Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 14:31:36 +0200
From: m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se (Hugh Rodwell)
Subject: Re: Rum do's in the beast's back yard


Louis P objected to my analysis of Cuba and the Stalinist invasion of
Czechoslovakia without a single refutation of any part of what I'd written,
and added insult to injury by putting a very stupid and superficial
analysis of China in my mouth.

Let's look at Cuba, point by point:

* Date 1968.

* Economic situation in Cuba: up shit creek without a paddle (cf 1a).

* Voluntaristically (non)planned,

* non-centralized objectives rule,

* reinforced by non-statistics.

* 'Micro-faction' expulsions of 1967 get up Moscow's nose,

* leading it to respond in its usual charming Stalinist internationalist way

* by strangling the supply of oil

* and taking home its technical advisers

* in the spring of 1968.

(and the bits Louis didn't bother to quote:)

* this spring has come to be known as the Prague spring,

* things were happening everywhere

* Poor Che [he was a wonderful bloke, and how!] was dead in Bolivia,

* voluntaristically trying to create a hundred new Vietnams

* his image along with Mao's and Ho's was haunting the world.

* what better time for the Escalantes of the world and their minders to
  exact revenge?

* 'Shaft the workers of the world, Fidel me old sugarlump, [= Comandante
Castro,
  help us crush this worldwide revolutionary upsurge]

* and we'll turn on the oil again

* and send you some experts.'

* And Fidel said: 'Fair do's, guv, where do I sign?' [= Comandante Castro
  agreed]

* and went on telly to tell the world about it.

* This was *not* the occasion on which he said: 'History will absolve me.'

* Curtains.


So come on Factoid-Man, there's enough propositions here for you to
demonstrate your oh-so-superior empirical and analytical skills on -- do
so.

Cheers,

Hugh




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