I found the Oliphant cartoon on the Letters page of Feb. 21 to be a new low even for The Star’s standards. It depicts Fidel Castro as helpless and wheelchair-bound while the evil Republicans fret over whom to hate when he is gone.
To paint this communist dictator as a sympathetic figure is an offense against truth, reason and justice.
For liberals such as Oliphant, it appears the fog of time and the strength of anti-anti-Communism have obscured the real Castro.
Oliphant and others of his ilk need to be reminded that Castro killed innocents — dissidents, democrats, artists — or had them imprisoned in his labor camps where they were left to suffer and die.
When the old communist finally does expire, I fear we will be subjected to a celebration of Castro’s life in the pages of The Star and other left-leaning news organizations. However, it is comforting to know that when he dies, Castro will be held accountable for his deeds by someone who will not be empathetic to murderous tyrants.
David Howell
Kansas City
JJ,
Reading your comment, I think we completely agree. The world can end now!
Posted by: Jim | February 26, 2008 at 06:43 PM
Jim, we actually agree! ... to an extent.
I think our next President (regardless of Party) will be looking for any sign from Cuba that would justify lifting the embargo.
Exporting capitalism is the best deterrent to a Communism dictatorship.
Posted by: JUNGLEJACK | February 26, 2008 at 04:11 PM
I've never understood the liberal love for Castro. It's not universal, but it is bewildering. There's nothing about Castro's Cuba that we should "aspire" to.
But then, I also don't get the embargo. The best way to spread freedom to places like Cuba is to allow our goods and ideas in, not to withold them.
Posted by: Jim | February 26, 2008 at 03:48 PM
"For liberals such as Oliphant, it appears the fog of time and the strength of anti-anti-Communism have obscured the real Castro."
I take this sentence to mean 1) Oliphant, and 2) liberals who agree with Oliphant.
Truebleu is either not reading very carefully today, or she needs to take the pacifier out of her mouth.
I don't think all liberals have a crush on Castro (see Brad DeLong's blog as a strong counterexample), but a very surprising number of libs are very surprisingly sympathetic to the Communist Dictator of Coo-bah.
I don't think it reflects well on them.
Posted by: Chris40 | February 26, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Boy TB, listen, "the truth will set you free"! Didn't I just hear that your icon, Michael Moore wanted to have Castro come to the Oscar show?
Stop being so defensive stand up for your beliefs! Be proud of them!
Posted by: Rogue | February 26, 2008 at 08:29 AM
David is narrow-minded in his characterization of liberals. He assumes all of us are sympathetic to tyrants and terrorists.
That's like saying all conservatives are war-mongering, idol-laden, environment-destroying, women-hating, tight-wads. While that may be true of the majority (see below), it's not true of everyone.
Much like another letter in today's sad collection, it seems that stereotyping liberals is the best thing some (not all, lest I risk stereotyping) right-wing nut jobs have to do.
Posted by: truebluehawk | February 26, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Welcome to the Star.
Posted by: Dan Beyer | February 25, 2008 at 11:19 PM
Welcome to the Star.
Posted by: Dan Beyer | February 25, 2008 at 11:18 PM