Many people may not actually believe me when I say that no one desires more fervently than I that the Babalunians grow in wisdom and maturity and stop embarrassing the rest of us with their amateurishness and improvisation. But, in truth, I am their well-wisher, now and always. If I sometimes flog them with a belt, I never use the buckle end. Indeed, if I am to be faulted for anything, it is probably for my tendency to use more balm than leather, true, always, to Marti's legacy.
It is very different with them. Lately I've received credible reports of just how deeply Val & Company hate me. Generally speaking, people will hate someone who makes them look stupid more than they'll hate someone who bashes their heads with a brick. They hate me because I dare to criticize them. They hate me because I do it very well. But, mostly, they hate me because this blog shows others that they can challenge them, too. They could almost withstand the criticism if it came from any other pen but mine. But there is no answering me and they don't even try anymore after their esteemed leader attempted it and had to withdraw (that is, delete) his own comments within 3 hours of posting them and retreat again into silence. I think their strategy is to wait for me to disappear. In fact, I am not quite sure that if given a choice between funerals they would schedule Fidel's before mine. That is who they are. But, in my heart, there is only forbearance for their limitations and a desire to expand their knowledge and effectiveness. This, however, necessarily entails correcting their errors. There is no other way to open the path of truth to them.
I confess that I enjoy dissecting The Babalú [Faux] Radio Hour more than I do Babalú blog. The editorialists on Babalú are their studied selves. People are watching, you know. Hell, I'm watching! But no one is listening to the Babalú [Faux] Radio Hour so it is there that they can be their unstudied selves. That is, their real selves. And what a study in ignorance, pretentiousness and hubris Val, Henry & George are! ["Look ma, he's including me with Val & Henry!").
The 20th edition of their faux radio hour was unique in that George Moneo was the sole host. Val did call in as usual lately and complained that he was kept waiting on the line 15 minutes by Moneo. Henry was not heard or mentioned on the program. Perhaps he has had enough; we certainly have. The official guests on the show were CubaWatcher Anatasio Blanco (not his real name), who is so jealous of his privacy that he would not even confirm that he lived in the North East, and Uncommon Sense's Marc Masferrer, the Cuban blogosphere's only professional English-language journalist.
It was the first time that I had heard Marc and I was impressed by the fact that he did not say anything stupid. No, my expectations are not high. But how could they be after 20 weeks of hearing this crap drop? Marc is someone who is fair by nature, but, unfortunately, can be compelled to act contrary to his nature, which is sad. I will always be grateful to him for having linked to RCAB on his blog for about 2 weeks before being browbeaten by Val into severing the connection. But it was long enough for the Babalunians and future BUCLers to come on board and here they have remained like crows on a power line. Sampling the waters of tolerance again 2 weeks ago Marc linked to an article I wrote on Fred Thompson's anti-cubanism, but even though he took care to cover himself this time ["Here's a strongly worded, and well-crafted, reminder that Thompson and other candidates may disappoint when it comes to the Cuba-related interests of Cuban American voters. I just wish the writer wouldn't make it so much about something so petty, as well"], Val would still not allow even so frivolous a connection and ordered Marc to delete it from his blog. It always amazes me how superior men will pamper and placate inferior ones. But, then again, that is the history of the Cuban Revolution in a nutshell.
The program trodded along quite innocuously until Val erupted on the scene via telephone. It did not take him long to pronounce the most stupid and shameless paean that anyone can utter in praise of the tyrant. It was all the more astonishing because Val had actually delivered himself of an accurate assessment on how Castro had manipulated the media into believing and never questioning the lies pressed on them by his regime, which they in turn transformed into myths.
But Val himself believes the biggest myth of all: "The only thing he [Fidel] has is that affable character, that charisma that everybody talks about." Wow! Fidel has an "affable character?" Fidel is not even affable with his friends. In fact, the only thing more dangerous than being Fidel's enemy is being Fidel's friend. No man can be called "affable" whose presence every Cuban dreads as the Romans dreaded Caligula's. But even this is nothing compared to his allusion to "that charisma that everybody talks about." My God, when was the last time I heard anyone refer to Castro's "charisma?" It has been a while. Old people's "charisma" is not generally of interest to the world.
"Charisma," Val says. It must be wonderful to be able to use words with no inkling of what they mean. "Charisma," of course, means to possess an extraordinary power given to a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church. Castro, in fact, is an anti-charismatic, since he serves another master and his actions profit only himself. There is no more obscene coupling than Castro and charisma. Are you unsure? Here's the other meaning of charisma: "Christ-like."
