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Rumors abound: Fidel Castro is dead

babalublog.com — Spanish Radio said to have reported Castro dead. Miami police on alert.

Who dugg this? Made popular Dec 13, 2006

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  • Charron, on 10/12/2007, -6/+90This is only a rumor right now. A more appropriate response would be "Yay?". When/if it's confirmed, then you can throw in the exclamation mark.
  • Sabin, on 10/12/2007, -24/+80"But to compare the freest of nations to Cuba? "

    Funny, he didn't mention Sweden, Canada, Japan or Australia there.
  • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -23/+66He's dead because a blog tells us so? Pardon my skepticism but I'll bust out the champagne when it's from an official source.

    But yeah, he seemed ready to kick the bucket. Time for some political change for Cuba. And us while we're at it.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+44"Dont bust out the champagne until it's made official....This doesnt mean, though, that you cant start celebrating right now."
    I'm so confused, can I party or not?
  • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -4/+41The exploding Cigar has worked !!!
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+32maybe the embargo will be lifted, and we can be smoking cubans for the new year!
  • duke_nate, on 10/12/2007, -4/+32its means we can get cuban cigars! HORRRRAY!
  • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -4/+30I had Castro and Kramer's career in mine.
  • Cozmcphish, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29Fidel: "I'm not dead yet, I'm getting better. I'm so Happpyyy, I'm so Happpyyy!!"
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27This changes what, really?
  • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23It already is... if you're not american.
  • Alphateam, on 10/12/2007, -4/+25He was in my death pool.
    BUT he is only my first death this year. =(
  • badave, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24He isn't dead... yet.
  • Archer1980, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22everyone knows Castro died in 1981!!

    http://www.uncoveror.com/castro.htm

  • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Old Age > CIA
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19video ipods were also dismissed as just a rumor.

    I mean come on...Castro cant ever really die.
  • demonllama, on 10/12/2007, -8/+24Have you actually talked about what their experiences ARE, rather than ask them if they like what they've done with Cuba? See, for example, I work with someone who recently immigrated from Cuba (was sworn in as an American not so long ago), and I've passed some time discussing his history.

    It's a hell-hole.

    The problem is that the people have been convinced that it's the way to go. Everyone's equal! The government takes care of the people! Sure, equality through nobody having anything. If you want, I'll get'm to give me a list of what their food rations were, but it was ***** stupid. Like, 3 eggs every two months was your allotment; things like that. They're taught that America is evil, and we're all out to get'm with our elitist ways.

    He told me the first time he left his country (he was a teacher down there and went to a conference in Spain) that he couldn't eat for the first two days because every time he saw the abundance of food he just kept thinking of his family and crying. His wife nearly passed out from shock the first time she saw an American supermarket, not to mention a K-Mart. He's told me of his grandfather, and how he'd actually owned a couple restaurants when he was younger (worked his way up from a cafe), only to have the government take it for the good of the people.

    So, yeah, if he's kicked the bucket then those who like things such as, oh I dunno... human beings, should be happy that he's dead. Maybe you've had the luck to talk only to Cubans on the appropriate side of the have/have-not divide, but they don't swim their way over here because they like our beaches better.
  • JRumph, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17Wake me up when something even semi-reputable reports this.
  • blahblah, on 10/12/2007, -10/+24I think if you can compare the US to nazi Germany, you could probably get away with comparing it to Cuba.
  • raid517, on 10/12/2007, -7/+19Well the funny part is even if he is dead - which just because some guy says so in a blog is a long way short of being certain - that in the end he still won.

    He was never defeated by America - and stood defiant and as a thorn in the side of several American administrations for all of his life.

    If he does die then the victory will still be his, regardless.

    Only time and mother nature beat him in the end.
  • Tonamel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13If quantum theory has taught me anything, it's that Castro is both alive AND dead. At least, until someone opens the box to check.
  • antoniojvr, on 10/12/2007, -43/+55Sock:
    You just showed true ignorance there. You compare the US to Cuba? You don't even know what freedom is. My family is still in Cuba and if you knew even half of what is going on there, you would run to President Bush and beg his forgiveness.
    You may not agree with the President's policies. Fine, you can do that here. But to compare the freest of nations to Cuba?
  • ersatzphi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Whether or not he is dead, I don't it will mean any major political changes in Cuba. After all, it was the man who died, not his influence.
  • emptycan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14Listen. If you were living in a communist country, you would probably end up in a jail for that comment.
  • sundancekid503, on 10/12/2007, -9/+19@antoniojvr

    Funny, I don't see him comparing the US to Cuba. He just said they both need political change. I don't think that's a statement you can refute.
  • antoniojvr, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12I think they may mean a spanish-speaking radio station in Miami.
  • gronne, on 10/12/2007, -8/+17From the blog:

    UPDATE: Just a few words of caution to all those visiting us anticipating news of the Cuban dictator's demise: Dont bust out the champagne until it's made official. Even if castro swims with the fishes as we speak, until there's an official Cuban Government announcement we will not know with absolute certainty. This doesnt mean, though, that you cant start celebrating right now.
  • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Schroedinger's cat is hiding out in Castro's beard.
  • raid517, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12Yeah, the cold war is over. Open up he trade routes, allow tourism to flourish, let the country get back on its feet again - and as far as I can tell, that is pretty much the problem solved.

