Was Fidel Castro bad?

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 10:03:07 -0500

I have read some terrible things about Fidel Castro throughout the years. Until recently I have always thought it was pretty unanimous that Fidel Castro was a bad guy. Now I am seeing all this praise for him after his death. This confuses me because of the atrocities he is responsible for.

Response by CDR Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 10:30 AM

CDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 10:30:18 -0500

One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. It all has to do with perspective and where you sit or stand at the table so to speak. If he helped you he is a good guy, if he hurt you he is a bad guy. Let history books decide.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Nov 29 at 2016 10:36 AM

SPC Erich Guenther — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 10:36:11 -0500

And this was the guy that gave the direct order for Cuban "Construction Workers" to open fire on U.S. Troops landing in Grenada and then ordered them to "Fight to the death". It is sickening anyone supports him in the United States.

Response by SSG Wally Lawver made Nov 29 at 2016 11:00 AM

SSG Wally Lawver — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:00:43 -0500

To many la la land liberals lately polluting the gene pool. It wont be long before we hear "Hitler wasnt so bad" , and its accepted as a valid point of view..sad

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Nov 29 at 2016 11:02 AM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:02:15 -0500

Fidel Castro was indeed a very bad man, Cpl Private RallyPoint Member. LTC Stephen F.'s wife is from Cuba and still has many relatives there. By way of this communication, I'll ask him to share his perspective with you.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Nov 29 at 2016 11:04 AM

SFC Pete Kain — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:04:04 -0500

He sucked at the beginning of his reign and still sucked at the time of his death. To say otherwise is to deny the past.
To many bad things for me list them all.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 11:05 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:05:29 -0500

You have read terrible things about Fidel Castro because he was one of the very bad guys. Now that he is dead, that does not change things.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 29 at 2016 11:30 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:30:16 -0500

My wife and her family are Cuban and I have loved the study of history since I was a pre-teen in the early 1960's Cpl Private RallyPoint Member. Batista certainly was a cruel dictator. By the time Fidel and Raul Castro left Mexico to return to Cuba they were committed Marxists and experienced revolutionaries. From 1956 until 1959 they led a guerilla warfare campaign until they toppled the existing government.
My father-in-law was in a concentration/reeducation camp because he let one of the cows, on what used to be his property until communism acquired everything, be slaughtered. A family friend was brutally beaten while locked away in prison for years and he died a few years ago having been invalided since he got out of prison as a political prisoner.
Execution of political prisoners was in keeping with Marxists and revolutionary doctrine.
The rejoicing in Little Cuba in Miami is for many reasons - the death of Fidel, the hope that Cuba will be free once again, etc.
Thanks for drawing my attention to the discussion LTC Stephen C.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/north-america/item/24716-fidel-castro-death-of-a-murderous-communist-dictator

Fidel Castro: Death of a Murderous, Communist Dictator

Fidel Castro is dead, but the Communist tyranny he imposed on the Cuban people lives on. Unfortunately, much of the American media are trying to bury the truth about his murderous regime — and those in America who helped Castro come to power — with him. By Steve Byas

Response by MCPO Mark Durland made Nov 29 at 2016 11:44 AM

MCPO Mark Durland — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:44:08 -0500

Talk with someone who left Cuba. They'll tell you how it was.

Response by SFC George Smith made Nov 29 at 2016 11:44 AM

SFC George Smith — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:44:43 -0500

he was a dangerous Fundamentalist and his nation suffered because of it...

Response by CSM Richard StCyr made Nov 29 at 2016 11:45 AM

CSM Richard StCyr — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:45:09 -0500

I think the praise comes from the delusional leftists that confuse the theories behind Communism and Socialism with what has really happened in practice of those concepts. No need for confusion Castro was a bad cat. Without exception the folks of Cuban decent that I know, have no good or kind words for Fidel and the results of the revolution.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Nov 29 at 2016 12:00 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:00:54 -0500

