Thursday, October 11, 2007

Che Guevara's Gift to his Executioner.

Cuban doctors working in Bolivia have saved the sight of the man who executed revolutionary leader Che Guevara in 1967, Cuban official media report. Mario Teran, a Bolivian army sergeant, shot dead Che Guevara after he was captured in Bolivia's eastern lowlands. Cuban media reported news of the surgery ahead of the 40th anniversary of Che's death on 9 October.
Mr Teran had cataracts removed under a Cuban programme to offer free eye treatment across Latin America. The operation on Mr Teran took place last year and was first revealed when his son wrote to a Bolivian newspaper to thank the Cuban doctors for restoring his father's sight.
But Cuban media took up the story at the weekend as the island prepares for commemorations to mark Che Guevara's death 40 years ago. "Four decades after Mario Teran attempted to destroy a dream and an idea, Che returns to win yet another battle," the Communist Party's official newspaper Granma proclaimed. "Now an old man, he [Teran] can once again appreciate the colours of the sky and the forest, enjoy the smiles of his grandchildren and watch football games." Wounded Che Guevara, who played a key role in the Cuban revolution of 1959, travelled to Bolivia in 1966 to start a socialist revolution. But in October 1967, the Bolivian army, with assistance from the CIA, captured Guevara and his remaining fighters.
Che Guevara, wounded in the fighting, was taken to a schoolhouse in the village of La Higuera on 8 October where the soldiers debated what to do with him. Mario Teran is reported to have drawn the short straw and been ordered to execute the captured guerrilla. Che Guevara was killed on 9 October and his body taken to a hospital in nearby Vallegrande, where his corpse was paraded before the world's media. In 1997 his remains were discovered, exhumed and returned to Cuba, where he was reburied. Surely the fact that Doctor's from socialist Cuba helped improve the sight of Che's executioner, demonstrates most eloquently, that you may persecute socialism and reverse it in places, but you can not kill the ideas of socialism, which represent the most exalted aspirations of humanity, an exalted humanity which Che Guevara exemplified.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

"an exalted humanity which Che Guevara exemplified"

Excuse me! You mean the man who was executed after conducting several executions of his own, including, so I am told, comrades who failed to toe the party line. Do me a favour!

Gabriel said...

Good to see you back David, its clear you enjoy having some of your opinions challenged, it must make a change from finding yourself in general agreement with all the reactionary opinions which dominate the worlds media of discussion. I would do you a favour if I could, by posting you some good literature on the achievements of men like Che Guevara..Keep coming back...

Anonymous said...

On a different example of internationalism -


Proletarian issue 20 (October 2007)


Bhagat Singh inspired by Irish freedom struggle


The centuries-old struggle of the Irish people for national freedom against British colonialism has always inspired the most ardent and far-sighted anti-imperialist fighters throughout the world – and Bhagat Singh was no exception.

The very name of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association speaks to the influence of the Irish struggle. What is less well known is that Bhagat Singh not only read Dan Breen’s classic account of the Irish revolution, My Fight for Irish Freedom, but also translated it into Hindi and Punjabi.

The Chandigarh paper Tribune, in its edition of 5 December 2003, reported:

“‘My fight for Irish freedom’, which was written in 1921, was published in 1924. ‘It inspired Shaheed Bhagat Singh so much that he made up his mind to jump into the freedom struggle after reading it and even translated it into Hindi and Punjabi,’ maintained Prof Jagmohan Singh, a nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and son of the martyr’s sister Amar Kaur.

“The book was translated first in Hindi and was published in 1925 while Shaheed Bhagat Singh was in Kanpur and was working with ‘Partap’ newspaper.” [/]

Dan Breen was born in County Tipperary in 1894. Leaving school at the age of 14, he worked as a labourer and railway worker. From 1918 to 1921, he commanded the IRA’s famous ‘Flying Column’, during which he sustained 22 bullet wounds.

He took the republican side in the civil war. Captured in 1923, he was elected to parliament from prison.

Gabriel said...