    Cuba presents no threat (other than serving as a demonstration to some in the Western world how a properly managed social welfare system can be extremely effective in producing a well educated and healthy population). So the only real thing holding them back and stopping the world from moving on is the embargo.

    I seriously hope that Cuba can keep the best of what the revolution helped create - while finding a middle way between this and outright capitalism.

    Cuba could be a very rich and successful little country if this silly embargo was dropped - as they are ideally placed to provide many of the facilities and vacation type distractions that many Americans might want. I mean for crap's sake, America does business with China - and with many far more repressive regimes around the world than Cuba. Going by those standards, Castro's regime has been nothing short of positively benevolent in comparison.
  • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9It goes back to the Cold War. Socialist Cuba is the last bastion of Soviet hegemony left in the world, and the only permanent outpost in the western hemisphere. What started out as a Soviet client state has, in effect, outlived it's benefactor, and continues to -arguably- thrive. The fact that Castro is incessant in denouncing the capitalist, and above all, imperialist tendencies of the US gov't certainly doesn't win him too many friends in Washington. Furthermore, as the de-facto vanguard of the current shift to the left in Latin American politics, Socialist Cuba is one of the main lynchpins of American foreign policy. In addition to this, the utterly useless embargo that the US has levied on Cuba continues to be a source of embarassment for the US on the international stage.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Awwww. he never got to see the new iPhone come out! Or the wide screen iPod.

    (Seriously, enough with completely unsubstantiated RUMORS!)
  • vemerge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I don't think the US trade embargo with Cuba will be relinquished anytime soon after Fidel's death. Keep in mind that his younger brother Raul is still in charge, and has pretty much the same political feelings as Fidel, so I doubt the US will be too eager to deal with him either.
  • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13Dude, seriously. This from "The Babalu Blog: An island on the net without a bearded dictator"? This sounds like more wishful thinking from Miami Cuban exiles. Spare me the bleating, flag-waving, right-wing, fanatical Castro deathwatch until Granma or any other respectable news outlet says otherwise, or they produce a corpse.

    Besides, you'd think that Castro's death signifies the collapse of the country, the flowering of 'democracy', the coming of the messiah, etc. Think what you want of the man, his methods, and his regime, but it cannot be denied that Castro is a very intelligent man. I seriously doubt that he -along with the rest of the people who run the country- would not have a plan of succession to keep their 'revolution' going.
  • raid517, on 10/12/2007, -18/+26Lol, I thought they only buried unpopular opinions in places like Cuba? The problem is a lot of you guys just don't want to hear the truth. You have been broght up to hate Castro, without ever really questioning why. You just want to focus on the bad stuff - like the grinding poverty of the Cuban people - which you helped to create - and the lack of Democracy (as you see it) and to hold this up as an example of why communism is a bad idea. But the way I look at it, it's a tough choice in the particular conditions that Cuba finds itself in, either you allow people too much freedom - so that eventually all of these external negative influences can creep back in - or you decide as Castro did that the only way to prevent the kind of whole sale corruption that existed prior to the revolution is to exercise a firm grip over everything that goes on. I am not saying this is the right approach, but when Cuba was the favorite vacation destination for some of the world's most notorious gangsters and corrupt politicians - how else are you going to put things right?

    Anyway in communist like fashion - the digg system only really works if you agree to play the game.

    So unpopular or not I will repost my original post again. Let's just see who the democrats here really are.

    "Well Yay for Castro is what I say - for sticking it to the man for all of those years. And for those who want to digg me down for saying this, although Cuba is poor - mainly due to the stranglehold exercised over it by the American government over this last 50+ years, it has one of the highest infant birth survival rates in the world (many times more than the United States) one of the highest achieving and highest number of graduates and academics per capita of population, a health service that would put many in the so called developed world to shame - and among the oldest surviving population on the planet too. In Cuba, unlike other parts of the world, no child ever really is left behind - with free universal access to high quality education, dental care, basic nutritional requirements and important supplements - and a social services network that enables parents to bring up their children in a safe, secure and genuinely nurturing environment.

    So yeah communism sucks or whatever... And young people when they see America on their 1950's TV's think it looks exciting (as young people would) and that maybe it's really paradise on Earth - and that maybe they would even be be prepared to swim for it just to get there. But it clearly doesn't suck as badly as the crime, corruption gambling, drug smuggling and money laundering - and the wholesale suppression of the poor by the rich and inherently corrupt (American backed) elite who ruled the country before Castro came to power.

    The revolution happened for a reason - and it wasn't just because someone somewhere decided that they were having a bad day. Ordinary people simply became sick of all of this Western sponsored crime and corruption and rose up in a *popular* uprising to kick the people responsible for turning Cuba into the den of iniquity that it was at that time out of the country.

