This page was last updated on January 19, 2017.
History Has Absolved Him; Carl Davidson (KD); Facebook; November 26, 2016.
What a sad day!; Bob Tomashevsky (BT); Facebook; November 26, 2016.
You can learn more about BCR’s leftster management here. “Leftster” is the combination of leftist and gangster, inspired by the left-originated “bankster.”
This review is a twofer. In addition to the eulogy by KD, I threw in BT’s eulogy. BT is a KD fanboy and frequent contributor to KD’s Facebook page.
I encourage you to view both posts and their discussion threads. You should find them enlightening.
Neither KD nor BT is ignorant. Both men are intelligent and know the truth about Cuba and FC. Unfortunately for the ideologies of BT, KD, and their comrades, Cuba did not become the workers’ paradise promised by communism, Marxism, socialism, and so on. FC followers deal with their dilemma via at least two approaches.
First, hoping we’re ignorant, FC fanboys tell us how they wish Cuba turned out, not how it really is. That’s why many of the eulogies for FC sound like something Baghdad Bob would say. Can’t you see KD giving his FC eulogy on a Florida beach while in the background Cuban refugees jump from their boat and run ashore?
Second, when they inevitably get backed into a corner, Cuba and FC fans blame the U.S. for any and all shortcomings.
Have you wondered why you saw no FC monuments in Cuba? According to “The Telegraph” (UK), FC’s brother Raul (RC) said, “Until the moment he died, Fidel was against the cult of personality. There will be no monuments, statues or busts of Fidel, no institutions or streets or parks named after him – because that is what he wanted.” If “Fidel was against the cult of personality,” what about all the Che Guevara (CG) statues and murals throughout Cuba? Let’s not forget the “Ernesto Guevara Sculptural Complex (EGSC).” The EGSC includes the CG Mausoleum and CG Museum, topped off with a CG statue.
RC’s statement sounds great except it was a tad misleading. RC failed to mention Cuban law prohibits “the commemoration of living persons by way of monuments, street names, and the like.” The emphasis should be on “living persons.” FC was alive so no statues for him. CG was dead so it was okay to plaster Cuba with CG stuff. Now that FC is dead, I will be surprised if FC “monuments, statues or busts of Fidel … [and] institutions or streets or parks named after him” don’t start popping up.
Finally, I found it completely appropriate the Russian-built “jeep” carrying FC’s ashes broke down during the funeral procession while the whole world was watching, requiring soldiers to push the vehicle. This could be further evidence God exists. <g>
KD’s Eulogy
“HISTORY HAS ABSOLVED HIM. Fidel’s passing is already unleashing a torrent of commentary, from revolutionary anthems to absurd distortions. One thing is certain: a great man has joined the ages—a humanitarian, a pragmatic Marxist and an unbowed patriot among his people. He was hated by a few of them and loved by most, especially among the poor and the workers. He was admired far beyond Cuba, among all the wretched of the Earth still in dire need of making a new world possible.”
[RWC] For what does KD think Fidel Castro (FC) needed absolution and what did he do to earn the absolution?
Consider this. If KD were a Cuban and he attacked FC’s ideology and actions in the same manner as KD attacks the U.S., KD and his family would be lucky if he only got locked up in prison.
Why was FC allegedly “loved by most [Cubans], especially among the poor and the workers?” Do “most” Cubans want to live in a Third World country ruled by a dictator? Why would “the wretched of the Earth still in dire need of making a new world possible” admire FC? Do “the wretched” want to live in a country where hundreds of thousands of citizens risked prison time and the lives of their families to get out?
As with the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, Cubans require government permission to leave their country. Since FC took power, hundreds of thousands of Cubans who could not get approval risked prison time and the lives of their families to get out of Cuba. The ocean is Cuba’s “Iron Curtain.” What more needs to be said?
Article 5 of “The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, 1976 (as Amended to 2002),” states, “The Communist Party of Cuba, Martian and of Marxist-Leninist, the organized vanguard of the Cuban nation, is the superior leading force of the society and the State, organizing and guiding the common efforts aimed at the highest goals of the construction of socialism and advancement toward the communist society.” Translation: Cuba is a single-party dictatorship and The Communist Party of Cuba is the “single-party.”
