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Is Castro Already Dead?

dann said:
Very interesting myths. I don't think that they say much about Cuba, but they tell us a lot about you.
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Watch and see. Then we will find out, won't we? ETA: I also have firsthand experience with life in Cuba, and any talk about how warm and fuzzy it is there is a waste of time with me.
 
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Luke T. said:
Watch and see. Then we will find out, won't we? ETA: I also have firsthand experience with life in Cuba, and any talk about how warm and fuzzy it is there is a waste of time with me.
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Why is it that as soon as you dismiss some of the things said against the conditions in Cuba, you are accused of calling Cuba a "Paradise" or, in your case, describing it as "warm and fuzzy"? Why are these hyperbolic strawmen necessary?
 
Darth Rotor said:
1995-1999, and beyond. Weren't you paying attention to what NATO does? What do you think incited bombs in Belgrade? Freaking Albanians.
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Erm, no, you've still got me. Are you saying that US troops were involved in Albania?
 
Architect said:
28.

Now, when exactly were US forces seeing action in Albania?
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American blood and treasure were expended on behalf of Albanianss.

Got it? Albanian security isn't a prime American concern, until some EU sorts get their panties in a bunch and can't solve their own little European problem.

That eventually led to the bombing of Belgrade, for the benefit of freaking Albanians. There were US troop deployments into Albania before that happened. Apache units, ground units, air force logistics units. A frined of mine was in an AF logistics and base support unit. A couple of Apache buddies as well.

Where were you? Not paying attention.

I got to see and get to work in some of the pre planning of some of that nonsense, nonsense that was due to the EU being unable to police its own neighborhood.

At the same time, Macedonia was doing its thing, with some Albanians play in that silly game as well. Bosnia was in its post IFOR and into SFOR phase.

You are welcome, EU, for cleaning up your mess.

DR
 
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More whining on behalf of the selflessness of US imperialism!
(German nouns always begin with capital letters!)
 
dann said:
More whining on behalf of the selflessness of US imperialism!
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Imperialism: (noun)
  1. the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
  2. advocacy of imperial interests.
  3. an imperial system of government.
  4. imperial government.
  5. British. the policy of so uniting the separate parts of an empire with separate governments as to secure for certain purposes a single state.
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Which of the above definitions describes the United States' relationship with Albania?

If it's number 1, could you please let me know how I get to become the Viceroy of Albania? I've always wanted to be a viceroy.
 
BPSCG said:
Which of the above definitions describes the United States' relationship with Albania?
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The first two are fine, the rest seem to describe the rather out-dated colonialism:
Quote:
Imperialism: (noun)
1. the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
2. advocacy of imperial interests.
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As mentioned and documented above the Americans seem to extend their rule of authority to the internal affairs of their allies when they forbid American companies to follow the laws concerning the hospitality industry in other countries. Not in the same way as it is happening in Iraq right now (with Denmark as a more than willing ally), but still.
Wouldn't you call this ...
Darth Rotor said:
There were US troop deployments into Albania before that happened. Apache units, ground units, air force logistics units.
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... an example of the USA "extending its rule of authority of an empire over foreign countries"???
If it's number 1, could you please let me know how I get to become the Viceroy of Albania? I've always wanted to be a viceroy.
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Again you confuse imperialism with colonialism.
Darth Rotor said:
UN resolutions are as useful as the moxy behind them. When there is something behind them, they tend to be binding, when there are a load of whinging c___s behind them, they tend to get the ridicule they deserve.
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Both you, BPSCG, and DR are perfect examples of No. 2. (pun intended)
 
Darth Rotor said:
American blood and treasure were expended on behalf of Albanianss.

Got it? Albanian security isn't a prime American concern, until some EU sorts get their panties in a bunch and can't solve their own little European problem.

That eventually led to the bombing of Belgrade, for the benefit of freaking Albanians. There were US troop deployments into Albania before that happened. Apache units, ground units, air force logistics units. A frined of mine was in an AF logistics and base support unit. A couple of Apache buddies as well.

Where were you? Not paying attention.

I got to see and get to work in some of the pre planning of some of that nonsense, nonsense that was due to the EU being unable to police its own neighborhood.

At the same time, Macedonia was doing its thing, with some Albanians play in that silly game as well. Bosnia was in its post IFOR and into SFOR phase.

You are welcome, EU, for cleaning up your mess.

DR
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Are you resting under the dubious misapprehension that EU or American forces were in Albania during the late 90s?

You do know the difference between Albania and the former Yugoslavia, don't you?? :eye-poppi
 
Luke T. said:
Operation Silver Wake.

Operation Determined Falcon.
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According to globalsecurity.org, Operation Silver Wake was an evacuation of American citizens and beefed up security of the American embassy by the 26th MEU. Operation Determined Falcon was a joint U.S./Albanian/Macedonian show of force along the Kosovo border.

Neither sound like Americans were spilling blood for others (except some third-world nationals who were also evacuated in Operation Silver Wake.)

However, I do have this nagging in the back of my head that we had SOME kind of actual operation in Albania that didn't involve protecting American citizens or using it as a base of operations for actions in the former Yugoslavia. Can't think of what it was though and it may just be one of those vagaries of memory. You've got me searching some sites for it right now but so far I'm turning up squat.
 
Architect said:
Are you resting under the dubious misapprehension that EU or American forces were in Albania during the late 90s?

