President Obama reaches out to Cuba. While the absolute normalization
of relations between the two countries will likely be an incremental process,
most thinking people are overjoyed with this long overdue step in the right
direction. Outside of our clandestine war that failed miserably (the Bay of
Pigs fiasco), it isn’t as if we fought an actual war with Cuba, as we did with
Germany, Japan, Vietnam and Iraq, and later normalized relations with all of those
governments. Our make-believe-it-wasn’t/isn’t-a-war with Afghanistan doesn’t
really count to the powers that be (and defenders of them). What we did with
Cuba was throw a 50-year long hissy fit over the nationalization of American
businesses. The reason behind the nationalization served the revolutionary ideological mantra
perfectly; an American business exploitation of the Cuban people and its resources.
Hell, even the mob was pissed off about the inability to rape Cuba of coin
via the corrupt Batista government. They even made jokes about it in The Godfather!
“After all, we are not communists.” (2:35 of the video)
Fidel Castro’s 26th of July
Movement achieved its ultimate success when it overthrew the Fulgencio
Batista government on the first day of 1959. The movement had everything
to do with combating widespread government corruption, a military that policed
its people with death squads (which would be no different than Castro’s army
after the revolution), and an economic policy that permitted anyone willing to
kickback coin to those in power carte blanche operations with Cuba’s resources
and people.
You oppress people long enough, they find a way.
Backstory: Prior to Fidel and his cigar there was Fulgencio
Batista and his military. Part of a 1933 coup, Batista wound up head of the
military. He eventually became President in 1940, oddly enough, with the
support of labor unions he apparently approved of at the time. After his first
presidency, Batista felt “safer” in the United States and fled Cuba. He
remained here for the next 8 years, before returning to run for President again
in 1952, except 3 months before the election, he used his military connections to
support his strong-arm coup and thus took control of the country (something the
United States doesn’t usually look kindly on … unless we deem the overthrow in
our interest).
This one we deemed in our interest, so the United States immediately
recognized the military coup and the Batista government. Batista then ruled
from March, 1952, until New Year’s Day, 1959.
Over time, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., commenting on Batista’s Cuba,
stated: “The corruption of the Government, the brutality of the police, the
government's indifference to the needs of the people for education, medical
care, housing, for social justice and economic justice ... is an open
invitation to revolution.”
Yeah, well, no shit. A third of the Cuban people lived in poverty, and disgruntled
Cuban nationals were treated no better than political prisoners anywhere else a
military dictatorship ran things. Batista’s affiliation with organized crime was
legendary, and as stated above, nobody was more pissed off about El Jefe’s revolutionary victory than the
Mafia. So, yeah, no shit the ground was fertile for revolution?
Enter Fidel Castro ...
And from our perspective, once there was a godless communist running
the show (and after he nationalized American business interests in Cuba), we
reached out to (drumroll please) … Sam Giancana and Santo Trafficante to have “the
beard” whacked. No, that’s not a crime fiction writer’s fantasy, it’s what was actually
attempted. Using the mob was actually one of five documented CIA attempts to kill
Fidel Castro.
Of course neither you nor I learned anything about this assassination
stuff (in Cuba or anywhere else) in public and/or Catholic schools (where we
were forced to pledge allegiance and pray to God daily). We're the good guys, remember? It wasn’t until I
attended college (where all that leftist propaganda was shoved down my throat, although
I was never forced to pledge allegiance or pray to anything or anybody). When I
learned that our (US) conduct wasn’t much different than Mr. Batista’s and/or
Mr. Castro’s, well, I thought: Would you
look at that?
The other day I was listening to talk radio on my way to the doctor’s
office and of course the lunatics on the right were spewing venom about
President Obama’s decision (one of the very best of a less than mediocre lot,
in my opinion) … and when it was learned that Pope Francis was part of the
negotiations, one psychotic, Michael Savage, doubled-down on his whackjob
colleague, Rush Limbaugh’s, name calling. Those two ass hats believe that Pope
Francis is a Marxist Pope ... and what's worse, there are people who believe the ass hats are right!
Oy vey …
For the record, THIS ATHEIST
LOVES THIS PONTIFF.
Savage then used sound clips from Godfather
II to make his point (whatever the hell that was supposed to be; comparing
the smugness of Obama to Batista? Really?). If that were the case, I’m thinking
Obama would have FOX news and Ayn Randers like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage
and Marc Levin used for great white shark bait (my pleasant image of the day).
Anyway, it’s about time we normalize relations with Cuba. We were the
ones who attempted to overthrow the Castro government (not the other way
around). Our embargo has hurt none of the powers that be in Cuba. Fidel Casto,
his brother, and their best friends aren’t hurting. While they proved no
different than their predecessor when it came to political oppression and death
squads, Cuba today has the highest adult literacy rate in the world, as well as
one of the lowest infant mortality rates, with government provided education
and health services for all. Could it be better? Of course, and the sooner the
Cuban people are exposed to the kind of technology that facilitated an Arab
Spring, the sooner the oppressive governments of the Castro brothers will fade.
In the meantime, three cheers for President Obama’s efforts with Cuba
and Viva the new Revolución!
Salute! Salute! Salute!
Who’s SONY’s Daddy? Wow,
so much for Freedom of Speech, eh? One has to wonder what SONY’s big concerns
remain. I can’t think of any outside of lawsuits due to a terrorist attack on a
movie theatre. Or maybe movie theatre executives are afraid of being hacked?
This was some strange shit, you ask me. I hate being a nationalist about this,
so I won’t be one. I won’t shout, “USA! USA! USA!” and support the bombing of
North Korea over some hacking of a movie studio, but I will say, “Freedom of
Speech” and “I really want to see this movie, damn it!”
I mean, right now, “I REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!”
Maybe if they retitle it, The Cancelled Interview?
Happy Holidays … unless something unusual happens, we’ll be
taking a break for the Holidays … so from Temporary Knucksline to all our amici
and those who cringe at our politics, sports talk, book and movie reviews …
yous all stay safe and happy and healthy … remember to hug your loved ones and
do something for someone in need … be kind to one another and if it’s a prayer
you need to say, say it (I do and I’m a frickin’ atheist) … basically, do the
right thing … or as Morgan Freeman said in character at the end of the Tom
Wolfe novel turned movie, Bonfire of the Vanities, (a terrific
book and movie, by the way) … be decent. Go home and be decent.
—Knucks
Merry Christmas, amici!
