Castro hits out at US biofuel use

BBC ^ | Thursday, March 29, 2007

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Officials expect Mr Castro to return to public life soon

Cuban President Fidel Castro has strongly criticised the use of biofuels by the US, in his first article since undergoing surgery last year.

He said George W Bush's support for the use of food crops in fuel production would cause 3bn deaths from hunger.

The article in the Granma newspaper did not mention Mr Castro's health.

Officials say they expect Mr Castro - who temporarily handed over power to his brother last July - to resume activities in government soon.

Last month, Mr Castro appeared in a live radio broadcast for the first time since falling ill.

The Cuban leader's failure to appear in public - and the silence from the Cuban authorities - had fuelled speculation about the seriousness of his condition.

Ethanol targets

Mr Castro's article appears in Thursday's edition of Granma, under the headline: "Condemned to premature death by hunger and thirst more than 3bn people of the world."

The sinister idea of converting food into combustibles was definitively established as the economic line of foreign policy of the United States Fidel Castro Quick guide: Biofuels

In it, he says he has been "meditating quite a bit since President Bush's meeting with North American automobile makers".

During that meeting on Monday, Mr Castro writes, "the sinister idea of converting food into combustibles was definitively established as the economic line of foreign policy of the United States".

Mr Bush has set targets for an increased use of ethanol - which in the US is mainly made from corn. The US government hopes this will reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.

The US and Brazil recently signed an agreement to develop biofuels, and their presidents are expected to hold further talks on the matter at the weekend.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Latin America pinglist.

If you want on or off to the list, go to the link and follow the instructions.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

If it uses petroleum-based fuel, the United States is accused of advancing global warming.

If it uses corn-based ethanol, it is accused of causing people to starve. (Also, environmentalists argue that increasing use of farmland decreases biodiversity).

What a lose-lose situation.

[Russ]

Isn't Al Gore also in favor of the use of biofuels? Stange, isn't it, that Castro gives him a pass and blames it on Bush?

[Thrownatbirth]

Castro knows Cuba has substantial oil reserves. He wants the US to forego alternative fuels and remain a big consumer of oil, hopefully Cuban oil. It's an old capitalist trick called blowing smoke up someone's ass.

[Brilliant]

Ha, ha! Our fault that people are starving in Cuba because we don't produce enough food.

[catfish1957]

Well Mr. Castro, I wonder how many Cubans will be saved by your death alone? How much longer btw?

[Fierce Allegiance]

We should just take over cuba, make it a nice resort town, suck all the oil out and take all the sugar cane for ethanol the hippies want to buy.

Hell, it's a lot closer than iraq.

[dc-zoo]

They must have given old Fidel a bunghole transplant.

[FormerACLUmember]

Believe it or not, but the USA is the leading importer to Cuba.... almost all of the exports being food.

[FormerACLUmember]

They must have given old Fidel a bunghole transplant.

True. Castro had an artificial anus implanted by the high priced private surgeons he flew in from Europe.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Oh my. LOL!!!!! What does the writing say?

[FormerACLUmember]

"Assh*le surgery".... I believe.

[Freedom4US]

Fidel is known to be a voracious reader with an outstanding memory for detail and minutae. He should know, undoubtedly knows, that extracting ethanol from corn for example, does not preclude using the remainder as animal feed. It's not an all-or-none scenario for that.

[GBA]

Hahahahahahaha! I keep thinking about this hippie chick I got into an argument with about running cars on alcohol. Ha! Even Castro is against it. I wish I would have known that and could have included that in my arguments. She would have been speechless. Save the planet and starve the humans!

[Vigilanteman]

He said George W Bush's support for the use of food crops in fuel production would cause 3bn deaths from hunger.

Actually, Marxism causes death from hunger. Case in point: Zimbabwe, former breadbasket and current basket case of Southern Africa.

[Farmer Dean]

Show the old commie the sales figures for corn stoves and furnaces in this country last year.Hey Castro,I'm heating my house with somebody's dinner,what are you going to do about it?

[EQAndyBuzz]

"He said George W Bush's support for the use of food crops in fuel production would cause 3bn deaths from hunger."

Do we have 3 billion people in this country?

Hey Fidel, it is our crops do do what we want with them. If you want food, grow it.

[P-40]

Can we make biodiesel out of Castro?

[greasepaint]

somebody tell Castro, that tobacco is not food.