Where is Cuba’s Fidel Castro?

October 10, 2012 | | Print Print |

Fidel Castro in February of this year at the Cuba International Book Fair. Photo: rguama.icrt.cu

HAVANA TIMES — Numerous readers of HT have asked us the question of where is Fidel Castro, out of the public eye for months? Unfortunately we don’t have the answer.

As the mentor of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, it was expected that the first congratulations to him for winning a new term in office on Sunday would have come from Fidel.

Instead, Raul Castro congratulated Chavez and not a word from his older brother. Such silence is beginning to provoke speculation on Fidel’s health. The Cuban media has remained silent.

 

 


What's your opinion?

  • Moses

    When the airports close, and the PNR(Cuban National Police) are posted on every corner, and bars suddenly stop selling alcohol, and all 4 national TV channels are showing black and white documentaries of the FAR in the Sierra Maestra, you´ll know that an announcement of Fidel´s death is forthcoming. Chavez and the other ALBA stooges will quietly fly into Havana and the majority of Cubans will either be in the street crying for CNN cameras or inside their homes celebrating. Every wannabe socialist will go on and on about Fidel´s historical significance, blah, blah, blah. I think this will be a reality sooner rather than later. But at 86 and ailing, this is no big stretch on my part.

    • Lawrence W

      We can be sure Obama & Romney won’t fly in with their stooges – one of the biggest being my prime minister. With ALBA including Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, I’ll take these stooges any time over who’s in the US stooge gallery of the American Empire -Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

      And the majority of gusanos in your country, where will they be? Celebrating in the street for CNN cameras?

      And every wannabe returnee will go on and on about how they can now go back to Cuba, blah, blah, blah.

      You may finally get what you’ve been waiting for, but you won’t like what you get. The outpouring of respect will overwhelm your puny propaganda efforts. The US will stand out as the only country not paying respect to Fidel. Even US stooges are likely to join in as they do in the annual UN votes condemning the blockade – all except Israel, of course but this may be different since they do a lot of business with Cuba. Business is business with the Israelis.

      It may just make enough difference for the world finally to put teeth in the resolutions demanding an end to the blockade.

      You know what happens many times when you get what you wished for…

    • http://www.GRDPublishing.com Grady Ross Daugherty

      Moses, I’m surprised that you are allowed to spew your vomit on HT. I’ve never said this before, but after this slobbering gush of hatred for Fidel, and all your worthless shit-to-date, it’s obvious who you are and which US agency is your sponsor. And don’t ever address me again.

  • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

    I personally think he has been dead for a while and they have stretched their story time and can do no more. Remember that “The Mummy” Fidel has not been see LIVE addressing the Cuban people in years! Body doubles can easily pass on videos and photos, many of which had no proof of date. Some day in the not so distant future we will know the truth! Im sure they will cremate Fifo to hide any possible evidence of the date of death!!

  • raul

    actually, he’s been dead some weeks ago, but… it has been kept secret because of the venezuelan election. that’s why that news is just coming out after that election.

  • Alberto N Jones

    Both Moses and Capiro conclusions seems more like personal conclusions than an objective analysis. Like it or not, when Fidel Castro final hour arrive, everyone shall know, because the world mass media will come to a sudden stop, refocus their programming solely on Cuba and strive for a front row seat to report the most insignificant detail, not simply stooges crying in front of CNN.

    During his lifetime, Fidel have touched the lives of millions of people across the globe, earning their respect and gratitude. Even Miami will come to a full stop, except for a handful of octogenarian members of Vigilia Mambisa, yelling profanity in front of the Versailles Restaurant.

    Looking back, there is no other living world leader except for Nelson Mandela, whose death will create an outpouring of grief comparable to Kennedy, Ghandi, Ho Chi Minh or Lenin.

    Did I miss someone, my apologies, but undoubtly an unmatched Latin America historical event.

    • Griffin

      Yes, in predicting the eulogies for Fidel Castro you left out his colleagues in evil: Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Mao Zedung, Josef Stalin, Kim Jung Il and Kim Il Sung. Castro’s 5 decades of dictatorial rule has ruined Cuba.

      I will believe it when it comes. May it be soon. The Cuban people deserve to be free of their nightmare.

      • Lawrence W

        There you go again, ‘Griffin’ mixing up what government your list of “colleagues in evil” were allied with at one time or another. Here’s a hint, sung to “God Save The Queen” – “My country tis of thee…”

        You just can’t get over that a popular leader might last longer than four years. Has anyone ever tried to assassinate Fidel – outside of Americans, that is?

