Rumor-Ama (Updated)

OK!

This is getting outta hand.

Now there's even rumors going around about Raul!

When was the last time Raul was seen in public?

Update:

I did not mean to be cryptic or coy.

Now that there's a published article quoting a state department spokesman, I can expand on certain things that can shed some light on the Rumor-Ama about Fidel Castro's death without betraying a trust.

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Gonzo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman had this to say when asked about the Castro Death Rumors:

"I would say that the Cuban government has always been very good at stirring the nest whenever they felt the need to,"

"I can't say whether or not this is them or something else that is happening,"

"All I was saying was that the Cuban government takes the opportunity when it sees fit to take care of itself."

Either the Castro death rumors were started by the Cuban government or they weren't.

If they weren't, then there's probably some basis to them as they haven't been denied.

If they were, then there has to a reason. They have too much at stake to start a Castro is dead rumor just for craps and giggles, folks.

Though they would love to make fools out of the Miami Mafia (some would argue we do a good enough job without their help), Castro death rumors put a lot of pressure on the regime. Everybody's digging, everybody's asking, everybody's shining a spotlight on them. That's exactly what they don't need or want. They, like rats, prefer the shadows.

So if they started the rumor, it's because they needed to. To misdirect. To create an illusion-a smokescreen to cover something up.

There's rumors of arrests of MINIT officers, of high level meetings in Havana and in the provinces. There's a discipline crackdown for officials. There's rumors of Castro family members silenced, of nomenklatura preparing for "plan B"-exile.

The regime is in crisis mode for some reason. These reasons have to do with Raul a 76 year old heavy drinker and his ability to lead and hold on to power. That is all that matters POWER. When they had to make a fool out of Fidel by dressing him in a tracksuit and force him to performed like a trained senile chimp for the cameras , they did. When they had to trot him out to prove he could still hold a conversation they had him do an "interview".

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So now if Raul is in the corner of his office curled up in a fetal position in his favorite high heels and with a bottle of Absolut permanently attached to his lips in a drunken stupor and a near cirrhotic coma or whatever the hell else is going on, what's to stop them form saying the old man is dead. At this point, what difference does it make?

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It's all about holding on to power and all sorts of deals are being made and fates are being sealed while everybody worries about who said what when and where.

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Slick.