Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
Peter Robinson ·
March 27, 2012 at 5:38pm
Hours ago, as Benedict XVI entered Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city on the island, a man broke from the crowd, shouting "Down with the Revolution!" and "Libertad!"
In the humane, free, exquisitely civilized society that Fidel and his brother Raul have created during more than half a century of enlightened rule, here is what happened next:
- Comment (27)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (0)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments:
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
Bundled off, very likely. But not dragged off to the side and beaten.
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
Also, let's not forget that, had he been in Sydney, the very reason for his act of protest would not have existed. That is not, to my mind, an immaterial distinction.
Peter Robinson
Bundled off, very likely. But not dragged off to the side and beaten. · 3 minutes ago
Mar '11
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
Peter, I've rewatched and I see I did miss one major punch, and, later, some scuffling. Sorry. I must have blinked first time through.
Having said that, it's not exactly Rodney King level. (I know, the poor fellow may well not survive the ministrations of the security services, but that's not in the video.)
Right now here in Australia there is a political controversy because the NSW police tasered a young man who died. (Caused by taser? Who knows.) There was a security video of the chap running away, pursued by a bunch of cops. Which went to show ... what? Nothing much to my mind. But the usual suspects see it as supporting their demands for tasers be withdrawn from service (leaving the police with only the option of shooting with lead instead).
We tend to see in these things a degree of confirmation. To anyone who is deluded about Cuba, this video will have no persuasive value at all.
Mar '11
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
Troy, I fully understand the on-going evil within Cuba. I like to note casually to those wearing Che accoutrements that it's interesting they should celebrate a prison Warden under whose care a few thousand prisoners were killed.
But if the same situation were replicated anywhere in the world, whether the protester was justified or not, he'd be treated more or less the same way, although perhaps without the beating in its more civilised parts.
The more I watch the video, though, the more one aspect of it creeps me out. Once they have the fellow on the crowd side of the barrier, it parts widely, leaving a corridor for the security fellow and his prisoner. How very well behaved.
But perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
May '11
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
To purchase anything not offered by the government in their monthly rations such as cosmetics, quality toilet paper, spices,and yes quality cigars, the citizens need access to American dollars. This has created the most racially stratfied society in the western hemisphere because the only people with access to American dollars are politicians, white cubans with American relatives, tourism workers and prostitutes. Socialism eventually turns everyone into a prostitute.
Feb '11
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
The whole thing is strange, though I tend to Stephen Dawson's view (except for the punch or two caught on tape).
Also strange were the row of un-uniformed people facing the crowd and away from the street: it was street, barriers, people dressed in white and cheering, and then people facing the crowd. Were those official security personnel?
Apr '11
Re: Everything You Need to Know About Life in Cuba
The number-one source of foreign tourists for Cuba? My own country, I'm sad to say. Canadians love to visit Castro's socialist paradise, partly because it's cheap, but also because of residual anti-Americanism. Many, many of my fellow Canadians have assured me that communism would work for sure in Cuba if not for the US embargo.
Personally, I strongly oppose the embargo because Cuba is a brutal dictatorship. For over 50 years, the Castro brothers have had the perfect scapegoat.