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	<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
	<atom:link href="http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/</link>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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	<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-593306</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<title>By: qyhnfedtyy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
		<dc:creator>teens having sex</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

Interesting topic... I&#039;m working in this industry myself and I don&#039;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Interesting topic&#8230; I&#8217;m working in this industry myself and I don&#8217;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future&#8230;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

Interesting topic... I&#039;m working in this industry myself and I don&#039;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Interesting topic&#8230; I&#8217;m working in this industry myself and I don&#8217;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future&#8230;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;lqlbhpwiro...&lt;/strong&gt;

zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>lqlbhpwiro&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy&#8230;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cpyspzfch.com" rel="nofollow">pnorzssjb</a></p>
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		<title>By: teens having sex</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
		<dc:creator>teens having sex</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;teens having sex...&lt;/strong&gt;

teens having sex introduction...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>teens having sex&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>teens having sex introduction&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
		<description>Hi! Very nice site! Thanks you very much! 2p2wBgjGph7He</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi! Very nice site! Thanks you very much! 2p2wBgjGph7He</p>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

Interesting topic... I&#039;m working in this industry myself and I don&#039;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Interesting topic&#8230; I&#8217;m working in this industry myself and I don&#8217;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;lqlbhpwiro...&lt;/strong&gt;

zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>lqlbhpwiro&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
		<description>Hi! Very nice site! Thanks you very much! 2p2wBgjGph7He</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi! Very nice site! Thanks you very much! 2p2wBgjGph7He</p>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

Interesting topic... I&#039;m working in this industry myself and I don&#039;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Interesting topic&#8230; I&#8217;m working in this industry myself and I don&#8217;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future&#8230;</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;lqlbhpwiro...&lt;/strong&gt;

zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>lqlbhpwiro&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>zrgldzuic ilmoppqye nyxxeqxlxy&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
		<dc:creator>omaha poker rules</dc:creator>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Interesting topic&#8230; I&#8217;m working in this industry myself and I don&#8217;t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>Comments on: Adios Fidel?</title>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-593306</link>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-466061</link>
		<dc:creator>qyhnfedtyy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 20:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-466061</guid>
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		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-3/#comment-385267</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-385267</guid>
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		<title>By: NFoqS9PFBJ</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-278322</link>
		<dc:creator>NFoqS9PFBJ</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-278322</guid>
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		<title>By: Hotels In Orlando Area</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-178334</link>
		<dc:creator>Hotels In Orlando Area</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-178334</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Dave...&lt;/strong&gt;

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dave&#8230;</strong></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: jyboqrxzy</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-92370</link>
		<dc:creator>jyboqrxzy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-92370</guid>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-86371</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-86371</guid>
		<description>I think that Cuba&#039;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#039;s the real story on Castro&#039;s surgery:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery&lt;/a&gt; 

&lt;i&gt;(Now, let&#039;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)&lt;/i&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that Cuba&#8217;s future should be voted on by baseball fans when they fill out the ballots to pick the All Stars.  And, here&#8217;s the real story on Castro&#8217;s surgery:  <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51532" rel="nofollow">Castro Passes Pitching Duties To Brother While Undergoing Tommy John Surgery</a> </p>
<p><i>(Now, let&#8217;s see how many people on the left, few of whom have a sense of humor, will take this seriously.)</i></p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84663</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84663</guid>
		<description>J, once more, I didn&#039;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  

I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>J, once more, I didn&#8217;t say who SHOULD decide but, rather, that the people with the most information (as in almost anything) are in a better position to reach the best decision.  </p>
<p>I feel that the overwhelming masses of Cubans have been isolated from information and indoctrinated, which handicaps them.  Randy disagreed and tried to convince us that Cubans could access whatever international news that they wanted, although he could only name thirteen.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84572</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84572</guid>
		<description>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#039;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#039;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.

My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#039;s information is available - not just Cuban or US</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This argument is absurd. Both Randy and Woody accept that America should have a say in Cuba.  Woody thinks that the exiles themselves shouldd run shit.  Randy thinks Colin Powell&#8217;s pet dissidents should take over.  The pretext is that Castro supporters and Cubans who may not like Castro but also don&#8217;t like Miama Mafiosos and US supported dupes, should not have a say.</p>
<p>My own experience with Cubans shows that if one isresourceful, all the world&#8217;s information is available &#8211; not just Cuban or US</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84536</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:06:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84536</guid>
		<description>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  &lt;i&gt;The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.&lt;/i&gt; 

The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: &lt;i&gt;I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.&lt;/i&gt;

Uh, huh...  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#039;s Central Committee said, &lt;i&gt;&quot;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;  Then more on the the children: &lt;i&gt;(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#039;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: ``Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#039;&#039;&lt;/i&gt;