        You wish Fidel’s death to come soon. Since this is allowed on this website, I wish your death to come soon – too soon is not soon enough – and the death of all your loved ones, and of your dog and your goldfish and your hamster and your blow-up four-orifices doll should develop a leak, just when you are about to come.

        The world deserves to be free of people like you. And someday, it will be. Have a good day.

        • Griffin

          The only ruler on that list, of a country my country Canada was ever allied with, is Stalin of the USSR. The alliance lasted only during part of WWII. The same applies the US and their alliances.

          Personally, I hope you live a good long time. Long enough to see a free and democratic Cuba arise from the dung heap of the Castro regime. You can stick your fingers in your ears as far as you like, but the truth of the Castro years will be revealed in all it’s horrors and betrayals. The Cuban people will know who their real friends in the West have been. And it won’t be the pampered Canadian socialist sympathizers of the regime that imprisoned them.

          But isn’t he title of this article a mistake? It isn’t “Cuba’s Fidel Castro”. It would be more accurate to write “Fidel Castro’s Cuba”. Put the possessive where it belongs.

          • Lawrence W

            Bingo! Finally got you on your claim that you’re Canadian! It was only a matter of time. You are NOT Canadian. Everything you’ve posted claiming you are can easily be found with google. But you fucked up this time. I’ll leave it to Canadians who will know why.

            The country I was referring to is the US, not Canada. The “colleagues of evil” list refers to the US. Too bad you had to do all that research trying to see how it relates to Canada. Now you’re going to have to do more research to discover why it’s obvious you are not Canadian. Happy googling!

            Personally I hope YOU live a good long life as well, to see your world blow up in your face.

            We know what you mean by “free and democratic”, American style. There have been too many recent examples. Give it up ‘Griffin’ you’re American, body and soul. I’ve never encountered any Canadian like you.

            Dung heap is too mild a term to describe what Americans leave behind in their wake, more like open cess pools of raw, unprocessed sewage. Let me give you some examples.

            Seen what Kosovo looks like these days? Or Iraq? Or Afghanistan? Or Libya, where they just off’ed an American ambassador? Or Syria, in a state of civil war due to the arms the US has supplied to the rebels, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths? Or Pakistan, where unmanned drone strikes, representing extra-legal murder, have worked up the populace to demanding ‘guts for garters’ revenge?

            And there’s Iran – previews of coming attractions – if the country you support is foolish enough to allow itself to be egged on by the psychotic state of Israel (I use the term sane Israelis use to describe their government), we can expect murder and mayhem to continue.

            To paraphrase what you wrote, “You can stick your fingers in your ears as far as you like, but the truth of the ["American Century"] will be revealed in all it’s horrors and betrayals” – eventually, graphically and damnably. Fasten your seat belts.

            And, “The Cuban people will know who their real [enemies] in the West have been.”

            And, (and this really gives the game away as to ‘Griffin’s nationality) he writes, “it won’t be the pampered Canadian socialist sympathizers of the regime that imprisoned them.” I’ve NEVER heard a fellow Canadian call another Canadian a socialist – not these days. Americans do it ALL the time.

            ‘Griffin’ has problems with the wording, “Cuba’s Fidel Castro”, thinking “Fidel Castro’s Cuba” is a better way to put it. I do to, actually. The extraordinary vision, ideals, resolve and courage of the Cuban revolutionaries resulted in a Cuba that was what Fidel fought for and the Cuban people clearly wanted – independence from the American Empire.

            ‘Griffin” is a mouthpiece for the Americans. Don’t trust what he writes

    • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

      Alberto N Jones! I’m only making a obvious observation about the lack of LIVE appearances by Fidel Castro in the past several years, by one of the world’s most “important” orators! As far as history is concerned, when the truth comes out about the past 53+ years in Cuba, then the real history will be written by the Cuban people, not Fidel, Raul and their thugs! You cannot hide the sun with your finger and the Castro family oligarchy wont be able to hide their sordid history!

      Cuba Archive’s Truth and Memory Project is documenting deaths and disappearances resulting from the Cuban revolution and studies transitional issues related to truth, memory and justice.
      http://cubaarchive.org/home/

  • Richard Cheeseman

    Congratulations are due to Havana Times for becoming the source of yet another speculative Fidel death rumour on Twitter, etc. It’s a milestone which really cements the site’s place in the anti-Cuban blogosphere.

