Fidel: GOP Primary 'Greatest Competition Of Idiocy The World Has Ever Seen'
62 replies, posted
[quote=The Huffington Post]HAVANA -- Fidel Castro lambasted the Republican presidential race as the greatest competition of "idiocy and ignorance" the world has ever seen in a column published Wednesday, and also took shots at the news media and foreign governments for seizing on the death of a Cuban prisoner to demand greater respect for human rights.
Castro's comments came in a long opinion piece carried by official media two days after Republican presidential hopefuls at a debate in Florida presented mostly hard-line stances on what to do about the Communist-run island, and even speculated as to what would happen to the 85-year-old revolutionary leader's soul when he dies.
Cuba has become an important issue as the candidates court Florida's influential Cuban-American community in an effort to win the biggest electoral prize so far in the primary season.
Castro said he always assumed the candidates would try to outdo each other on the issue of Cuba, but that he was nonetheless appalled by the level of debate.
"The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is – and I mean this literally – the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been," said the retired Cuban leader, who has dueled with 11 U.S. administrations since his 1959 revolution.
Castro also disputed international media accounts about the Jan. 19 death of Wilman Villar, a 31-year-old Cuban prisoner, saying the man was not a dissident and not on a 50-day hunger strike as human rights groups and the island's opposition claim.
Castro reiterated the government's contention that Villar was a common criminal sent to prison for domestic violence, and that he received the best medical attention possible. Washington and several European governments have condemned Cuba for his death, and Amnesty International says it was about to put Villar on a global list of prisoners of conscience.
Villar has become a cause celebre for opponents of the Cuban government, but he was not a well known figure, even among island dissidents, before his death.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney said during Monday's debate that Villar died "fighting for democracy" and that his death highlighted the need to remain firm on Cuba. Washington has maintained a near-50-year trade and travel embargo on Cuba.
Another Republican candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said he would authorize increased covert operations to bring down the Cuban government. And at another moment of Monday's debate, Romney and Gingrich sparred over whether Castro's soul would go to heaven or hell.
When asked what he would do as president if he found out Castro had died, Romney said he would first "thank Heavens" that the bearded revolutionary had finally "returned to his maker," to which Gingrich replied "I don't think Fidel's going to meet his maker. I think he's going to go to the other place."
Castro didn't refer to the comments specifically in his opinion piece, saying that he was too busy with other things to waste any more time analyzing the Republican competition.
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[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/fidel-castro-republican-race_n_1230930.html[/url]
I'll give him that.
TROLLING LIKE A PRO
somewhat true too
pretty much... no one wins with american politics. everyone looses, some more then others.
reminder that cuba is [i]not[/i] a poverty-drenched hellhole and it's pretty much the best communist country.
(this does not excuse its human rights abuses)
[QUOTE=notxmania;34393966]reminder that cuba is [i]not[/i] a poverty-drenched hellhole and it's pretty much the best communist country.
(this does not excuse its human rights abuses)[/QUOTE]
Again, 'communist' country, as in not really.
[QUOTE=BaconMan_lol;34393930]pretty much... no one wins with american politics. everyone looses, some more then others.[/QUOTE]
It's not particularly our political system he's commenting on, I believe (and agree) that this particular election cycle is the weakest showing of candidates I can think of at the moment. I think Obama would be hard pressed to lose the election.
Fidel is just trying to cover his tracks but i'd take a GOP primary leader over fucking Castro anyday.
and i'm a fucking left-wing lunatic!
[QUOTE=thisispain;34394025]Fidel is just trying to cover his tracks but i'd take a GOP primary leader over fucking Castro anyday.
and i'm a fucking left-wing lunatic![/QUOTE]
but we both listen to Stereolab. :smith:
when someone like fidel puts stuff into perspective, its always hilarious
not exactly the best leader in the world but a pretty chill guy
[QUOTE=The Castro;34394086]but we both listen to Stereolab. :smith:[/QUOTE]
woah we do
[QUOTE=thisispain;34394025]Fidel is just trying to cover his tracks but i'd take a GOP primary leader over fucking Castro anyday.
and i'm a fucking left-wing lunatic![/QUOTE]
Why would you take a GOP primary leader over Castro?
I'd be running scared if Santorum had the same kind of executive power as Castro did
[QUOTE=Contag;34394195]Why would you take a GOP primary leader over Castro?
I'd be running scared if Santorum had the same kind of executive power as Castro did[/QUOTE]
well exactly the president doesn't have such executive power.
for better or worse...
[QUOTE=Contag;34394195]Why would you take a GOP primary leader over Castro?
I'd be running scared if Santorum had the same kind of executive power as Castro did[/QUOTE]
no, we're talking about Castro as President of the US
[QUOTE=trotskygrad;34393910]TROLLING LIKE A PRO
somewhat true too[/QUOTE]
It's not trolling when it's true. Fidel may not be the best candidate in the world but even he knows there's a lot of absolutely insane lads running for government in the US.
[QUOTE=Mabus;34394260]It's not trolling when it's true. Fidel may not be the best candidate in the world but even he knows there's a lot of absolutely insane lads running for government in the US.[/QUOTE]
Fidel isn't a candidate, he was president for 30 years.
