Rumors of Fidel Castro's death have been causing quite a stir today, both on the Internet and in Miami. Why am I writing about this, you ask? It's true that the closest thing to a dictator I usually pretend to know stuff about is Lindsay Lohan. But this time, the news came from one of our own ("our own" being bitchy bloggers), self-proclaimed "Queen of All Media" Perez Hilton:
Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly to announce the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
South Florida police organizations are calling in reinforcements before the announcement is made, were told.
PerezHilton.com was the first media outlet in the world to break the news of Castros death. We posted THIS ITEM on it last week!!!!
A Cuban broke the story of the oppressive ogres passing. We are soooo proud and happy!!!
He also posted this earlier today:
The announcement of Fidel Castros death will be made at approximately 4:00 P.M. Eastern, PerezHilton.com has just been updated exclusively.
To everyone in Miami, please be mindful of each other and keep your safety in mind.
WTF, I thought. Has Perez scooped The New York Times, the Associated Press, and CNN on the death of one of the world's most revered and reviled Communist dictators, thus proving his alleged queenship over the media? Have his dishy items on Brangelina, Paris and Nicole proven so irresistible that even high-ranking officials in Castro's government are unable to keep classified information from him? I can just see it now: the official sweats as he weighs his options:
"I know I could be executed for this...but evil American blog... so... juicy... must... tell... secrets!"
But hold your horses: before I could get on my riot gear, 4 p.m. came and went, and no announcement was made. The AP, whom I tend to trust more than celebrity bloggers on these matters, said that though the rumors are seriously swirling, there's been nothing but official denials from the Cuban government thus far.
Not to be dissuaded, Perez posted this:
The Truth Will Come Out
We stand by our story 100%.
Fidel Castro is dead!
The only way the Cuban government can settle this once and for all, though, is to parade him (alive) around Havana this weekend. No pictures or video!
The logistics of how we will see said procession without pictures or video aside, I'm a bit puzzled by Perez's behavior. I guess he's hedging his bets on the rumor being true, and by claiming to have "sources" on it before anyone else, hoping to take over the blogosphere and perhaps eventually the world (maybe he'll be the fab new dictator of Cuba?) But is a calling-out from a man with multicolored hair who named himself after Paris freaking Hilton really going to topple the Cuban government and American media power structure all at once?
My advice to Perez is to just give it up. All of us shiftless celebu-bloggers have aspirations of breaking some uber-important "news" item and thereby justifying our existence...hell, I've even been known to don a suit on occasion and make my boy-toys call me "Katie Couric" during intimacy time.* But it seems like someone is trying to make it a little more than a bedtime fantasy. Perez needs to get on top of his celebutard reporting game before he starts trying to be the gay Walter Cronkite. As one observant commenter put it:
soooo.. Perez took like 80 years to report Nicole going into jail. And then posted it after she had already been released, but is the authority on world leaders.
Stop now, Perez, before you lose all of that hard earned credibility you've built up over the years!
Or maybe you are the new essential source on world events. I'd congratulate you on your newfound legitimacy, but all these monkeys keep flying out of my butt, making speech difficult.
Here is what I think about the Miami Cubans and Castro's death:
The Extreme Right Miami Cubans are so desperate that the USA may in fact normalize relations with Cuba - which will result in loosing their potential wind-fall - thinking that they will all go back and retrieve their homes, property and businesses - with USA support - thus they are making the death of Castro a greater issue than what it would be. Not happening - the boy is alive - still.
They are so convinced of their own 45 year propaganda that Cuba is ruled by one single-person-dictator who controls 11.6 million people, the land the size of Pennsylvania and manages 65,000 social and medical workers across the planet. They really believe that upon Castro's death the whole population of Cuba will be screaming for the Miami-Cubans to come and save them. It makes for a good move but anyone who has been to Cuba or reads rather than watches Fox News, knows their propaganda is a joke.
I hope Castro is alive and shows up somewhere even if he dies the next 3 minutes after his appearance. I also hope we can support the Cubans in Cuba to control their own country, maintain self determination and not develop the representative democracy (a joke) we in the USA enjoy or the abusive capitalism and the consumerism that is destroying humanity as we know it.
I also hope we can support the Cubans in Cuba to control their own country, maintain self determination and not develop the representative democracy (a joke) we in the USA enjoy or the abusive capitalism and the consumerism that is destroying humanity as we know it.
How is the USA so bad when even the poorest Americans are better off than middle class cubans.
I hope all the crappy South American dictators die, hopefully painfully. Their governments aren't at all anything glorious or revolutionary, just theft and corruption.
Maybe you have never seen poverty in America - remember that there is a minimum wage in America because people do make just that - the minimum. True Cubans live on the equivalent to $15 to $20 a month - But you have not seen how Cubans live on that in Cuba - either. Most if not all the Dictators in South America have been supported and placed in power by the USA, as of today Castro is the only one remaining. My point is that the US should not interfere in Cuba or finance the Miami-Cubans war with Castro - for almost 50 years we have been doing just that to the tone of $250 million a year of your tax dollars. Imagine that goes directly to Miami-Cuban Groups.
freshprncebelair said:
How is the USA so bad when even the poorest Americans are better off than middle class cubans.
I hope all the crappy South American dictators die, hopefully painfully. Their governments aren't at all anything glorious or revolutionary, just theft and corruption.
DONCARLOS said:... as of today Castro is the only one remaining...
I agree with what you have said about poverty and the USA's propensity for installing and supporting dictators. However I disagree with your quote above. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is already archived dictator status. Evo Morales of Bolivia is working hard to join them as a dictator.
We should end the ineffective boycott of Cuba that only serves to hurt the Cuban people and not the Cuban leaders. We have long traded with more repressive regimes like the former Soviet Union and Peoples Republic of China. Free trade and travel will do more to change the Cuban government than an embargo that has not worked for almost 50 years.
I live in Miami, the entire city knew the rumor.. I actually got a call from a friend who had a friend that worked in the Continental Hotel (the supposed conference site) where cops were swarming way before Perez broke the story.. he didn't have a scoop, he just bought a rumor even my grandma laughed at! :p
As much as I will party it up once Castro dies.. I'm not in much of a hurry.. he is suffering from a very painful condition(diverticulitis) and I like to savor the thoughts of this disgusting man slowly being poisoned by his own shit..
I'll leave you with a scoop straight from "my sources"..
My sources (aka my grandma) have spoken to their informanants in Cuba (aka my great grandma and company) and apparently they've practically stopped selling flowers... is there some world flower shortage? are they being saved for a giant funeral perhaps? is this just a elaborate mind game being played on the Cuban people?
Quick someone call Perez Hilton and tell him he's been outscooped!
If Castro falls.... it will be a huge boon to Democrats in 2008. Florida has effectively maintained "swing state" status because the bulk of Miami Cubans have been voting Republican, mainly due to the Republicans' hard-line stance against Castro. Forget the fact that it has been utterly ineffective (Castro has outlasted nine presidential administrations, and potentially a tenth if he hangs on for another year), it's been an easy way for the party to gain political favor in a state that controls a lot of electoral votes.
If Castro's death precipitates the installation of a US-friendly, democratic government in Cuba, there were no longer be a need for Miami Cubans to support Republicans - which means their votes will be up for grabs.
Hunter
SUICIDEGIRL
New York, USA
AUG 25, 2007 03:55 PM