Ready, Redi? [With apologies to the other DR1 Folks]
rediwat said:
[1] I was born in Wausau, Wisconsin...grew up in Northern Michigan, Wisconsin then Illinois. My Dad fought for the US in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
[2] Don't try that anti-Americanism crap on me. Have you heard of the Bill of Rights? # 1 is -freedom of speech.
[3] You know...because someone expresses ideas you don't agree with, it isn't enough to just label them ("nutty) or (American basher). If you don't agree, which obviously you don't, then at least deal with them...to dismiss them without engaging them, with some intellectual endeavor, is not going to do the job.
Sorry, it's just not. Just like the President saying Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and that was why we went to war, and then, later, saying, well, even if they didn't, well, the war was still justified. Nope. Not enough.
[4] Deal with the issues, argue with specifics, call me wrong....but do so with some intellectual integrity and specifics. Otherwise your complaints are just like whistling in the wind...they may sound good to you, but no one else hears it.
[5] And, if you think I am turning this into some political rant forum, you are wrong. I am just responding to, first, the comments that Cuba has not improved in education under Castro...that is not true. Period. And then the comments that labeled me "nutty." cause I had the "audacity to express my own ideas. I didn't start this. But, if you make allegations then...provide some sound ideas to back up your stuff, or don't venture in..kind of like Vietnam and, now, Iraq.
Well, I've thought it over a tad and decided that no apology is in order. If you were some runny-nosed teenager who gets all excited over a picture of that handsome devil Che; or, feel wam and tingly while reading that masterpiece of clear and rational political philosophy, Das Kapital, your rambling might be forgivable. You do know that you ramble don't you? Worst of all, you do it in poor grammar and construct....your logic arguments aren't worth speaking to.
But, alas, when I did a quick mental calculation of how old you probably are [feel free to correct all or part of this paragraph [but you've got to be honest about it.....no fudging the truth, even a little bit...trust that you've got enough moral fiber to do that] and based on your dad's war service I've got you pegged at around 50 - 55; and, letting my imagination wander, also see you as an arm chair political "science" poseur in need of a hair trim, who gets the local bridge club all atwitter with his "audicity". [Waiting for Guffman just thematically pops into mind.] You really haven't travelled much have you? Certainly not to Cuba. And, no, I don't think you're anti-American. Now, if you said intellectual light weight....I might have to reflect on it.
OK, on to the "specifics" of your last all-over-the-map post [and hear me carefully Redi -- this is my last comment to you in this thread...which started out as a question about illegal travel to Cuba and needs to go back to that issue.]
[1] M&N beat me to this point.....your dad fought in WWII. Do you think that your dad's time in harm's way establishes somehow your bona fides as a good citizen? In your place I'd have been ashamed to have even brought it up. And, for one I'd be a lot more impressed to hear how you served in Vietnam -- with boundless respect if you had been there as a corpsman/ consciencious objector. Or, even in the Peace Corps out in the Gabonese bush [no AZT not that kind of bush].
[2] First Amendment? Yes, I've heard vaguely of that. Think it may be part of that document I've spilled a few pints of blood over, defending your right to abuse the priviledge of free speech.......no, not what you may be thinking. It's just that you express yourself so poorly. [The role of Christian in Cyrano DB pops into mind at this point.]
[3] & [4] Dismiss without discourse? My god. This is the hardest point of all. I think most people who've read my poor scribblings in this site may agree that I don't grind personal axes, make personal attacks, or take constructive criticism/comment badly. But quite frankly, you're not worth the mental sweat for even a light exchange of opinion. Maybe we'll get together for a beer someday and I'll change my mind. Could happen. Until then though, I'll just stick with the word nutty.
You bring back fond memories of a Russian Military Attache who once was my counterpart....he could better argue while dead drunk, the merits of Communism [though his heart wasn't really in it by 1985, when it was clear the whole stinking system was falling apart at the seams] than I feel you can on your best day.
[5] Political rant? Hmmmm.....maybe I was misled into thinking that. And there is some truth in the point that Castro "improved" the educational system...just about like Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot [heros all...who just "mangled" their popular revolutions]. If we take your hasty generalization at face value, however, the logic case is fataly flawed.
I'll pause for another nostalgic moment. Wish you could've been around a few months ago to share a cigarette with a Vietnamese cab driver in Paris....poor bastard got hoovered up in 1972 and spent nine f*****g years in a re-education camp. On second thought, maybe it was best you weren't there....he was a wiry little fellow and probably wouldn't have taken kindly to your points of view. He did mention that some Cubans dropped in one time, but he didn't have a chance to speak with them about his education program.
Sorry, back to it. Going from, say, 10% literacy under Batista [without doubt a no good bastard] to 20% under Castro, it can be claimed that 100% improvement was made. We won't even talk about the content or quality of that doubling. I once stumbled into a Russian-trained Cuban "chocolate engineer." But, it's going to take Brother Castro's passing onto his greater reward and some serious scholarship to see just what improvements and/or damage he did to the educational system [not to mention the rest of the infrastructure].
Rediwat, have you ever heard of Edward Tufte....the genius at presenting information clearly? He gives seminars around the country and if he happens to parachute into Wisconsin or where ever, you might sign up to hear him speak. It would do all of us a world of good.
And, finally, the admonition not to "venture into Vietnam and Iraq" intellectually. OK. You persuaded me. Been to both of them physically anyhow.
Best, P
NB - my own education is in great part school of hard knocks, along with early eduction in Turkey and post-war Japan.....though later I was indoctrinated in several "enlightened" countries. Just a burden I have to bear. Recollect, for instance, some mention of modern history...even past the Great White Fleet. Your library have any of that stuff in it?