Not to be outdone since yesterday it was his show, Moneo chimed-in with the second most stupid thing said on the show last night: "I agree [with Val]. I've always said that he [Fidel] was one of the smartest politicians who ever lived — a master at doing what he's done." Wow. George too merits a "Wow!" So Fidel Castro, in George estimation, is not only a "politician" but "one of the smartest who ever lived!" So he's up there with Jefferson and Lincoln, right? Except — a very big except — that Castro is not a politician at all. It is impossible to be the only politician in a country because politics necessarily demands more than one. Castro is a dictator, a tyrant and a despot; and, at one time, was even a satrap; but he is no politician. And, since he is not a "politician" he cannot be be "one of the smartest." First you must belong to the species to claim to be a subspecies ("one of the smartest who ever lived"). And then there is that peculiar assertion that Fidel "is a master at doing what he's done." And what would that be? Destroy his country and the lives of his countrymen? I did not know that they gave a Master's degree in that or that having done so (that is, destroyed a country and its people) bestows upon a man the title of "master" in any sense.
So there you have it, in their own words, the sum and total of Val and George's knowledge of Castro. I only regret that Henry was not present because we could have depended upon him to up the ante.
After Val's call, more than half of BUCL converged on the show (maybe it was the 1st reunion of this defunct organization). One final observation: I think it's neat that there is an anti-Castro blogger who uses the expression "honky dorey" and another who uses "nigga" as a familiar form of address. The tent must always be made bigger, never smaller.
It is very different with them. Lately I've received credible reports of just how deeply Val & Company hate me. Generally speaking, people will hate someone who makes them look stupid more than they'll hate someone who bashes their heads with a brick. They hate me because I dare to criticize them. They hate me because I do it very well. But, mostly, they hate me because this blog shows others that they can challenge them, too. They could almost withstand the criticism if it came from any other pen but mine. But there is no answering me and they don't even try anymore after their esteemed leader attempted it and had to withdraw (that is, delete) his own comments within 3 hours of posting them and retreat again into silence. I think their strategy is to wait for me to disappear. In fact, I am not quite sure that if given a choice between funerals they would schedule Fidel's before mine. That is who they are. But, in my heart, there is only forbearance for their limitations and a desire to expand their knowledge and effectiveness. This, however, necessarily entails correcting their errors. There is no other way to open the path of truth to them.
I confess that I enjoy dissecting The Babalú [Faux] Radio Hour more than I do Babalú blog. The editorialists on Babalú are their studied selves. People are watching, you know. Hell, I'm watching! But no one is listening to the Babalú [Faux] Radio Hour so it is there that they can be their unstudied selves. That is, their real selves. And what a study in ignorance, pretentiousness and hubris Val, Henry & George are! ["Look ma, he's including me with Val & Henry!").
The 20th edition of their faux radio hour was unique in that George Moneo was the sole host. Val did call in as usual lately and complained that he was kept waiting on the line 15 minutes by Moneo. Henry was not heard or mentioned on the program. Perhaps he has had enough; we certainly have. The official guests on the show were CubaWatcher Anatasio Blanco (not his real name), who is so jealous of his privacy that he would not even confirm that he lived in the North East, and Uncommon Sense's Marc Masferrer, the Cuban blogosphere's only professional English-language journalist.
It was the first time that I had heard Marc and I was impressed by the fact that he did not say anything stupid. No, my expectations are not high. But how could they be after 20 weeks of hearing this crap drop? Marc is someone who is fair by nature, but, unfortunately, can be compelled to act contrary to his nature, which is sad. I will always be grateful to him for having linked to RCAB on his blog for about 2 weeks before being browbeaten by Val into severing the connection. But it was long enough for the Babalunians and future BUCLers to come on board and here they have remained like crows on a power line. Sampling the waters of tolerance again 2 weeks ago Marc linked to an article I wrote on Fred Thompson's anti-cubanism, but even though he took care to cover himself this time ["Here's a strongly worded, and well-crafted, reminder that Thompson and other candidates may disappoint when it comes to the Cuba-related interests of Cuban American voters. I just wish the writer wouldn't make it so much about something so petty, as well"], Val would still not allow even so frivolous a connection and ordered Marc to delete it from his blog. It always amazes me how superior men will pamper and placate inferior ones. But, then again, that is the history of the Cuban Revolution in a nutshell.
