Yes, that’s what’s being reported at Euro News, apparently because Castro’s enemies have been spreading evil rumors about his demise:
Castro shows doubters he is alive and well
A defiant Fidel Castro has issued more footage of himself, as proof that he is on the road to recovery after intestinal surgery. The Cuban leader – appearing in a sports tracksuit -is seen walking freely and heard speaking clearly. His message was to those he called ‘enemies’ who had declared him dead. “Now they will have to ressurect me,” he says. “I’m not worried. They said I was dead. Nonsense. But what they say is what keeps me working and fighting.”
These are the first images released of Castro for six weeks. He carried a copy of the day’s newspaper to prove the date. He reveals that he is still active in government decisions and up-to-date with current events before signing off with the words: “Thank you very much. Homeland or death.”
The problem with the above “story” is that while it’s dated today, it’s a recycled version of the same quote dated October 30 of last year.
I’m a bit suspicious.
Meanwhile the International Herald Tribune (in a story titled “post-Castro transition has already occurred”) reports that the Cuban government is already in the “post Castro” stages.
I’m not entirely convinced the man is alive, and Dennis thinks he’s dead but they just don’t want to admit it.
Not that this has stopped Hugo Chavez from claiming he’s ready to use a jump rope, or whatever “almost jogging” means. I have a feeling if he was really almost jogging, some new pictures would be released.
These news reports that he’s “still alive!” are starting to remind me of Idi Amin.
I guess we’ve entered the ex post Castro era.
Anyway, here’s what he looked like in October:
And here he is in happier times:
What’s with the finger? Some “in” joke? (Don’t expect me to provide the caption, as it’s not very nice.)
Staying with the ex post Castro theme, we can go back even further in time — to a fascinating interaction between “boy Castro” and another U.S. President — Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Castro was 14 years old, he wrote to him and asked for ten dollars*:
“If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green american . . . because never I have not seen a ten dollars bill green american and I would like to have one of them. . . . Thank you very much. Good by. Your friend. Fidel Castro.”
Perhaps if FDR had actually sent that kid a sawbuck, the past 40 years would have been completely different for so many.
The letter goes on to say:
My Address is:
Sr. Fidel castro
Colegio de Dolores
Santiago de Cuba
Oriente, Cuba
I dont know very English but I know very much Spanish and I suppose you don’t know very Spanish but you know very English because you are American but I am not American…
If you want iron to make your ships I will show to you the bigest(sic) (minas) of iron of the land. They are in Mayari, Oriente, Cuba.
The entire letter (from the National Archives) can be seen here.
What fascinates me about it is that many web sites report that little Fidel was twelve years old at the time. But that’s only because they take him at his word; Castro dated the letter November 6, 1940, and in the letter he states unequivocally that he is twelve!
Here it is, in his own handwriting:
According to Wikipedia, Castro was born on August 13, 1926, which would have made him fourteen (as Bababu points out) when he wrote the letter. Why do reputable (gulp) news outlets like the BBC continue to say he was twelve? There’s quite a difference between twelve and fourteen, and two years a long time when you’re that age.
Unless Wikipedia is wrong and the BBC is right, I’d say the lie is there, for the world to see.
But why would the teenage Castro lie about his age to FDR? For financial gain, perhaps?
And if he was lying then, how do we know he isn’t lying now?
Terrible as it is to make such an accusation against a world leader, I think that even if Castro were dead, he would continue to lie.
Has anyone other than Hugo Chavez verified his latest claim?
* Ten dollars would be $143.69 in today’s money.
Comments
3 responses to “NEWS UPDATE? Castro still alive?”
Eric,
There’s a more innocent explanation. Fidel might have confused the translation for twelve with fourteen.
While Castro’s English profiency is hardly perfect, I think it’s unlikely that he confused twelve with fourteen. Not only is counting one of the first things you learn in learning a language, but right after he says he is twelve, he calls himself a “boy.” Most fourteen year old males are sick of being boys, chafing at the bit to be considered men. I turned 14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I spent the summer attending an all boys school, and 14 was almost a magic age. First stage of manhood.
I have to say, writing to the President of the United States is a ballsy thing to do at 14. I think he was well on his way to manhood, and showing early signs of his later megalomania. While I can’t prove it, I suspect he would not have used the term “boy” to describe himself, and that this was also part of his deception.
But even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he confused twelve with fourteen, what about the BBC? Do they simply take things like this at their face value without any fact checking?
Picture of Castro around the time he wrote the letter here:
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/castro-childhood.htm
(He left Colegio de Dolores in 1940, the same year he wrote the letter.)
Querido Sr. Presidente:
El excuso for not el-speako Hispanyola too bueno, but I tengo a bueno-gooder idea. You-el can el contacto el New York Times-o or Hollywood whenno You startamente to el run out-o of hot air. Si si si!
You fran,
El undersigned-o