I went to the well-advertised airport extravaganza at Argyle. What a poor turnout it proved to be. There were few independent bystanders. Those that turned up were those who were required to attend by the regime and party, and a handful of others and the inquisitive. There were also a number of tipper trucks loaded with men that were shipped in from Georgetown, and other ULP constituencies — a little padding. I understand that contributions to the airport fund on the day, amounted to EC$3,000. WOW!
What shocked me was the blatant use of Che Guevara’s name on the project. I felt it was the last straw to use this disgusting man’s name on the project — “Chatoyer-Che Contingent”. Che. Why do we need to put this man’s name on our project? It’s a disgrace.
What an insult to Vincentians. What an insult to decent people. What an insult to the decent Cuban people he murdered.
For more than 50 years now, Cuban imperialism and their totalitarianism has brought misery to the people of third-world countries.
Che Guevara was simply a Stalinist/Maoist who tried to impose Cuban Communist imperialist totalitarianism on people who rejected it. Bottom line: Che Guevara is a mass murderer, not a hero. Instead of honouring Guevara, people should honour real freedom fighters like Vaclav Havel, who brought freedom and democracy to the former Czechoslovakia. Today, both the Czech Republic and Slovakia are prosperous democracies.
Supporters like to view Guevara as someone who suffered with his people, a man too idyllic to concern himself with matters such as money and material possessions. Guevara didn’t show any discretion when it came to his lifestyle choices during and after the revolution. He lived in a mansion only a week after entering Havana, Cuba. The owner of the mansion was forced to flee Havana with his family in order to escape a firing squad. Guevara’s property plunder contained a yacht harbour, a huge swimming pool, seven bathrooms, a sauna, a massage salon, and five television sets. He held a number of decedent celebration parties there. Out of fear no one dared talk about it.
Guevara’s first judicious act was to preside over a book burning of 3,000 confiscated books and the signing of death warrants for hundreds of Cuban authors who wrote those and other books which he did not approve of.
Guevara was personally responsible for the trial and execution of hundreds if not thousands of people without any judicial hearing, just his own decision, guilty — not guilty, death by shooting, or rot in prison. With the prisons full to overflowing, few now got a prison sentence; it was a bullet for the most trivial matter.
In 1964, Guevara got a hero’s welcome in New York City as he spoke to the United Nations and bellowed, “Executions? Certainly, we execute! And we will continue executing as long as it is necessary!”
Guevara’s held the position as Fidel’s chief executioner. In a passage from his own famous “Motorcycle Diaries,” he quotes himself as saying, “My nostrils dilate while savouring the acrid odour of gunpowder and blood.” At the same time, he wrote a letter to his father describing his newfound hobby, “I’d like to confess, Papa, at that moment I discovered that I really like killing.”
Fidel Castro recognized this ruthlessness about Guevara, and placed him in charge of La Cabana prison in Cuba, where he was judge, jury and executioner. Although exact numbers are impossible to find given their haphazard application, Guevara is estimated to have sentenced over 500 people to execution at La Cabana prison alone, without proper trials.
Several men who survived La Cabana prison recall a night when a 14-year-old boy was shoved into their holding cell. When asked what he did, he gasped that he had tried to defend his father from the firing squad, but was unsuccessful.
Moments later, guards dragged the boy out of the cell, and Che Guevara himself ordered the boy to kneel down.
The jailed men screamed “assassins!” and watched out of their cell window as Guevara took out his pistol, put the barrel to the back of the boy’s neck, and fired.
April 1st 1965: Che Guevara is an Argentinian with Cuban citizenship, he decided to resign his Cuban citizenship and leave to wage armed struggle in Latin America.
May 1st 1965: Guevara writes a farewell letter to Fidel Castro.
October 3rd 1965: The new Communist Party of Cuba is inaugurated.
October 9th 1967: Che Guevara is killed in Bolivia by U.S.- trained Bolivian rangers in the village of Vallegrande, he was summarily executed.
References:
Quote about individualism by Che:
Jon Lee Anderson, Che:
A Revolutionary Life, p. 470.
Thoughts about hippies, gays and rock and roll lovers: Daniel James, Che Guevara:
A biography and Canek Sanchez Guevara (CheGuevara’s grandson) in an interview with Proceso magazine.
Estimated 500 executions: More modest estimation of executions from cables sent from the American embassy in Havana to the State Department in Washington.
The “Motorcycle Diaries” of Che Guevara
The Killing Machine, Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Cuban journalist Luis Ortega wrote in his book Yo Soy El Che! that Guevara sentenced 1,892 to execution.
Daniel James in Che Guevara: A Biography, says Che admitted to several thousand executions.
Pierre San Martin spoke about the executed boy in an article entitled Como Asesinado El Che Guevara in El Nuevo Herald on
December 28, 1997. The article was then summarized in Humberto Fontova book Exposing the Real Che Guevara.
Unfortunately the application of history altered Marxist style was applied to Guevara, instead of being recorded as a ruthless bloodthirsty killer, he was branded a hero.
Now this man’s name decorates the Argyle airport on huge signs. All because our prime minister admires the Cuban sociology, and the Cubans probably required the use of his name, it would have been their decision, and his ready agreement.
Every day, I thank God that Vincentians were clever enough to reject the proposed new constitution in the referendum. Can you just imagine how much further we would be in the mire if it had carried the “yes” vote?
Mr. Prime Minister, if you want to use the name Che, put it on your new house, not on a public project, without consent of the people.
Peter Binose
Peter Binose, Can’t you see, know matter how you bray like a jack ass our Airport is almost there? so you continue with your idiotic rhetoric, THE AIRPORT COMING!