    And as usual the haters jumped in to spew their hatred, which is after all the point of a death rumour exercise.

    What a man he is though! Even Jesus Christ only came back from the dead once … Fidel has done it dozens of times already.

    • Lawrence W

      I too have trouble with HT on this one. I submitted two comments that were censured by the moderator when ‘Moses’ started the rumour, one of the “numerous readers” – how can we be sure, or one of the numerous ‘avatars’? But HT no doubt saw this as ‘disruptive’ writing.

      I’m sorry, but sometimes there is a time to call a spade a spade -nothing racial intended here, ‘Moses’ (he’s so fast with playing the race card).

      Consistently writing comments that gleefully speculates on the death of ANYONE is disruptive writing. Why hasn’t HT censured ‘Moses’ on this?

      Why does HT continue to post his outrageous, relentless American propaganda? It’s beyond reason. This is not a point of view. It is out and out propaganda in support of a country that has made Cuba its enemy.

      If I posted white supremacist material, would this be allowed? I think not but it indicates editorial judgements have to be made, based on commonly held values.

      Does anyone here see ‘Moses’ relentless dumping of US propaganda on this website as anything other than just that? It’s repetitive, its relentless and its disruptive. Some kind of limit to it is called for.

      It may represent some Cuban’s point of view but that’s not a valid justification. I’m certain there are white supremacists in Cuba as well – at least ‘Moses’ insists there are. Does this justify white supremacist material?

      I think we all agree, gloating over someone’s death is extremely offensive, no matter who they are. If HT allows it, then it needs to allow replies in kind.

      • Moses

        Fidel Castro is a public figure. To that end, he is inured to all the benefits that flow to public figures. If he writes about the benefits of yoga, it is widely published and read. As a public figure, he is also subject to the speculation surrounding his demise. To be sure, I did not ¨rumor¨of his death. Read carefully, I simply stated that WHEN he dies, a series of public events will likely precede a public announcement. While Lawrence W may not agree with my comments, I defend my right to make them. I do not make personal threats, or stoop to ¨name-calling¨. I do not speculate regarding the authenticity of those commentors with whom I disagree and I try to be polite ancd complement where possible. White supremacists wish to deny non-whites their basic civil rights. For this they should be silenced. I do not wish to deny anyone their God-given rights. Au contraire, I would hope Cubans would someday be free to travel as they wished, earn salaries which reflect their value to the market and finally to be able to choose the style of government and the leadership that they wish to have in an open and democratic fashion. This may even mean socialism but I doubt it. I hope this clears up the confusion some of the comments above reflect.

        • Luis

          You have yearned for Fidel’s death many times here on HT, don’t play innocent here.

        • Richard Cheeseman

          “I do not wish to deny anyone their God-given rights. ”

          You would deny the Cubans the right to their national sovereignty and independence. That’s what your shilling for the US imperialist regime change campaign implies.

        • Lawrence W

          RE: ” I did not ‘rumor’¨of his death.” My reference was to what you wrote on Wednesday, referring to Fidel not being seen in public and asking if anyone knew anything. Your innuendo was obviously trying to start up another round of speculations.

          Please take note – the Washington Post reports that “The latest round of rumors … apparently originated Wednesday on a Florida exile website.” Why are you allowing HT to become an outlet for gusano propaganda?

          Please take note – The Post noted “Speculation about Fidel Castro’s purported decline, which seems to surface every few months, hit the rumor mill again this week.”

          Commenters on this website knew what was taking place, why didn’t you? I am sure ‘Moses’ is quite enjoying taking you in, albeit worried he may lose his special privileges on HT based on what he’s written here. Is it possible for you to stop being ‘Moses’ dupe?

          Please take note – The Post also shows ‘Moses’ and Yoani are two peas in the same pod. She tweeted, “Does anybody know if Fidel Castro has sent congratulations to Hugo Chavez? Because some silences are resounding.”

          Why don’t you just carry Yoani and be done with it? Because she is likely to piss off your readership? What do you think ‘Moses’ is doing? She’s not appropriate, ‘Moses’ is not appropriate, yet we have to endure, and deal with, his incessant US government propaganda.

          Please take note – The Post states Cubadebate accused Twitter of helping spread … rumors about Castro. And what is HT doing?

