A Very Unhappy Birthday

Unfortunately for the people of Cuba, today was Fidel Castro's 79th birthday. On Friday, some of the Cuban dictator's thugs and lackeys decided to "celebrate" in a manner that undoubtedly met with the "Maximum Leader's" approval:

Supporters of President Fidel Castro staged angry demonstrations outside the homes of two dissidents on Friday in response to the Cuban leader's call to block opposition activity.

About 100 people chanted "Fidel, Fidel" outside the home of leading dissident Vladimiro Roca and prevented members of his Todos Unidos (All United) opposition group from entering the house for a meeting.

The angry crowd accused Roca of being a "mercenary" on the payroll of the U.S. government and shouted "lackey" and "worm," frequent epithets for opponents of Cuba's Communist government.

"The only meeting here is ours," Juan Laguna, a 70-year-old Communist Party militant. Speakers heckled Roca from a microphone and speaker set up across the street for the rally, which was organized by party officials using walkie-talkies.

"This is like a fascist lynching from the days of Hitler and Mussolini," said Roca, the son on a founding father of Cuban Communism and a former MiG pilot turned Castro critic.

A second counterdemonstration prevented fellow dissident Leon Padron from leaving his home to attend the meeting. The crowd sang happy birthday to Castro, who will be 79 on Saturday.


Those who are always shrieking about the alleged "crushing of dissent" under the horrible Bushitler need only glance 90 miles south of Florida to see what actual dictatorship looks like.