Article 1 states, “Cuba is a socialist State of workers, independent and sovereign, organized with all and for the good of all, as a united, democratic republic, for the enjoyment of political freedom, social justice, individual and collective welfare, and human solidarity.” How can Cubans participate in “the enjoyment of political freedom” when there is only one legal political party? In this case, the only legal political party is The Communist Party of Cuba. With apologies to Henry Ford, any Cuban can choose any ideology that he wants so long as it is communism.
FC “was admired far beyond Cuba?” Sadly, that’s true, but it’s easy when someone is “far beyond.” Heck, KD was also a fan of Pol Pot for a while. During a March 2010 Facebook exchange with Glenn Beck’s “bald communist” (Jed Brandt), KD wrote,
“Yes, our CPML [Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist)] backed Pol Pot’s ‘Democratic Kampuchea’ for a time. At the suggestion of our Chinese comrades--Stalin 70 percent good, 30 percent bad--we got the Potemkin village tour, publishing a book of smiling Kampuchean peasants and kids, I even dug around for something Pol Pot had written in English to put in our ‘anti-revisionist’ theoretical journal.”
It appears KD deleted this thread. Unfortunately for KD, I found another thread.
On 11/30/11, someone going by the screenname “Pineapple” wrote,
“In April this year, Carl Davidson, a former member of the Communist Party Marxist-Leninist, the same organisation [sic] which enjoyed fraternal relations with the Communist Party of China and received the invitation to visit Democratic Kampuchea in 1978, contacted me via email about the speech, confirmed it is the Dan Burstein, and also talked about the effect the naive visit had on party members.”
Here’s the email “Pineapple” allegedly received from KD:
“Yes, it is the same Dan Burstein. And the correct name of our group then was simply Communist Party Marxist Leninist (CPML). When Burstein and the small group that visited Cambodia later discovered they had been mislead [sic] and lied to on their tour, it caused a crisis for them personally, and for our organization as well. Dan resigned his post, saying he was no longer a Marxist-Leninist--he was in his mid-20s at the time--and retreated into private life. Later he wrote books on Japanese economics and China for the business press, as well as other nonfiction works, and became a small-time venture capitalist. Dan’s resignation started a process of liquidation within our group, and within a year, we were defunct.
“I was editor of Class Struggle, our theoretical journal, and I made the decision to print Pol Pot’s speech as an appendix in one of our last issues. I recall thinking that his politics were rather strange--calls for abolishing money, setting up communism immediately, etc--but since his thinking wasn’t available anywhere else in English for people to study, I made it available, since he was the leader of a party that had taken power vs. the US imperialists.
“I’ve mentioned this a few times to younger comrades and activists, to warn they [sic] against dogmatism and flunkeyism--and to take anything coming from any party regarding its achievements with a grain of salt.”
In 2013, “seventh bullet” posted a similar comment. It appears the same gal/guy is behind both “Pineapple” and “seventh bullet.”
Did you notice the real difference between KD’s 2010 comment and his alleged email in 2011? When I read KD’s 2010 comment, I had the impression KD was part of the group that “got the Potemkin village tour.” KD’s alleged 2011 email was different; “we” changed to “they.” Was that significant?
Though KD mentioned Marxism and socialism, he stayed away from the c-word, communism. FC founded The Communist Party of Cuba and was its leader from 1965 until his health forced him to name his brother (Raul) the acting leader in 2006. Raul Castro became the official leader in 2011. As mentioned previously, The Communist Party of Cuba runs Cuba.
“For me, Fidel has simply always been there, since my political awakening took place in the time of his first victory. The efforts of our government to overthrow him brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. My very first demonstration as a young student at Penn State was in the midst of that crisis, and I carried a ‘Hands Off Cuba!’ sign.”
[RWC] To the best of my knowledge, KD didn’t carry a “Hands Off Cuba!” sign in the USSR.
