Castro: I'm too ill for public life

Source: al Jazeera

Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, has said he is still not well enough to return to public life and campaign in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections.

Castro said in a letter published in several state-owned Cuban newspapers that he was "not physically able" to perform his public duties but would instead continue to write.

Castro, 81, underwent stomach surgery in July 2006, handing over power temporarily to his brother, Raul.

He has not been seen in public since, although he has appeared on television and writes in state newspapers.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FFD79B71-174C-46BC-95D7-3A7E0E7D0521.htm

why?

and pro gay rights.

Then you can die.

Fidel can retire to a life as an elder statesman. If Cuba were Israel, Fidel would have been elected to the ceremonial post of President, like Shimon Peres was.

Fidel will outlive the evil Bush regime, and whatever imperial restoration government that follows it, Republican or Democrat.

If there is any power vacuum when he finally dies, it will be exploited by the US. But having a
successor in place before that day comes should ensure that things just roll on smoothly.

The ideal would also be to see democratic elections instituted as well, but I think that's pie-in-
the-sky, unfortunately.

as those in the USA, if not more so.

Anyone can start a political party and run? I don't think so.

Elections do not equal democracy. North Korea, China and the Soviet Union hold/held elections routinely - just like Cuba they are one party states.

why not? Cubans can't handle it?

delegates to the National Assembly than the cash based sham "selections" we're burdened with.

Guess what?

They don't have to raise millions of dollars to have a chance at election!!

They only need to be good leaders with the best ideas and some people skills.

that was not a dictatorship or kingdom? While you are at it, show me a single elected official in Cuba that is in opposition to the communist party and advocate wholesale changes in policy (like what happens here). Show me a single political party that opposes the communist party in Cuba.

:sarcasm:

Many friendly middle East countries run by royal families

if those governments are friendly governments?

we are "friends" out of mutually perceived self interest. It does not make them any less abhorrent.

we embargo the nations that don't serve our purpose and make them evil but love others who hate democracy.

It shouldn't be that way.

since 1980. probably going to continue until 2016, unless jeb runs.

Go tell that to Canadians, Brits, Germans, Swiss, Netherlanders, etc etc.

:batshit: :crazy:




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and all votes are hand-counted.

and challenge Castro for the office of president? Interesting.

You either get a Dem or a Repug and try to do a 3rd party and see how far that goes in the US of A.

The political process is fundamentally more democratic in Cuba. And there is no need to have a 2nd political party in Cuba if the Communist Party can field enough candidates of a highly-ethical and moral character and the population is supporting their candidancy from the local, grass-roots level.

If you would mind studying the political process in Cuba, you would have a better grasp on that reality.

"It doesn't matter who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes"
J. Stalin ;)

:hurts:

Shows you how deep the hypocrisy of the U.S. goes.

....makes all the cheap junk we buy and props up our failing banks, businesses and government....them be's good Commies....

I think that says as much as needs to be said about the criminal cabal currently squatting in the White House.

do you think the next leader of Cuba will be elected, or will the dynasty just continue with Raul?

Candidates are 'approved' by local committees of respected local people. Political parties (or, if you prefer, 'The Party' is actually quite irrelevant, since candidates do not run on party platforms but as individuals (who, today, are sometimes non-Party members). And, what do you imagine the Cuban Communist Party is like? It is certainly not monolithic (nothing like Stalinist): there are many currents of opinion, even, I would guess, 'factions', as there are in society at large.

Sure, the 'Media' is an exclusive competence of the State under the Cuban Constitution (this, designed to keep 'dirty' (especially US) money out of the media). It would be nice if this could change (but there always have to be some kind of legal oversight of the media); but it is certainly better than dumbing-down mainstream US media.

Bottom line: I think the current set-up can certainly handle - is in fact already handling - very well the coming transition, which, as Fidel has pointed out (even including self-criticism for having been too dominant in the past) will necessarily depend on the very well-educated younger generations. Ah, the wisdom of old men!

(edited for clarity, agreeing with what ProudDad #19 said).

that there will be an election within the Communist Party for the new leader. I'm thinking that out of respect for his brother's death and deference to a Revolution hero, most will give a vote for Raul castro. however, the Revolution is very well established. They learned from the Soviet Union's Perestroika and Glasnost ideas. They know what can happen when too much change is introduced at one time. I'm assuming that Cuba will be like China. It will improve on its political system in a moderate way, while retaining the gains of the Revolution. That sounds to me like a better plan than just having a "restoration of democracy", which really is, "implanting client-state regime to facilitate neo-colonialism by the United States and multinational corporations".

In any case, there's a whole generation of government experts and younger politicians who have been working up to their positions. Ricardo Alarcon is still young enough to lead, Roque as well...there's plenty of people to succeed Castro.

And funny enough, I have a feeling that they'd still win an election (Communist party members, I mean), even if they allowed a second party made of dissidents to run. The dissidents do not have much power and their beef is mostly with Castro. Remove Castro, and they don't have much basis to run or much to campaign on (except destroying the Revolution and its gains, which most Cubans won't abandon).

This is the third level of assembly. There are local, provincial, and national assemblies.

but I suspect that the National Assembly will symbolically give their votes for Raul Castro, for being an elder statesmen and a hero of the Revolution.

