HAVANA, Cuba -- As the wind and rain of what once was Tropical Storm Chris bring some needed moisture to this tropical island, another storm it seems is brewing. In a country used to scarcity and deprivation, the latest item in short supply has left many wondering what is going on. Cuban news which was always recounting how wise and courageous their leader Fidel Castro, El Commadante, is. Now there is a dearth of such news. All the people know from the state news agency Genma and television is that Castro is ill from intestinal bleeding and he is recovering. What the news channels have been full of, as if to distract the people of Cuba from their leader's illness and keep them united is jingonistic vows to resist any aggression from the United States. To that end, the neighborhood watches have been activated to suppress any anti-Castro movement while soldiers have been called up to active duty to repel the expected invasion.
Adding to the unease at the illness of Castro is the appointment of his younger brother Raul, age 75, to be interim leader. Since the announced transfer of power, Raul Castro has not been seen in public. Again the people of Cuba have to depend upon what the government news agencies tell them what is going on. To assist Raul, Fidel has appointed six ministers to assist his younger brother while he himself recovers.
But will Fidel Castro recover? The Lula government in Brazil is telling reporters that they have information from the Cuban government that Fidel Castro has abdominal cancer and that the prognosis while good is not very reassuring.
The signals are admittedly mixed but the rumours that are leaking out of the corridors of power in Havana could be as devastating as Katrina was to New Orleans. If these sources are to be believed, the days of the Castro regime are numbered. The whispers without names say Raul tried to assassinate Fidel with a Makarov pistol shot to the abdomen. That the letter transferring power temporarily to Raul was a forgery to allow Raul Castro time to consolidate power before having his older brother die of that intestinal bleeding. That these plans were thwarted soon after the assassination attempt by Fidel's bodyguards so it is Raul who lays dead while Fidel clings to life. That others in the government used the forged letter to stave off a crisis, hence the appointment of six ministers to help Raul. These ministers are in fact the rulers of Cuba at this moment as they warily share power. What of the rumours of cancer? Why if Fidel recovers then it can be said Raul gave his life heroically in surgery to save his brother. If Fidel dies, then he dies of cancer with his courageous brother Raul sacrificing his own life in a vain attempt to save El Commadante. Either way, the time of the Castro brothers are numbered.
Right now the above is all speculation on my part as I knit various pieces of fact together into an intriguing scarf of possibility. We shall see what is true on my speculation and what is proven false. But the days of fidel are numbered, he is 80 years of age and in the past year had that awful tumble and now this medical crisis. The winds of changing are finally blowing over Cuba and the wise prepare for it.
Adding to the unease at the illness of Castro is the appointment of his younger brother Raul, age 75, to be interim leader. Since the announced transfer of power, Raul Castro has not been seen in public. Again the people of Cuba have to depend upon what the government news agencies tell them what is going on. To assist Raul, Fidel has appointed six ministers to assist his younger brother while he himself recovers.
But will Fidel Castro recover? The Lula government in Brazil is telling reporters that they have information from the Cuban government that Fidel Castro has abdominal cancer and that the prognosis while good is not very reassuring.
The signals are admittedly mixed but the rumours that are leaking out of the corridors of power in Havana could be as devastating as Katrina was to New Orleans. If these sources are to be believed, the days of the Castro regime are numbered. The whispers without names say Raul tried to assassinate Fidel with a Makarov pistol shot to the abdomen. That the letter transferring power temporarily to Raul was a forgery to allow Raul Castro time to consolidate power before having his older brother die of that intestinal bleeding. That these plans were thwarted soon after the assassination attempt by Fidel's bodyguards so it is Raul who lays dead while Fidel clings to life. That others in the government used the forged letter to stave off a crisis, hence the appointment of six ministers to help Raul. These ministers are in fact the rulers of Cuba at this moment as they warily share power. What of the rumours of cancer? Why if Fidel recovers then it can be said Raul gave his life heroically in surgery to save his brother. If Fidel dies, then he dies of cancer with his courageous brother Raul sacrificing his own life in a vain attempt to save El Commadante. Either way, the time of the Castro brothers are numbered.
Right now the above is all speculation on my part as I knit various pieces of fact together into an intriguing scarf of possibility. We shall see what is true on my speculation and what is proven false. But the days of fidel are numbered, he is 80 years of age and in the past year had that awful tumble and now this medical crisis. The winds of changing are finally blowing over Cuba and the wise prepare for it.
4 comments:
Interesting conjecture. And not without precedent. Didn't the Ruskies hide the death of Stalin from the masses for five days?
And if Fidel does have cancer, how does that fit with his machismo image that is so important in Latin culture.
He's done for sooner or later anyway. But the missing Raul is very curious.
I say we start bombing tomorrow.
RWR
www.rightwingrocker.com
Whatever the case, he's old and in ill health if he's alive at all. He is not long for this world. May it be a painful departure!
Its Andropov all over again. Someone is at room temperature and the thugs in Cuba are not sure what to do.
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