Posted on 10/30/2006 3:42:19 PM PST by slickeroo
New York Honors Fidel Castro With Statue
Humberto Fontova
Monday, Oct. 30, 2006
He craved the nuclear incineration of the entire metropolis. "If the missiles had remained we would have used them against the very heart of the U.S., including New York City," admitted his sidekick Ernesto "Che" Guevara, thinking he was speaking "off the record" to London's Daily Worker in November 1962.
But Fidel Castro first tried baiting his Soviet patrons into the act. A full-scale Yankee invasion of Cuba was hours away, Castro disclosed to Khrushchev on October 26th 1962. His agents had ready proof. Don't delay, he urged the Soviet premier! Now's the time to launch a surprise Nuclear strike on America's major cities! Hurry!
Khrushchev panicked. But not from fear of any Yankee invasion of Cuba. He knew better. He had JFK's number from the Bay of Pigs and the Vienna Summit the previous year. Now the craven tone of Kennedy's messages about those Missiles confirmed that Camelot's backbone was still spaghetti-like.
No, what alarmed the Butcher of Budapest was the stridency and sincerity of his Cuban confederate's craving to plunge the world into a nuclear war that would kill millions of Americans and Russians along with millions of Cubans (minus Fidel of course, who, along with Che and Raul, had secure reservations at the new Soviet-built bomb-shelter in Cuba.) "We'd better get those missiles out of Cuba, all right," reasoned Stalin's former henchman. "This Cuban lunatic might get his finger near the button!"
Camelot's press agency (the Beltway media, academia, Hollywood and New York publishing) spun a sharply different version of the rationale for that decision, which still prevails among the cheese and Chablis set.
Foiled in October 1962 by Khrushchev's prudence, the very next month Castro's agents plotted to incinerate and entomb thousands of New Yorkers while employing more conventional means. 500 kilos of TNT were slated to explode in Manhattan's most crowded settings during their most crowded stage.
Macy's, Gimbel's, Bloomingdale's and Grand Central Terminal were the targets, and the day after Thanksgiving 1962 was when the 12 detonators would explode. In the nick of time J. Edgar Hoover's FBI uncovered the plot, arrested the Castroite plotters, and nixed the slaughter of thousands of New York holiday shoppers (these plots are fully documented in "Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant").
So it's only fitting that New York honor Fidel Castro with a massive monument in Central Park to be unveiled November 8th. "The portrait celebrates Castro's humanitarianism," gushes David Kesting, the spokesman for the statue's sculptor. "Inspiration for the gilded head of Castro, large enough to belong to a 25 foot man, comes from Harlem's acclamation for Castro's contributions to civil rights," reads a wire story. "This may be the last opportunity to say farewell" to the man some revere as a champion of civil rights ... The Central Park unveiling of his portrait is an attempt to bring Harlem's adoration for Castro to the rest of the world."
"Useful Idiocy" simply wont do. American Castrophilia requires a term all it's own. No tribute that Walter Duranty, Roger Baldwin, Dashiel Hammet, Albert Einstein, Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, or even Franklin Delano Roosevelt lavished on Stalin approaches Ted Turner's, Harry Belafonte's, Jesse Jackson's, Norman Mailer's, Charlie Rangel's and those multitude of other plaudits to Fidel Castro.
A monument heralding Hitler in Warsaw, London or Rotterdam would make more sense. Had the wishes of the man commemorated in that Central Park statue prevailed, Central Park itself might still be radioactive, and the charred remains of New York residents Charlie Rangel (who specializes in passionate bear-hugs of Castro) and Norman Mailer (who hails Castro as "the Hemisphere's greatest hero!") would fit in a milk carton.
A monument to Hideki Tojo in Honolulu would be more appropriate. One to Osama bin Laden in New York would also fit. In the fall of 1962 only Khrushchev's discretion and the FBI's competence saved New York from a Castro-instigated murder toll that would have dwarfed both Pearl Harbor's and 9-11's.
The planning and will for the fiery mass-murder of thousands of New Yorkers were certainly there, only the means were foiled at the last minute. Morally speaking, this leaves Fidel Castro culpable of crimes bin Laden envisions only in his fondest dreams.
The amalgam of willful ignorance, hypocrisy, stupidity, and masochism displayed by Castro acolytes in the U.S. has rarely been matched by the public utterings of any group of politicians or pundits in modern history. National Review's Jay Nordlinger calls it "the most grotesque phenomenon of our time." The phrase strikes me as perfectly fitting.
Unlike Charlie Rangel, Maxine Waters, Dannie Glover, Harry Belafonte, David Kesting and those multitudes of Harlem Castro fans, Mr Eusebio Penalver, a black Cuban, actually lived in Castro's fiefdom. "N*gger!" taunted his all-white Castroite jailers between tortures. "Monkey!" they laughed. "We pulled you down from the trees and cut of your tail!" they taunted while throwing him in solitary confinement. For opposing the re-installation of slavery in Cuba, Mr. Penalver suffered longer in Castro's dungeons than Nelson Mandela suffered in South Africa's, and more defiantly and heroically.
