To Do Or Die

It sounds like Raúl Castro did not feel like speaking to reporters in Varadero on Sunday. According to a quote from Italian news agency ANSA, it sounds more like he blew them off by suggesting that they direct their questions to his brother Fidel. He said "you know I don't speak much, wait until Fidel goes out on the street and you get him there".

Raúl is not really interested in filling his famous half-brother's B.S.-ing Boots, what he seems to be interested in doing is maintaining power. And that, at this point, necessitates propping up the ex-dictator and making him perform for the cameras on occasion, pretending that he is coming back at some point and that he is involved in the decision making process of the regime in some fashion.

In a normal society, the government would explain to the citizens what exactly is wrong with their leader, including a prognosis and then give the ailing leader and his family some privacy to convalesce. But not in Cuba. In Cuba the people don't have the right to know. Hell, they don't have rights period.

Raúl was asked about his July 26th speech inspired "debate" that is reported to be raging throughout the island's government, institutions, workplaces and streets on how to reform Cuba's socialist society in order to preserve it.-My advise-call a taxidermist and preserve that dying dinosaur before it finishes decomposing.

Raúl is quoted as saying "They can talk not only about the speech, but about everything they want to talk about, with bravery, sincerity, but without any illusions that we are magicians and were going to 'resolve' (ironic choice of a word) problems". Of course, people in Cuba are left to "resolve" their own problems without any "illusions" that their government will. The regime is only there to pay lip service and to police their exploitation.

Castro II also said "we need to 'retronourish' ourselves with everyone's opinions (...), this will help us very much, but we need to speak with sincerity and with realism, in the adequate place, the opportune time and the 'correct' way, like we say in the armed forces"

Nice to see Raúl reminding the Cuban people that they are nothing but foot soldiers in his decaying empire. Their role, like a soldier, is to follow orders. To do or die-that's the one thing that the regime has no problem "resolving" for the Cuban people. No socialist magic wand-just a a totalitarian repression machine.