I could be wrong...but I assume that if Raul is alive when Fidel dies, he is going to win the symbolic National Assembly vote for assuming leadership

telling Cubans that they have to pay for they insurance, for their collage education and they maybe layoff, they'll become communist again

well...good luck with that.

Good luck with your fantasy island.

Or Bush will take credit for it and we will never hear the end of it.

Cuban citizens get.

Unlike the situation with our ruling class, who get Rolls Royce care compared to the Yugo care most of us get.

It's GREAT to be a dictator for 48 years.

.. they are more ignorant of Cuban politics than you.






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but he'll win in the sham of a Cuban election. 48 years. Cuba has a sick political system. Like your proud use of the word "blockade" (aping Cuban propaganda) when there is no blockade of Cuba, you use the word election, when there is no election, just a coronation.

Go ahead and proudly deny what is.. go ahead and continue to ape Bush administration propaganda.

Embargo
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/embargo

Main Entry: 1em·bar·go
Pronunciation: \im-ˈbär-(ˌ)gō\
Function:noun
Inflected Form(s): plural em·bar·goes
Etymology: Spanish, from embargar to bar, from Vulgar Latin *imbarricare, from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin *barra bar
Date: 1593

1: an order of a government prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from its ports

2: a legal prohibition on commerce <a trade embargo>

3: stoppage impediment; especially : prohibition <I lay no embargo on anybody's words — Jane Austen>

4: an order by a common carrier or public regulatory agency prohibiting or restricting freight transportation

The same level of obdurate ignorance is present in the rest of your post.


http://www.poptel.org.uk/cuba-solidarity/democracy.htm

This system in Cuba is based upon universal adult suffrage for all those aged 16 and over. Nobody is excluded from voting, except convicted criminals or those who have left the country. Voter turnouts have usually been in the region of 95% of those eligible .

There are direct elections to municipal, provincial and national assemblies, the latter represent Cuba's parliament.

Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties. No political party, including the Communist Party, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any given candidates.

==

http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQDemocracy.html

==

Democracy in Cuba and the 1997-98 Elections
Arnold August
1999
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0968508405/qid=1053879619/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8821757-1670550?v=glance&s=books




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as well as enabling conservative democrats.

(I'm personally ambivalent on the whole issue)

If Cuba is as much of a democratic utopian paradise as many on this thread are saying, why do so many Cubans risk their lives to sail terribly rickety and unsafe vessels to FL?

Links please!

First, show us the posts that describe Cuba as a "utopian paradise" that you claim "as many on this thread are saying".

Why don't I don't see any posts making that claim? Because there aren't any?

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Second, Cubans come to the US for many of the same reasons that people come to the US from all over the Caribbean and Latin Americas on rickety vessels. In fact, fewer Cubans come to US shore than do many other groups from the Caribbean, Central and Latin Americas. They come for the same reasons that Mexicans do, and Mexicans risk death making dangerous desert crossings where hundreds die every year. The difference between Cuban migration and all other migrants entering the US is that Cubans are awarded instant residency in the US by simply touching US shore (the US's Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy for Cubans only) while all other migrants are arrested, detained, and deported back to the country they were fleeing from. Cubans also receive many perks from the US taxpayer via the US Cuban Adjustment Act that gives Cuban migrant instant residency, instant work visa, instant access to US Social Security, instant access to welfare, unemployment insurance, instant access to food stamp programs, instant placement in Sec 8 taxpayer funded housing (and Cubans only get a $41,000 income exemption for Sec 8 housing).

Even though there is no Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy for any other nationality, still more pour in from other countries than they do from Cuba.

They are looking for work. Jobs that pay them enough to send some money back to their families back home.

Also, the VAST majority of Cuban expats have come to the US using legal means (the US offers over 20,000 immigration visas annually - not all are even applied for).


Despite these programs designed to offer a 'carrot on a stick' to Cubans only, the RW Cubaphobe rhetoric loop repeats the question "then why do Cubans come to the US on rickety vessels?".

First the US forces economic deprivation on Cubans, then open our doors to any and all Cubans illegal or not, and then offer them a plethora of immigration perks and housing perks not even available to native born Americans.

But yet, more immigrants come from Mexico and the Latin Americas than do Cubans, and they have no such "Adjustment Act" like Cubans do. But they still pour in.

Plus, Cuban immigrants can hop on a plane from Miami to Havana and travel right back to the Cuba that they "escaped" from for family trips and vacations - by the hundred of thousands annually (until Bush's recent one visit every 3 yrs restrictions on Cuban expats living in the US).

Recognizing the immorality of forced starvation and forced economic deprivation is a good reason to drop the US embargo on Cuba, the Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy, the US Cuban Adjustment Act, and the US travel sanctions placed on US citizens and residents. Then the Cuban tourism economy (its #1 sector) would be able to expand even faster, thereby increasing the average wage and quality of life in Cuba. It would make products, goods, and services even more accessible to both Cubans and Americans. It would reduce the economic based immigration flow from Cuba. And it would restore our own constitutional right to travel unfettered to see Cuba for ourselves.

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