‘Dictators’ to the Right of me, ‘Presidents’ to the Left

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

There are 'Dictators' to the Right of me, 'Presidents' to the Left, Humberto Fontova notes — at least according to the mainstream media:

From the AP to Reuters and from the New York Times to the Washington Post the MSM stories on the Cuban Revolution’s 50th anniversary all mention a “dictator” — but his name is Batista. The Castro brothers invariably appear as “Presidents.” Fidel Castro has ruled (unelected) longer than Hitler and Stalin combined and mandates what his subjects, read, say, earn, eat (both substance and amount), where they live, travel or work. No matter. He’s a “president”

You will search these stories in utter vain for any mention of mass-murder and jailings or torture — on the part of the Castros that is. Yet mass-repression started on day one of the Castroite triumph and kicked into highest gear in the mid 60′s, precisely at the apex of the Castro/Che popularity with western politicians, celebrities and “intellectuals.”

In April 1959, three months after his triumph, Castro toured the US to thunderous acclaim. At the time of his delirious, deafening, foot-stomping receptions at Harvard Law School and the National Press Club (most of whose members oppose capital punishment), his firing squads had slaughtered 1,168 men — and boys, some as young as 15.

By the time Norman Mailer (another opponent of capital punishment) was hailing Fidel Castro as “the greatest hero to appear in the Americas!” his hero’s firing squads had piled up 4,000 corpses and one of 18 Cubans was a political prisoner, an incarceration rate that surpassed Stalin’s.

By 1975, when George McGovern (another opponent of capital punishment) was calling Castro as “very shy and sensitive, a man I regard as a friend,” the bullet-riddled bodies of over 10,000 Cubans lay in unmarked graves, and Cuba still held the most political prisoner as a percentage of population on earth, easily surpassing Nazi Germany’s prewar rate. But this record does not besmirch, as evidenced by the following tributes:

“Viva Fidel! Viva Che! Long Live our cry of Freedom!” — Jesse Jackson.

“Castro is very selfless and moral. One of the world’s wisest men.” — Oliver Stone.

“Cuba’s Elvis.” — Dan Rather.

One Helluva Guy! — Ted Turner

“If you believe in freedom, if you believe in justice, if you believe in democracy, you have no choice but to support Fidel Castro!” — Harry Belafonte.

“A genius.” — Jack Nicholson.

“Fidel, I love you. We both have beards. We both have power and want to use it for good purposes.” — Francis Ford Coppola.

“Socialism works. I think Cuba might prove that.” — Chevy Chase.

“Castro has done some good things for Cuba” — Colin Powell

(Hat tip to Mencius Moldbug.)

Leave a Reply