look our friend-o and decide for ourselves whether he's a dictator. Leader of a state dressing in drab military garb? Check. Long-winded, four-hour speeches about the "revolution", decades after the last bullet was fired? Check. The national military a constant presence in city streets enforcing local laws? Check. Taking power by force, and keeping it for decades without free elections? Check. The ultimate irony - the outlawing of any criticism against the ruling powers and any political dissent? Check. Yeah, this guy isn't a dictator. He's a Salvador!

If you are interested, Cuba Verdad is an excellent site that details the horrors of Cuba under Fidel Castro. With Castro's passing, I'm hoping Cuba Verdad becomes obsolete. There's no telling where Cuba will go from here, but at least there's hope now. Hope for freedom and justice, hope for the people Fidel was supposed to help the most - the poor, the oppressed, the people unlucky enough to find themselves outside of Castro's group of friends. And I'll be hoping that every last member of Castro's regime will "resign" from power. Will the last communist out of Cuba please apague las luces?