Fidel Castro is still alive. The recently released CIA documents dubbed "The Family Jewels" don't contain much that wasn't already widely known or suspected. It was already well understood, for instance, that elements in the US government plotted to kill Castro. The only slight surprise to me was the attempted collaboration between the CIA and the Mafia to assassinate him in the early 1960s. This may or may not give a new spin on the actual assassinations of JFK and Bobby Kennedy, given the shady Mob connections and discordant government crackdowns. Or it could just have been bad karma -- order the assassination of other leaders and things might just boomerang on your own head.
In any case, I'm glad Cuba exists and that Castro's still alive. It's a comfort to see some variety left in the world -- Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis and Guantanamo regardless. To me, Cuba mainly represents a big up yours to "the Establishment."
A protector of the Revolution. Photo by Alberto Korda, 1962.
Susan Hayward (1917-1975).
Today’s Rune: Fertility.
Birthdays: Georges Duhamel, Madge Bellamy (b. Margaret Derden Philpott), Czesław Miłosz, Susan Hayward (b. Edythe Marrenner), Lena Horne, Lea Massari (b. Anna Maria Massetani), José Emilio Pacheco, Stanley Clarke, Anette Michel Carrillo.
Hasta La Vista!
2 comments:
Judith Exner, who was involved with both JFK and Chicago mobster Sam Giancana revealed the Mob/CIA connection some years back.
Cuba is intriguing. I do like the fact that there's one hold out in Latin America. When people point to Cuba's human rights violations, I point out that theirs were trivial compared to the carnage in places like El Salvador and Guatemala. And their health care system puts ours to shame.
My first wife was from Cuba-- she was born in Havana and immigrated when she was seven, in 1970. She was no big fan of the regime-- her father was an artist and was imprisoned for years for dissent (he was able to come here finally in 1981) but she had utter contempt for los gusanos-- those assholes in Miami who think that they're going to waltz in to take back their planations when Castro dies.
Seems to me the Mafia wanted their offshore gaming just as bad as Kennedy wanted Cuba "democratic."
I guess when Bobby Kennedy figured that the mafia was of no use to his brothers administration he needed to use them to build his rep for his future in the body politic.
A Marriage of convenience and it is still bullshit that Cuba is sanctioned by every administration.
We gave al of our work to the Communist Chinese what difference would it make if we had free trade with Cuba?
And I agree the Miami Cuban anti Castro population are gusanos.
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