Just a little comment on this: "This phrase "Sociolismo o Muerto" seems uncannily similar to Patrick Henry’s cry during the US revolution, "Give me liberty or give me death," and I find myself thinking about what it means to fight for something" One of my "buttons" that this and anyone else that refers to the "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech, hit is just how little we all know about Patrick Henry. he's lauded by libertarians and americans as starting the civil war, and how he has been preserved in American history as the greatest advocate of liberty and freedom. Truly a hero of the revolution of 1776. Little known fact people: Patrick Henry was a slaveholder, a violent and brutal one at that. When it came time to sign the US Constitution he refused to sign it because his home state of Virginia and the rest of the American South might have the slightest possibility of losing their institution of Slavery to the majority of americans who were starting to think Slavery was wrong. He publicly denounced any thing to do with the Constitution because it might deprive him of his own personal "liberty' to own slaves. He continually yelled out that the Federal government had no business interfering with his plantation and his enslaved African Americans. So lets rectify this, Patrick Henry, you weren't a true hero, and you can't continue to be remembered as the defender of liberty when he was nothing more than an irked Slave holder who considered himself in bondage to the British because he had to pay taxes without a representative governement. Robin Einhorn has written an Article on this whole issue: "Patrick Henry's Case Against the Constitution: The Structural Problem With Slavery," Journal of the Early Republic 22 (2002) -end rant- — American History Student

Why not ask a cuban who escaped what they think? seriously. Cubans in Cuba are NOT going to tell you what they think, because they are policed very heavily and the government relies on snitches - regular people secretly telling on their neighbors if they dare not say positive things about the government.

cubans are prisoners there. my girlfriend for 5 years was from cuba, her mother escaped in the 80s with her and her older brother when Castro let out prisoners from the jails and also let others go.

her mother says the cubans FLOCKED to the boats, and tried to squeeze as many as they could on board to escape the island and Castro's twisted idea of communism.

my information that i share in this comment comes from CUBANS, who are now living in Miami florida because they escaped. cubans are very poor, and are not well fed - that is a bald faced lie. well, unless you are a snitch who tells on people in your neighborhood who are doing something illegal - like talking about anti-Castro views or something like that. the snitches and their families are then well taken care of- they get clothing, better and more food, soap rations... it is a good thing to be a snitch in Cuba.

the food is kept tight by the government to keep people under control and it works. a family is given food stamps to get their rations and it is mostly of poor quality - the oil is so bad it evaporates as soon as it hits the pan, milk is warm and almost turning, meat is scarce, and there are barely any vegetables. they subsist on rice, beans, and fried plantains.

one entire family gets half a bar of soap for 3 months. one family can only own one pig at a time. you cannot own anything with a motor because you may use it to make a boat to escape. they have guards on the coasts watching the waters, shooting any who dare try to make it to the Keys. Google "Brothers to the Rescue" and see why they risk their lives to fly over cuba to drop food, medicine and newspapers to their brothers and sisters in Cuba.

Cuba is a prison state. The Cubans are the prisoners. they wouldn't die trying to get to America if it was wonderful there. every year i saw on the news about more cubans found dead washed up on the shore trying to escape.

my girlfriends' uncle, Angel, 70, was in the Cuban prison over 20 years because he and his friends were holding secret meetings in their homes to discuss a possible revolution or overthrow of the government. someone snitched, and he was sent to jail for 20 years. he is not a violent person, he was not a terrorist, he was simply a starving young man who wanted his country to change, and his government threw him in jail for decades. does that sound good to you?

to make money, blankita, his wife, sends her daughters and grandkids cheap jewelry so they can sell them on the streets. many cuban women have to make money by selling their bodies, and she wants something better for her girls.

or the baseball players - so many of them defect in other countries when the Cuban baseball team travels. they keep many players from doing that by threatening their families and friends back home with taking their homes, witholding rations, even beating them or killing them. Cuba is not a good place. — amanda clark

i have been in cuba as a prisoner, because i didnt beleive in lenin, stalin, mao, but in a socialism with democracy first. you know nothing of cuba, why thousands risk their kives to escape. they are not bourgois but mostly young people fed up with dictartoship, who seek freedom, something your youpiie readers take for granted. soon as castro dies, bye bye communism and then go to cuba an talk wonderful about castro and lets see how the cubans will treat you. e.f. — Anonymous

Long Live Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution.

— Anonymous

Speaking as a European (y'know, the "Old" Europe...) and a long-standing admirer of Cuba and its achievements against the odds, it's great to see so many posts here from (presumably) young Americans being so open and positive towards Cuba and the Cubans. Socialismo o muerte! Wouldn't it be good to hear that ringing through the streets of US cities...

— French Blue

Cuban culture and their outlook on the world is definitely very different from our American ethnocentric culture... some of it forced by their government and some of it accepted willingly. The point is, we or they don't a have a complete picture of what each other's complete ideologies or motives are. I believe there should be some level of interaction between our countries...

— NN

I'd rather a have governement that doesn't trust me instead of not trusting governement.
Cuba has problems, so does the Western world. The only problem is that Cuba's defects are advertised worldwide and the West problems are not.
Because Cuba doesn't fit into the World Order doesn't mean it's not a viable system. Their system just have others problems then ours.

Cuba is just a another pretext (along with fundamentals islamics) for the US governement to maintain an agressive behaviour not necessary since the end of the Cold War.

