[Marxism] Thanks for the URL and the photos

[Brian Shannon <brian_shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Walter,

It is true that, sometimes like me, you probably post more than  
needed. However, I appreciate your devotion to bringing the  
information about Cuba that we all need.

http://www.walterlippmann.com/fc-08-13-2006.html

Fidel looks great. He appears calm and, let's face it, resigned to  
the fate of many of us who are statistically of "un certain age."

The pictures reveal illness, sadness, and yet the desire still to  
break through a barrier and to inspire as much as possible by  
personal will -- a new world.

Many years ago, Joe Hansen compared Che Guevara to Leon Trotsky. I  
always felt that Castro was closer -- as a realist, thinker, and  
person of action. If one thinks romantically, the Che who left to  
fight international wars appeared to be more like the Trotsky who was  
forced to lead relatively small numbers of like thinkers.

However, it has been Castro who accepted the responsibility (as  
Trotsky wished to do in the difficult twenties), to stay with the  
revolution, the nation, and the party, to lead his comrades through  
difficulties of abandonment and failures and to always probe the  
future, urging personal friends, comrades, organizations, and yes  
even the world on to the social equality that is the goal of all  
caring social, political, and religious thinkers.

As a practical man of action and thought, Fidel did for his nation  
what Trotsky and Lenin wished to do for the Soviet Union and the  
world. The Second Declaration of Havana and other statements show  
that the Cuban leaders fully understood the need to extend the  
socialist revolution. The reality of the size of his nation and the  
access to the material aid of the Soviet Union restricted their  
internationalism. It was absolutely necessary to adapt to the world  
situation that the Cuban Revolution found itself in. A beautiful  
failure would not have been a gain for the socialist future.

Although their vision did not have the clarity of a Lenin or Trotsky,  
and under the world circumstances could not have been explicitly  
expressed no matter what their private views, the personal action and  
sacrifice of Castro, Guevara and their comrades demonstrated the  
common international vision of the Cuban leadership.

Future generations will learn its lessons from the Cuban and Soviet  
leadership and apply them in forms that are integrated with each  
nation's social reality and historical traditions.

Brian Shannon






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