          Please take note – With ‘Moses’ incessant presence on HT, I am losing interest in accessing your website. I write this knowing it will make ‘Moses’ jump up and down with joy. His US government propaganda cannot be ignored and I would rather spend more time commenting on other things rather than having to counteract it all the time.

          I know I am not god’s gift to HT, but I think I write more thoughtfully and interact with what Cubans write more than the boilerplate propaganda ‘Moses’ incessantly, and repetitively dumps on your website.

          I understand the difficulty involved in making editorial judgements. But when a website is moderated, editorial judgements ARE being made. You have not posted comments I have made on the basis that they are too disrupting. So we are talking about the decisions you make, not principles.

          If ‘Moses’ is not disruptive, then what is he? He knows how to stay within the bounds of what you will allow – “I do not make personal threats, or stoop to ‘name-calling”. As ‘Luis’ notes, he is full of name-calling slurs. I call it his “purple prose” comments. They are anger-provoking in the extreme for most of your readership, I think, but somehow are accepted by you.

          Can I suggest what I think is a practical way of dealing with ‘Moses’, a solution that is not perfect, but better than what is currently taking place. For me, a perfect solution is to recognise what ‘Moses’ represents and not post what he submits – what you do with Yoani, I think.

          If you don’t want to do that, then at the very least, address what ‘Moses’ is doing that NO ONE else is doing – posting incessantly. Place a daily limit on the number of posts allowed. It’s a clunky solution but it puts a limit on the anger it arouses in readers and decreases the effort involved in addressing it.

          Circles – please respond.

        • john sparre

          i would like to see a free market in every country on the principles of adam smith but america and other countries have socialism. welfare for big business while real social programs are underfunded. if farm labor becomes the working class they can´t go back to the farm in a recession and without social security there are hoovervilles and starvation and people freeze to death in the winter if they can´t afford heating. american economists advised the russians to have a big bang. look at the result. the cuban economy is moving towards a free market but without the homeless and completely destitute. but i think that the government should move faster towards a free market economy. in 1952, a tory M.P. in britain said ¨we are all socialists now. ¨ in america, the word socialist is as abusive and dirty as pedophile.

          unlike clint eastwood´s empty chair at the republican convention in tampa, the ALBA stooges are in the chair. hugo chavez won a landslide victory but the media in some countries alleged that president chavez had a narrow victory. the fact of the matter is that the ALBA stooges are very popular and with good reason. it is the free trade area of the americas that has been rejected, not the ALBA stooges.

      • Richard Cheeseman

        “Why does HT continue to post his outrageous, relentless American propaganda? It’s beyond reason. This is not a point of view. It is out and out propaganda in support of a country that has made Cuba its enemy.”

        Why do you assume that the US empire’s anti-Cuban propaganda is out of place on HT in the face of facts which show otherwise?

    • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

      Richard Cheeseman! You are one of the regular Castro cheerleaders here, The Miami Herald and in many other publications comment section! We have bumped into each other multiple times! Big gusano hugs and kisses for you!

      • Lawrence W

        Yuck! Embraced and kissed by a worm. How revolting.

        Everything I’ve read that Richard has written hardly indicates he’s a “Castro cheerleader”. But I suppose a fanatical ideologue living in the US who was a traitor to the idealistic Cuban Revolution would see anything other than obsessive hatred of Cuba’s leader of the Revolution as a blind supporter.

        It always pays to consider where commenters come from. Once a worm, always a worm, it seems.

        And I hate to break it to YOU honey, the Revolution is here to stay.

        ‘Social media’ is an oxymoron. ‘Social’ is people in face to face interactions, meeting together, talking about what is good for everyone.

        • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

          Lawrence W !! Thank you honey! Your insults mean a lot to me!! When I was a young boy in Cuba they used to use the same “gusano” derogatory words against me but I got over it and I took it a badge of honor! The first thing that comes out of the Castro agents/apologists is venom!! I pride myself of using a real name that can be verified! What are you so afraid of Lawrence W?? The same goes to all others using aliases!

  • Luis

    My God, why so much hate? “ALBA stooges”, “Every wannabe socialist will go on and on about Fidel´s historical significance, blah, blah, blah.”, “colleagues in evil”, “I wish your death to come soon”… WTF? I know Circles is a nice guy, very lenient with other people’s opinions, but this is too much. Probably this is why ‘La Joven Cuba’ gave a break – one post and 300+ poisonous replies.