    No wonder then that the Americans objected so much, huh?

    So if he is dead then yeah maybe we can celebrate - although what there is to celebrate in the idea of Cuba returning to it's former status of the gangster and organized crime capital of the Western hemisphere I am still not all that certain about yet."
  • warhorse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This is a genuine question, not being American myself can somebody please explain to me why Americans hate Castro?
  • PaulOwen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Yeah damn right. How many times has the CIA tried to kill Castro?

    He never ran the country into the ground, the US did with sanctions. Doesn't make Castro a bad leader - how can you help people eat when your hand are tied behind your back?

    And now he'll die of old age peacefully. The CIA must be gutted.
  • ulyssesyt, on 10/12/2007, -11/+18actually, not that many are "willing to risk death" to leave. go check your facts. a handful every year.

    also, journalists from countries OTHER than America are given pretty decent access there. they're not reporting about a crushing, oppressive regime. wonder why that is?

    Cuba is not a Democracy. for that matter, neither is the US. in the US, wealth is in the hands of a very few. in Cuba, there isn't much wealth in general. which one is better?
  • eplawless, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10yes, you can party now. no, you're not allowed to get drunk yet.
  • ulyssesyt, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13so, we like Cuban cigars, Cuban music, Cuban women, Cuban food, Cuban culture...

    but how can all this good stuff come from a land of oppression and "poverty"?

    and why, i wonder, are no other countries other than America working to topple Castro? i wonder why America would want that so very, very badly?

    must be because they hate our freedom.
  • foomojive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8sure,

    1. because cubans are not rationed enough food and can not survive on government rations alone.
    2. they would fish for the rest but the government prevents fishing so that the government can reap all profits from any available fishing on the island.
    3. if there is even a rumor of dissent or dislike of anything about the government, the alleged dissident is thrown in jail for however long the government feels like. sometimes they're shot instead.

    that good enough for you? shall I go on? there's a reason people risk their lives in a bathtub to try to cross 80 miles of ocean and get to the US.
  • FearlessFreep, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7look at your user name...
  • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10It makes perfect sense. The cuban exile community is primarily composed of middle-to-upper-class people whose land/property was taken by Castro when he gained power, as part of a series of land/agrarian reforms. It follows that these people, although a small minority, are highly vocal about their grudge towards Castro.

    The intellectuals bemoan because they're all bloody commies. Just kidding. Political repression aside, Castro's Cuba has become one of the most literate countries in the world, with a level of (free) education that far surpasses much of the rest of the world's. In addition, it is a hub of cultural and artistic endeavours for all of latin america, due in no small part to the Cuban government's strident support for the arts and sciences.
  • emptycan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Straight from Google:

    "Guillermo Farinas, a 41-year-old psychologist, went on a hunger strike on Jan. 31 to press Cuba's Communist authorities to respect his right to freedom of information and allow him Internet access, which is controlled by the government."

    What a lovely country. No digg.com for them, eh? Why don't you try to emigrate in Cuba if you think Castro is better than W. Bush?
  • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Oh, so that's why he got dugg down, for reading 'spanish' thinking it was about people from spain. What an idiot. Everybody knows a spanish radio is actually an american one which speaks the spanish language. Just like a french blowjob is actually an american one but with french manners.

  • JamieBarrows, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@Str0gg
    I going to guess that the Cubans you talked to were still living in Cuba. Am I right? If so, then they didn't have any choice about telling you it was "great." Say anything different and you will be arrested. I have relatives that got away from there. While they were there, they never dared to say anything bad about the country, government, or Castro. Even in private, because you never know what might get repeated. Once they got here, they couldn't stop talking about how bad it was.
    Don't get confused. Cuba is not free, and Cubans living there cannot say what they really think. saying what you really think, WILL get you imprisoned there.
  • eddyc, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Cos he set up a communist state on the U.S.'s doorstep. Its red scare *****, dont actually know why theres still an embargo on Cuba, the U.S. trades openly with much worse regimes
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8"there's a reason people risk their lives in a bathtub to try to cross 80 miles of ocean and get to the US."

    Yep, same reason Mexicans try to get in too. Do they have an oppressive leader that we all dislike? Hmmm...
  • lassel, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10Maybe if USA didn't block Cuba they wouldn't be starving?
  • emptycan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Sure, i can give you reasons. I already said, he is one of the last dictators around. I come from a former communist country, and this guy was one of the best friends of our former communist leader.They used to party together. Back then, we were AFRAID to talk about politics or complain about our leaders EVEN when in our homes, because, if someone heard us and told the police, we would get arrested and even tortured. I'm sure Castro is just the same. He is destroying his people.
  • thezanman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I think the importance is huge. The death of such a power-figure could have people thinking that the government has somehow changed and in turn, they could try and take action of some-sort. That could mean anything form people trying to flee here to a possible rebellion.

    Plus it opens the window to many more Castro Jokes :-D
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