Peter you got to be kidding! This gives a clear indication of where SVG is heading. I hope folks are now realizing why the society is so divided and why crime is on the increase.
How is asking a question in relation to names being associated with our largest national project yet means you want to stop the project.
Must we accept no accountability at all towards the project to be seen as being in support ? I have supported the project from day one but I also share a concern if Che’s name is associated with the project if the above is correct. Does that mean am now trying to stop the project? Of course not.
At this point no one would rationally want to stop the project but the questions must still be answered as to what the ongoing and final social and financial cost currently are and will be finally. A project this huge should and would have many good achievements but there will also be mistakes and growing pains as a country. To point out a mistake or growing pain does mean one is against the overall success.
Accountability and Transparency should always be the goal.
STAINLESSESQ, it seems like some of us LOVE CELEBRATING the NEGATIVES instead of the POSITIVES.
As for this FART of an OPINION PIECE, it is not even worth COMMENTING on it.
I have always been pro the airport, what I have always made a noise about is the theft of the land from up to 60 people who have to this very day never been paid, but their land has been taken from them.
I also objected to taking money from Iran for the airport in return for our vote at the UN, a country who torture and murder Christians for being Christians.
I also objected to being lied to about a coalition of the willing that didn’t exist.
I also object to being told the the Venezuelans would pay the wages of the Cuban work force, when they refused to do so.
I object to employing Cubans and Venezuelans to do jobs that Vincentians can do.
I object to the Communists leaching from us, sucking us dry.
I object to taking loans instead of the coalition of the willing supplying and paying, when we were led to believe otherwise.
I also object to being lied to about when the airport is finished, we will have no debts.
I have never ever stated that I do not, did not want an International airport. Its just the lies, deciept and deception that I object to.
As for you Caddy King, we really take little notice of anything you say, because many of us remember you from past post’s, your one on the Marxist support brigade.
Che Guavara was a rat, and thats an absolute fact, get his name off our airport.
STAINLESSESQ, You mean like what you all did with the infamous Ottley Hall Marina? Ha!
ndp supporters are as pathetic and stupid as their party officials. I just laugh at them because they show their stupidity without shame. I think most of them don’t even realize how stupid they are.lol
Peter, your article is a cheap blow, in other words a foul against the St Vincent and the Grenadines Airport project in general, and the cultural extravaganza organized by the Rose Hall Cultural and Development Organization in conjunction with South East Development Organization in particular. One gets the impression from the first paragraph that this was a function organized by ULP party supporters, and not something conceived and promoted by the above-mentioned organizations, in conjunction with patriotic minded Vincentians, in an effort to solicit contributions to the Airport fund. The invitation specifically outlines
The Rose Hall Cultural and Development Organization in conjunction with South East Development Organization invites the public to a cultural extravaganza in support of the Argyle International Airport. Come see Vincy culture at its best and make a donation to the Argyle Airport project.
Some of the cultural items include; steel pan music, boom drum, poetry, song performances, May pole dancing, Quadrille, drama and much more. Food and drinks on sale.
The event takes place in front the offices of the International Airport Development Company (IADC).
Am I to believe from the tone of your article, and its consequent journey throughout the internet, that you attended the function just to decry and belittle the efforts of these Vincys, who came together to lend support to the Development and Construction of their International Airport ? You must be joking.
Moreover, the Chatoyer- Che Guevara contingent is almost five (5) years old, and you are just learning about it? Arent you a loser? Vincentians never objected to the contingent, so why should you? Did I read correctly “Che at Argyle – are we raving mad? ” who “we” you speaking about. The only “raving mad” person here is you.
Oh! KNIGHT in rusty armour. I actually went there to see an extravaganza and to put something in the poor box. I didn’t see an extravaganza and put nothing in the box, although I was very tempted to put a letter in there.
The real public turn out was just about nil, why because the advert said you should put something in the poor box.. There were a number of truck loads of men shipped in from Georgetown and other ULP constituencies, a few faithful party member who still don’t realise that this is really the MNU, a Marxist party. A few people with nothing else to do, and a few wasters.
They should of asked Ralph, because he knows that unless you pay the ULP mass supporters they just don’t turn up, don’t vote for you Remember Gonsalves told us he lost the referendum vote because they didn’t pay the people. Just a thousand red T shirts would of brought in another 150 or so. Fifty or a hundred dollars in envelopes could of brought in similar numbers. And to use the maypole and dancers as an egg throwing event, would of been quite novel.
More important than you and I writing crap here, is to pay the 60 land owners for their land which was compulsorily taken from them yet until today they have never been paid. Perhaps now with the 40million that Gonsalves is getting from ALBA, perhaps they will pay for the stolen land.
I am going to write a letter to the ALBA bank pointing out that the ULP government has taken the peoples land and they remain unpaid. Normal bankers would not like that kind of behaviour, but in the case of the ALBA bank, I really don’t know, they may even find this kind of behaviour stimulating and most agreeable. After all what are private people doing with land in the first place?
As for Che Guavara, he was simply a mass murderer. It seems that doesn’t matter to you in the slightest.
Peter Benoise! let’s, for arguments sake! your objections are justified, it seems you want to have an airport free of charge! your opposition leader said find the money where? Remember?
Peter Binose, I can take all of your objections one by one and shred them to pieces, but why beat a dead horse, the Prime Minister, The Hon. Ralph E. Gonsalves addressed all your crap, so why bother?
CADDY KING, I want nothing for nothing, but we were told that the coalition of the willing were paying for it because we had no money to build it ourselves.
I don’t care a damn what the opposition leader said, that is irrelevent to me. That is just smoke screen, if you can’t put forward something better than that, go get new instructions from the fat man.