[Donna]

To be fair, sending scientists to work on a farm can still be something connected to science or technology, say, seeing how AI can detect diseases / pests / etc. and protect production. As a matter of fact I acknowledge that gulags have been all but abolished.

But the AI is also used for massive survellence and spot out dissident views and clamp down on them. For the "return to Mao" thing I mean more on suppression of freedom and centralisation of power, which is common and ongoing in Communist regimes.

As long as there are victims of these suppressions anti-Communism will not die.

Your choice of words are confusing though because Mao was an arch-leftist who constantly attacked the center. If one wanted to suppress freedom and centralize power in Maoist China, you were liable to get shot by a 15 year-old Red Guard or something.

[Patrickov]

Your choice of words are confusing though because Mao was an arch-leftist who constantly attacked the center. If one wanted to suppress freedom and centralize power in Maoist China, you were liable to get shot by a 15 year-old Red Guard or something.

Can't say it won't happen, but for the current times, having a regime which would cause suffering like Gui Minhai or Li Wenliang is bad enough. There is no need to get that bad to be anti-Communist.

[Politics_Observer]

@Rancid @Tainari88

I am wary of both communists and fascists. The reason being is that many communist regimes collapse into totalitarianism and are not able to meet the needs of it's people economically. For example, when I was serving in the US Army in Eastern Europe doing a rotation as a NATO peacekeeper in Bosnia, I got to see what life was sort like under a communist government though it was in the aftermath of the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. A lot of the store shelves were very empty and bare. Not much to buy.

I think what's important is some moderation and a recognition that nobody has a monopoly on the truth. In many respects both sides are right but it's important that we approach things from a position of compromise and willingness to put some of our political beliefs to a back seat to things that are far more important like ensuring our governments do not collapse into totalitarianism for example and are still able to meet the needs of the people while allowing a strong economy to grow, prosper and provide good paying jobs to people.

You also see a lot of extreme authoritarianism fascism in Trump and that's not good either. This is why out of the democratic candidates I am a supporter of Pete Buttigieg. He seems to be the happy medium that we need in America that is not too extreme. As far as Puerto Rico, it should be admitted to the US as a state with representatives in Congress and the people of Puerto Rico being able to vote in Presidential elections (I am not sure if folks in Puerto Rico can vote in Presidential elections or not but I do know they don't have representatives in Congress).

[Finfinder]

No Fin, I don't hate Cubans at all. I love them deeply. The fascist Cubans and Right wing fanatics who wanted Kennedy to go to war with Cuba even if it meant a nuclear fallout with the Soviet Union in the early sixties? Are the people who I passionately oppose. They would rather keep Puerto Rico from its independence to appease some greedy Empire that harmed their own society's progress in the world in order to takeover Cuba. Thinking the Yankee gov't is going to care about Cuba as much as they do. They never will care about Cuba as much as Cubans of all political leanings do. That is something those Miameros need to get through their thick skulls.

What did the bearded one had to do to get Batista out of his power seat eh Fin? Fulgencio Batista was backed by the USA government with money and arms and everything. Did Castro head for Miami? No. He went to Mexico City and met el Che and plotted to invade Cuba on a leaky little ship with some eighty something ragtag rebels and the ship was called the Granma. They had been infiltrated by the CIA operatives and their plans were foiled. They all ran for their lives. Only about 12 or a bit more (I don't exactly recall) survived the fire fight and they hid in the hills for months and months, got more guajiros to join and did guerrilla warfare tactics a la Che designed. Eventually they got a radio station going and started to get a larger army. The internal corruption and the killings of students in the streets by the Batista regime had turned moderate and even Right wing Cubans against the Batista regime. The Yankees thought maybe they could manipulate the new revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro with some money and power bribes.....the Cuban Communist party did not approve of Fidel at the time.

You really should read up on the history of the Cuban revolution Fin. It is very interesting.

I would say Fidel Castro was a stubborn nationalist and wasn't into dogma much. He was a hardcore nationalist first. Read his writings from La Isla de Pinos. The prison....documents. It is strange indeed that Batista never outright just kill him Fin. He was his rival in many ways. He underestimated Castro severely. He would have been better served politically by killing him and throwing his body in some unmarked grave in the Sierra Maestra. But he did not because Castro had challenged him many times before on the University of Havana law school in publicly recognized ways and Castro was in an almost gangster campus politically. La Habana school of Law at the time? Was full of fiery political violence.

