Trying to get all huffy from the bowels of a country which has created, supported, financed death squads all over the world doesn't seem exactly top drawer to me.

Filled with lies and exaggerations. Only, from 60 years of lies and exaggerations in media and institutionalized anti Castro/Cuba propaganda.

Oh well. I don't have the time nor inclination to argue about this any more. I've lived there. I's not what you might be thinking.

If not, who should we not admire? The leaders? The current leader? The people?
Do tell.

known throughout the world for its down-right good-heartedness.

Bless their decent, democratic hearts!

The US has been feared and hated throughout the Americas since the early and middle 1800's, yet there are some dweebs who want to pretend actual history has never happened, and only what the fascists tell us is true.

Very odd state of affairs, isn't it?

Conquerors always rewrite history, but the US is still so young its tragic entrance into the populated world it claims it "discovered" can still be determined by people willing to do the homework. They haven't been able to stomp out all the truth, yet, not by a mile.

I guess, by the measure you suggest, that you might be a "typical rightist" spewing the usual knee jerking response to anything Castro. If we are going to measure and size-up revolutionary leaders, some comparisons are in order, and by all measure, Cuba's revolution in 1958/59 was relatively bloodless. Yes, as in all revolutions, there were killing by both sides. There were firing squads and executions of those working with the murderous regime being overthrown. One can't intelligently discuss the machinations of the revolutionary battle w/o some context, both historical, and in context of the brutality of the regime being overthrown.
Yes, there were these things in the Cuban Revolution, but you won't see me apologizing for the liberation of Cuba from the grip of an oppressive and murderous US backed regime.
If that makes me a typical leftist in your warped accusation, so be it.

Seriously, why the hell do Cuba apologists try to always change the subject? So because its rival does bad stuff, that automatically excuses Cuba's regime? What kind of argument is that?

Notice that neither Judi nor I do what you claim.
I defend Cuba from lies and smears.
I don't apologize for Cuba or the Castros.

Of course, I do know quite a bit about the island, the Cubans in Cuba, and the gov't of Cuba. I've lived there, have family there, and I go there to visit family and friends very often.

A real economic revolution will occur only after he and his brother take their long-awaited dirt naps.

Not impressed.

Capitalism and enlightened political policies created the internet, something still restricted in Cuba. Can't allow the citizens that kind of open access to the rest of the world.

Fidel and Kim Jong Un have a lot in common.

Enlightened political policies promoted the internet and economic forces made it available around the globe. The Cuban government makes lame excuses for the world wide web not being easily accessible to its citizens.

And you find that hilarious.

Ok. We have your priorities cleared up.

Cuba is a poor Caribbean island. Cubans have different priorities.

The US's priority (from 1960 until last year) was to prevent Cuba from connecting to the sole Caribbean fiber optic WWW connection by sanction.

Your complaint of lack of internet connections is misdirected. You should be blaming over 60 years of ridiculous and in humane policy of sanctions (including access to the WWW) upon the US gov't.

but they're content with their situation, right?

The government's lame excuses to justify the lack of internet access shows just how intent they are to continue repressing the free expression of their citizens.

and the standard of living of Central American countries, and islands which are operated by US corporations, along with some S. American countries.

Everyone knows a nation with a higher longevity and lower incidence of infant mortality, higher literacy, freedom from disease, due to advanced practice of disease prevention, no homeless population, etc.,etc., etc. is probably doing just a bit better than the propaganda screamers are willing to admit.

Of course some of the loudest propagandists are also the ones who refuse to find out the truth, so they are the ones who also know the very least. Know-nothings, and proud of it.

That is quite your wont, isn't it?

Why, it's such a model of success that many other countries have adopted similar economic and political policies so that they can enjoy that same Cuban standard of living. Right? Well, there's North Korea. And??????

I'm sure an illustrious internet scholar such as yourself can find plenty of examples on the web to share with the rest of us who have actually travelled or lived in Latin America and other parts of the world.

You can catapult your version of anti Cuba propaganda all you want, but, you can't honestly claim that lack of well developed Internet infrastructure is Cuba's doing. It was only late last year that US/Cuba relations have even begun to normalize - taking Cuba off of the US's terror list - yet, much of the US's sanctions on Cuba remain... including WWW technological equipment.

and Chinese server manufacturers like Huawei have provided their equipment to the island -- yet unrestricted internet access in the home (unless one is über special) remains illegal.

