FIDEL LOVES 'CHE'

NY Post ^ | 11/20/08 | Dick Johnson

[presidio9]

IF there was any question as to whether Steven Soderbergh's "Che" portrays the Marxist revolutionary as a hero, the four-hour movie will be shown next month in Cuba at Havana's New Latin American Film Festival. Event president Alfredo Guevara said in July that "Che" would not be shown if it included any "attacks" on Fidel Castro, who was Che's comrade in arms. But the film, starring Benicio Del Toro as the T-shirt icon, evidently passed muster with the dictator's regime. The stars and filmmakers will have to get US permission to attend the screenings, unless they sneak in like most tourists.

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[wideawake]

I think what annoys me more about the way Ernesto Guevara is portrayed is not the painting of a viciously evil individual as a virtuous and good one.

It is the portrayal of an extremely stupid and incompetent individual as an extremely intelligent and competent one.

Castro basically threw him out of Cuba because he couldn't do anything right.

[scory]

I read somewhere, quite some time ago, that there was some reason to believe it was Castro that fingered Guevara because he wanted to rid himself of both an embarrassment and a potential rival.

[AU72]

El Jeffe took care of anybody who could become more popular than him. Remember General Ocho.

[Bon mots]

I prefer a Pinochet shirt over a Che shirt.

The last real Commie killer with real brass cojones.
(Cojones not included.)

[wideawake]

A number of people have pointed out that Guevara's cult of personality in Cuba rivaled Castro's, but Castro didn't finger him.

Castro basically sent him to Bolivia to theoretically start a revolution - but gave him no official instructions or any personnel or material support. He gave Guevara only two non-fucntion shortwave radios.

Castro figured, correctly, that Che the idiot would get himself killed or imprisoned overseas - much more convenient for Castro than killing or imprisoning him in Cuba.

When the Bolivians found Che, Castro had no idea where Che was or what he was doing - he couldn't have fingered him because all he knew was that Che was wandering around in the Bolivian countryside somewhere.

[cynwoody]

The end of the line for Che was Bolivia. He went there, hoping to garner support from the Bolivian military. However, said military had been infiltrated by the CIA and the Rangers ...

[scory]

Thanks.

I recently read a short biography of Che that bears out what you posted. It didn’t really address the bit about Castro having something to do with his end at the hands of the Bolivians. But from what I have read about this guy the notion that he would screw up and get himself killed was a pretty good bet.

[weegee]

The stars and filmmakers will have to get US permission to attend the screenings, unless they sneak in like most tourists.

Prosecute them if they go in December.

[ETL]

From MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews (transcript)
March. 21, 2006:

KRISTINN, FREEREPUBLIC.COM: We have kids that wear Che Guevara shirts here in the United States.

MATTHEWS: Yes, but they're kind of cute at this point, aren't they? They're not about somebody out to get us now. I think there's a difference. I mean, that's kind of camp almost, isn't it?...is Che Guevara the symbol of hate in the United States anymore?

KRISTINN: Yes.

MATTHEWS: I don't think so. I mean, a lot of our kids wear them. I see kids wearing them all the time, even my kids wear them. It's like a Robert Marley T-shirt at this point.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11943459/

_________________________________________________________

Matthews: Obama Speech Caused 'Thrill Going Up My Leg'
"During MSNBC's live coverage of Tuesday's presidential primary elections, after the speeches of Barack Obama and John McCain had aired, Chris Matthews expressed his latest over the top admiration for Obama's speaking skills as the MSNBC anchor admitted that Obama's speech created a 'thrill' in his leg"
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2008/02/13/matthews-obama-speech-caused-thrill-going-my-leg

_________________________________________________________

Che flag sends 'disturbing' message about Obama
Candidate attracts 'people who think mass murderers are romantic revolutionaries'
February 13, 2008
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

The Fox TV affiliate in Houston has captured images of a volunteer in a campaign office for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama working in front of a flag featuring the image of Che Guevara, the South American revolutionary who became Fidel Castro's executioner after the communist takeover in Cuba.

And while the Obama campaign has issued a statement placing a modest distance between the campaign and its "volunteers," the issue of such an image on display in an office operating on behalf of a man hoping to be commander in chief of the world's last remaining superpower is raising alarms.

Even Obama supporters have been forced into corners because of the issue, with one likening the Texas state Republican Party to Guevara, to whom have been attributed hundreds of executions of anti-Castro leaders.

Under the heading "Barack Guevara," Investor's Business Daily raised some of the more pointed questions, to which the campaign responded only with a statement: "The office featured in this video is funded by volunteers of the Barack Obama Campaign and is not an official headquarters for his campaign. ..."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56293

_________________________________________________________

http://store.che-lives.com/t-shirts.php

_________________________________________________________

[Welcome2thejungle]

I’ve noticed multi-colored BHO decals have replaced the Che decals on many vehicles in inner city areas. A scary thought! Next thing you know we’ll be seeing Bill Ayers decals as well.

[weegee]

KRISTINN, FREEREPUBLIC.COM: We have kids that wear Che Guevara shirts here in the United States.

MATTHEWS: Yes, but they're kind of cute at this point, aren't they? They're not about somebody out to get us now. I think there's a difference. I mean, that's kind of camp almost, isn't it?...is Che Guevara the symbol of hate in the United States anymore?

KRISTINN: Yes.

MATTHEWS: I don't think so. I mean, a lot of our kids wear them. I see kids wearing them all the time, even my kids wear them. It's like a Robert Marley T-shirt at this point.

Thanks for the transcript. I must've missed it on FR.

Swastikas are still shocking. So are Iron Crosses.

Not so hammers & sickles, or Red Stars, or Che.

Why is that?

Swastikas predated the Nazis and in the first quarter of the 20th century could commonly be found on postcards as a good luck sign. Iron crosses have appeared under numerous contexts, most "recently" among hot rodders and bikers, and then been rejuvenated by retro-fashion trends.

But they have forever become symbols a dangerously evil group bent on worldwide domination. That group is dead. No active members in politics. Most of the originals are now dead.

But what of the Communists and the 100,000,000 they murdered in the 20th Century?

[ETL]

Thanks for the transcript. I must've missed it on FR.

You're welcome. I had watched the program when in aired in 2006 and just had to track down the transcript for it. What a weird guy that Chris Matthews is.

[ETL]

"'The Black Book of Communism', a scholarly accounting of communism’s crimes, counts about 94 million murdered by the supposed champions of the common man (20 million for the Soviets alone), and some say that number is too low."
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmY0MjI1MDgyYjg1M2UwNDMzMTk2Mjk5YTk0ZTdlMWE=