  • http://www.GRDPublishing.com Grady Ross Daugherty

    I would wish for Fidel to live another twenty years, even if only to piss off the shallow a-holes who assault him and the Cuban revolution through the pages of HT, and elsewhere.

    Fidel’s great failing was that he bought into Marxism as a secular religion, even codifying it as state religion in the Cuban constitution. In buying into it, he accepted the ruinous formula of state monopoly ownership. It is this asinine formula, not Fidel, that has ruined and discredited the Cuban socialist experience.

    It is indeed sad that the amazing accomplishments of Fidel, like those of Lenin, Mao and Ho, have been offset and compromised by an incorrect strategic, maximum program. But history is not through. The Left may yet regroup around a corrected maximum program and change the world.

    • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

      Grady Ross Daugherty!! I hate to brake it to you honey but people die, and so will Fidel! and Raul is no Fidel for good or bad! And internet, twitter, facebook and instant messaging are here to stay in order to help boost democracy in the world! So sorry for your loss!!

  • W Fidel

    Fidel resterà IMMORTALE alla faccia dei LADRI ASSASSINI capitalisti schifosi!
    W Compagno Fidel!

    • Lawrence W

      As I translate this from Italian,

      Fidel is IMMORTAL. The face of capitalist THIEVES and MURDERERS is disgusting!

      Comrade Fidel!

      That’s about right.

  • Okasis

    So depressing to read the depraved remarks of total unknowns. These people who have accomplished nothing, and will be mourned by none, have to keep hoping to feed on the death of greatness. They are reminiscent of the vultures and crows who circle bodies brought down by by those much more worthy than themselves. Even Death itself, is an opponent who faces some victims many times, before finally destroying a valiant champion. Hiding behind anonymous pen-names spewing venom and garbage, requires nothing but the ability to use a computer and a large supply of bile..

    You do not have to be a Fidelista to recognize greatness. Just as Haiti has been punished and plundered for 200 years for being the first Black Colony to throw off the chains of Slavery and Colonialism, so too, is Cuba being tortured for the audacity shown by the brave Cubanos who followed Fidel. It doesn’t matter if he is dead or alive, his achievements will never die.

    We have entered an era of small men, with small minds, who cannot bear the thought of true Heroism. The gangsters lurking in Miami, assassinating innocents with bombs and sabotage, finally have a fitting leader. Obomba hides in the Oval Office, sending out Drones to murder unknown and unsuspecting civilians. That is a pair to draw to – The Cuban Mafioso and the War Criminal who writes the laws granting them impunity.

    As an aside, the reason I seldom comment, or even read HT any more, is the pure venom that poisons so much of the commentary and the Blogs. Not all, but the percentage is too high to attract a less politicized audience. Like US Politics, it has tilted so much to the side of the far-right ideologues, that my life is too short to spend reading the junk, hoping to find a jewel in the steaming offal.

    • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

      Okasis said: “So depressing to read the depraved remarks of total unknowns. These people who have accomplished nothing, and will be mourned by none, have to keep hoping to feed on the death of greatness.” .

      DUDE or DUDETTE! You dont have a real name either! Duh! Hypocrite!

      • Okasis

        Not a ‘real name’? We have only your say-so that you post under your ‘real’ one – for what that is worth.

        And most people know that I am OK as is, except when I’m not. At my age, that is about half the time…

  • http://www.GRDPublishing.com Grady Ross Daugherty

    When all is said and done, HT must remain open to all comments. If it did not, it would become useless as a clearing house of ideas. But I do feel that those who call for the death of Fidel, or call for military action against sovereign Cuba, et cetera, ought to be limited in some way, or even barred from the site.

    • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

      Grady Ross Daugherty !! Spoken like your fascist friends Fidel and Raul!

      AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN CUBA- Amnesty International Publications 2010
      State Monopoly of the Media, Control of Internet Access and more!
      http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/005/2010/en/62b9caf8-8407-4a08-90bb-b5e8339634fe/amr250052010en.pdf

      • http://www.GRDPublishing.com Grady Ross Daugherty

        No, Humberto, it’s a recognition of two realities. (1) HT must allow all legitimate comments or it will lose its character as a place to exchange ideas openly, and (2) there ought to be certain good-taste limits against profane, abusive or calls-for-death-or-military-invasion language by a few individuals.

        None of my friends are not fascists, Humberto; but I can’t speak for all of yours.

        You write like a juvenile without much education, Humberto. Even so, I wish you well.