COVERING CUBA 7: Che The Other Side of An Icon--Special Preview/Prologue

[lrodria1]

@4Barbudos...your name says it all. Guevara executed Cuban peasants at Sierea Maestra for simply refusing to assist his movement. His executions at La Cabana fortress were committed after Batista had fled and Castro had been welcomed to Havana. Those were retaliatory murders.

[jaums]

to RBarbudos: I'm sorry see quotes from Mrssrs. Mandela and Sartre that reflect such a lack of knowledge of Che. Perhaps the quotes are from before the real story of Che was known. His time with lepers was short--it failed to hold his interest. The "Motorcycle Diaries", letters he wrote his father & actions in Cuba show his expertise was killing human beings. The disjointed nature of his writings are not those of an intellectual & as for freedom, his actions proved only of his love for his own.

[4Barbudos]

@jaums "I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed 'an innocent'. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere."

— Jon Lee Anderson

[4Barbudos]

"Che’s life is an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom, we will always honor his memory." — Nelson Mandela

"Che is not only an intellectual, he was the most complete human being of our time, our eras most perfect man." — Jean Paul Sartre

CHE:

- Worked in a Leper colony and treated lepers (as seen in the excellent film ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’)

[MrAuelua]

i respect this guy not castro death to communists

[4Barbudos]

Read Jon Lee Anderson's 800 page "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life" to learn about the real Che.

Not a cheap video on youtube.

[Frogstomp121]

Funny how you never knew the guy but profess to know him personally, even intimately.

[jaums]

Some of the people who testify in the documentary did know him personally or professionally or had family members killed by him.

[Frogstomp121]

No doubt. Che is told from both sides, as we all are. Those that love him and those that hate him are left with his impression marked on their soul and both are right; he affected both negatively and positively. The facts they claim may or may not be true, but the feelings generally are.

The only problem with this is people who hate blindly or love blindly. Both sides see only half the picture, and Humberto Fontova is a great example of skewing the picture to see only what he wants to see.

[jaums]

Can you provide examples of the source of the love you mention?

Did you know him personally?

[Frogstomp121]

I have travelled extensively and have met people that knew him. Aside from that, there are lots of good stories in books such as Guevara Also Known As Che, Becoming Che by Calica Ferrer, Evocation, The Motorcycle Diaries, My Life With Che by Hilda Gadea for starters. There are tons of personal stories around from people that knew him such as Ferrer, Chichina Ferreyra, Alberto Granado, Oniria Gutierrez, Harry Villegas, and others. I can send you some if you are having trouble looking.

[jaums]

From your videos, we seem to be on the same anti-violence page, mostly. I don't understand your La Revolucion Cubana showing Castro & Che's pro-violent takeover of Cuba. It shows the initial welcoming of them by some, but not the summary executions (Che's first post-revolution assignment) the economic limitations, severe removal of individual freedoms and ultimate citizen discontent once Castro implemented and admitted to his form of govt. BTW, where did you get the footage?

[Frogstomp121]

There was no archival footage of La Cabana or really any of the other things you mentioned. My video covered up til Che's departure to Bolivia and I used as much as I could find from videos all over YouTube and the internet.

Are you a pacifist, or do you condemn violence but use or advocate it when it suits your own purposes? Last time I checked Batista was pro-violence and used summary executions to pacify his Caribbean haven as a puppet set up by the U.S. Do you condemn that as well?

[jaums]

It's good to know that you would have included footage of what went on at La Cabana if you could have found it. It would be interesting to see footage of Che at the window he had installed in his La Cabana office that gave him a continent view of "The Wall". There is very little photographic evidence, of course, other than the execution of Col. Rojas, because Castro knew it would come back to haunt him.

[virgolfg]

Jaums,

I hope they included the video and audio of Che at the United Nations, speaking and in his own words, stating that they had in fact executed, were executing and would continue to execute, and how the world stood by and let it happen.

[jaums]

Batista was far from my ideal but nearly saintly beside Castro, & was voted out & leaving. Castro was not needed to save Cuba from Batista. I believe in self government & am not satisfied with many of the US policies towards Cuba over the years. As for pacifism, in this ever shrinking world, when the likes of al qaeda reach out to others with violence, I believe violence is justified/required. The earth no longer has room for cultures with a built-in goal to eliminate other cultures.

[matanet7]

You are wrong, my father in law was killed by Che's orders

at the firing squad, and one of my children will be on the film.

[jaums]

@matanet7 Thanks for your comment. In my statement I should have clarified that some interviewees testified for the documentary that relatives were killed at Che's order & others sited instances in which Che himself fired the shots. May I ask the name of your child that we interviewed?

[barbyland1000]

I am the granddaughter of Col. Cornelio Rojas, my testimony is on this documentary, what is the name of your son? you mentioned he is participating also in this documentary.

Barbara Rangel

[SkinSinFilms]

@matanet7 Yeah too bad they didn't catch you too. You seem like a real scumbag.

[jrallott]

Very nice...great footage. Every college student should see this before they are miseducated by their professors.

[barbyland1000]

My name is Barbara Rangel granddaughter of Col. Cornelio Rojas, Chief of Police in Santa Clara, Cuba way before Batista came into power. My family were patriots that fought for independence against Spain. My testimony is in this documentary. Che Guevara killed my grandfather without a trial, violating his human rights. My grand fathers execution was famous because he was shot on national tv, it was the most horrific act of terrorrism ever done.

[azalori]

Asi son los asesinos cobardes, mueren despues acobardados, envueltos en su subconciencia. Perseguidospor sus actos inmorales. Mi tio murio en la prision de La Cabana en 1962. Carlos Franklin, que luego ellos mismo fusilaron, creo el paredon. Pero el che fue un Hitler.