Definitely, Doug! The Cuban revolutionaries had a religious fervour about them that was quite extraordinary. When Fidel rode into Havana on a tank, he was greeted with the sort of ecstatic fervour you would almost expect to see at the official return of Christ, and that fervour sustained itself for some considerable time. He loved to talk, and used to give speeches to the Cuban crowds that went on for hours at a time...and he had their full attention, even their adulation.

That was long before the Warsaw Pact fell apart, and hard economic times came to Cuba. Since then, many people have longed to get out and go to the USA or Canada. All of Latin American shares that aspiration.

The mitigating grace about it all, however, is that Fidel replaced a government (that of Batista) which was so much more corrupt than his own in almost every way...

It's not surprising that he was popular back then. Batista was utterly despised by most of the people (except the rich)...and feared!

The Fidelistas are no angels, but, my friend, they are an enormous improvement over what preceded them, and over what would still be there had they not overthrown it.

Just my humble opinion, of course...having been there and seen it for myself. Too bad more Americans haven't.

- LH