Radio Muerto
Stop copying Castro: Let's get it out of the way: I am Cuban-born, a Marielita, and I also have a brain. After reading your story about how dying hardline Cubans and corporate mergers are killing right-wing Cuban radio in Miami ("Dead Air," Francisco Alvarado, August 30), I have to agree with the most basic point that these stations make — that the Castros are hateful tyrants. The biggest problem is that these commentators are exactly like the people they are criticizing.
If there is one thing I've learned growing up in this country, it is that if we are to be considered the "good guys," we can't act exactly like the "bad guys." Firing people and canceling their shows just because you disagree with their political point of view, cherry-picking the good but not talking about the bad or the ugly parts of your views or politicians, and blowing people up or threatening to kill people because they have a different political viewpoint are the hallmarks of tyranny.
It seems to me that there is not a sliver of daylight between these right-wing, foaming-at-the-mouth ideologues and the Castro brothers' regime they so want to liberate us from. They aren't liberating us; they are taking us out of one viewpoint and subscribing us to a completely opposite and equally intransigent viewpoint with no room for dissent.
The problem is that no matter how much you try to reason with these people that they should not behave this way, they will never change. They will never change because they believe that they are right and that their means justify their ends. I can say that because my parents have always been Republicans. They are poor, ignorant people who believe everything the Republicans tell them because one time in 1980, Ronald Reagan said "Castro is bad" and Jimmy Carter didn't.
I've tried to explain to them that it was Jimmy Carter who authorized Mariel and that if Reagan had been in power when it happened, we would not be living in this country, but to no avail. One day, I finally pinned down my stepfather and asked him why he was so opposed to the Democrats and Barack Obama. He answered in a huff that it was because "Obama had not done anything to free Cuba." Imagine that!
So I gave up. I realized that you can't educate a populace that wants to remain ignorant. You just have to wait them out. They will all die out eventually and be replaced by some measure of civility. It is inevitable. Historically, things always progress. These people want to stop evolution or go backward. That is as futile as trying to stop all the waves on the beach.
I hope this phase will pass quickly and the country soon forgets the caricature of all Cubans that was imbedded into the national conscience by the few, the proud, the ignorant Cubans who will forever believe that "esto no pasaba en Cuba" (this never used to happen in Cuba). TomasH1
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Good riddance: I can only be happy this is happening. The people who call into these stations are the assholes who hold this city back and make us the laughingstock of the nation. This Colombian definitely won't miss them. miami1
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Uniquely 305: I rarely agree with the commentary on these shows, but these programs are uniquely Miami, and our city would be worse off if we lose them. We have already lost so many things that made Miami special among American cities. JP19
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Rappers to the Rescue
An even better idea: Hey, Uncle Luke, thanks for the press release telling us how great your buddies are with their tax write-offs, AKA buying equipment for youth football teams ("Pay It Back," Luther Campbell, August 30). You know what would have been even better? Taking half the money they spent on football equipment to hire tutors and help teachers educate these children instead of feeding their dreams of being NFL players or rappers. Anthonyvop1
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Cruise Catastrophe
Take a cruise, buddy: The story about a cruise passenger suing Carnival after supposedly burning his feet during a "hairy-man" contest makes me wonder whether the author has ever taken a cruise ("Hairy Situation," Jon Tayler, August 30). People go to have fun and rely on the experience of the crew to keep them safe. A cruise is much more than deli meats and warmed-over pasta at the buffet, but I guess that is the best you can imagine of luxury based on your life experiences. Any experienced crew who has been in the Caribbean knows how hot a deck can get. If the passenger was drinking, Carnival is even more responsible, knowing that alcohol impairs reasonable thought and deadens pain receptors. Is it a silly contest? Yes. Is the point of going on a cruise to have fun and do things you normally would not do? Yes. A simple hosing of the deck could have prevented the entire incident. UncleBill
