An email from a gay lefty in San Francisco points out the customary blindness of some alleged “progressives” about the totalitarian regime in Cuba. He’d just come out of a movie theater and saw a long line of people waiting to see the next screening, of Oliver Stone’s cinematic hagiography of Fidel:
A few leftist organizations tonight had set up two tables of literature and buttons supporting the Cuban revolution in general, and progressive causes around the globe. There were leftist activists chatting up people trying to buy tickets to “Commandante,” the film by Stone. I couldn’t find a single piece of literature about Castro’s latest crackdown on, and killing, of Cuban dissidents. I had something to say about this to my fellow lefties. “Why don’t you tell Castro to stop killing his people because they disagree with him? He should be condemned for executing the boat hijackers,” I said. A woman in her late 40’s asked if I wanted a copy of The Militant. “Does it have a strong disapproval anywhere in the issue denouncing Castro’s violation of human rights activists? If it does, then I want an issue,” I replied to her. “I want Castro to stop killing dissidents.” “Are you a Republican, or something? Bush is also killing innocent civilians. We’re more concerned about his crimes,” the woman said. With pride, I pointed to my ever-present dark green button reading, “Vote Nader/LaDuke 2000.” “No, I’m not GOP, at all. Just one queer leftist who thinks we need more criticism leveled against Castro, especially from the left,” I said.
Good for him. This is especially awful given Castro’s persecution of homosexuals and people with HIV. Do these leftists have no memory? Or no conscience? Between these people on the left and Rick Santorum on the right, it’s enough to drive you nuts.
ONE MAN’S TESTIMONY: This blogger movingly explains why he’s still angry about the social right’s embrace of Santorum.
The Dish 