Bush or Castro?

Ok, no sliding scale. You get two choices: BUSH or CASTRO, but this has nothing to do with the actual state of either nation at the moment: the point is moot that Cuba would likely be more prosperous and freer if we were not such colossal IDIOTS and spent so much time kissing the asses of Rich Cuban Expatriates and Corporations who got assets nationalized.

Defend if you want, but leave your polemics at the door. I make no comment on the choice lines.

Also of course we are writing out external conditions; obviously at one point the Soviet Union was willing to subsidize Cuba to a large extent. At those times, Castro might have well been better than Bush.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

Also, I have no idea how to keep a 1954 Plymouth Fury in running condition.

But I would rather send Bush to Cuba to be dictator for life THERE and have 8 years of Castro here in America.

Do you think Congress would have let a Communist like Castro pull all the crap Bush got away with for all these years?

No.

Because it's only okay when Republickers do it.

He may be a dictator, but he made a silk purse out of the sow's ear we left behind when he kicked us out, and rightfully, too.

If we hadn't been such assholes with our 45 year embargo, both our countries could have done much better and there would likely be a much more liberal system in Cuba today.

And we pushed him into the Soviet Unions orbit; but one has to question how much of Cuba's success, limited though it might be, was due to Castro's good management, and how much was due to the Soviet Union realizing the propaganda value of propping up Soviet Cuba.

Bryant

In terms of the CIA family jewels..., definitely *.
In terms of who I would rather lead my government, Fidel is less of a threat to do harm.

Add TIME into that equation somewhere. Bush has taken us a long way down the road to Fascism, while Castro has led Cuba to universal healthcare and literacy with next to nothing for assets.

I'd prefer not to have either.

Fence sitting is not allowed.

As an Anarchist, I'm not overly fond of "leaders" of any stripe. But, given a choice between a blustering frat-boy with a Napoleonic complex and a clever dictator who actually tries to help the people, I'll stick with Dylan's assessment.

Because just try walking down a major Havana street with a sign that says, "Fuck Off Castro".

Do they NEED one?

I would say yes.

...as a 100% valid situation.

Besides, we dangle that carrot all the live long day, the Cubans have Medical missions all over the world, and they have had ONE doctor defect in the last 3 years.

ONE.

For your joy and edificaiton:


http://www.nationbynation.com/Cuba/Population.html
CUBA

Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. The largest organized religion is the Roman CatholicChurch. Santeria, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, is the most widely practiced religion in Cuba. Officially, Cubahas been an atheist state for most of the Castro era. However, a constitutional amendment adopted on July 12, 1992 changed the nature of theCuban state from atheist to secular, enabling religious believers to belong to the Cuban Communist Party (PCC).
POPULATION GRAPH
Population:
11,224,321 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.6% (male 1,188,125; female 1,125,743)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,902,162; female 3,880,531)
65 years and over: 10.1% (male 520,849; female 606,911) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.35% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
12.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:
7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

(That's 0.12%. The FLOOD is just OVERPOWERING. And it's PER 1000 population as of 2002)


From WIKIPEDIA:

In order to provide aid to recently arrived Cuban immigrants, the United States Congress passed the Cuban American Adjustment Act in 1966. The Cuban Refugee Program provided more than $1.2 billion of direct financial assistance. They also were eligible for public assistance, Medicare, free English courses, scholarships, and low interest college loans. Some banks even pioneered loans for exiles who did not have collateral or credit but received help in getting a business loan simply because they were of Cuban descent. These loans enabled many Cuban Americans to secure funds and create their own businesses.


Let's see...Aid that works out to about over $9000 PER PERSON IN DIRECT CASH ASSISTANCE. Also welfare eligibility, Medicare, etc.

GEE. Sounds like a PRETTY FUCKING GOOD DEAL TO ME. How do I get MY roughly $54,000 for MY family?

So I'm not sure where you are gathering your information.

And I didn't realize we were arguing about American policy when it comes to dealing with Cubans. I thought we were taking a poll on whom we preferred to live under; either Bush or Castro.

If you prefer to live in a communist society where freedom of expression is not tolerated nor is freedom to choose a candidate from a different party; a society that has bowed down to the same leader for almost 50 years; a society that does not allow you to leave the country at free will; a society where even the most educated and talented make only enough for sheer basic necessities; a society that does not allow the importation of foreign publications (and please don't mention the embargo because I'm talking about all world publications); a society that does not allow its students to access the internet(if you're a foreign student, you're allowed); a society that does not permit its people to enter its hotels unless they have a job there ...

then knock yourself out. You are about as free-spirited as a fucking robot.

Me, I prefer a society that although it's not the most perfect society, I still have the freedom to try and change it.

Plus, you are missing the entire point of the discussion, so you might as well not answer.

Why don't you just keep on supporting that stupid embargo? Seems to have worked SO WELL in moving Cuba toward your US UTOPIA. And by the way, the EMBARGO includes any company doing business with the United States, so that has until recently pretty much covered almost everybody.

Pardon me, but YOUR propaganda is just about as meaningful as theirs is.

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...has more integrity in his ratty beard than POS Bush has in his entire body.

I don't want to hear (as above a few lines) RAH RAH RAH WE SO GREAT THEY SO BAD. We have just about topped out the SUCK O METER in the current political climate.

He's been more wronged against than wronged if you ask me.

The USA was founded by terrorists, a fact we should bear in mind especially when we're deciding how evil all those other people are and why we should kill them.
:kick:

We do seem to have a long term problem with Self Righteousness, do we not?

I remember reading accounts of Loyalists driven from their homes, family members shot or hung.

but have denied it for so long, we've come to believe it. From our initial arrival to the Indian wars and the following conquest of the continent, the Civil war, and the westward expansion to realize our "Manifest Destiny", our national history is all about horrendous violence and mayhem.

We were terrorists from both the English and the French perspectives, but Louis followed the old "enemy of my enemy is my friend" dictum and gave us the means to win.

Much the same as in 1959.