ELENATION

I'm sorry that you are going through this.... he should take responsability...and I really hope that Marissa gets better! my heart goes out to you. Elena PS: Maybe you could call the insurance company and see if they can provide it for you..? he may have to do it, but it's worth trying...

Oh MsPruett, here I am crying while I read your letter....I lost my dad 31 years ago and I miss him every day.... I also lost my mom 4 years ago and I miss her so much too...I know how you feel, I'm sorry...your dad sounds like a GREAT person! you were lucky to have him! Elena:kiss

And I also want to hear about your experience in Russia!

Oh Gadgetlady, thank you so much! I think the thread could be interesting... I just feel that most people really don't care much though..., but maybe I'm wrong.. but it's worth to give it a try....I'll do it after the holidays... or if someone would like to start it, I'd definitely contribute to it!

Thank you Green...I apologize for the hi-jacking myself....

Unreal....:omg:

I'm with you:clap2:

Dear Green, I'm going through memory lane here reading your post... Yes, that man would've been in trouble if he gets caught talking to tourists.... and most people don't dare to even talk at all, and if they do, most of the times they don't say anything negative about the government because they don't trust anybody....they are afraid..., there is a heavy and strick monitoring system in Cuba and there are groups that are trained to trick you into saying negative things about the government and then, they will call themselves the "G-2" which is the state security agency...you know, like CIA... and have you arrested and then you can be interrogated and tortured as long as they want to, all just based on any comment that you could've made about the government, and it doesn't have to be a threatening comment, just anything negative...and if they feel like you are "not cooperating" they send you to prison, for years, as long as they want to...sometimes they execute you too.... I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth, the sad truth... so that poor man was probably so desperate that he didn't care about the consequences and he talked....and said what he felt...actually that's courageous there.... the older generations do it a little bit more often, they feel they have nothing to lose anymore... and sure there are some brave young souls there too, the ones that gladly go to prison standing for their principles and values against all odds.... but not as many, because they have families and they fear for their families.... what may happen to them if they go to prison, the government also persecute their families, and there are thousands and more that have risked their lives in home made rafts because they rather die than keep living like that.... And it's interesting that this man that you talked to was a black man, because it's common to hear that Castro gave a "beter" life and "opportunities to the poor, the black people....that's also false.... I lived in Miami for over 20 years it's biggest population among the hispanics is cuban, and the biggest cuban population in the US and you'd be surprised to see many black cubans, many of them....and many that came from poor background.... It's been nice talking about this with you Green! THanks for listening. Elena:biggrin1:

Thank you Secretstolen... you know, if felt so good to write it all... recently a dear friend who I shared all this with, told me that I should keep on sharing it, so that people really know the truth, I usually don't talk about this, it's pretty painful... but it happened that this thread started... and I'm grateful for it, it felt really good writing it all. It felt so liberating..:biggrin1:

Thank you Sfeiner... I've come a long way...I have definitely healed a lot.... not 100% because the memories are there and you just can't get rid of them.... but time does help heal a lot.... I know and I'm sure that many people in Cuba have gone and are still going through more than I went through... I was one of the lucky ones that was able to escape, thank you for your prayers. Elena:clap2:

Oh Green, what a story! I must say it's very typical....for one thing, when tourists go to Cuba, they visit nice hotels that are owned now by other countries like France, Spain... and I'm not sure how much they can see of the real Cuba now.... but I know it was just like you described it before.... cubans that live there cannot visit these hotels....if I were to go there, I could.... but if it's a cuban that lives there, they are not allowed anywhere near the tourists areas.....which is sad... I have heard now that they even re-use the straws....so it's not safe to drink from straws...and I've heard many other disgusting things... and yes, if a tourist goes sight seeing in a group, obviously all managed by Castro... it will be totally related to the revolution/communism.... nobody gets the real truth.... many of the historical buildings in Havana are destroyed, but they left the front walls standing only, so that the tourists can look at them, but you can't go in, there is nothing there but debris... "nice" restaurants are also not available to cubans there.... and I can go on and on.... Something that has always been my experience is that whenever someone tells me that they are communists, or that they like communism and they think is great or that it's mostly good, it's someone that has never lived under such regime, someone that has never experienced it.... it's usually someone that either visited a communist country and they showed them the "positive" things about communism, which are really non-existing.... but they just sound good... or someone that has read about it.... and since the idealism of it sounds good, therefore what you read may sound good, but it just doesn't work when is actually put to practice... all you have to do is read a Carl Marx book and you'll think that communism is like living in the Garden of Eden.. just like your friend thought... it all sounds like heaven on earth and so very fair.... but it truly isn't, it doesn't work, it's actually the opposite... it is an extremely unfair regime...to say the least... and they brainwash people, including tourists, just everybody.... through books....they use whatever they can, they lie... it's ridiculous... I will say that it's a pretty little island... beautiful beaches....and people can be warm.... at least for the most part... LOL! Thank you for answering and for your interest in Cuba... most people don't want to hear it and don't even care...LOL! which who can blame them after all....it's been almost 49 years.... it seems like a lost cause....:faint:

Thank you much! I will look him up! I hope I get lucky, I need a fill! if I find it, I will sure let you know! thanks again so much! Elena:o

Yes, I totally agree...

