CUBANET ... CUBANEWS

June 25, 2001



A dose of Castro oil

Joel Miller © 2001 WorldNetDaily.com. June 25, 2001

There are moments in each of our lives where time blurs into nothing. The seconds could be days, minutes could be weeks – it doesn't matter. A plump tomato is in the air, and we are edge-sitting our seats to the point of toppling, as we singularly focus our anticipation on seeing what kind of mess it'll make when it succumbs to Newton's famous discovery.

One such moment for me was when Fidel Castro nearly fainted giving a speech over the weekend. Up went the tomato.

I saw the headline posted at – where else? – WorldNetDaily as I amiably strolled through my study on Saturday, coffee-in-hand, looking for my copy of Gary North's "Marx's Religion of Revolution" – an appropriate choice for a weekend read, considering Fidel's revolution of Marx's religion in Cuba.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could make it out on the screen: "Castro appears to faint at podium."

I jumped to the computer, jostling my java. Excitement flushed in my veins. I snatched the mouse and hammered the link.

Having a fairly slow connection, however, the time-slow thing happened. My modem labored to prove Einstein's theory of relativity, making me sit there endlessly with expectant jitters. Hopeful. On-edge. Oh-so eager that the fussbudget busywhiskers had toppled and ended his career as the last ruling evangelist of communist ideothuggery and proletariat puppetry.

I was of course disappointed when the story indicated that the geriatric gasbag only listed and rebounded to the gasps and then cheers of his onlookers. The tomato came down; it was hard and green. No big mess.

I sank back in my chair. My shoulders slumped. I was David: "For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong" (Psalm 73:3-4).

How could an old goat like that – decked out wrists-to-ankles in a heavy army uniform and black boots that would strike a chord of jealousy in the heart of any good Nazi – survive Caribbean heat as oppressive as his policies (by Fidel's count, another 665 folks required help from the heat before him)? The only way I can figure it is that what's true of Kennedys is also true of Castros – the good die young (not that Jack and Robert were much better than Teddy).

By evening, as reported by the Associated Press, Castro appeared "rested and cheerful as he went back on live television – this time from an air conditioned broadcast studio. Those in the studio gave him a [predictable] standing ovation."

"It is my fault,'' explained Castro about the fainting spell. "Collecting facts, reading so many documents. …" Pity the poor socialist scholar, studying into the wee hours about how to manipulate every facet of market economics, social and political life in his ragtag country. Tyranny is tiring.

The best way to understand Castro's politics – what he's up studying for so late – is to watch Woody Allen's "Bananas" while thumbing through the "Communist Manifesto" and listening to a few "Rage Against the Machine" albums. Put all that together and anyone would be hopeful that the old man's boat would drag bottom sooner rather than later.

"I joked that it was a rehearsal," Castro told the studio audience, "that I was playing dead to see what kind of burial they would give me.''

While many of us are sad and dejected it was not the real thing, there is a possible upside to Castro's impromptu lip-syncing of the Bee Gees' hit "Staying Alive." At least one American city's infrastructure will benefit from Castro's continued reign, according to Floridian cartoonist Tom White.

When talking about the to-dream-of demise of Cuba's long-lived dictator, Tom said, "I don't know if Miami could survive the partying."

Joel Miller is the commentary editor of WorldNetDaily. His publishing company, MenschWerks,recently published "God Gave Wine" by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.

© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.

[ BACK TO THE NEWS ]

La Tienda - Books and accesories from CubaNet
Books and accesories


In Association with Amazon.com

Search:


SEARCH NEWS

Search June News

Advance Search


SECCIONES

NOTICIAS
Prensa Independiente
Prensa Internacional
Prensa Gubernamental

OTHER LANGUAGES
Spanish
German
French

INDEPENDIENTES
Cooperativas Agrícolas
Movimiento Sindical
Bibliotecas
MCL
...Ayuno

DEL LECTOR
Letters
Cartas
Debate
Opinión

BUSQUEDAS
News Archive
News Search
Documents
Links

CULTURA
Painters
Photos of Cuba
Cigar Labels

CUBANET
Semanario
About Us
Informe 1998
E-Mail


CubaNet News, Inc.
145 Madeira Ave,
Suite 207
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 774-1887