Posted on 02/16/2015 10:53:59 AM PST by Kaslin
Wow… Its been 56 years since Fidel Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba. Not unlike Obama Administration officials, the Eisenhower Administration originally felt that an olive branch and a hug might help the Soviet wannabes on the island-nation work with us capitalist pigs.
Um… Someone might have miscalculated a touch in 1959.
Fidel Castro, the Stalinist rebel who helped overthrow Batista, was a known communist… We didnt want those kind of people working in Hollywood; but apparently we werent initially too opposed to them running an island. In defense of the US officials who fought for recognition of Cubas new leaders, a bunch of banana republics in the area already cheered on Che Guevara and Fidel why on earth should we object to a communist revolution 90 miles off the US coast?
To be fair, there was quite a bit of concern among US officials. I mean, we were kinda being harassed by a group of commies in a third-world empire halfway across the globe… We really didnt need a Marxist sympathizer in our backyard. But Secretary of State John Foster Dulles helped ease our fears by pointing out that Fidel wasnt in a position to build a workers paradise 90 miles off of Floridas coast… Heck, Castro wasnt initially in charge of the government (some guy named Urrutia was officially in charge), how could he possibly rock the boat?
For those of you who havent picked up a copy of 13 Days, Dulles was a little off base. It wasnt long before Fidel took the helm of government. Shockingly, with a communist hero running things, relations didnt blossom between the US and Cuba. Castro was sworn in as premier in February 1959, and he immediately began nationalizing (socialist speak for stealing) American-owned properties, enterprises, and assets.
Not unlike Washington DC and the auto-industry.
Before anyone even realized what was happening, Castro had nationalized most of the islands industry, abolished private property, and directed the government to regulate wage controls. (No, Elizabeth Warren… This is not a 2016 platform.) Aside from some crude American businessmen (translation: mafia families, industrial giants, and a handful of US Senators) who split town on the first of January 1959, everyone was caught off guard by a commie acting like well a commie.
Less than two years later, the US severed diplomatic relations with Cuba. Soon JFK unleashed the Bay of Pigs invasion. (Um… That also didnt work out quite as planned.) Eventually Russia parked a few nuclear missiles on their newest satellite real-estate, and Kennedy responded by placing an embargo on the shifty little Stalinist state south of Florida.
Of course, now we are normalizing relations with the Castro brothers; which only really makes sense if we feel like rewarding 56 years of oppression, torture, political discrimination, and the killing of gays. (Seriously… Being gay is almost as bad as being a capitalist in Havana.)
When asked about Cubas refusal to release 53 political prisoners as part of Obamas new lets work with communists pact, the State Department essentially said um… I guess well look into it… If we have to. But yeah: Im real glad weve opened up to the Freedom-crushing pupils of Stalinist communism. Thats clearly a big step forward for the human condition, right?
Im also pretty sure that in 1959, when Americans watched a Caribbean island fall to rebel forces, they never thought wed be talking about getting back together with a bunch of communists who aimed nuclear missiles at our cities. Even John Dulles would probably have a little reservation about giving the Castro bros a pass on 56 years of Marxist tyranny.
Then again… It might be a nice place to play golf for our Commander in Chief. I guess everything has a trade-off.
Ed Sullivan still has a theater named for him; he was the Walter Duranty of CBS, not to be confused with Jimmy Durante, a New Dealer but a great comedian.
They say the anti-American attitudes of the intelligentsia has to do with low salaries in the liberal arts fields. Resentment against success
The vindication of Joe McCarthy was never reported by the national news media and never will be. The American people will always revile McCarthy out of ignorance.
Better dead than Red. Puts me in the mood to reread Whittaker Chambers.
The idea that Americans would ever vote for a communist was unthinkable.
And then....
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