Yeah, Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House have it all wrong. It's the fault of the bad old USA that the Cuban government limits internet access to its citizens.

We've been over this before. I'd go into it in greater detail, but, seeing as this canard is the same one you bring up during every Castro/Cuba discussion, I won't bother.

For others interested ...

"WHILE THE INTERNET IS STILL ILLEGAL IN PRIVATE HOMES, GOVERNMENT OWNED internet cafes offer Internet access." That's in the very first paragraph of the Wiki entry you cite; you either must have read that with your eyes closed, or deliberately chose to ignore it so as to not interfere with promoting your favorite dictatorship.

And what's with your cherrypicking the Wiki article with the <...>? Here's what is there:

"A new undersea fiber-optic link to Venezuela (ALBA-1) was scheduled for 2011.[15][16] In February 2011 the fiber optic cable linking Cuba to Jamaica and Venezuela arrived and was expected to provide download speeds up to 3,000 times faster than previously available.[17][18] The fiber optic cable was expected to be in operation by the summer of 2011, but reports in October 2011 stated that the fiber optic cable was not yet in place. The government has not commented on the issue, which has led citizens to believe that the project was never completed due to corruption in the Cuban government.[19] In May 2012 there were reports that the cable was operational, but with use restricted to Cuban and Venezuelan government entities. Internet access by the general public still uses the slower and more expensive satellite links,[20] until January 2013 when Internet speeds increased.[21]

One network link connects to the global Internet and is used by government officials and tourists, while another connection for use by the general public has restricted content. Most access is to a government-controlled national intranet and an in-country e-mail system.[22] The intranet contains the EcuRed encyclopedia and websites that are supportive of the government.[citation needed] Such a network is similar to the Kwangmyong used by North Korea, a network Myanmar uses and a network Iran has plans to implement.[23]"

But don't take it from me and Wikipedia. Here's a relatively current report on the state of the internet in Cuba.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3056627/internet-of-things/why-even-google-cant-connect-cuba.html

Some key excerpts:

"It's not as if Cuba would have ubiquitous, affordable and fast Internet access if it just had the money or expertise to make it happen. The problem is that Cuba is a totalitarian Communist dictatorship.

The outrageous price charged for Wi-Fi in Cuba can't possibly reflect the cost of providing the service. The price is really a way to restrict greater freedom of information to those who benefit from the Cuban system.

The strange Wi-Fi card system is also a tool of political control. In order to buy a card, you have to show your ID, and your information is entered into the system. Everything done online using a specific Wi-Fi card is associated with a specific person."

And:

"Google is connected to the global Internet through satellite networks. Cuba is connected to the Internet by an undersea fiber-optic cable that runs between the island and Venezuela. The cable was completed in 2011, and it existed as a "darknet" connection for two years before suddenly going online in 2013.

So here's the problem with Google as the solution: The Cuban government uses high prices and draconian laws to prevent the majority of Cubans from having any access to the Internet at all. The government actively prevents access as a matter of policy. It's not a technical problem. It's a political one."

So tell us again who's at fault for the Cuban people not having unrestricted access to the web.

I cannot teach you reading comprehension. Cubans can and do own computers with Internet - if they can afford them. Affordability is the primary issue.
Interesting to see that you seem to support the gov't supplying cheap Internet with a fully built-out hi speed broadband infrastructure. How do you suggest they do that?

But it seems that yours is in question, since by your response you apparently ignored my previous posting that describes WHY THE INTERNET IS UNAFFORDABLE IN CUBA, AND WHY THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED INTRANET ISN'T THE INTERNET.

Hope the caps help.

Without Chavez's billions of annual subsidies propping up the economy we will see what happens to their standard of living.

There is a reason Cuba is pivoting to a more open relationship with America - tourist dollars are the only potential source of revenue to offset the loss of Venezuelan subsidies.

Last edited Tue Aug 23, 2016, 02:24 AM - Edit history (1)

Good things will happen to Cuba. It will bring about the political change that is badly needed as the government tries to stay ahead of constantly rising public expectations.