"but I don't believe that about the excellent education and health care." "Cuba's achievements in social development are impressive given the size of its gross domestic product per capita. As the human development index of the United Nations makes clear year after year, Cuba should be the envy of many other nations, ostensibly far richer. [Cuba] demonstrates how much nations can do with the resources they have if they focus on the right priorities - health, education, and literacy." -- Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, April 11, 2000
Saw a depressing but highly educational television programme last year speculating what would happen when Castro died - a lot of sad old men whining that their property, seized from them when the Batista regime was kicked out on its arse should be returned to its legal owners, and how they would bring the health and educational services to an end and make those lazy bastards pay for what they get. In my book, no matter what its shortcomings are, Cuba has earned our respect simply by giving the fist to the most powerful aggressive and avaricious power in the world lurking 90 miles from is coast trying (and failing miserably) to bring the government down with actual and threatened military attacks, dirty tricks and economic blackmail - not forgetting those poisoned cigars!!. Anyway, the US, having resorted to imprisonment without trial, torture and murder, all over the world, has forfeited the right to point the finger at any nation for undemocrtic behaviour, and some of the gloating for the shortages and hardships brought about by America's embargo, only serves to underline what an unspeakable shower of bastards Yanks can be when they put their mind to it - up 'em all. Jim Carroll