I know what some of you may be thinking, “I can’t wait to get that new Guillen and Castro cd.” Sorry, but this is not the name of a new hip hop act. I am referring to New Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen and his comments about Fidel Castro.
Guillen said that he “loved” and “respected” Castro because people have been trying to kill the Cuban leader for 60 years and he’s still here. The comments created an uproar in Miami where the largest population of displaced Cubans reside. In response to the angry Cuban citizens of South Florida, the Miami Marlins made the decision to hand out a five game suspension to Guillen.
Apparently, some of the fans threatened to boycott the team over the comments, and many people called for Guillen to be fired. I was under the impression that we lived in the United States of America where the first amendment to the Constitution provides citizens with freedom of speech. (I guess the Little Havana Cubans didn’t get the memo!)
Let me get this straight. The Cubans in Miami hate Fidel Castro because he violated human rights issues and did not allow them to have any freedom of speech. People who spoke out against the regime were arrested as political prisoners. (I’ve seen interviews in which people claim to be arrested for “absolutely no reason,” but if you live in a country with a communist dictator, you will be arrested for speaking out against the government. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying that it is a reason!)
The Cubans hate Fidel because he didn’t allow them any civil rights, but they want Ozzie Guillen to be fired because he has an opinion which is different from the one they hold. Makes perfect sense! I understand that many Cubans were murdered and displaced under Castro’s rule, but people can like the guy if they want to.
I think the team overstepped their boundaries on this one. Guillen should not have been suspended for 5 games because people were upset. The way I see it, Miami fans have never supported the Marlins, anyway. The team won two World Series Championships and never sold out a single game. The fans who claim that they will never go to the game, were probably not going to a game anyway.
I don’t have a problem with Guillen’s comments. Fidel Castro did some bad thiings, but he also did some good things. The guy is not evil, He simply believes that Communism is the best government for his country. He believes that he is acting in the best interest of the Cuban people. Whether you agree with him or not is one thing, but to call the guy evil may be going too far.
Personally, I am a fan of Fidel Castro. He was instrumental in helping the African Freedom Fighters gain independence in countries such as Guinea Bissau, St. Tome and Cape Verde, and Angola. Castro sent his good friend Che Guevara to Africa along with military equipment. For every person who believes that Castro is the devil incarnate, there is a person who thinks that he is a great man.
Obviously there is a lot of personal feelings that surrounds the incident, but the team should have stood behind Guillen and handed out flyers with the Bill of Rights to the Cuban fans who wanted his head on the chopping block.
@PeteTeix617
Wacky Pete's Wicked & Wonderful Words of Wis-dumb 
Throwing a large portion of the team’s fanbase under the bus is something you can’t do when you’re trying to run a business. They suspended him because the Cuban-Americans boycotted the team. You can’t say what Ozzie said if you’re a figure head in south Florida, plain and simple. So, yes, he needed to be suspended.
I understand that aspect, but there is too much political correctness.
Castro believed communism was best for his country but he also murdered and imprisoned those who disagreed with him… I would classify that as evil.
As far as the first amendment.. Guillen has the right to say what he wishes. That won’t land him in jail, as in Cuba, but it doesn’t guarantee him a job after insulting a large part of the customer base. It’s not a first amendment issue. It’s a business issue.
Obama ordered many Iraqis and Aphghanis to be killed. Plus he ordered the hit on Osama. It comes with the job. If Castro is evil, 90% of world leaders are evil.
Iraqi’s and Afghani’s were casualties of war… A war the president didn’t order. Many have called leaders who go to war ‘evil’ and thats their right. In Cuba, you’d be imprisoned for it…I’ll put Obama in the same category as Castro when he orders his own people killed.
Casualties of war still means people getting killed. I place Obama in the same category as Fidel.
Definitely Guillen has a right to his opinion, he should’ve been smarter though as a public figure and definitely should’ve been more aware of his surroundings! He’s in a city where the majority of people loathe Fidel! He’s a dumbass!
As for your comments about Fidel, I don’t think you can say with certainty that he’s acting in the best interest of the people. Much of what he’s done has been labeled selfish. Unless you personally know him and he told you himself, although he could be blowing smoke up your ass (what’s up with that expression), you can’t know what his intentions are. He did some very evil things and yes some good things as well but we don’t know the man and can’t fairly judge his character, only his actions.
Guillen is hilarious to me because he speaks his own mind, which is why most people love to hear him talk. He should have been smarter, but this thing wasn’t as big a deal as the media is making it out to be.
The media always makes things bigger, that’s what sells! Duh!
I know, but I wish common sense could wash over the public and help the people see the real story.
What is it with you and the people?! Let the people be! Common sense is for the birds (yet another gem of an expression!)
Pete, I have followed the OG’s career for years, and ya’ know the Marlins knew what they were getting when they hired him…lol…but, as to yer posts I think people are missin one of yer main points and I fer one think it is a good one…yer just calling the Cuban American population of Florida out for their hypocrisy….the reason most people miss yer point though is because you go on to laud both He and Che Guevara…I don’t believe Fidel is evil necessarily, I do believe he is misguided however. His ideas being good in theory yet are impractical and impossible in reality, and so his philosophies from an applicable sense and to the way it works to the detriment of the society it is meant to support becomes evil…now I know we may not agree here (especially given the Che Guevara & Africa mention) but that’s it the great thing about our country, and like you mentioned earlier, because of this, the Marlins should have stood behind their manager and told the Cuban American’s to stop “Castro”sizing their man.
If yer interested in civil debate I would love to hear more of the reason you believe socialism and or communism are a better system than capitalism and free markets…Anyway always enjoy yer posts, funny and thought provoking at once just what free thinkers need
Thanks. Communism seems great on paper, but never seems to work out when applied to the real world. I definitely agree that people are missing the point of the post. I think Che and Fidel did great things and “evil” things. I was just trying to show that although he may be misguided, Fidel is not an evil dictator such as Saddam. It all depends on the perspective. My only point is to show that the Cubans are behaving in the same manner as Fidel.
I consider myself people…most of the time. So I will argue that I’m not missing the point and I don’t think anyone else is either, unless the point isn’t that Guillen has a right to his opinion. But there’s a time and a place for it especially if you’re a public figure. And your other point seems to be that you don’t think Fidel is evil. Do I get the point?!!!!
I do still stand by my statements that Guillen while free to say what he wants and entertaining is a dumbass! And that you can’t really say what the intentions of Fidel have been. Unless you really know a person’s character you can’t say whether they’re evil or not. Just judge their actions.
I have spoken for the people!!! You’re welcome people!!
The people are annoying. Common sense seems to be for the birds and that is sad. I think the uproar in Miami is a bunch of nonsense. People can like whoever they want. Judging Fidel by his actions, I think he is less evil than “W.”
P- you and I both know this post is like a bad episode of Jerry Springer or the headline of a tabloid.. designed to be contraversial to create interest.
You are becoming predictable. The audience knows which side of the debate you will side with before the post is read.
Unofficial recap: Jesus, God and Obama are bad. Osama, Hitler, and Fidel are good.
Ha ha! It’s not that either side is good or bad. I just want to show that people need to look at the big picture before making a conclusion. For the record, I never said Hitler, Fidel, or Osama were good. I simply showed that perspective is important. I also never said that “god” or Jesus is bad; they simply don’t exist!
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