We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  

You&#039;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#039;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#039;re just stupid--besides being a psycho.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here is my earlier statement that Randy disputed:  <i>The most qualified Cubans to determine the future direction of Cuba are those who have lived and studied in freedom and democracy and, yet, have a love and passion for their country of origin.</i> </p>
<p>The corollary to that which was argued is that Cubans do have equal access to news and information, which Randy accepted when he wrote: <i>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba.</i></p>
<p>Uh, huh&#8230;  Sure Mr. Expert on Latin America.  Cuban kids learn all about the good of America and the good of capitalism and free-enterprise.  Mr. Expert forgets that Cuba blocks transmissions from the Voice of America and  TV and Radio Marti.  As for the schools, Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological Department of the Cuban Communist Party&#8217;s Central Committee said, <i>&#8220;The front line of political-ideological work with children is school, and the first soldiers are teachers and other education workers. We have to put our hearts into political-ideological work, and it must be done in a systematic way, where each section of the educational system has specific responsibilities that it must account for and which the party must control.&#8221;</i>  Then more on the the children: <i>(Cuba) has created a junior version of neighborhood spy networks for children ages 4 to 13. The agency reported in January that the first children&#8217;s committee was formed in Cuevitas, near Santiago de Cuba, under the motto: &#8220;Vigilance, fundamental duty of the child.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>We could go forever, but my statement was never proved wrong by Randy, and to say that it is wrong is to say that the Cuban people do have equal access to news and information.  </p>
<p>You&#8217;re pretty sad, Randy.  I&#8217;m not a liar.  Maybe you&#8217;re just stupid&#8211;besides being a psycho.</p>
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		<title>By: Kent Sanders</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84107</link>
		<dc:creator>Kent Sanders</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84107</guid>
		<description>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.

In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€

Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.

But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.

So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.

Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if -- say in 1970s -- the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) -- that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?

Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.

Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Itâ€™s about context, about how one weighs competing forces.</p>
<p>In the article JCummings refers to, Alexandre Trudeau reminds us that â€œnever in modern times has a small, peaceful country been more subjected to unfair and malicious treatment by a superpower than Cuba has by the United States.â€</p>
<p>Chomsky (among many others) has reviewed in great detail Washingtonâ€™s relentless 40-year terror campaign against Cuba.</p>
<p>But reading Marc Cooperâ€™s synopsis, weâ€™re (once again) to understand the â€œfailed political projectâ€ as basically Castroâ€™s fault, unconnected to the difficulties of trying to modernize while under grave assault.</p>
<p>So the truth is, we really have no way of knowing what might have been (nor what could still occur) under different (that is, relatively normal) conditions.</p>
<p>Chomsky often refers to thought experiments one might engage in.  Just imagine if &#8212; say in 1970s &#8212; the US had changed course and signed a comprehensive peace and economic cooperation treaty with Cuba, nullifying economic sanctions and paving the way for firm Cuban security (as Cuba has no other â€œnaturalâ€ enemies) &#8212; that is, treating Cuba as it does other nations in the region (whose governments, admittedly, have largely allowed US capital to make use of their resources and populations as it sees fit). What sorts of political and economic developments would have followed?</p>
<p>Prof. Niall Ferguson writes that â€œthe US economy is mind-bogglingly enormousâ€”two and a half times as big as the next largest economy in the world and almost as large as that of the six other members of the Group of Seven combined.â€  There is actually no form of  terrorist attack, not even a dirty nuke set off in a metropolitan area, that could threaten the civic/political structure and larger economy of the U.S.  And yet last year the Washington Post reported that, for the first time in history, the Pentagon is studying scenarios for implementing marital law in the case of a second terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Imagine that the sun started rotating around the earth and suddenly the US found itself the (relative) economic/geographical size of Cuba, being economically strangled by a Havana, now with the worldâ€™s most powerful military and an economy which is â€œmind-bogglingly enormous?â€  Can anyone envision a scenario where the US state would begin dictatorial control of information, movement, communication?</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-84060</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-84060</guid>
		<description>Woody,

You&#039;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &quot;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.

You&#039;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>You&#8217;re lying again. You cannot show that I wrote &#8220;that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221; simply because I never wrote anything of the kind.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re a baldfaced, shameless liar. Go read Matthew Chapter 7 before you start accusing others of name calling.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83999</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83999</guid>
		<description>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#039;m ignoring Randy because he&#039;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  

I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#039;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justin, I never said what you think, and I&#8217;m ignoring Randy because he&#8217;s twisting in the wind trying to justify a stupid position and resorts to name calling and vile language.  </p>
<p>I just made a comment that those with the most information, who happen to live in America rather than Cuba, can make better choices with that additional insight.  I didn&#8217;t take a position as to what level of participation that they should have.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83928</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83928</guid>
		<description>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#039;s political destiny.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And by the way, there are a hell of lot Castro supporters in Cuba too, and they have every bit the moral right of all other Cubans to determine their country&#8217;s political destiny.</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Justin Delacour</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83924</link>
		<dc:creator>Justin Delacour</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83924</guid>
		<description>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Uh, Woody, your arguments are quite disturbing.  I often disagree with Randy (he even barred me from posting on his website), but the notion that Cubans in Cuba should have the first say in how their country is run is pretty irrefutable, on both moral and practical grounds.  Wake up, fella.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83812</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:04:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83812</guid>
		<description>Woody,

If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.

