I read this interesting blog post from La Contra Revolucion that says there are rumors about RAUL’s health.

Now I’m not here to spread the rumor but to at least pose the question - Where is Raul?

I don’t think he has been seen in public since July 26 which was over one month ago. I know he is not a public loving leader but if Fidel is dead or dying, I would say now is a good time for Raul to step up and act like the President of Cuba, or at least fake it!

Maybe Raul had a mental break down these past couple weeks. Maybe he has been drinking (more?) heavily since his wife died and since his brother is dying. Can you imagine the pressure on this guy?

Maybe Raul Castro is dead.

WOW. Miami would go crazy for a month!

when i was in Cuba in mar/Apr this year, with one Cuban that I found I could have a good political discussion with, I mentioned Raul’s age as a cause for concern on how it’s gonna go on, but he seemed undisturebed, mentioning sever names of powerful others in the government (sorry cant remember them, wish now I did though) that he thought were equally capable of taking over.  Let’s hope he’s right.  Although I would love to see Cuba turn around 180%, I’d much rpefer to see it happen though slow, wll-thought out processes, that a quick “revolutionary (even peaceful) ype change.

The names that were probably mentioned were

Ricardo Alarcon age 70

Carlos Lage 56

Felipe Perez Roque 40 or so

Did we ever hear from Pedro/Pete about “Vice President” Aldana?

Pedro/Pete has been permanently banned from the Havana Journal for making threatening statements and plagiarizing content.

Unfortunately, I have no faith in Pete’s statement about Carlos Aldana. 

Also he has claimed that Fidel was dead about two weeks ago. Only a few people have gone so far as to claim TO KNOW that Fidel is dead. Since there has been no official announcement, I am going on the assumption that Fidel is NOT dead. He may be dying but when someone posts that they know for a fact that Fidel is dead and he is not dead, that is a lie or speculation or something like that.

I have several things to add to this thread but first of all I would like to thank the publisher for banning people that have posted dubious material that does not help with productive dialogue regarding the evolution.

It would be very nice if both Carlos Lage and Felipe Perez Roque would meet with Oswaldo Paya and the other pro democracy and freedom advocators in Cuba. They all must realize that their well educated citizens could make a great new country without the interference from outsiders. Without the Castro tag, they should be be given a fair chance at slowly transitioning into a democracy with realistic social programs. Drastic change to democracy would be a disaster. Maybe all of us that participate at the Havana Journal can agree to let Cuba change and offer help when asked. We do not know all of the factors that a new Cuba faces in a stable transition but some of the forces coming out of Miami are not helping matters. When outside forces dictate to others what is right, the side that is criticized will get their back up. Having a grand plan to re-build Havana without the citizens of Havana having a say is purely insulting. It is their city, let them decide and when they need help they will ask.

HavanAndres,

Perfect. Thanks for the comment. I agree with everything except for Havana Journal members helping out. I don’t know about you but I am an outsider and might have wishes for the direction of Cuba but would not pretend to have the ability to even help a new Cuban society plan its future.

Otherwise, great post. Keep them coming.