Ailing Castro steps down as Cuba’s leader

[Searcher]

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
updated 14 minutes ago
HAVANA - Ailing leader Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president early Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying in a letter published in online official media that he would not accept a new term when the newly elected parliament meets on Sunday.

“I will not aspire nor accept — I repeat I will not aspire or accept — the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief,” read the letter signed by Castro and published quietly overnight without advance warning in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma.

The new National Assembly is meeting Sunday for first time since January elections to pick the governing Council of State, including the presidency Castro holds. There had been wide speculation about whether he would accept a nomination for re-election to that post or retire.

story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23229795)

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I wonder if this alone will effect trade with Cuba? Or if decentralization will actually have to happen.
On a side note I think it's cute that they name their press after their Granma.

[hackerslacker]

I feel if anything would happen, Castro's brother is gonna become the President and everything will be just as it was. I doubt anything will change.

[Darkgod]

Still pretty big news

[WarBeast]

Fifty years of trade embargo meant to force Castro out of power and he voluntarily gives up his post because he's old and sick.... yep, that plan worked just peachy...

[Aurone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpMVS7nhnrE

Thank God horrors like that are over.

[thrEE6MAfia]

wow

[deathslasher666]

Oh yeah, I read this late last night. Happy to hear it. I may not be Cuban, but I hated that guy.

[Highwayman]

So now his brother is in there. Yep, nothing like mixing it up a little.

[Dr. Phibes]

I wonder if this alone will effect trade with Cuba? Or if decentralization will actually have to happen.
I don’t see how the fact of Castro’s resignation alone would cause a change in our policy. Decentralization would surely be an incentive.
I think change depends moreso on the outcome of our next presidential election. I'm sure Dems will reach out actively to develop new trade agreements with Cuba.
Fifty years of trade embargo meant to force Castro out of power and he voluntarily gives up his post because he's old and sick.... yep, that plan worked just peachy...
Well, meant to force capitulation, really. He stuck it out, though. And developed a national health-care system that is the envy of the entire civilized world...

[WarBeast]

I don’t see how the fact of Castro’s resignation alone would cause a change in our policy. Decentralization would surely be an incentive.
I think change depends moreso on the outcome of our next presidential election. I'm sure Dems will reach out actively to develop new trade agreements with Cuba.

Well, meant to force capitulation, really. He stuck it out, though. And developed a national health-care system that is the envy of the entire civilized world...

Whatever the case may be, I find the US policy towards Cuba to be nothing more than stubbornness and stupidity and it needs to change. Other countries aren't backing us on it. Hell, British companies are starting to try to develope the tourism biz in Cuba.... millions of bucks to be made, and everyone else is gonna make it, because for some stupid reason, someone forgot to tell our country that the cold war is over when it concerns Cuba.

When we force the Cuban people to suffer under a trade embargo, because of their government is a communist dictatorship, then turn around and do oodles of business with other oppressive communist regimes, it makes the US look like a bunch of damn hypocrites.

[dead breed]

Whatever the case may be, I find the US policy towards Cuba to be nothing more than stubbornness and stupidity and it needs to change. Other countries aren't backing us on it. Hell, British companies are starting to try to develope the tourism biz in Cuba.... millions of bucks to be made, and everyone else is gonna make it, because for some stupid reason, someone forgot to tell our country that the cold war is over when it concerns Cuba.

When we force the Cuban people to suffer under a trade embargo, because of their government is a communist dictatorship, then turn around and do oodles of business with other oppressive communist regimes, it makes the US look like a bunch of damn hypocrites.

I totally agree.

[Luris Blear]

Wow. I'll try to bring this down to the same level I'm complaining about. "Mention something from a Charlton Heston film and suddenly everyone's a Biblical scholar." Annoying, isn't it?

Why, then, have at least 30,000 Cubans died at sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#Exodus) rather than live as a slave with a great health plan? How many others have perished along other routes? Let's be real: nearly every slave society in history has understood the value of keeping their labor healthy.

I would also question where their tools procedures and medicines are coming from. Are these things developed in Cuba, or purchased from outside the country?

Castro's brother has been second in line for a long, long time. This is no surprise. Neither are the movie quotes.

[WarBeast]

Wow. I'll try to bring this down to the same level I'm complaining about. "Mention something from a Charlton Heston film and suddenly everyone's a Biblical scholar." Annoying, isn't it?

Why, then, have at least 30,000 Cubans died at sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#Exodus) rather than live as a slave with a great health plan? How many others have perished along other routes? Let's be real: nearly every slave society in history has understood the value of keeping their labor healthy.

I would also question where their tools procedures and medicines are coming from. Are these things developed in Cuba, or purchased from outside the country?

Castro's brother has been second in line for a long, long time. This is no surprise. Neither are the movie quotes.

You're point just kinda goes toward strengthening my point... The embargo is doing nothing to Castro himself... I'm sure he's gone to bed with a full belly and a smile every night since the beginning of the embargo... The only people suffering from this embargo are the citizens of Cuba... so what's the point of keeping the damn policy going?

[Searcher]

Why, then, have at least 30,000 Cubans died at sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#Exodus) rather than live as a slave with a great health plan? How many others have perished along other routes?


You're point just kinda goes toward strengthening my point... The embargo is doing nothing to Castro himself... I'm sure he's gone to bed with a full belly and a smile every night since the beginning of the embargo... The only people suffering from this embargo are the citizens of Cuba... so what's the point of keeping the damn policy going?


I've got ancient old news for both of ya. Nobody, dems included but especially the Bush adm gives a fuck about the people of Cuba. All they care about is the decentralization of the Cuban government.
If the Cuban gov would decentralize their economy our gov wouldn't care what kind of murdering dictator ran the place.
So what would happen, is instead of the 30,000 people trying to get escape being used as a talking point for the conservatives dubious desire for Cuban freedom, it would then be used as a talking point for the argument for a fence around Florida.

[Dr. Phibes]

I've got ancient old news for both of ya. Nobody, dems included but especially the Bush adm gives a fuck about the people of Cuba.

If the concern here is for the well-being of the Cuban people (for whom the Bush Administration apparently holds a special indifference) you can blame Castro for the status quo, not the U.S.

I have a healthy doubt that the salvation of the Cuban people rests squarely on the shoulders of the U.S. Capitalism and a free economy would do more for the wealth of the nation, and quality of life in general, than either simply estalbishing trade (where I'm sure the U.S. would get the ass-end of the deal) or "X" number of Americans trickling down to spend their vacation bucks on Havana's night life.

[Searcher]

If the concern here is for the well-being of the Cuban people (for whom the Bush Administration apparently holds a special indifference) you can blame Castro for the status quo, not the U.S.

I have a healthy doubt that the salvation of the Cuban people rests squarely on the shoulders of the U.S. Capitalism and a free economy would do more for the wealth of the nation, and quality of life in general, than either simply estalbishing trade (where I'm sure the U.S. would get the ass-end of the deal) or "X" number of Americans trickling down to spend their vacation bucks on Havana's night life.

I don't see at all how capitalism would do any good what-so-ever for the proletariat under any dictator. It's democracy these people need.
Which is the point I'm making, the U.S. gov doesn't care at all about Cuban democracy and is indeed lying about their desire for it.
The Bush adm would be much more satisfied with an oppressive Cuban dictator with an open door free market policy.