You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. 

I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I &lt;b&gt;never&lt;/b&gt; wrote that they had equal access.

You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#039;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. 

What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &quot;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&quot;

So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.

I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.

Warm regards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>If you want an object lesson as to why so many of the commenters on this blog think you are intellectually and otherwise dishonest and full of shit, that last comment you made is a fine example.</p>
<p>You are a mendacious liar. I never wrote that they had equal access to news and information as people in the US. </p>
<p>I merely disputed your claim that the average Cuban has been blocked from seeing outside news about the world and thus is less qualified to lead a democratic Cuba. I refuted your comments by citing the active dissident movement within Cuba. I <b>never</b> wrote that they had equal access.</p>
<p>You are a fabricating liar who, when he doesn&#8217;t have the facts on his side has to make things up. </p>
<p>What you wrote was your spin on what I said. You lack the intellectual capacity to see the difference between my factually supported argument that Cubans are not completely blocked from news about the outside world as evidenced by the active and vibrant dissident movement there and your fantasy that I am making the case that they have &#8220;equal access to news and information as people in the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>So much for your vaunted (and self-proclaimed) analytical skills. Good luck finding your ass with both hands.</p>
<p>I apologize, by the way, for writing eat shit and die the other day. You may have a number of odious and reprehensible qualities, but I have no evidence that cannibalism is among them.</p>
<p>Warm regards.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Woody</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83716</link>
		<dc:creator>Woody</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83716</guid>
		<description>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Randy, the fact that you keep pushing that Cubans have equal access to news and information as people in the U.S. makes you ill-informed or too proud to admit when you are wrong.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Ed Watters</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83412</link>
		<dc:creator>Ed Watters</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 02:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83412</guid>
		<description>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &quot;reality check&quot; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you Michael Kennedy for the fine postings. They are a great &#8220;reality check&#8221; for the many bloggers (and the site owner)who need some perspective on the Carribean.</p>
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		<title>By: Jcummings</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83298</link>
		<dc:creator>Jcummings</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83298</guid>
		<description>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#039;s social gains.  Capital won&#039;t allow that.  This is why I don&#039;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I respect independent libraries, but whats so independent about libraries started by US funded NGOs.  Cubans funded and helped by Colin Powell et. al will have no credibility unless of course they make a solemn unbinding promise to not privatize any of Cuba&#8217;s social gains.  Capital won&#8217;t allow that.  This is why I don&#8217;t trust the Cuban opposition, who may be sincere but I believe are dupes.</p>
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		<title>By: Randy Paul</title>
		<link>http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/comment-page-2/#comment-83295</link>
		<dc:creator>Randy Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:53:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://marccooper.com/adios-fidel/#comment-83295</guid>
		<description>Woody,

It is so typical of your inability to argue your point like an adult that you are completely unable to address the facts brought up in my posts.

Your presumptious, ill-informed poppycock has been proven wrong yet again. You do not know what you are talking about.

As for the comment about my name dropping, you&#039;re being silly. All I did was demonstrate that I have a better grasp of the facts than you do, something that most of the commenters do here on a regular basis.

You also completely ignore the independent libraries that so many have bravely established. If Cubans in Cuba didn&#039;t have a desire for freedom, then they wouldn&#039;t set off on rafts to cross the Florida Straits.

Even our own government believes that the opposition to Castro in Cuba will play &lt;b&gt;the&lt;/b&gt; major role in Cuba&#039;s transition to democracy. Why do you think Colin Powell, when he was SOS met with Oswaldo PayÃ¡ in Washington?

If we were discusing North Korea, I would agree with you. However, your one size fits all form of arguing limits you here.

You&#039;re ill-informed, Woody. You&#039;re incapable of critical thinking. Own up to it. That&#039;s the first step to healig yourself.

Warm regards,

Randy</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Woody,</p>
<p>It is so typical of your inability to argue your point like an adult that you are completely unable to address the facts brought up in my posts.</p>
<p>Your presumptious, ill-informed poppycock has been proven wrong yet again. You do not know what you are talking about.</p>
<p>As for the comment about my name dropping, you&#8217;re being silly. All I did was demonstrate that I have a better grasp of the facts than you do, something that most of the commenters do here on a regular basis.</p>
<p>You also completely ignore the independent libraries that so many have bravely established. If Cubans in Cuba didn&#8217;t have a desire for freedom, then they wouldn&#8217;t set off on rafts to cross the Florida Straits.</p>
<p>Even our own government believes that the opposition to Castro in Cuba will play <b>the</b> major role in Cuba&#8217;s transition to democracy. Why do you think Colin Powell, when he was SOS met with Oswaldo PayÃ¡ in Washington?</p>
<p>If we were discusing North Korea, I would agree with you. However, your one size fits all form of arguing limits you here.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re ill-informed, Woody. You&#8217;re incapable of critical thinking. Own up to it. That&#8217;s the first step to healig yourself.</p>
<p>Warm regards,</p>
<p>Randy</p>
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