“I visited Cuba twice, in 1968 and 1971. During the first visit, together with Tom Hayden and Dave Dellinger, both of whom now also belong to the ages, I spent a few hours with him in a wide-ranging conversation. My impression was of a man with a keen intellect, fully engaged with ideas, constantly inquiring and a near photographic memory for detail. Most of all, he was an implacable opponent of imperialism and a Cuban patriot. When he ended his speeches with ‘Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!, (Fatherland or Death, We Shall Win!) he meant it down to his bones. Tom Hayden and I suggested to him that he bring groups of young people to visit and experience Cuba first hand in work teams. He took it up, and later the Venceremos Brigades were born.”
[RWC] If FC was “a man with a keen intellect, fully engaged with ideas, constantly inquiring and a near photographic memory for detail,” why was Cuba a Third World country throughout FC’s reign?
To the best of my knowledge, no one has corroborated KD’s story about “the Venceremos Brigades,” not even Tom Hayden (TH). Though TH and KD allegedly met with FC, TH wrote, “I took no notes and can hardly recall all that was said that night forty-five years ago. Carl distinctly remembers that we talked about binging [sic] thousands of Americans to visit, work, and live in Cuba months at a time, an idea that two years later became the Venceremos Brigade.” This means whatever TH “remembered” of the alleged VB discussion was what KD told him. TH implied KD also didn’t take notes. Otherwise, TH would have referred to KD’s notes instead of KD’s memory (“distinctly remembers”). Even if KD took notes and presented them, they would still need corroboration.
The Wikipedia version says, “The Venceremos Brigade is a politically motivated international organization founded in 1969 by members of the Students for a Democratic Society and officials of the Republic of Cuba. Carl Oglesby, Bernardine Dohrn, Julie Nichamin, Brian Murphy, Allen Young and other members of SDS were primarily responsible for the idea, organization and negotiations with Carlos Rafael Rodríguez and other members of the Cuban government.” You probably noticed this version mentions neither TH nor KD even though TH was an SDS co-founder and KD was a national officer of the SDS.
“Under Fidel, Cuba often broke the mold of how socialist revolutions were to first succeed and then move forward. Fidel was a Marxist, a patriot and an internationalist, but he was not a dogmatist. When he saw a dead end, he knew how to bend; when he saw an opening, he could take it with audacity. He will be highly praised by the people of South Africa and Vietnam for rendering solidarity in difficult times.”
[RWC] Given the wonderfulness of FC and Cuba described by KD, once again I’ll ask, why was Cuba a Third World country throughout FC’s reign?
Does KD really think FC’s/Cuba’s “socialist revolution” was a success and “moved forward?” If true, Third World status is a pretty low bar to clear.
“When [FC] saw a dead end, he knew how to bend?” What are the examples? Later in this eulogy, KD tells us “Cuba is still a relatively poor and developing country” after nearly 60 years of being ruled by the Castro regime.
“Cuba will miss him. One reason is that he probably had a deeper understanding of US politics than any man alive today, including those of us here. He had to deal with every president going back to Eisenhower, and the skills of Cuba intelligence in countering and thwarting CIA plots are legendary. He sought truth from facts.”
[RWC] If “[FC] probably had a deeper understanding of US politics than any man alive today, including those of us here,” how did it benefit Cubans not named Castro?
Re “CIA plots,” in another post KD referred to “over 600 foiled plots on Fidel.” The source of this number appears to be a former member of Cuba’s government. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “About 10 years ago, the former head of Cuban intelligence, Fabian Escalante, told a British documentary team the CIA had tried to kill Fidel Castro more than 600 times, over a period of about 40 years.” Regardless of how someone views the CIA, does anyone seriously believe the CIA would go zero for 600+ assassination attempts?
The “600 foiled plots on Fidel” claim sounds a bit like the claim North Korea’s Kim Jong Il’s first round of golf resulted in a 34-under-par 38, which we were first told included five holes-in-one.
“[FC] sought truth from facts?” Sure.
