FIDEL: Making No Concessions to the Enemy's Ideology

Article about Fidel's reflection on this topic followed by Fidel's statement -- in English and Spanish.

Fidel warns against concessions 'to enemy' as Cuba changes
Posted : Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:15:06 GMT
Author : DPA
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Havana - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has stood by in recent weeks while his brother, Raul, dismantled restrictions on consumer goods in place under his long rule, Wednesday warned Cubans against making "concessions to enemy ideology."In an article published under his name in Cuban state media, Fidel Castro said he was motivated to write "after listening to a public comment disseminated by one of the media of the Revolution."

Castro did not mention the name of the media, but said the commentary was about the severe economic crisis that afflicted the communist island following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in the 1990s.

"We must be very careful about the assertions we make, in order not to play into our enemys ideology. We can not blame the Special Period for the system that imperialism has imposed on the world," said Castro, 81.

Castro stepped aside in February after more than a year of illness during which his brother governed as the interim leader. Since becoming president, Raul Castro has removed restrictions on ownership of cell phones, DVD players, motor scooters, appliances and Cubans' access to luxury hotels, among other changes.

For the man who led Cuba for close to half-a-century, the Special Period was the "inevitable consequence" of the demise of the Soviet Union, which lost the ideological battle and plunged Cuba "into a period of historical resistance" from which it had not yet fully emerged, Castro wrote.

Castro aimed barbed comment at the capitalist system, saying Cuba's communist system "did not invent climate change, or a civilization that depends on the consumption of hydrocarbons, where every individual member of a family moves around in automobiles which travel almost empty, or the nefarious idea of turning foodstuffs into fuel."

Addressing the lifting of restrictions on some capitalist goods, Fidel Castro called upon his compatriots to think carefully about what they say, "to avoid making shameful concessions."

"The nature and psychology of human beings should be analyzed; their time for action is very brief, it is just a fraction of a second in the history of the human species. To understand this is a great remedy against all vanities," Castro stressed.


http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/199400,fidel-warns-against-concessions-to-enemy-as-cuba-changes.html

http://snipurl.com/24o6f


FIDEL'S reflection on this issue from Walter Lippmann's CubaNews list. Comment is from Walter.

(Spanish follows English.)
===========================================================================
"The special period was the inevitable consequence of the demise of the
USSR, which lost the ideological battle and led us into a period of
historical resistance we have not ridden ourselves of completely as yet."
===========================================================================

Reflexions by the Commander in Chief

MAKING NO CONCESSIONS TO THE ENEMY’S IDEOLOGY

http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/2008/ing/f150408i.html

I have decided to write this reflection after listening to a public comment
disseminated by one of the media of the Revolution, which I will not
specifically mention.

We must be very careful about the assertions we make, in order not to play
into our enemy’s ideology.

We can not blame the special period for the system that the imperialism has
imposed on the world; it was not the one that invented the climate change,
or a civilization that depends on the consumption of hydrocarbons, where
every individual member of a family moves in automobiles which travel almost
empty, or the nefarious idea of turning foodstuffs into fuel. It did not
invent the world wars for the distribution of the planet, the military
bases, the nuclear and radio-electronic weapons, the satellites that spy on
everything and hit the target with lethal beams, the guided missiles, or the
submarines that make their shots from a distance of one thousand meters
under the sea. That is science and technology to the service of death and
destruction.

It did not invent political geography or determine how much land each nation
should own, which resulted from other historical factors.

Everything that is said or asserted should be carefully meditated to avoid
making shameful concessions. The nature and psyche of human beings should
be analyzed; their time for action is very brief, is just a fraction of a
second in the history of the human species. To understand this is a great
remedy against all vanities.

The special period was the inevitable consequence of the demise of the USSR,
which lost the ideological battle and led us into a period of historical
resistance we have not ridden ourselves of completely as yet.

How difficult it is to be brief in the battle of ideas!


Fidel Castro Ruz
April 15, 2008
4:45 p.m.

=============================================================

REFLEXIONES DEL COMPAÑERO FIDEL

NO HACER CONCESIONES A LA IDEOLOGÍA ENEMIGA

http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/2008/esp/f150408e.html

Decidí escribir esta reflexión después de escuchar un comentario público
divulgado por un medio masivo de la Revolución, que no voy a mencionar
concretamente.

Hay que tener mucho cuidado con todo lo que se afirma, para no hacerle el
juego a la ideología enemiga. No se puede acusar al período especial del
sistema que el imperialismo ha impuesto al mundo; no inventó el cambio
climático, la civilización que depende del consumo de los hidrocarburos, el
transporte de cada miembro de la familia en automóviles que viajan casi
vacíos, ni la nefasta idea de convertir los alimentos en combustible; no
inventó las guerras mundiales por el reparto del planeta, las bases
militares, las armas nucleares y radioelectrónicas, los satélites espaciales
que todo lo espían y dirigen al blanco rayos letales, los cohetes
teledirigidos, los submarinos que disparan desde mil metros de profundidad,
la ciencia y la tecnología al servicio de la muerte y la destrucción.

Tampoco inventó la geografía política y las tierras de que dispone cada
nación, que fueron fruto de otros factores históricos.

Medítese bien lo que se dice, lo que se afirma, para no hacer concesiones
vergonzosas. Analícese la naturaleza y la psicología de los seres humanos;
su tiempo para actuar es muy breve y constituye realmente una fracción de
segundo en la historia de la especie. Comprender esto es un gran remedio
contra vanidades.

El período especial fue consecuencia inevitable de la desaparición de la
URSS, que perdió la batalla ideológica y nos condujo a una etapa de
resistencia heroica de la cual no hemos salido completamente todavía.

¡Qué difícil es ser breve en la batalla de ideas!

Fidel Castro Ruz
15 de abril de 2008
4 y 45 p.m.

========================================
WALTER LIPPMANN, CubaNews
Los Angeles, California
http://www.walterlippmann.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraiso bajo el bloqueo"
========================================

__._,_.___

I do what I can to ameliorate my concessions, but, alas, I feel as though trapped. Trapped in a quagmire where almost any move risks sinking even deeper.

After last night's "debate", I'm not feeling especially confident that this country can make the necessary corrections. :(


Thanks for posting this, magbana.

Hasta La Victoria!

(Bulk of post removed as per request.)

Venceremos!

¡Hasta La Victoria Siempre!


:hug: