The Death of Fidel Castro

     Fidel Castro's death has elicited some very diverse responses from people around the world.  Generally speaking, depending on political leanings, the responses were either favorable or negative.  The favorable ranged from complimentary commentary to downright grieving. The flip side ranged from neutral to celebratory, especially from those of the Cuban Exile community in Florida who have hated him for years!  More than likely, vast majority of Americans had a neutral response, although some of the older generation probably sided more with the Cuban Exile community!
     I believe the younger generation is not only unaware, but doesn't really care what Fidel stood for, what he did not only in Cuba, but in other places in Latin America where he tried to spread his brand of "revolution."  To most of the younger generation, Fidel Castro and his politics are ancient history, something as distant and irrelevant to them as the Vietnam War.  So, his death and the passing of his era really doesn't mean much.  But to many others, Fidel Castro was the evil incarnate, the devil himself.  Perhaps their feelings were a bit too strong, but because so many had suffered under his rule for so long, suffered unspeakable hardships, to them his passing was not soon enough.
     Like many in America, I believe that normalization of relations with Cuba was long overdue.  After all, how can you ignore a country that is less than a hundred miles from Key West!  We could not continue to ignore Cuba's existence as we have been doing for over a half a century. So, normalization of relations with Cuba was bound to happen, and it is good for both countries.  There are so many Cuban-Americans today, whose families were split, that this "normalization" allows things to be put back in the right place, make life more or less "normal" for everyone concerned.
     But, that doesn't mean that Fidel should be "rehabilitated" and treated as a respected, admired, and honored world leader!  He may have been respected and admired by those who supported communist revolutions throughout Latin America and other parts of the world.  He may have been respected and admired about as much as Yassar Arafat of the PLO, and for the same reasons!  Yes, Fidel has had a great impact on the world politics in Latin America especially.  But his influence and impact has not been positive.  Look at Venezuela, a country that has had two successive leaders that were Castro influenced.  They have driven that country to the brink of economic disaster!  Look at all the other "leftist" leaders in Latin America, those that "admired" Fidel Castro.  Their leadership has led to economic chaos and political instability.....every last one of them!  So, Fidel a great world leader?  Hardly!
     It bothered me to hear prominent U.S. politicians singing the praises of Fidel, making him out to be some sort of a great leader who saved Latin America, perhaps a second coming of Simon Bolivar!  Granted, these U.S. politicians were all known to lean left, but still, have they forgotten what Fidel had done in the past?  Have they forgotten about the thousands upon thousands of Cubans that Fidel incarcerated and executed in his "cleansing" operations?  Have they forgotten that it was Fidel who gave those orders to his brother Raul who carried out the "purges."
     I don't fault the younger generation for not knowing about Fidel's past.  Having spent many years in our educational system both as a student and a teacher, I know only full well that our system is less than great when it comes to teaching world history to our kids, even at college level!  But the older generation has no excuse for not remembering or knowing about Fidel's past, his Stalin-like policies and rule before he handed over the reigns to his brother Raul.  Has everyone forgotten when he released all of the criminals from prisons and sent them packing to our shores - the marielitos?  That was just one of the more publicized events that took place.  But Fidel Castro has done much more during his long and cruel reign in Cuba.
     I wonder what words will come out of the mouths of our left-leaning politicians when Kim Jong Un kicks the bucket!  Surely they will heap praises upon him if we manage to somehow normalize our relationship with that country, which thankfully is unlikely anytime in the near future!
     There are those who say that Americans are very forgiving people, that we let bygones be bygones and don't hold a grudge.  That is good, it shows that we have a big heart and are not petty.  But in the same token, that doesn't mean that we should overlook everything and call a mass murderer a great man, which is what some did in case of Fidel Castro.
     The death of Fidel Castro was not soon enough for some.  For others, it was an opportunity to mouth words of praise and call him a great man.  Unfortunately there is no in-between in case of Fidel.  You either see him as a murderer that he was or, if you believe in the great communist revolution as some, then you see him as a great man.  Perhaps he was a great man who was a sociopath, or a murderer who was a good politician?