“Cuba is still a relatively poor and developing country, held back in large part by the US embargo. But in large thanks to Fidel, it has one of the best health care and educational systems in the Global South. Cuba may not be a ‘consumer society’ with Black Friday spectacles, but its people are proud and healthy, and a long way from the times of the Batista dictatorship.”
[RWC] KD tells us “Cuba is still a relatively poor and developing country” after nearly 60 years of being ruled by the Castro regime. How is that possible with a dictator like FC, “a humanitarian, a pragmatic Marxist and an unbowed patriot among his people … a man with a keen intellect, fully engaged with ideas?” Shouldn’t Cuba be a worker’s paradise?
The U.S. embargo is not the reason Cuba is a Third World country and KD knows it.
Out of about 200 countries, only the U.S. had an embargo against Cuba, yet KD and his comrades expect us to believe the U.S. is to blame for FC’s “relatively poor and developing country,” not FC. As far as I can tell, nothing stopped Cuba from getting products to and from the U.S. via other countries. So what if Cubans couldn’t directly buy whatever from a U.S. company? Nothing stopped Cubans from buying stuff made by non-U.S. companies, or so I thought.
Before I started my research for this review, I assumed the reason why Cubans didn’t replace their “antique” U.S. cars with cars from somewhere else was due to poverty. I was partly wrong. Poverty is probably a contributing factor for this Third World dictatorship, but there is another reason the vast majority of us don’t know about and FC boosters like KD don’t mention. Cuba had an embargo of its own. Soon after taking power in 1959, FC’s Communist Party banned the purchase of foreign-made cars regardless of the country of origin. In addition, Cuba heavily controlled the sale of cars already in Cuba. The ban remained in effect until 2013.
I suspect KD hopes you don’t know “Global South” is the newish term for “Third World.” After all, claiming Cuba “has one of the best health care and educational systems in the [Third World]” doesn’t sound very impressive. It would be like me claiming to be world famous in Center Township.
It appears KD tries to make the case “the [alleged] best health care and educational systems in the [Third World]” offset being forced to live in a Third World dictatorship.
“Cuba may not be a ‘consumer society’ with Black Friday spectacles.” Translation: After nearly 60 years of being ruled by the Castro regime, Cubans can’t afford to buy stuff. I suspect most Cubans would love their country to “be a ‘consumer society’ with Black Friday spectacles.”
In what ways is the FC dictatorship better than “the Batista dictatorship?”
“Now it is facing major changes, with Raul bring [sic] in new economic reforms, including a new cooperative sector and other features where Cuba will help shape its version of a socialism of the 21st century. In this time of their grief, I can only say that I share it, and I offer my condolences and ongoing solidarity.”
[RWC] 21st century socialism is no more than “socialism” with a “21st century” hood ornament. As the saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. With apologies to The Who, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
To whom does KD offer condolences?
BT’s Eulogy
“What a sad day! Fidel Castro, one of the greatest revolutionary fighters of our time has passed away. There is probably no other figure in my personal history who has had as strong an influence in shaping my views of the world. In my teens I followed his courageous struggles against U.S. puppet Batista, culminating in the victorious overthrow of U.S imperialism in ‘59. One year later I actually got to shake his hand while visiting the new revolutionary Cuba. My brief visit and Cuba’s glorious national and international continuous example has remained a guiding light of the better side of humankind’s potential. There has been no better example of successful socialist international struggles in my life time. May his life always inspire the new revolutionary struggles this world so desperately needs.”
[RWC] Remember, when a leftist complains about imperialism, he means so-called “U.S. imperialism.” Russia’s communist imperialism that resulted in the USSR was okay.
KD conceded Cuba is a Third World (aka “Global South”) country. If Cuba “has been no better example of successful socialist international struggles in [BT’s] life time,” what does that say about socialism and/or the Castro regime? If Cuba is so wonderful, why aren’t people risking their lives to get into Cuba instead of risking their lives to get out?
If Cuba is its best example, shouldn’t socialism be thrown on the scrap heap of history?
“Que Viva La Revolution Cubana! Que Viva Fidel!”
[RWC] Blah, blah, blah.
In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity. <g>
© 2004-2017 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.