I wrote a novel spanning the two years from the time Castro landed in Cuba with a small cadre of revolutionaries (aka "Fidelistas") until the day he took "command" of the island nation. My book was based on extensive research. The dialog of the principle characters was taken from their actual utterances and writings. As I looked back at my work product, I discovered that I had revealed a rather admirable character. I then added a final chapter in which one of my characters returns to the island a couple decades later to discover that the Castro she had known during the time of his revolution in no way resembled the dictator he had become. Therein lies the source of your confusion. Was he corrupted by power? Was he driven into the arms of an "Evil Empire" and corrupted by the diplomatic missteps of the U.S.? Or, was it some of both? COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen F.
http://jackdurish.com/jacks-blog/what-do-you-think-you-know-about-fidelcastro

What do you think you know about #FidelCastro

An essay on the misconceptions of Fidel Castro and lessons learned while researching his revolution to write the novel Rebels on the Mountain

Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Nov 29 at 2016 1:36 PM

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 13:36:54 -0500

Yep, he was a murderous, Communist dictator. It's interesting to see which media and political figures called him out on that, and which pussy-footed around the fact.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Nov 29 at 2016 2:12 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 14:12:44 -0500

Not sure where the confusion comes from, he was one of the very baddest of bad guys. He took a relatively prosperous country and drove it into the ground. Granted the regime he replaced was a harsh dictatorship, but thousands didn't flee Cuba before Fidel came to power. And then there was the small thing called the Cuban Missile Crisis that almost brought the world to WWIII, or the thousands of political prisoners who rotted in Cuban jails. Confused, I'm confused at how anyone can see anything good in the man.

Response by SPC Jill Drushal, RN, MA made Nov 29 at 2016 3:02 PM

SPC Jill Drushal, RN, MA — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:02:20 -0500

http://www.faithwire.com/2016/11/28/heres-a-handy-list-of-atrocities-for-everyone-glorifying-fidel-castro-today/

Here’s a Handy List of Atrocities for Everyone Glorifying Fidel Castro Today

Fidel Castro jailed and tortured political prisoners at a higher rate than Stalin during the Great Terror. He murdered more […]

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 3:28 PM

1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:28:36 -0500

The reason you see the nation in "mourning" is because of his autocratic hold over the people even in death! They could not express themselves as they wish everything must be in favor of the government, to do anything less is dissidents and they would be punished for it!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Nov 29 at 2016 3:40 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:40:43 -0500

The left seems to love dictators - that is where the praise is coming from. They like Che too.

Response by MAJ David Vermillion made Nov 29 at 2016 4:39 PM

MAJ David Vermillion — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 16:39:46 -0500

Nowadays bad is good and good is bad. He wasn't good for his people as a leader but I am sure there are those who would his disagree.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 5:05 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:05:27 -0500

Hitler was revered by many in Germany. That didn't make him a good guy.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 5:21 PM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:21:30 -0500

There is nothing wrong with tyranny when you're the HMFIC.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 6:32 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:32:50 -0500

The left is so far left that they are blind. Have you not noticed how easy it is to get the left championing pretty much anything anymore? If anyone, not that far left, says anything, the far left will champion the opposite.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 7:12 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 19:12:16 -0500

In comparison to what........the Plague?

Response by MAJ Eric G Troup made Nov 29 at 2016 8:46 PM

MAJ Eric G Troup — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 20:46:48 -0500

Tyrant far worse than what his revolution overthrew. "All pigs are equal but some pigs are more equal than others"

Response by SPC Darren Koele made Nov 30 at 2016 8:38 PM

SPC Darren Koele — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:38:47 -0500

Every dictator has their supporters, from Genghis Khan to Saddam Hussein. By that same token, you can find something good as a result of the dictator. Should any amount of good override genocide, wholesale slaughter, political imprisonments, etc? Think of the advancements made in medicine, jet propulsion, atomic energy under Hitler. Think about the turn around in the German economy, the uniting of its people. Still, there's that pesky holocaust thing.
Yes, Fidel was a bad guy.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2016 1:27 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 01:27:03 -0500

That depends on what you consider bad. He did what he thought was necessary to stay in power and run his country. Everyone thinks they are the good guy.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2016 5:39 PM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 17:39:44 -0500

I honestly can't believe anyone is dumb enough to think this thug and his murderous side-kick Che are anything other than evil. But, the left seems bent on protecting its own image at all cost, to include revisionist history and rationalization.