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ordinarydude

09/04/10 12:42 AM

#106973 RE: arizona1 #106969

"After your very bad attitude, they shouldn't let you in."

Fine. I'll just take my money and go to Cancun instead.

"...Just an ordinary dudette who thinks you should apologize for spreading unsubstantiated rumors."

With all due respect, I will make this perfectly clear to anyone who decides to read my response to you:

I will not apologize for posting an opinion regarding a despot who is widely known to eliminate his political opponents through unscrupulous (and often horrific means).

I will not apologize for posting an opinion regarding a known dictator who has rigged every single election since he toppled Batista's "government" back in 1959.

No. I will not apologize for speaking out against a murderor and a thug.


Ordinary
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F6

09/04/10 12:57 AM

#106990 RE: arizona1 #106969

arizona1 -- having no way of knowing, I'd sure tend to think he must have something salted away somewhere or other (or his brother even if he himself never cared to or did) -- if not for himself, then for certain of his favored kids or kin or comrades or whatever

though he certainly has denied any offshore accounts:

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Allegations of wealth

A KGB officer, Alexei Novikov, stated that Castro's personal life, like the lives of the rest of the Communist elite, is "shrouded under an impenetrable veil of secrecy". Among other things, he asserted that Castro has a personal guard of more than 9,700 men and three luxurious yachts.[185]

In 2005, American business and financial magazine Forbes listed Castro among the world's richest people, with an estimated net worth of $550 million. The estimates, which the magazine admitted were "more art than science",[187] claimed that the Cuban leader's personal wealth was nearly double that of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, despite anecdotal evidence from diplomats and businessmen that the Cuban leader's personal life was notably austere.[186] This assessment was drawn by making economic estimates of the net worth of Cuba's state-owned companies, and used the assumption that Castro had personal economic control.[188] Forbes Magazine later increased the estimates to $900 million, adding rumors of large cash stashes in Switzerland.[186] The magazine offered no proof of this information,[187] and according to CBS news, Castro's entry on the rich list was notably brief compared to the amount of information provided on other figures.[187] Castro, who had considered suing the magazine, responded that the claims were "lies and slander", and that they were part of a US campaign to discredit him.[186] He declared: "If they can prove that I have a bank account abroad, with $900m, with $1m, $500,000, $100,000 or $1 in it, I will resign."[186] President of Cuba's Central Bank, Francisco Soberón, called the claims a "grotesque slander", asserting that money made from various state owned companies is pumped back into the island's economy, "in sectors including health, education, science, internal security, national defense and solidarity projects with other countries."[188]

*

185.^ a b c d Servando Gonzalez. The Secret Fidel Castro.
186.^ a b c d e Castro denies huge fortune claim. BBC News.
187.^ a b c Castro: I am not rich. CBS News. Assessed April 24, 2007.
188.^ a b Castro blasts Forbes over wealth report., Associated Press. Retrieved December 13. 2006.

[from/embedded links at] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro