In the late 80s I read Armando Valladares book, Against all Hope. It is a moving memoir of one of Castros political prisoners. Valladares was no apologist for the former Cuban dictator Fungencio Batista; in fact, he celebrated when Castro defeated Batista, and he began a career in the civil service under the new regime. Yet he was imprisoned for 22 years without evidence -- all because he refused to identify as a communist. Today is Valladares 77th birthday. I noticed this when I read a few recent Facebook posts glorifying the usual left-wing heroes: Castro, Che Guevara, Allende, etc. -- and so I looked up Valladares once again. Every time I see a news story in which Sean Penn, Danny Glover, etc., glorify thugs like Castro, Chavez, etc., I see red. I could almost understand, if only men like Valladares had been apologists for military dictators like Batista and Pinochet and had been against the interests of the poor. But Valladares condemns all dictatorships, left, right, and otherwise. He is a spiritual man and a poet. He was released after publicity from Amnesty International and the French government (hardly right wing stooges). Happy Birthday, Armando Valladares. https://youtube/watch?v=i9fQcnOhO_g
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 02:15:41 +0000
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