Did you read about the Bogotazo Fin in Colombia? Where Castro was there as well and the violence that broke out about that student scene with the government?

You know what I dislike Fin? People who assume simplistic relationships between groups and not studying the history first. Study the history. You learn a lot. Who was Fidel Castro's Godfather when he was born in Oriente in 1926? None other than Lazaro Cardenas. The future president of Mexico. Castro landed in jail in Mexico City in the fifties Fin. His 26th of July Movement had been infiltrated by CIA operatives. Loyal to DC. They jailed Castro, Che, etc. Castro had been doing military exercises through a connection with el el escuadron azul (blue squadron) of the Spanish military from Franco's fascist regime. The Blue Squadron was the elite military people from Spain's Spanish Civil War. One of the top trainers retired in Mexico City.....he was the one who was training Fidel and Ernesto on how to cope with insurgency tactics. Because Fidel was a lawyer who up to then had trained in law and knew only how to handle a regular pistol and had zero knowledge of military tactics as well as Che was a doctor who had worked at a leprosy colony clinic run by the Catholic church in Peru. He was a doctor too in a clinic in Guatemala during the Arbenz coup....done by the United Fruit Company and the CIA backing it...I digress, so they needed military training to do an attempt at the overthrow against that USA backed puppet dictator Fulgencio Batista. Lazaro Cardenas the lefty Mexican prez with green eyes, decided to spring his godson from prison and pulled some strings Fin....

He landed in Cuba in the dark. Got his ass whipped and went straight for the hills.....of la Sierra Maestra to practice the skills the Spanish elite Blue Squadron commanders from Franco's victory in Spain against the Reds, Anarchists, etc coalition had taught them. Ironic eh? that is life.

The rest is history. The Yankee gov't tried to pay off Fidel and bribe his ass. Like they did Batista. They failed. Loose cannon they thought him. Che hated the idea of dealing with the Soviets. He did not like how similar they were in imperialism to the Yanks. He made a famous speech about it in the UN. So Che dealt with the creation of the Non Aligned nations. Nelson Mandela was the leader of that group long after Che created it. Cuba fought for South African ANC liberation because the non Aligned group was part of the history of Cuban foreign policy concerns in Africa. Kissinger was damn surprised at how effective it was. He wrote so in his official biographical documents. Thus the reason why Raul Castro was present at Mandela's funeral. And the Americans did not know why? They knew why. They just don't want to talk about how Cuba lost thousands of men defending a struggle and cause due to backing Africans and later not asking for something to profit from. For just ideological reasons. Something the Imperialists like that war criminal Kissinger and others NEVER UNDERSTOOD.

No, Fin, the Cubans and the Puerto Ricans are brothers fighting over ideology. But brother and sisters we are.....that is the truth.

In the end? Unless the American government starts dealing with decent politics and policies for both island nations? They will remain in controversy and the lack of improvement and worsening of both of our relationships with Washington DC will remain either the same or worse. You got only yourselves to blame Fin. For being arrogant, manipulative and ineffective leaders and inconsiderate government people with bad policies. That is the reality.

You should get your act together in Latin America Fin. And stop thinking all of Latin America are drug dealers like some idiots (and I don't mean you Finfinder) scream about all day.

I didn't say you hated Cubans I said Cubans hate Puerto Ricans and I was being tongue and cheek. I do know many Cuban people they all seem to say the same thing. Its the cultural war thing its documented and well known.

Back to this topic. Bernie Sanders made pro communist comments. So are you for or against communism. Is this thread to make fun of those people who are protesting,its confusing. BTW I told you Bernies comments would be a problem here in Florida and gave you an example of the Miami Marlins. I know it hurts you terribly to give me credit but I know what I'm talking about. LOL

You should get your act together in Latin America Fin. And stop thinking all of Latin America are drug dealers like some idiots (and I don't mean you Finfinder) scream about all day.

Do you give Bernie a pass on this. He wants to legalize pot and only allow black and brown people to deal it legally?

Sanders doesn't need Florida. Florida is no longer a swing state. Its a Red state. A moderate Red State certainly but still a Red State.

