Celebrate or Protest?

One of the reasons my father decided to stick me on a boat and risk my young life in the shark-infested waters of the Florida Straights was so that I didn't have to go to forced demonstrations at the Plaza de la Revolucion.

Today in The Miami Herald we learn that the City of Miami is planning a party at the plaza of the Contrarrevolucion, The Orange Bowl.

You see, we hot headded Cubans can't be trusted to celebrate the demise of the tyrant is an acceptable way. The City wants us to celebrate in a politicaly correct-controlled way. In a way that won't offend the sensitivities of the the rest of America.

When Castro dies, the party's on

The city of Miami plans to respond to Fidel Castro's death -- whenever that may be -- with a celebration at the Orange Bowl.

Some quotes:

The city created the citizens committee that is planning the event earlier this month. When the still-unnamed panel met for the first time last week, Castro's death was nowhere to be found on the meeting agenda. The meeting was officially -- and ambiguously -- advertised under the title, ``Committee Meeting for an Event at the Orange Bowl.''

At that meeting, committee member and former state Rep. Luis Morse stressed the need for an uplifting, forward-looking theme for the party -- one not preoccupied with a human being's passing. The committee discussed including such a theme on T-shirts that would be made by private vendors for the event.

And before printing themed T-shirts, Miami has to actually decide what the theme
is. It's still working on that one.

''That has to be done with a lot of sensitivity,'' Morse said. ``Somebody needs to be a very good wordsmith.''

Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement organization, worries about how a party would be perceived by those outside the exile community. He stressed that Castro's death will prompt a whole range of emotions among Cubans -- not just joy.

''The notion of a big party, I think, should be removed from all this,'' Sánchez said. ``Although everybody will be very happy that the dictator cannot continue to oppress us himself, I think everybody is still very sad because there are still prisons full of prisoners, many people executed, and families divided.''

Rather than partying, Sánchez would rather see the post-Castro focus be on improving conditions for those still on the island. If an Orange Bowl event must happen, Sánchez would like to see it in the form of a ''protest concert'' heavy on positive messages.

The city of Miami is suffering from what the Gusano likes to call Cubanophobia. It is afraid that its "third world country" image is going to be tarnished at the sight of a bunch of Cubans whooping it up over the death of Fidel.

Personally, the "protest concert" idea sounds good. But we all came here tobe able to be free to express ourselves. To attend government sponsered political events, kind of defeats the purpose.

Z