Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Raúl's Backside: Attention Must Be Paid

Killcastro reproduced recently a startling photograph of Raúl Castro standing in reverent posture in front of his and Vilma's final resting place. It consists of a massive rock on which there is a bronze plaque with the coat-of-arms of Cuba, franked on either side by the names "Raúl" and "Vilma." I guess they left off "Castro" in the (futile) hope that it might diminish the possibility of its desecration.

The prodigious Matt is at 20, I believe, the youngest Cuban-American blogger. The reading list in his "Profile" is very impressive indeed. But to get to my point, Matt left the following comment on Killcastro regarding the Raúl picture described above:

"The guy holding the flower kinda looks like how I imagine Raul looking from the back, minus being dead of course."

Now that Matt mentions it, a photograph of Raúl's backside is indeed of historical significance. So much of our history in the last 48 years emanates from his backside. Indeed, his backside is an authentic legend of the Revolution (and there are not many of those).

Until only recently, Raúl's backside was more famous and talked about in Cuba than Fidel's. But in his final days, Fidel, determined to eclipse Raúl in everything even as he elevated him to supreme power, managed to take from his baby brother the only distinction that was uniquely his own; and now it is Fidel's ass (or the lack thereof) that will enter the annals of history, not Raúl's. After all the yeoman service it has done (or should I say servicing by yeomen?), it isn't fair. Sad in a way, too; and hysterically funny in hundreds of ways.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Oh, yes, the photograph; you'll have to go to Killcastro's to see it. And, yeah, Raúl is holding a pink flower:

http://www.killcastro.com/blog/2007/06/reserved-place.html

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a very interesting photograph Manuel, pink flower and all....

Anonymous said...

Manuel, they left out their surnames (every body else who is interred in that no so hallowed ground bears at least one surname) because of their monumental arrogance: the members of the top echelon of infamy in Cuba go by one name.

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

Charlie:

The question is — What shall we do with this rock garden of traitors? Bulldoze it, dynamite it, oh the little details!

Anonymous said...

yes, Manuel, a little detail indeed, when the time comes, that should be blown up to smithereens. Not a difficult job!

Vana said...

LMAO.. Manuel very funny the way you put it, for it is true that the queen of mean's backside has been very much talked about, and now kaggastro eclipses little brother again, lol, and the pink flower LMAO.
Of course we will bulldoze it, dynamite it, and desecrate it.