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Comments
People forget that when the revolution first happened it a nationalist revolution, not a communist one, that only occurred once the US had applied trade sanctions and Castro was forced to turn to the Soviet block to survive. A lot of the other things that Simonic refers to )particularly 1, 3 and 4) were due to the US's continued interference in trying to encourage a popular rising to overthrow Castro and his government
The Trade Sanctions also made it difficult for the people of Cuba to work earn money for themselves. I remember being asked to tip in US dollars as they could then go to the 'Dollar Shops' which were meant for the tourists to buy what we would class as 'essentials' like cooking oil etc. and there was actually quite a lot of it going on - tipping in US Dollars that is.
Before we went we looked into things and took basic items like pens (biro's), pencils and other everyday products because the US sanction meant they could not buy them locally as essentially the US said that any country/business that did business with them could not do business with Cuba, if they did they would face US trade sanctions themselves. Having said that, there was evidence of a lot of Spain and other Central and South American countries - Central and South American countries would take Cuban Doctors and other medical personnel and cover all their living costs, and pay in trade goods. So when we were out and about we took them with us and gave them out to the kids rather than money/sweets as most were doing.
Also a lot of the Hotels were part owned by the Gov't and most of the profit put into the running of the country. It must have galled the US into apoplexy when after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba did not follow, due to the strategy followed by Castro and the Gov't they actually increased state spending in most areas.
So all of the points that Simonic makes have to be tempered a little bit, particularly 2 and 5 as these were allowed but restricted but trade sanctions, any info the US puts out on Cuba has to be viewed keeping in mind their agenda. I mean it's not like the US or any other countries around the world do any of those thing that are listed or worse do they........ ;wink
I am not condoning anything Castro did anymore than I condone the US and what went on in the US Cuban outpost (Guantanamo Bay) or some of the other policies they pursue around the world in the name of protecting themselves and the 'free' world, just adding some balance and understanding as to why some of these things occurred.
The places you refer to were where we mostly stayed. If you can remember they were called "casas peculiares", and were exactly as you described.
We stayed in one in Trinidad for 3 nights. Unfortunately my wife was taken ill with some gastric bug or other and had to spend the first day in bed. Very fortunately our hostess (who cooked our meals) was a doctor (can you believe it) who provided the necessary care, and of course she would not hear of any payment.
Btw, her husband was also a doctor on contract work in North Africa for 2 years, her mother was a retired doctor and I don't need to tell you what her daughter was studying to be ;biggrin.
The thing which struck me was the classlessness people felt amongst each other. There seemed to be no assumption that if one was a doctor then he or she was higher than a factory worker.
"I'm a smart person. I don't need to be told the same thing in the same way for eight years."
So not only does the US President-elect think he doesn't need to be kept aware of what is going on in the wide, wide world but he is also confident of a second term.
Could somebody please tell me that the BBC has got it wrong and that this story just isn't true.
(but really, it is)
“I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what’s going on.”
Give that man the nuclear launch codes RIGHT NOW! Yeah, baby!
The riposte was, in my opinion, spot on
"It appears impossible to me to try and imagine what possible damaging evidence, or expressed opinions, could be gleaned from hacking the e-mail servers of the Republican Party that their presidential nominee was not prepared to, or had not indeed already repeatedly shouted out, to a live microphone in front of thousands of people..
Trump cannot be accused of lacking transparency, he does not have a public opinion that flies in the face of his private one, it is more a case of two public opinions glaringly at odds with each other."
Well it made me laugh
"I really think we need strong gun control and have you heard that they still believe in God...Lol"
Would have been the only things he could have said that would have lost him votes.
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2017/01/election-hack-faq/
Democrats simply refuse to believe that Clinton was a terrible candidate & Obama Care sunk them - Russians Not
A report by the FBI and DHS which has supported by the CIA, the NSA and the Congressional leaders of both parties OR some people who run a blogging website?
It's a toughie...........
I'd go for the bloggers every time...
In a tweet yesterday after his briefing on this had been delayed,
"Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote.
So he has an unexpected gap in his busy schedule?
Maybe he could use it to release his tax returns.
'Perhaps more time needed to
cook the bookscollate the information. Very strange!' ;hmmHowever the "evidence" released proves nothing, i would hope they have something far better, releasing what they did only undermines their position.
As for Obama throwing out 30 diplomats, sure he has nothing to lose at this point, he has thrown everyone else under the bus so why not the Russians, he still refuses to accept that he is even partly responsible for the loss,
Meanwhile Drumpf's 43.8% positive/47.8% negative before he's even taken office
Even George Dubya managed 50% while President elect. Sad
;bowdown
“As far as hacking, I think it was Russia," he said in his press conference.
So, to answer your question, the proof appears to prove it.
To Trump's satisfaction anyway. ;ok