Why Fidel Castro burns his underpants, by aide who defected

[T_i_B]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article353454.ece

When you've held uninterrupted power for almost half a century, a dash of paranoia and self-indulgence is inevitable. Which is why, presumably, Fidel Castro has his underwear burnt after use, and sends aides across the Atlantic to spend a small fortune on Spanish cured ham.

Such are the latest details on the world's longest surviving head of state and government, as provided by one of his former personal assistants, Delphin Fernandez. The picture that emerges is of a man obsessed with his health, his security and with personal details of foreign businessmen planning to invest in Cuba.

In his years at the Cuban leader's side, Mr Fernandez was employed by Havana's counter intelligence service to look after the family and keep a close eye on their foreign investment contacts. Disillusioned, he defected in 1999 during a trip to Europe where he had been sent to pick up a Rottweiler dog in Germany for Fidel. He now describes the regime as "a vast lie." Cuba's people "have been enslaved as cheap labour for foreign businessmen."

But it is the details offered by Mr Fernandez, rather than his political denunciations, that are fascinating. He was told, for instance, by the President's chief bodyguard, that Castro has his old underwear incinerated so they cannot be laundered with deadly chemicals to assassinate him. On another occasion, he was despatched across the Atlantic to bring back a $2,500 consignment of 'pata negra' ham, considered Spain's finest.

[killbotfactory]

1. Uh... sure,,,,

:yoiks:




:rofl:

[dipsydoodle]

2. Hangover from Operation Mongoose

Think so anyway see for example :

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmongoose.htm

It's been the subject of numerous documentaries too.

[oblivious]

3. Poor boring Rupert Cornwall if he finds that "fascinating".

[pretzel4gore]

4. some old men burn their furniture...

i betcha oldbush and that goat barbra burn little stolen babies (for the music) yet noone cares :(

[flordehinojos]

5. might we be hearing some similar tales about the bushcoes?

we already know the bushit is paranoid as hell!

[bemildred]

6. This is very funny:

Mr Fernandez is perhaps a biased witness, who makes a living in Miami from a TV show where he dishes the dirt on Fidel and his brother and probable successor Raul. "Cuba has a death sentence against me for high treason," he told the Miami Herald this week.

But former specialists from the CIA - which for decades has been vainly trying to get rid of Castro, by means that include coups, poison and exploding cigars - say his allegations are highly credible.

Heck, anything a "former specialist" from the CIA says must be so, eh?
:rofl::rofl:

But seriously, about Cuba, consider this: Castro's predecessor was booted out on his ass by a popular insurrection lead by Castro, despite that fact that the US thought Batista was a great fellow. Castro has been there 46 years or so, despite the most vigorous efforts of the US national security apparatus to dislodge him. So where is the popular insurrection against Castro? Why has the US failed to destabilize Castro's Cuba when it has succeeded in so many other places?