Cuban Exiles Celebrate in Miami's Little Havana

Good riddance to Fidel Castro. 

2016 has seen the departure of all too many notables from David Bowie to Florence Henderson, but I can't say that I'm sorry to see the last of Castro. A bunch of my leftie friends are busy waxing eloquent about him, but my sympathies are closer to Andy Garcia's sentiments and to the Cuban exiles celebrating in Little Havana.

Here's a detail:

The passing of Castro was also welcomed by Miami’s mayor, Tomas Regalado, who was born in Cuba and whose father was a political prisoner for more than 20 years. 

“For 57 years Fidel Castro has been the symbol of tyranny and oppression of our people,” Regalado said in a statement. “I call on the Obama administration and the Trump administration to demand real changes from the Cuban regime, on behalf of many Cubans who have died in the U.S. and in Cuba waiting for this day and for freedom.”

UPDATE 1: Obligatory "Cuba Libre" joke/tie-in. 

UPDATE 2: A Yale history professor does some mythbusting. Good for him.

UPDATE 3: Read this.

Cuba Libre Is Only A Drink

It's not a location. Stalwart journalist Michael Totten reports from the land of Fidel (via Samizdata).  His account is full of fascinating information, but I was especially struck by this observation:

I had to lie by omission every minute of every hour of every day just like the Cubans.  A person could get used to this sort of thing, I suppose, but that does not make it less alienating.  That’s the counterintuitive thing about totalitarian systems.  They herd people into Borg-like collectives, yet every individual is savagely atomized. 

I never felt so alone in my life.

Quote of the Day: Income Inequality and Its Shibboleths

Here's an observation:

Arguments about the fairness of "income distribution" are not really arguments at all. They are tautologies that embed preconceived answers in the question, allowing no rebuttal.

Read the whole thing.  Was I just recently banging on about this general idea?  A parting zinger from the article:

Imagine a workers' paradise in which income inequality is eliminated by government command. Wait, we don't have to imagine. Go visit Cuba.

Quote of the Day: Castro on the Cuban Model of Life and Government-Run Economy

According to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg who interviewed Fidel Castro recently, the Cuban said, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore."   Wait, what?  Here's a blurb from Goldberg's report:

I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting.

"The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore," he said.

This struck me as the mother of all Emily Litella moments. Did the leader of the Revolution just say, in essence, "Never mind"?

I asked Julia to interpret this stunning statement for me. She said, "He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the Revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under 'the Cuban model' the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country."  [My emphasis -- MM]

Julia pointed out that one effect of such a sentiment might be to create space for his brother, Raul, who is now president, to enact the necessary reforms in the face of what will surely be push-back from orthodox communists within the Party and the bureaucracy.  Raul Castro is already loosening the state's hold on the economy. He recently announced, in fact, that small businesses can now operate and that foreign investors could now buy Cuban real estate.

Well, well, well.  Look who's finally got a taste of cold hard reality.  Hm: "the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country."  HEH.  Statists, listen up!  Oh, and didn't I just post about this sort of idea?

Cuban Immigrant Emilio Estefan's American Dream

Add this to your reading list.

Nerd News: Students Protest Che Guevara

FINALLY! A glimmer of hope that at least a few college students understand that Che Guevara was a bloody-minded thug, not a hero. Down with Communist chic! I can't tell you how much I hate those stupid T-shirts.

Check out this awesome report on the "No More Che Day" demonstration at the University of Florida from a few weeks back (yes, I totally missed it -- oops).

Che and Celebrity Communist Chic

Fashion faux pas.

You know how I feel about "Communist chic" and about the stupid celebrity-cult of Che Guevara. Rich celebrities (and whining undergrad poseurs) can't seem to get enough of glamorizing and romanticizing this bloody-minded, murderous thug.

A recent film about Che has been released (see Fausta disassemble it here, with more from Cuba-blogger Babalu). In response, Reason has a very good video about Che and Communist chic. Pay particular attention to the testimony of two people who lived under actual Communism -- Paquito D'Rivera of Cuba and Kai Chen of China. Both managed to escape their Communist hellholes; both are now living in the US.

Watch it here:



I won't even burden your patience by ranting about "Mao chic," a phenomenon of sheer idiocy and historical denial that makes me want to scream.

UPDATE: Awesome!

Bienvenidos, Amigo: Cuban Soccer Player Defects to US

It's a moving story indeed. Welcome, sir!

Hey, here's a thought. If Cuba's such a great place (as various Hollywood folks keep saying), why would a member of its elite (defector Reinier Alcantara was on the national soccer team), want to abandon it? Hmmm!

Here's a great quote from Mr. Alcantara as he talks of Cuba versus the US:

"There is no future for me in Cuba, no hope. You can dream there, but your dreams can’t come true. It’s a dead end for athletes, and for people of all professions. We hear promises, but they’re never fulfilled. Here, you dream and if you work hard enough, and sacrifice, your dreams can be realized."

Sir, we need more Americans like you who believe in hard work to make something of life. All very best wishes!