NYT: Castro: Not Well Enough for B - Day Bash

[kskiska]

HAVANA (AP) -- The ailing Fidel Castro was not well enough to attend the kickoff Tuesday of his 80th birthday celebrations, attended by hundreds of admirers who traveled here to fete him.

A government worker at the gala launch of the five-day birthday bash read a message which he said came from the Cuban leader. It said Castro's doctors had told him he was not in condition to go to the party at Havana's Karl Marx Theater.

''I direct myself to you, intellectuals and prestigious personalities of the world, with a dilemma,'' said the note.

''I could not meet with you in a small locale, only in the Karl Marx Theater where all the visitors would fit and I was not yet in condition, according to the doctors, to face such a colossal encounter,'' it added. The reading of the message was broadcast live on state television.

The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Cuba-Castro.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[bluestateguy]

1. Fidel Castro is a despicable human being

nt

[Vidar]

3. And still far superior to any of our supposed leaders.

[flordehinojos]

5. booooooosh with the many more thousands of lives he has snuffed, american, iraqi and otherwise is

even more so.

[mike_c]

2. ah, Fidel-- I suspect it won't be long now....

Fidel Castro is one of the greatest revolutionary statesman of the twentieth century. Not always right, and he didn't always make choices that I would want to accept, but look at what he did for Cuba. Viva Fidel!

[Mika]

6. I agree with your assessment, except that..

.. the social infrastructure within Cuba - their world class universal health care systems and universal ed systems, peace, putting the welfare of children first and foremost, and the wonderful humanitarian aid that Cubans perform in so many countries - have not been achieved by Castro. These wonderful undertakings have been done by the Cuban people, working together through thick and thin. Mr Castro has underlined this point in most every one of his speeches and presentations. He has always given credit where credit is due, and that is one reason why Mr Castro is a revered revolutionary hero to the Cuban people and to so many around the world who seek justice and peace.

The Cuban Revolution was & is the Cuban people, not just Fidel Castro.


Viva the good people of Cuba!

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Do he give credit to the people for the political repression?

:shrug:

[Mika]

9. If one considers being on the payroll of the declared enemy state to be 'political expression'.

If that is the case, then yes. Mr Castro does give credit to the Cuban collaborators & gusanos in the US and the US government who work with declared enemies and the declared enemy state who seek to overthrow the system of government in Cuba, using violence.

Gusano terrorists like this, and those who collaborate with them..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2633822



I guess that we should consider true al Queda collaborators in the US who get busted mid-plot in terra plans to be 'politically repressed'?

[Binka]

10. Do He Give Credit?

Is english your second language?:shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

4. Ill Castro won't attend birthday gala

Ill Castro won't attend birthday gala
Email Print Normal font Large font November 29, 2006 - 2:09PM

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro says he is not well enough to attend a gala kicking off five days of celebrations for his 80th birthday.
Castro, has not appeared in public since he underwent intestinal surgery in late July.

He said in a message that was read out to 5,000 supporters and admirers from dozens of countries, that doctors had not allowed him to attend the packed event in Havana's Karl Marx theatre.

"It was only in the Karl Marx Theatre that all guests could be seated but, according to the doctors, I was not yet ready for such a challenging engagement," he said in the message. "I bid you farewell with great sorrow for not being able to personally thank you and embrace every one of you," he ended.
(snip)

"It makes little difference if Fidel shows up or not. The succession has begun," said an Asian diplomat in Havana. "Many people got it wrong. They thought Cuba would fall apart. But Cubans are not pushing for political change. They want more cheese and ham."

Fidel Castro's absence has not dampened the enthusiasm of visitors who came from as far away as Ethiopia and Laos for the celebration of a man they view as a champion of Third World countries. Events include a two-day colloquium on Castro's place in history.
(snip/...)

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Ill-Castro-wont-attend-birthday-gala/2006/11/29/1164476258747.html

[Delphinus]

8. I saw a picture of him

in this morning's paper and he did not look well at all. I suspect it won't be long before he passes.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Too bad he won't be able to make it past the era of the creature in the White House.

So much momentum has been gaining in Congress each year _Bush has infested the White House, to drop the travel ban, etc., that they're very close to a veto-proof majority, which would leave _Bush helpless to prevent Americans from going to Cuba in great numbers, any time the spirit moves them.

President Castro would have undoubtedly found this breakthrough a real triumph for Cubans.

[Say_What]

12. A far saner perspective from the off shore press than from the MSM in the USSA...

who view Cuba through a cold war prism jaded by lies from el exilie GUSANOS in South Florida.

In addition to the great quotes in your post, I thought these were pretty good as well:

..."We came to celebrate his birthday. Twenty-five years ago he did a good job for the Ethiopian people," said artist Lemma Guya, recalling the thousands of Cuban troops Castro sent to fight in his country and hundreds of doctors who served there.

"Fidel Castro is a representative of oppressed peoples and activist intellectuals," said left-wing American author and State University of New York professor James Cockcroft.

[robcon]

13. Castro is much worse than Bush

46 years and counting, of his dictatorship.