[QUOTE=Mabus;34394260]It's not trolling when it's true. Fidel may not be the best candidate in the world but even he knows there's a lot of absolutely insane lads running for government in the US.[/QUOTE]
he's trolling in the sense that he's doing it to provoke for attention.
[QUOTE=trotskygrad;34394218]no, we're talking about Castro as President of the US[/QUOTE]
I really hope he wouldn't use nuclear weapons, censor the internet, assassinate american and foreign citizens, conduct extralegal raids in the sovereign territory of other states, authorize the warrantless surveillance of American citizens, rendition and torture people in across Europe and the third world, execute criminals, sentence 11 year olds to life imprisonment without parole, codify the indefinite detention of citizens and...
oh wait sorry I got my countries mixed up for a second there
[editline]26th January 2012[/editline]
Cuban or American, shit is shit
[QUOTE=notxmania;34393966]reminder that cuba is [i]not[/i] a poverty-drenched hellhole and it's pretty much the best communist country.
(this does not excuse its human rights abuses)[/QUOTE]
Sure it's not the worst country in the world, but it's definitely poverty-ridden. When I went to Cuba, I felt like everyone was working below average pay. Even a communist country like Romania in the 80's was far better off than Cuba today. I really don't see how you can say that it is the "best communist country".
[QUOTE=Contag;34394308]
oh wait sorry I got my countries mixed up for a second there
[/QUOTE]
you certainly did.
i would take Bjork as leader-empress of the planet over both of them but unfortunately she won't get elected because her economic platform is a bit shaky.
[QUOTE=thisispain;34394300]Fidel isn't a candidate, he was president for 30 years.[/QUOTE]
I don't want to get in the semantics of rule, so don't start, I'm tired. I meant it as in he is not ideal as a representative of what is wrong and right, which makes it humorous in context to these gents.
[QUOTE=Plastical;34394374]Sure it's not the worst country in the world, but it's definitely poverty-ridden. When I went to Cuba, I felt like everyone was working below average pay. Even a communist country like Romania in the 80's was far better off than Cuba today. I really don't see how you can say that it is the "best communist country".[/QUOTE]
that's kind of the thing about communism, you get what would be "below average" pay in a capitalist country, but you also get extensive social services available to all. the point isn't that everyone is rich, but that everyone has the same opportunities available to them.
i'll concede that i don't know all that much about the conditions of various soviet bloc states in the 80s, it's probably something i'll look into.
[QUOTE=notxmania;34394494]that's kind of the thing about communism, you get what would be "below average" pay in a capitalist country, but you also get extensive social services available to all. the point isn't that everyone is rich, but that everyone has the same opportunities available to them.
i'll concede that i don't know all that much about the conditions of various soviet bloc states in the 80s, it's probably something i'll look into.[/QUOTE]
What are you talking about, Communism was never implemented in the Soviet bloc states.
[QUOTE=notxmania;34393966]reminder that cuba is [i]not[/i] a poverty-drenched hellhole and it's pretty much the best communist country.
(this does not excuse its human rights abuses)[/QUOTE]
This. I've been to Cuba twice and the place is pretty good to live in (even saw Fidel in person, from a long distance). If the US would remove the blockade there'd be either a peaceful or violent revolution, but either way the country would be better off for it. The trade blockade just enables Castro's regime to stay in power.
Castro, you are wise beyond your beard.
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34394520]What are you talking about, Communism was never implemented in the Soviet bloc states.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc#Political_and_civil_restrictions[/url] Seems pretty communist to me, sure there are divergent states in there, but the main Idea was communistic.
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34394520]What are you talking about, Communism was never implemented in the Soviet bloc states.[/QUOTE]
True communism has never been implemented anywhere. However, many soviet satellite states incorporated a form of far-left socialism or Marxist-Leninist socialism. The 'general' idea of communism was definitely implemented in most of countries of the Eastern Bloc.
[QUOTE=Dysgalt;34394687][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc#Political_and_civil_restrictions[/url] Seems pretty communist to me, sure there are divergent states in there, but the main Idea was communistic.[/QUOTE]
are you demented?
you just quoted a section on how the eastern bloc states entirely failed to be socialist and never moved to communism
[QUOTE=Contag;34394308]I really hope he wouldn't use nuclear weapons, censor the internet, assassinate american and foreign citizens, conduct extralegal raids in the sovereign territory of other states, authorize the warrantless surveillance of American citizens, rendition and torture people in across Europe and the third world, execute criminals, [B]sentence 11 year olds to life imprisonment without parole[/B], codify the indefinite detention of citizens and...
oh wait sorry I got my countries mixed up for a second there
[editline]26th January 2012[/editline]
Cuban or American, shit is shit[/QUOTE]
Why exactly did you include this part?
If you're talking about that one case where the eleven year old shot and killed a pregnant woman while she was sleeping, then he pretty much fucking deserves it. Age shouldn't be an excuse, pretty much everybody (including those who are eleven) know it's not acceptable to kill people.
[QUOTE=Dysgalt;34394687][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc#Political_and_civil_restrictions[/url] Seems pretty communist to me, sure there are divergent states in there, but the main Idea was communistic.[/QUOTE]
communism doesn't have anything to do with political and civil restriction.
hell marx thought the perfect communist state should be classless and stateless.
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