You do know the difference between Albania and the former Yugoslavia, don't you?? :eye-poppi
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I not only do, but some of what I was doing then was directly tied to both of those nations. I even got to meet the head of the Albanian Navy.

Again, where were you and what were you paying attention to?

DR
 
Ysidro said:
According to globalsecurity.org, Operation Silver Wake was an evacuation of American citizens and beefed up security of the American embassy by the 26th MEU. Operation Determined Falcon was a joint U.S./Albanian/Macedonian show of force along the Kosovo border.

Neither sound like Americans were spilling blood for others (except some third-world nationals who were also evacuated in Operation Silver Wake.)

However, I do have this nagging in the back of my head that we had SOME kind of actual operation in Albania that didn't involve protecting American citizens or using it as a base of operations for actions in the former Yugoslavia. Can't think of what it was though and it may just be one of those vagaries of memory. You've got me searching some sites for it right now but so far I'm turning up squat.
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Right. Armed troops on the ground, deployed to Albania, part of a contingency plan to deal with the Kosovar ALBANIAN cock up that the EU could not handle. Final decision was to use a different course of action, and shed Serbian blood, while risking American blood to do it. I don't think the ALbanians in Kosovo were worth it, and I doubt the Chinese did either, once their embassy got hit. All you rubes saw was the result of one option being exercised.

There were some in the US Congress, IIRC a man named McCain, who insisted that boots on the ground was the only way to solve it. The attack helicopters were there, and IIRC, one crashed and the crew died in the run up to the op.

How soon people forget.

On 04 April 1999 the United States offered and NATO accepted 24 Army AH-64A Apache attack helicopters to aid in Operation Allied Force. The Apaches, from two battalions of the 11th Aviation Brigade in Illesheim, Germany, were expected to arrive in eight to 14 days. The Apache force in Albania had about 465 soldiers. The Apaches were accompanied by support helicopters; a Multiple Launch Rocket System artillery battalion; a support battalion; a mechanized infantry company with 14 Bradley fighting vehicles; a military police company; a signal company; and required military intelligence, aviation maintenance and other support elements. About 2,000 US soldiers were part of the initial deployment to Albania.
At the time, Tirana airport was a "bare bones" facility and the Apaches had to share space with massive amounts of humanitarian aid pouring into Albania. Task Force Hawk was in competition with the humanitarian Joint Task Force Shining Hope for scarce airbase resources in Tirana, Albania. The airport remained a bottleneck despite heroic efforts by Air Force Red Horse Engineers to expand its capacity.

On 20 April 1999 Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen directed the deployment of additional units to provide force protection for Task Force Hawk in Albania. Some 615 soldiers from the headquarters and headquarters company and two light infantry companies of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 11 additional AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crews from 229th Aviation Regiment, and logistics support personnel from the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C., began deploying to Tirane. This deployment brought the approximate number of US forces in Task Force Hawk to 3,300. Ultimately a total of roughly 5,000 personnel deployed.
It took almost four weeks to deploy the Apache helicopters. The Apache crews started training for deep strike missions against Serb forces in Kosovo. Given the changes in the scope and specifics of Task Force Hawk's deployment, a different means of moving the task force might have been chosen. It is a misimpression that the Task Force Hawk deployment merely involved 24 Apache helicopters. In fact, Task Force Hawk was an Army Aviation Brigade Combat Team. This unit included a corps aviation brigade headquarters, a corps artillery brigade headquarters with a Multiple-Launch Rocket System (MLRS) battalion, an attack helicopter regiment (Apache), a ground maneuver brigade combat team, a corps support group, a signal battalion, a headquarters troop battalion, a military police detachment, a psychological operations detachment, and a special operations command-and-control element.

Two 11th Aviation Regiment soldiers killed 04 May 1999 in the crash of their Apache helicopter in Albania were the first US troops to die in the NATO air offensive against Yugoslavia. The crash occurred about 75 kilometers northeast of the Tirana-Rinas Airport during a training mission in support of Operation Allied Force.
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DR
 
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dann said:
Americans seem to extend their rule of authority to the internal affairs of their allies when they forbid American companies to follow the laws concerning the hospitality industry in other countries...
Both you, BPSCG, and DR are perfect examples of No. 2. (pun intended)
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Next time I visit Scandinavia remind me to avoid Denmark.:mad:
 
dann said:
Again you confuse imperialism with colonialism.
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Oh, lord, more lessons on definitions from the guy who can't grasp the distinction between and embargo and a blockade.

So, since imperialism, to your fevered mind, apparently consists of one country trying to influence another one's politics, this and this are examples of imperialism.
 
Meanwhile, getting back on-topic, the apparent answer to the question posed in the OP is a resounding "No!"

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is recovering and has been up and walking _ in fact "almost jogging" _ in recent days, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday.

Chavez, a close ally of Castro, said he was pleased to hear from Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage that the 80-year-old Castro was making a recovery.

"Lage told me that Fidel walked I don't know how many minutes yesterday," Chavez said, noting he suspected Castro was watching his speech on television. "He's walking more than me, almost jogging. Maybe he's walking while watching us."
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Almost jogging? Most people who are pushing 80 are happy if they can make their way from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again without taking a break. What the hell is a guy that age doing in the hospital if he can "almost jog"?

I had my chest cracked open a few years ago and they they sent me home as soon as I could walk a hundred yards unassisted. Wish I'd had some of that great free health care they have in Cuba - they wouldn't have sent me home until I could almost jog.
 
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