— Buzzkill

As is the same with any culture or ideaology, there are those who love it, and those who wish to change it. In every political ideal, in the end it is those in power that end up better off, and when that power is over thrown, there is a moment of euphoria for the people, and then that power is replaced and the country is simply thrown into another form of depression. I don't believe America should be kept out of Cuba, but I also don't believe that Cuba should be "dealt" with. It is unhealthy to keep sheltered from other ideologies, but equally unhealthy to force them upon others. Unfortunately there is good and bad in all cultures, and the bad is harder to stop than the good encouraged, although it is always there. Freedom comes at a cost.

— Anonymous

God bless Cuba and Cubans...look they live without a reliance on America - - - So should we ... Frankly I hope they never open there borders with the U.S...I love vacationing there and knowing the closest Yank is in the florida keys...Nothing against Yanks but they had their chance and they got tossed.

Plus its not cluttered with all your usual consumer bullshit...
Sure Cubans defect but so do Canadians Chinese, Jews and just about every other denomination out there, in Cuba its illegal...Because they probably don't want to lose their talented young population and wind up like americans.

A country full of immigrants who not only hate each other but the rest of the world...

Vibes I've been to Cuba 10+ TIMES IN 4 YEARS.

— djo984

Yeah, speaking of the need for regime change

— Anonymous

I stand right HERE!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzQOAl4Noyc

— Anonymous

On Yah Skeptikos - who do you work for Echelon. Incorp??

— Anonymous

I am one of the Americans that visited, but legally last year. Some Americans are going legally...missionaries, those providing humanitarian (cultural/science) aid.
Yes, no homeless, no transportation, everyone has electricity, water (though both are rationed), a free education (even medical school, though children evidently work to help pay for their board and room), and health care. People look healthy, well fed but rare to see people overweight. They are proud of their accomplishments despite the ostracism of the US and say "We are Americans! We love baseball.
There is the beginnings of capitalism...18 businesses are allowed (perhaps more under Raul)...more tendencies towards freedom would develop if the US opened trade relations and stopped the embargo. Travel back and forth would enhance ideas of freedom, the internet brings access to the world of ideas which they do not have freely now. We deal with other communist countries, why not Cuba?

— Anonymous

Lets dont forget that the ecological destruction that we are experiencing today is based on this selfish capitalist system. As to escape the ecological dead end, socialism is the only way, and Cuba is the bright star that shows us the way. The sacrifices and the fights that Cubans have given and have won shows to the rest, the spoiled Westerners that freedom can come only if we really give our life for it.
Socialismo o muerte!
Venceremos

P.S In Greece during the Greek Revolution in 1821 our famous poet Rigas Feraios had written the popular poem, "kalitera mias oras eleftheri zoi, para saranta xronia sklavia kai filaki" ("better an hour of freedom, than 40 years in misery and slavery")

— skeptikos

Cuba - I would love to go there some day. What do I think? Timarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Tyranny - then Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Religion all comes back to the Human Condition and all doomed to fail. What do you think?

— Anonymous

Fighting for ideas was the 20th century - it was wrong, and it resulted in terrible human suffering. Now, we must fight to protect what's left - the air, the land, the water, the fields and the forests - the true basis of life.

Economic ideology is dead. Ecological sustainability is alive.

— Anonymous

Guys and gals...let's not get it twisted. Fidel isn't in power anymore, Raul Castro is the leader. I think it happened February of this year, but at any rate...Raul has very different ideas that his brother. Check them out.

— Skunt eFFunt McGee

what many don't know is there are hundreds of thousands of americans who fly through mexico and onto cuba every year. so as many cubans go to the US it's true, there is something of a phenomena happening that is not being reported.
americans are curious about cuba ever since jessie helms (may he not rest in peace) signed the embargo. americans want to see cuba and it's the only way they can, illegally.

people can debate until blue in the face about wether fidel is good or bad or chavez, whatever... what is important or necessary is to never deny someone the right to travel wherever they want to go in the world. there may be borders, but we can fly over them.
mexicocitytraffic.blogspot.com

— chillsteez

The infant mortality rate in Cuba is lower than in the United States.
I admire Castro's ability to withstand the capitalist/ imperialist aggression of the U.S. for nearly fifty years. He is the only one who has, while cultivating many good relationships with other countries, unlike the U.S.
I think Raoul will do a good job.
Viva Castro!

— Anonymous

Well here we go again i found this "article" kinda informative and down right deseptive Cuba is not a flowering revolutionary counrty it is a shit hole of poverty and sickness forget the M Moore movie and just read. Where is Kalle?

— Anonymous

Cuba is a fairly good model, 100% literacy rate, good healthcare, food on the table, roof over your head, job to go to, and good education. It ain't luxury, but there are no homeless in Cuba.

— Anonymous

gosh, socialismo o muerte! (spelling it "sociolismo o muerto" sounds a bit funny...)

— Anonymous

I hate to say, but the American right wing has a point when it points out that far more Cubans come to America, than vice versa.

"there is graffiti promoting peace, love and socialism. This wall near the Museum of the Revolution says, “The moral of the revolution is still as high as the stars.”"

Yeah, about that. Parroting Castro's propaganda is letter better than reading off Bush's talking points.

Whatever the American left or counter culture hopes to accomplish, it'll only do it if it finds better models than Chavez, Castro, and Che.

— I am so wise