I disagree Sanders needs every state possible he also need record turnouts. If you not going to fight for a state like Florida why is he even in the race then. I think it would be unwise to marginalize a state like Florida.

[Tainari88]

@Finfinder

I didn't say you hated Cubans I said Cubans hate Puerto Ricans and I was being tongue and cheek. I do know many Cuban people they all seem to say the same thing. Its the cultural war thing its documented and well known.

Back to this topic. Bernie Sanders made pro communist comments. So are you for or against communism. Is this thread to make fun of those people who are protesting,its confusing. BTW I told you Bernies comments would be a problem here in Florida and gave you an example of the Miami Marlins. I know it hurts you terribly to give me credit but I know what I'm talking about. LOL

Bernie did not say he was a communist. He said that the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro did accomplish some positives. Like literacy campaigns. Why? Because it is true. Castro encouraged literacy campaigns because 1960 Cuba was a place with very few rural Cubans who knew how to read and write. Most upper class and middle class Cubans with great private educations fled after the Revolution. Most because the economy tanked and they did not agree with Fidel's 'reforms'. This left most of Cuba without teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers and professionals of all sorts. Office dependent professions. So? You got to educate the ones that remain Fin. And he did.

Did you read my profile? You should have. I am an Erich Fromm international socialist. I back Richard Wolff's economic plan for the USA and for the world. He is Marxist economics professor graduated from Harvard, and other elite universities. He speaks English, French and German I think. He is extremely interesting and studies economics in depth. And he has economic solutions that are based on Marxist points of view. That is who I endorse Fin.

I am not a liberal Fin. I never was. I am far Left. I am friends with people who are moderates, liberals, even right wing people. But I don't agree with their solutions to society.

Do I endorse violence? No, I hate it. I would rather die than kill someone and hurt or torture them just so my political point of view dominates and wins. For me? It you need to go and kill and torture others and that is the only way you can win? I would rather die. I like Gandhian principles. If you can unite a lot of people on moral principles and taking the high road, and you don't cooperate with the group doing the oppressing? You cut off their ability to manipulate and control? By not giving them any room to lie on you and kill? You win the right way. Without a bloody awful thing.

But human beings are insistent on violence as the way to solve conflict. I understand that allowing one's self to pick up a gun to defend your own life might be necessary in a revolution. The USA revolutionary war was about guns and fire fights and death between the King George's redcoats and the American revolutionaries. Was it a non violent war? No. Most wars for power and independence are not peaceful ones.

It is interesting though that only the ones who do all these Imperialistic unfair and horrible foreign intervention policies? Blame the ones who actually live and breathe and are members of the society they wish to not use violence against them. In other words? Let Batista use violence, let the American troops and American gangsters like Luciano, and the American corporations through the local police and military use violence against the local protestors....but the ones receiving the violence? Shut up. Accept it passively. That is not human nature either Fin.

What I would like? Is for people to be civilized and talk through conflict like equals and adult people who respect life. Life that is not the same as your own....yet valuable and allow dialog to form a policy agreeable to both parties. Negotiate and respect and reach agreements. Like civilized frontal cortex human beings.

I would like us to get so good at respecting life, each other, the planet and all the cultures of the world? That we destroy those nuclear bombs and etc and get rid of serious threats against human extinction caused by our own lack of maturity as a species.

I am willing to die for my cause of international socialism and Erich Fromm based socialism and advancements. It is Marxist based in thought. But I am not willing to kill another human being for it. Not if they are not in my home threatening me with death or my children or family or friends with death. I believe in self defense Fin. I do. But would I kill someone because they disagree with me and I have to have control, power and be able to force someone who disagrees with me to do what I say or face death? Authoritarian, totalitarian types of rule? NO. I never liked that.

Once you think you have the right to kill for the right to be in control only? You lose the moral high ground. Once you do that? You lose your humanity. Once you lose your humanity? What is the fight about? Nothing. Nothing good.

That is my reply to you. Finfinder.

I like Bernie. Do I agree with him? Yes. All of his ideas? No? But he is going through the ballot box. Not through armed revolution. If the ballot box is corrupted? Armed revolutions are not far away. Don't corrupt the ballot box Fin. That is the lesson to be learned for that.