The man honored by Harlem for his "humanitarianism" and dedication to civil rights" jailed more of his subjects for political crimes than Hitler and Stalin. More uproariously ironic, he is (or was) a lily white European soldier's son who not only jailed Penalver, the longest-jailed Black political prisoner in modern history, but also overthrew a Cuban government where Blacks served as President of the Senate, Minister of Agriculture, Chief of Army, and Head of State (Fulgencio Batista).
Today the prison population in Stalinist/Apartheid Cuba is 90 percent black while only 9 percent of the ruling Stalinist party is black. Most of Cuba's current political prisoners are black, including Jorge Antunez and Dr. Elias Biscet, a Martin Luther King and Gandhi disciple.
Mr. Antunez's 18-year sentence and daily tortures result essentially from quoting Martin Luther King in a public square. Dr. Biscet's 25-year sentence and daily tortures result from being overheard saying about Castro what the Dixie Chicks, Nancy Pelosi and Charles Rangel bellow into microphones about President Bush.
It's worth repeating: The Nov. 8th unveiling and celebration is motivated by "Harlem's acclamation for Castro's contributions to civil rights."
I'll defer to Jorge Antunez's sister, Berta: "The Cuban government tries to fool the world with siren songs depicting racial equality in our country," she reports clandestinely via a Cuban Samizdat. "But it is all a farce, as I and my family can attest, having suffered from the systematic racism directed at us by Castro's regime. My brother suffers the scourge of racial hatred every day. The beatings are always accompanied by racial epithets. They set dogs on him. They deny him medical attention. They kept him from attending his mother's funeral."
"The racist mentality is so ingrained among Cuba's agents of repression," reports Mrs. Antunez, "that when mixed race groups are stopped on the street, only the blacks are asked for their identification papers."
"The only thing I have to thank the Cuban revolution for" she quoted her brother as saying, "is for restoring the yoke of slavery that my ancestors lived under."
Please, please, please don't waste your time looking for any mention of these valiant blacks in the mainstream media. Please, please, please don't bother looking for them hailed during Black history month on NPR, CNN, The History Channel or Oprah. These heroes defied the hemisphere's premier slaver, you see, who also happens to be the Left's premier pin-up boy. So their courage, sacrifices and suffering don't qualify as politically-correct news and documentary fare.
If the term "slaver" strikes you as hyperbolic, consider this story from last week's Miami Herald: "In reality we were slaves," says Cuban refugee Alberto Rodriguez who before escaping was forced to labor 116 hours a week at 3 and a half pennies per hour.
"Amazingly, this labor went on in a shipyard in Delray Beach, Florida. Mr. Rodriguez and 2 other escapees were 'employees' of Curacao Drydock Co., headquartered in Curacao but who obtained some of their laborers from the Cuban Government. This government, lauded worldwide as a champion of the laboring classes, pocketed the difference between the 3 pennies and hour and Curacao Drydock's normal wage."
The forced-laborers were rounded up in Cuba and shipped to Curacao where their passports were promptly confiscated. Their "supervisor" was a Fidel Castro nephew. "We worked in broiling heat, in the most dangerous part of the ship, where all of the regular workers refused to go - that's where they forced the Cubans to work," recounts Rodriguez. His co-slave, Luis Casanova, was badly electrocuted but forced to work with blood pouring from his tongue. "They said if we slacked up we'd be taken back to Cuba and thrown in jail."
After these men were shipped to Florida to work for a Curacao Drydock agent, they escaped their slavers and have filed suit against them in Miami Federal court under the Aliens Tort Act. Please don't confuse their case with those of illegals who sneak in, clamor for a job, then sue the employer for "discrimination," or some such. This is a totally different animal.
Charlie Rangel raves against Republicans as closet Ku Kluxers. This July on the floor of Congress he denounced Republicans' "stinking hypocrisy" for refusing to vote to raise the minimum wage to $7.35 per hour.
I'll be surprised if Charles Rangel isn't keynote speaker at the Central Park celebration for the Stalinist/racist who jailed and tortured black political prisoners longer than Apartheid South Africa, and who kidnaps his subjects and rents them out for 3 pennies an hour. It's the least Congressman Rangel could do for the man who longed to incinerate both him and every one of his Harlem constituents.
******
Humberto Fontova is the author of Fidel; Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant, a Conservative Book Club Main Selection.
Strawberry Fields is like at 72 or 73 street across from The Dakota. This is far uptown.
It's a publicity stunt -- the same guys who did the Britney Spears giving birth statue. There's about three old men in Harlem who remember the whole hotel incident.
"This may be the last opportunity to say farewell" to the man some revere as a champion of civil rights...
Words simply fail me.
Good catch! Another poster says the Castro statue won't be near Strawberry Field. But the financing... you raise an interesting question!
I can't find anything else about this...I did a google search and nothing came up about a statue in Central Park.
It's an "art hustle." Stir up a bunch of controversy and sell some art out of the gallery. Like I said, same guys who did the Britney statue (please, don't post the image).
How about across the river in North Bergen. Any bets how many hours it would last?
