Fidel

What are we to make of Fidel Castro, who died three days ago at the age of 90 after having dominated Cuban and global politics for so long?

It depends on who's making the argument.

Either he was a revolutionary leader who purged Cuba of a corrupt, reactionary dictator  and crony capitalism and brought equality, education and free health care to the Cuban people and fostered the fight for social justice worldwide while sticking it to the purveyors of imperialism, or he was a brutal authoritarian ruler who tolerated no dissent to his regime and drove his country to the brink of economic collapse , holding on to power on solely on the basis of his charm and personality.

I'm not going to take either side on this blog or anywhere else.  I will say this about Castro . . . 

. . . he had one hell of a beard.

Me, I'm romping, stomping, thankful as I romp . . . without freedom of speech, I might be in the swamp.