Fidel Castro

                 Fidel Castro has finally died, but Cuba is not free. Castro died on Saturday, 26 November 2016, but the island nation is still ruled by his dictator brother. The Castro brothers have reigned in Cuba for more than 60 years. Instead of freedom and prosperity, they brought poverty to their nation and forced many freedom-loving Cubans to leave their country, be jailed, or be killed.

                While many world leaders, including Barack Obama, offered condolences to the Castro family, two U.S. Senators with Cuban ancestry told the real story. One of the Senators, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), sent the following tweet: “President Obama issued a pathetic statement on death of dictator #FidelCastro with no mention of thousands he killed & imprisoned. #Cuba”

                Senator Rubio also published the following statement:  “Fidel Castro seized power promising to bring freedom and prosperity to Cuba, but his communist regime turned it into an impoverished island prison. Over six decades, millions of Cubans were forced to flee their own country, and those accused of opposing the regime were routinely jailed and even killed.

                “Sadly, Fidel Castro’s death does not mean freedom for the Cuban people or justice for the democratic activists, religious leaders, and political opponents he and his brother have jailed and persecuted. The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not. And one thing is clear, history will not absolve Fidel Castro; it will remember him as an evil, murderous dictator who inflicted misery and suffering on his own people.

                “The future of Cuba ultimately remains in the hands of the Cuban people, and now more than ever Congress and the new administration must stand with them against their brutal rulers and support their struggle for freedom and basic human rights.”

                Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) stated, “Fidel Castro’s death cannot bring back his thousands of victims, nor can it bring comfort to their families.” He added, “Today we remember them and honor the brave souls who fought the lonely fight against the brutal Communist dictatorship he imposed on Cuba.”

                These two Senators have personal and family history with Cuba. Senator Cruz is the son of a Cuban father who was fortunate enough to escape from Cuba in 1957. Senator Rubio’s parents left Cuba in 1956 before Castro came to power.

                I feel certain that Senators Cruz and Rubio have more information about what really happened in Cuba in the 1950s than Barack Obama or any of the other world leaders who feel so badly that Fidel Castro passed away. The Senators are joined by other Americans with Cuban ancestry who are celebrating the death of a dictator.