The A-Z of fidel castro

by

The New Zealand Herald’s Simon Usborne presents the armchair guide to the man and his nation.

His A-Z list includes the expected: assassination plots, baseball, Batista, Bay of Pigs, Cigars…and so on down to organic revolution, yank tanks, and Zapateros’s fondness for the old dictator.

I think Babalu readers can do better, a lot better. How about A – abortions. Please use the comments section and later today I’ll put up the Babalu list of fidel A-Z. Don’t hold back.

*Update: Here’s what we have to far; plus I’ve added a couple of links, and the names of some of castro’s victims, mainly children. Please read what our readers have to say in the comments section below. I’ll continue to update.

The Babalu A-Z of fidel castro

A. Angel Abreu, abortions, actos de repudio, Angelo López Rabi, Alexis, E. Márquez Rios
B. Dr. Oscar Biscet, Giselle Borjes, balseros, bici-taxis, bag man, Bay of Pigs
C. Cubanos asesinados por fidel castro, coup de grace, Camarioca, CDR, Camellos, Canimar River Massacre, Christmas, Constitution of 1940
D. Damas de Blanco
E. Eusebio Silva, Ejercito, escape, Elian Gonzales
F. Guillermo Fariñas
G. Juan Mario Butiérrez, gulf stream, G2, Gumar W. Bashirov,
H. Juan Herrera Acosta, hambre, Hanoi Hilton
I. Infant mortality
J. Jinetera
K. Kilos of cocaine, killer health care
L. Loamis González Manzini, lazo children, Lillian González López, Marisol Martinez Aragonés, Osmany Rosales Valdéz, Marisel San Juan Aragonés, Caridad Layva, libreta
M. Pedro Mora (see Doorgunners comment), Helen Martinez, Mayulis Méndez, José Martí, Mariel, miceria, malnutricion, malecon, maricon, milk(denied to children over 7)
N. José Nicol, Nomenklatura, no free speech; no free press
O. Orlando Travieso Jr, Owen Delgado Temprana, open sea
P. Paredones de fusilamiento, Yousel Pérez, Yassel Perodin, Pedro Pan flights, paredon, party elite, puto de hija, pricioneros politicos
Q. Quarentine
R. Mata Beatriz Roque,Cindy Rodríguez, Yolindis Rodríguez, rafters, ration cards, Reverends José Durado, Pablo Rodriguez, Antonio González,
S. Sijito (see Kenkos comment), Eliezer Suárez, suicide, sandalistas, shark-infested waters, STASI
T. Miguel Valedez Tamayo, ¨13 de marzo¨, Thanksgiving 1962 terrorist plot, Los TIGRES de Rolando Masferrer, Truckonauts
U. Useful idiots
V. Proyecto Varela, Varadero, mandatory volunteerism
W. White coat slaves
X. X rated predators
Y. Yanqui imperialismo
Z. Sergio Zanabria

24 thoughts on “The A-Z of fidel castro”

  5. S – Sijito. My tio Sijito was a guardia rural. He rode a tall brown horse around the Guantanamo area, he had a smokey the bear hat and a 45 caliber revolver. He was un hombre de hiero. After a 10 minute trial he was sentenced to death the first week of January after Batista fled. The rebeldes began their bloody history by murdering a fine family man. He was shot in front of my mother and step father, out in the open along with twenty others.

  7. (here’s one in English using Usborne’s style.)
    A – Angola: Castro sent thousands of Cuban boys to war in that country supplying the USSR with the manpower needed to realize their expansionism in the region. Thousands of them died, or were mutilated. In the end a settlement was reached in which Castro had no say and the Cubans gained nothing.

  8. P – Peter Pan flights. Imagine a country so bad that a parent would send his kids to a foreign country alone rather than let him grow up there.

  10. a=abortions
    b=dr. oscar biscet
    c=castro, che, communism, corruption, castrocare
    d=dungeon, doctors, dollar stores
    e=ejercito, escape
    f=florida strait
    g=gulf stream, G2,
    h=hospitals
    i=infant mortality
    j=jinotera
    k=kilos of cocaine
    l=ladrones
    m=malecon, maricon
    n=nomenklatura
    o=open sea
    p=paredon, party elite, puto de hija
    q=quarantine
    r=rafters, ration cards, marta beatriz roque
    s=suicide, sandalistas, shark-infested waters
    t=twelve hour speeches
    u=useful idiots
    v=varadero
    w=white coat slaves
    x=x-rated predators
    y=yanqui imperialismo
    z=zilch

  11. M= Mora, Pedro Mora, arrested and kicked to death in the Moron, Camaguey jail, 1965. Rumored that he was helping alzados in the Chambas area.

  12. A – Actos de Repudio
    B – Balseros / Bici-Taxis
    C – Camarioca/ CDR / Camellos
    H – Hambre
    M – Mariel / Miceria / Malnutricion
    L – Libreta
    G – Gusanos
    P – Pricioneros Politicos

  13. Yes, Val, definitely “A” for abortion.

    Cuba has the highest abortion rate in the world. Six out of every ten pregnancies end in abortion. This is by no means a matter of “choice” since women with “defective” (i.e. premature) babies are forced to terminate their pregnacies whether they choose to or not.

    And, of course, “S” is for suicide, since Cubans now have the highest rate of suicide in the world.

  15. “I” is for indoctrination, which supplanted education in Cuba 48 years ago.

    “V” is for “volunteer” work, which in Cuba is mandatory.

  16. Here’s another idea: Why not take Mr. Usborne’s original A-Z list and fill in the stuff that he left unsaid about each of his 26 items?

  17. B: Bag man: Cuba was the Soviet Union’s bag man for the Western Hemisphere and Africa. Any Cuban money received by anybody prior to 1992 or so had its origins in the KGB.

    G: Gumar W Bashirov: The KGB agent, probably the chief of station in Havana in the 1940s who recruited the castros in 1943 or thereabouts according to Salvador Díaz-Versón (See “When Castro Became a Communist”)

    S: STASI East German secret police credited by Markus Wolf with training Cuba’s secret police in his autobiography.

    T: Thanksgiving 1962: a plot to blow up innocent shoppers in New York City from America’s favorite tyrant.

  19. “C” is for Christmas, which was abolished in Cuba for 37 years.

    You can also use “X-mas” since that would take care of the difficult “X.”

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