Thank you....it's hard to really understand unless you were there... it really is...

To Fidel Castro: I still haven't been able to forgive you for what you did to my family and I don't know if I could ever forgive you... I would like to, I don't like the burden of hatred, but it's so hard... You and your people burnt my grandparents home, they were left with nothing after they worked so hard and so long for what they had, they ended up homeless, and all just because they didn't agree with you . You terrorized my family over and over, in the middle of the night you sent your low life people and teared my house apart, they pushed my great aunt around so hard until she collapsed on the floor, he was in her 70's...you humilliated my family over and over.... My family and I had a hard time finding something to eat, something to wear, how to get to places, life was so hard... there were so many tears...so much pain... my childhood was completely taken away from me, by you... You took away my parents home after my father worked so hard to pay it. You and your nasty dogs harrassed me in school just because my family wasn't communist, just because we were Christian.. they called me names, threw eggs and rocks at me, humilliated me..broke me down... you trained those people, you were proud of them... I never knew what a new toy was, or a new dress or a new pair of shoes..or what a Christmas tree was for 15 years of my life. Your so called "great health care" is such a lie, you lie to the world.... my grandmother was dropped on the cold dirty floor of the hospital because the sheets of her bed were so worn out, she broke her hip, she was almost 80 years old, she almost died...I still remember some "security guy" laughing at her...my uncle almost died waiting for his epilepsy medication.. while in the international floor where you and your camrades were treated had everything, every possible medication that you could ever need. Because of you my father went to prison, just because he told one of your people how he felt , that's all he did...I can still see him handcuffed and taken away in front of me and I was 8 years old, and I knew that he has committed no crime.. I was so sad.. When our family wanted to leave and find a better life, it was you who prevented it for 15 years and my father died right after we got here... I resent you for that, and for everything you did to us, to my friends, you and your filthy people did the same things to my friends, I saw families separated for decades because of you.... I had friends whose fathers and other family members were killed by your firing squads.. again, for no valid reason, maybe because of a rumor that they didn't agree with your ideas... there was no discrimination, young, old, black, white, you always killed them in the middle of the night trying to erase evidence... my friends couldn't even say good bye to their fathers... I was separated from my mother for more than 20 years... you are cruel, you are a murderer, you are a thief, ou are a liar, you are not a human being to me, you are a filthy pig with an evil spirit... you tried to destroy my life, my family, my friends's lives... and millions of cubans...you succeeded most of the time, but not always... I finally escaped the prison that Cuba is, I was stronger than you thought, you couldn't brake my spirit completely....I survived.. I know that we all pay the consequences for our actions and I know you will be no exception.... I could keep writing for days and days... non-stop...about the horrors and crimes that you have commited against humanity... but you are not even worth my time or energy, you are scum..I'm glad I'm able to write this letter...I'm free now...I can do whatever I want and say whatever I want... with me, you didn't win, My heart does ache for so many that are still opressed by you, but it won't be forever, I promise you.

LOL!!! Oh no! poor Rudy! well, with all the advanced procedures now a days, he'll get his hair transplant before the elections....:scared: I loved those Hillary pictures! So hard to pick my favorite!!!!!!!!:noidea:

Ohhhhh gee!!!!!! and I'm in Chicago! so I won't miss all the action!:usa2:

LOL!!!!!!!! Oh Green... you are too funny! I do love your answer....! very smart! Hillary has sort of a bigger butt and Giulliani has a big forehead, well, sort of going bold.....:rolleyes:I wonder how they could use these features....?:opps2:

Cute? Oh no Green! those big, big, big ears.......:bounce:

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

DITTO;):scared:

and I won't be here...I didn't assume anything, from all the posts/threads that I've read from you in the past including this one, I now have an opinion about you, based on everything I read...that's all, not reading between any lines... keep enjoing...

I clicked to read some of the answers.... but I totally agree, I thought, I don't know why........ it was going to be an ignorant thread.... thank you.

Did you start this thread to get answers to your questions, because you actually have an interest on the topics or just to create problems among people here? it seems like you are enjoying it in not such healthy way... mormons? mormons what? what about mormons? what's your point? I will clarify that I'm not one, but is your agenda now to try to get mormons to join the fight? I've said it before, I just don't trust you.... and sorry if you don't like my post... but I felt like saying this....:faint:

Did you start this thread to get answers to your questions, because you actually have an interest on the topics or just to create problems among people here? it seems like you are enjoying it in not such healthy way... mormons? mormons what? what about mormons? ;)what's your point? I will clarify that I'm not one, but is your agenda now to try to get mormons to join the fight? I've said it before, I just don't trust you.... and sorry if you don't like my post... but I felt like saying this....