Associated Press writer Will Weissert apparently thought that the Communist government in Cuba wasn't doing a good enough job of white washing and glorifying Fidel Castro's legacy and decided to try his hand at it. Thus he wrote a little piece describing the humble hut that Castro used as a head quarters during his Communist rebellion:
Before he was Cuba's unchallenged "Maximum Leader," Fidel Castro was a guerrilla warrior who slept in a hut made of sticks and palm leafs, with a hole-in-the-ground outhouse at the bottom of a hill.
Castro was 31 when he arrived in 1958 at this hideout deep in the cloud-forest jungles of eastern Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains, and led a rebellion that would topple dictator Fulgencio Batista as New Year's Day 1959 dawned.
Weissert then proccedes to lament how few luxuries Castro had in those days:
Among his few luxuries, in a camp where 250 fighters slept on the soggy ground, were his double bed, kitchen and deck.
But those humble conditions, luckily, didn't prevent the "maximum leader" from performing a couple marriages:
A trained lawyer, Castro performed two marriages for rebel couples at the camp.
Predictably, Weissert makes absolutely no mention of the attrocities comitted by Castro or his regime. Despite several quotes from Castro and his supporters he cites absolutely no one in any sort of opposition to Castro.
And while Weissert is quick to identify Castro's enemy, Batista, as a dictator he instead preferred to label Castro's position as a presidency:
In February, he ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul.
Perhaps Raul Castro will take Weissert on as press secretary because his propaganda has no place in American journalism.
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Castro
December 31, 2008 - 14:54 ET by GeneralAlPerhaps Comrade Weissert would take a different view if he had the chance to talk to some of the rebels who were duped by Castro! One such person is Francisco in Chicago. Frank, as he prefers to be called, was a successful businessman in Cuba who believed in democracy and wanted Cuba to be free. He, along with several others in business put up the funds to help Castro achieve that goal. Castro constantly reminded them that he had a Doctorate of Law degree from an American University and wanted to establish a government in Cuba patterned after the United States. They believed in him and when they finally realized that he was lying to them it was to late. For their own safety they had to go along and keep their mouth shut. Frank managed to keep his business but was very unhappy. When Castro provided the opportunity for families to leave Cuba, Frank jumped at the chance. It was costly, however, because the only thing they were allowed to have were the clothes on their backs! They didn't even take any form of idenfication! Frank will tell you it was a small price to pay for freedom. However, like so many Cubans, he dreams of the day when Cuba will once again be free!
The CASTRO brothers can't die soon enough for me ...
December 31, 2008 - 15:40 ET by LJSALAZARI will be hosting a "HOORAY! CASTRO'S DEAD!" party. "when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy" (PR 11:10).
LJS... If we're lucky
December 31, 2008 - 15:44 ET by bigtimerLJS...
If we're lucky when that happens CNN the Castro lovin' network will go with them.
Good riddance to bad trash.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
A Chicken in Every Hut!
December 31, 2008 - 17:18 ET by P. AaronCastro had such memorable times in "the Hut". It seems his policies have enabled every Cuban citizen to enjoy a similar lifestyle.
If comunism is such a great idea, why didn't they put up a picture window instead of an Iron Curtain?
Castro
December 31, 2008 - 20:16 ET by iveseenitallEtched in my memory is, as a young child, I watched our tiny black and white screen as Castro rode out of the mountains on his tank. The commentator and supporter, Walter Cronkite, along with rest of CBS News, was busy praising him to the hilt. I didn't know it then, but I guess this was my initiation to the wide-eyed world of ignorant "liberals". Yes indeed, Casto was going to give Cuba the "change" it so sorely needed. And the dumb-ass American press was uncritically going along for the ride. Sound familiar? (Does Barry have a tank?)
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
isia,
December 31, 2008 - 20:42 ET by R D HelmDoes Barry have a tank?
Actually, I believe the Obamessiah is going to come riding to our rescue purched smartly upon......a golf cart. :-)
-Dave
“Them that’s going get on the wagon.
Them that ain’t get out of the way.”
iveseenitall
January 1, 2009 - 01:31 ET by JerMaybe you were a little too young, because I think your account is somewhat misleading. Initially, Castro wasn't viewed with particular disfavor even by the Eisenhower administration. He was essentially an unknown entity.
Batista was a ruthless and corrupt dictator who would have his political adversaries cut into small pieces, boxed up, and delivered to their horrified families.
It really wasn't until after Castro gained power that his excesses--including mass executions--and his anti-American ideology and gravitation toward the Soviets became evident.
Jer
So, what gushing blurb can we expect from Will Weissert next?
December 31, 2008 - 20:37 ET by R D HelmWill it be:
Uncle Joe: From Childhood Illness to Empire Builder
-The amazing story of how Joseph Stalin, a poor cobbler's son, who courageously overcame a horrible childhood illness, the ignomany of being thrown out of his beloved studies for the priesthood, went on, undaunted, to build a great empire at the minor inconvience of some of its people.
LOL-I couldn't help but notice that Weissert made it all the way through without once mentioning that health care in Cuba is free.
-Dave
“Them that’s going get on the wagon.
Them that ain’t get out of the way.”
I was surprised
January 1, 2009 - 02:09 ET by Stephen Gutowskiyea, I was surprised that Micheal Moore wasn't quoted somewhere in the article...
Castro's 50th big year in dictatorship
January 1, 2009 - 00:53 ET by nkviking75Castro was 31 when he arrived in 1958 at this hideout deep in the
cloud-forest jungles of eastern Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains, and
led a rebellion that would topple dictator Fulgencio Batista as New
Year's Day 1959 dawned.
Oh, lovely. We get to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution. Where is my party hat?
Welcome to the era of unity, you racist!
Meanwhile outside that hut
January 1, 2009 - 15:10 ET by RR GOPMeanwhile outside that hut Beloved Comrade Physician Che was shooting prisoners in the head with a pistol.
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.