“November 27, 2016
“Dear Comrades,
“I am devastated, like all of you.
“We knew Fidel had to die someday but hoped he wouldn’t.
“But what a history! What an inspiration and what guts. And
what achievements in health and education, all free from the cradle to the
grave. Cuba became a world leader in cancer research and sent humanitarian
missions to 68 countries, trained more than 1800 doctors under a free
scholarship scheme, hundreds of them in East Timor, and treated free of charge
some 26,000 victims of the Chernobyl disaster, most of them children. Fidel
‘liberated’ large tracts of land to small farmers, did away with private
beaches, closed casinos, halved rents and outlawed racial discrimination, and
became a world leader in environmentally sound policies.
“Fidel and his revolutionary band had to start from scratch,
slowly building a new society, with eleven presidents in a row using every
dirty trick in the book to bring them down, including invasions, bombings,
biological warfare, an illegal blockade that has cost Cuba more than 89 billion
dollars - 80% of which involved food and medicines - and had 638 goes at
bumping off Fidel. Washington failed.
“Fidel Castro became one of the most notable political
figures of the 20th century. His Revolution created the Cuban nation,
transforming a small Caribbean island into a player on the world stage. Under
his leadership Cubans ‘stood tall’ against the most powerful nation on earth
and gave them back their pride and dignity. Close to all Third World leaders,
Fidel was the only political figure apart from Nelson Mandela welcomed by a
younger generation of activists.
“Commercialized Christmas has landed on our doorsteps even
earlier than usual and Donald Trump has landed on the world stage. As someone
said, it will get worse before it gets worse. And when the US gets a cold we
get double pneumonia.
“In 2016, the US presented the public with the two most
detested candidates in history. No wonder more than 40% of voters declined to
vote. In the wash-up, the moneyed thug beat the natural born killer who
believes that a dousing of cruise tomahawk missiles on recalcitrant countries
was good diplomacy, a continuation of her pact with husband Bill. The duo
advanced their way through the political jungle by speaking Left and acting
Right, leaving a legacy of mass incarceration, perpetual war and regime change.
From Christopher Hitchens: ‘She and her husband haven’t met a foreign political
donor they don’t like and haven’t taken from.’
“Washington isn’t about to be ruled by Nazis (yet) -
although fascist tendencies are certainly present - but by Reactionary
Republicans, which is quite bad enough. I hope that the hysterical opposition
will not stuff up the few Trump positives, the desire to do business with Putin
rather than foment war and putting an end to the loathsome TPPI trade deal, if
he can get away with it.
“The entire election campaign focused on personal attacks
rather than dealing with serious political issues like the underclass who live
in towns ravaged by de-industrialization with banks and stores boarded up,
factories closed down and all the decent jobs long gone. Many work up to 70
hours a week at three minimum-wage jobs. Or they have no jobs at all, fueling
alcoholism, drug addiction, suicides, racism and the poison of white supremacy.
“And now we’re being assailed by ‘fake news’ or ‘post truth’
where false stories are being deliberately planted throughout our media, as if
the bastards don’t lie enough. Facebook and Google are already agreeing to
‘filter out content’. Censorship?
“Peter Koenig writes about a serious issue I don’t recall
reading about: ‘A few weeks ago’, he said, the UN kicked Russia out of its
Human Rights Commission. The first time in history that a member of the UN
Security Council was voted out.’
“Russia’s crime? ‘Bombing hospitals and civilians in Syria
and supporting the atrocities of the Assad regime’, when it is the US, NATO and
Washington’s Gulf puppets responsible for the devastation in the Middle East.
“And on November 15, a UN special committee condemned
Russia’s ‘temporary occupation of Crimea’, a motion carried by 73 to 23 with 76
abstentions that will inevitably be adopted by the 193-member assembly. Most
know the truth that the US instigated the coup d’etat in Ukraine, but won’t say
a word.
“And then last Thursday I received an email from ACTU
Secretary Dave Oliver outlining Turnbull’s latest vicious onslaught on the
trade union movement. At 2am the government sneakily rammed through the
Registered Organizations Bill, setting up yet another costly commission to
further bugger up the work of the trade union movement. Headed by god knows
who, our unions will be subjected to a restrictive regime of regulations and
fines that could bankrupt ordinary union volunteers just for downing tools if
their workplace is unsafe.
“Human history, as Karl Marx said, is defined by class
struggle, but today’s psychopathic rulers have been clever by fusing the two
major parties into a single corporate entity that has seized control of the
whole box and dice, the parliaments, the judiciary, universities, finance and
almost all forms of communication, with every facet of our lives controlled by
the corporates.
“There is no way you can fight these forces with petitions,
rallies and the polling booth when even the few tepid avenues open to us have
been whittled down. ‘Democracy’ as it’s defined today, is a sham that cannot be
regulated, reformed or corrected. The only way forward is to become part of a
genuine socialist movement to stand up to and demolish the corporate state
before it demolishes us and our fragile world.
“Vale Fidel! Hasta Siempre Dear Comandante! Viva Cuba!
“Joan Coxsedge”
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