The program trodded along quite innocuously until Val erupted on the scene via telephone. It did not take him long to pronounce the most stupid and shameless paean that anyone can utter in praise of the tyrant. It was all the more astonishing because Val had actually delivered himself of an accurate assessment on how Castro had manipulated the media into believing and never questioning the lies pressed on them by his regime, which they in turn transformed into myths.
But Val himself believes the biggest myth of all: "The only thing he [Fidel] has is that affable character, that charisma that everybody talks about." Wow! Fidel has an "affable character?" Fidel is not even affable with his friends. In fact, the only thing more dangerous than being Fidel's enemy is being Fidel's friend. No man can be called "affable" whose presence every Cuban dreads as the Romans dreaded Caligula's. But even this is nothing compared to his allusion to "that charisma that everybody talks about." My God, when was the last time I heard anyone refer to Castro's "charisma?" It has been a while. Old people's "charisma" is not generally of interest to the world.
"Charisma," Val says. It must be wonderful to be able to use words with no inkling of what they mean. "Charisma," of course, means to possess an extraordinary power given to a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church. Castro, in fact, is an anti-charismatic, since he serves another master and his actions profit only himself. There is no more obscene coupling than Castro and charisma. Are you unsure? Here's the other meaning of charisma: "Christ-like."
Not to be outdone since yesterday it was his show, Moneo chimed-in with the second most stupid thing said on the show last night: "I agree [with Val]. I've always said that he [Fidel] was one of the smartest politicians who ever lived — a master at doing what he's done." Wow. George too merits a "Wow!" So Fidel Castro, in George estimation, is not only a "politician" but "one of the smartest who ever lived!" So he's up there with Jefferson and Lincoln, right? Except — a very big except — that Castro is not a politician at all. It is impossible to be the only politician in a country because politics necessarily demands more than one. Castro is a dictator, a tyrant and a despot; and, at one time, was even a satrap; but he is no politician. And, since he is not a "politician" he cannot be be "one of the smartest." First you must belong to the species to claim to be a subspecies ("one of the smartest who ever lived"). And then there is that peculiar assertion that Fidel "is a master at doing what he's done." And what would that be? Destroy his country and the lives of his countrymen? I did not know that they gave a Master's degree in that or that having done so (that is, destroyed a country and its people) bestows upon a man the title of "master" in any sense.
So there you have it, in their own words, the sum and total of Val and George's knowledge of Castro. I only regret that Henry was not present because we could have depended upon him to up the ante.
After Val's call, more than half of BUCL converged on the show (maybe it was the 1st reunion of this defunct organization). One final observation: I think it's neat that there is an anti-Castro blogger who uses the expression "honky dorey" and another who uses "nigga" as a familiar form of address. The tent must always be made bigger, never smaller.
6 comments:
I agree with you (me). Val knows nothing and George less. Together they are a negative number of knowledge. A failure of intellect. Dismal. They do not know how to comport themselves in the presence of of my (our) superior intellect. They are nothing, a zero, a null. No, wait a minute, they are less than nothing.
Everybody knows that my (our) analysis of things Cuban is the only acceptable one. There it is! I am the only voice! When will they learn to finally silence their meager contributions, their crumbs, and defer to me (us). Thank God I (we) exist, because the world would be a sad and empty place.
Please pass the oats.
No one — certainly not I — has prevented any Babalunian from expressing his opinion. I, of course, do not have to agree with that opinion and I don't.
It is not my problem that you think of ourselves as "nothing, a zero, a null" or even "less than nothing."
There is no question, however, from the censorship practiced at Babalú that you do aspire to be the only voice.
You are not. Nor will you be as long as I can help it.
Mi cielo ¡no te pongas tan bravo! I agree with you (me)! You (I) know full well that they know nothing and I'm agreeing with you (me). We are the only ones with the intellect necessary to reflect on these issues.
Why do you get so angry? You know how anger makes you (me). If you get angry you'll get diarrhea again. Cálmate...
I commend your efforts to learn Spanish. It's about time. If you need any help, please let me know.
How retarted must one be Cuban or otherwise to utter such nonsense, Castro is not charismatic or a politician, he's a tyrant, who has sunk Cuba into despair, a fourth world country, not even a third, who gives a damn about only himself, who uses people, and lies, to gratify only himself, one word that fits him is megalomaniac, no other will do.
Guess Val is joining the ranks of people such as Oliver Stone, who think of the beast as charismatic, and a politician who has outwitted Washington, please give me a break
OOOOOPS retarded*
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