I PROPOSE A STATUE TO BERNIE CASTRO AND HIS GREAT HUMANITARIAN WORK!
This is OUTRAGEOUS!
If anyone has the Master email lists of newspapers, radio stations, senators and representatives;
PLEASE POST IT
The Central Park Conservancy
14 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
212-310-6600
contact@centralparknyc.org
Other links to contact Central Park
http://www.centralparknyc.org/contact
Here's a website with more info and a video clip of the artist talking about Castro.
http://www.goodnightfilm.com/Castro.htm
How arrogant and disgusting for AMERICANS to sit in this country, where they never go without, are free to come and go from this country as they please, and where their kids can always have a better life than they had, and praise Fidel Castro while the people who have actually lived under his rule are constantly going months without meat while Fidel chows down on a filet mignon every night, have to wait in line to see if there will any groceries for them at the store, are banned from the beautiful beaches of their homeland by signs that say "Tourists only," who are shot as they are trying to SWIM away, and are leaving their jobs as medical doctors to make more money driving a taxi or being a prostitute. Ridiculous!!
(Is there anything we can do to protest this statue?????)
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Oct. 24 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Capla Kesting Fine Art announced that an unveiling in Central Park of Fidel Castro on his "deathbed" may be the last opportunity to say "farewell" to the man some revere as a champion of civil rights. "Fidel Castro's Deathbed Portrait," described as a colossal portrait of a solemn Castro at rest, will be unveiled at 10:00 am November 8th, just north of the monument for Cuban poet, Jose Marti.
Inspiration for the gilded head of Castro, large enough to belong to a 25 foot man, comes from Harlem, New York's acclamation for Castro's contributions to civil rights. "Harlem is perhaps the only community in the U.S. that proclaims an admiration for Castro - the Central Park unveiling of his portrait is an attempt to bring Harlem's adoration for Castro to the rest of the world," said a spokesman for the unveiling.
Depiction of the ailing Cuban icon was made with deference to the conflicting points of view between Harlem and Miami, explained spokesman, David Kesting. "With respect to Harlem, the portrait celebrates Castro's humanitarianism and with respect to Miami, it celebrates the end of a long regime," said Kesting.
Reportedly, Miami's Little Havana celebrated in the streets to wild rumors from anti-Castro exiles that Castro had died while Harlem celebrated Castro's 80th birthday in August. The portrait of Castro is scheduled for display in Miami by Capla Kesting Fine Arts in early December.
Harlem's friendship with Castro started in 1960 when he was famously evicted from Manhattan's Shelburne Hotel and then welcomed by Harlem's Hotel Theresa. The Shelburne Hotel was extended the opportunity to exhibit Castro's portrait as a way to make amends to the Cuban President for the eviction, but the hotel firmly declined the offer.
Artist Daniel Edwards, who was also inspired by final visits to his ailing grandfather, said, "When I saw him on his deathbed I remembered only the good things."
A short documentary about the "deathbed portrait" titled "Castro in Central Park," produced by Goodnight Film and directed by Argentine-born filmmaker A.D. Calvo, appears on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGNXLexxT8.
Location for the unveiling of "Castro's Deathbed Portrait" is just west of Wollman rink and north of Central Park's Artist's Gate entrance on 59th street between Columbus Circle and Grand Army Plaza.
For more information contact Capla Kesting Fine Arts at 917-650-3760, or visit online at www.CaplaKesting.com or www.GoodnightFilm.com/Castro.htm.
(Is there anything we can do to protest this statue?????)
Ignore it. The sole purpose behind it is to sell more art. Any time conservatives express outrage regarding a piece or art or artist the value of both triple or more overnight.
That is revolting. I've personally been to Cuba before and seen firsthand the damage done by "Uncle Fidel"'s greed and lust for power. He keeps his people living in horrid poverty while he owns a castle in Europe. How could New York honor that barbarian in such a way?
How could New York honor that barbarian in such a way?
NYC isn't honoring Castro. A two-bit shock artist is looking to make a buck off of conservative outrage over the thing.
HONOR BERNIE CASTRO AND NOT FIDEL CASTRO!
After listening to the idiot liberal blowhards deliver their comments on my local (NYC) radio station, I can't say I'm surprised. People in Harlem gave Hugo Chavez standing ovations as he proceeded on his walking tour. Iran's President (at that time) Khatemi was given a special welcome at St. John's Cathedral. Robert Mugabe was warmly welcomed by the City Council. Cindy Sheehan was made an honorary citizen of something by the Borough President of Brooklyn.
On the other hand, there will be quite a few locals who will resent this statue, among them the good citizens of Union, NJ. I used to live two blocks from the Cuban embassy and NYC had to post a special police guard 24/7 because bombs were being set off there on a regular basis.
I have only one suggestion: boycott NY/NYC and let their governmental representatives know why. This is so disgusting it is unbelievable.
Pataki: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/
Bloomberg: http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fmail%2Fhtml%2Fmayor.html
Clinton: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NY
Schumer:http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NY
Vandals of the free world, unite and remove this unsightly beast.
hope they spread plenty of pigen food around base of statue
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