Thank you Anonymous for that interesting information about the role of the Irish struggle in inspiring strugglers against the British Empire in India and elsewhere, I did'nt know that 'Proletarian' was still being published...I can not say that I found much to inspire me in previous editions from a group who were if my memory serves me right a breakaway from the Leninist lot around John Chamberlain, who now masquerade under the title of the 'Communist Party of Great Britain'- though from what I have been told that outfit now consists of 30 or so members and a large well financed website. Incidentally just to show how small a world it is, Dan Breen spent one of his recuperations from his injuries in 1920 staying with my Grandparents in a remote part of country on the Kerry-West Limerick border. He arrived in a weakened and hungry condition in the middle of the night, having been transported in a horse drawn cart from his previous safe house. He was so ravenous that he mistook some rashers laid out on a plate in the kitchen for ham, and ate two of them before he was told otherwise.Consuming the raw bacon made him ill, which further added to his difficulties. Despite this the redoubtable Dan made a full recovery, and was back on active service with the flying column within a month.

Anonymous said...

You mean he *didn't* shoot people in cold blood, including his own followers?

Don't get me wrong, I personally have no particular views concerning Che Guevara; he was pursuing his, er, ideals and we all know about the tricky problem with omelettes and eggs, do we not? Other than that, and bearing in mind the great truths of human nature exposed so brilliantly by Shakespeare, no man is entirely one thing, so I'm prepared to admit that Snr. Guevara might well have had a soft spot for children and cats, a characteristic, I'm told of other mass-murderers like the late Herr. Himmler.

However, whilst a hardened old re-actionary like me would not raise an eyebrow at doing whatever it takes to reach your political goals, I'm always rather surprised at people who never stop prating about 'The People' hero-worshipping those who spent so much energy shooting 'The People'!

Gabriel said...

Nikolai Ostrovsky in his outstanding book How the Steel was Tempered makes the following profound observation: "Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying, he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world - the fight for the Liberation of Mankind."

It is this philosophy of life that has enabled freedom-fighters world-wide to endure great suffering, to remain unflinching in their resolve, to fight glorious battles and to win against all odds, not for glory or distinction, but for the collective liberation of all of mankind.

Anonymous said...

Gabriel a chara,

Nice story about Dan Breen. His books along with those of Ernie O'Malley and Tom Barry are among the best from that period of Ireland's history. The 'Proletarian' newspaper I linked to is from the CPGB(ML) the party with Harpal Brar as Gen. Sec. (also at www.lalkar.org)

They are one of the few anti-revisionist ML parties that do not go along with the 'Soviet social-imperialism' theory. I think the CPI went too far in supporting Gorbachev wheras the CPI(ML) went too far the other war in supporting Albania.

Beir Bua
Another unrepentant (Connacht) communist

Gabriel said...

Anonymous thanks, ah of course, if the Proletarian is emanating from the organisation Harpal Brar is the leader of, then I would say that it is worthy of perusal. I do not agree with Brar on their defence of Mugabe in Zimbabwe, but a lot of their other positions are quite interesting.If people want to check them out for themselves on the back of this discussion, I will be adding the CPGB-ML and Proletarian web addresses to the 'interesting people' list on the webpage. Keep coming back Anonymous!

Anonymous said...

Gabriel a chara,

The Zimbabwe issue is a difficult one all right. The MDC is financed by the Anglo-Americans and it seems Mugabe has been pushed in to his positions due to the Sassanach reneging on the Lancaster House Agreement.

He has his supporters in Southern Africa and among a few CP's internationally.

I dont read too may of these blog sites but yours is one of three I check from time to time.

Beir bua

Gabriel said...

Well keep coming back Anonymous, and if you ever want to post an article for appearance on the site then just post me the piece by email to johngee59@eircom.net you can also have the joy of choosing your own nom de plume!

Anonymous said...

Hey Duff.

For us communists, exalted is he who puts his ideals before his life or that of indviduals.

The collective's interests always comes ahead of that of indvidual.

Gabriel said...

'The collective's interests always comes ahead of that of indvidual.'

Well nearly always, except when it comes down to who gets the last jam doughnut...:)

Anonymous said...

Someone give this guy some reading glasses. These illiterate commies are always showing their ignorance.
Try reading the "gulag archipelago"
then repent before I have to shoot you.

Anonymous said...

Guevara, like al humans had his bad sidea and also had his good points... fearless, courageous, charming and intelligent his follwers say... but he was also acording to his critics a mass murderer of the lowest cadre. His love for children and cats no excuse for the brutal execution of his opponents (an comrades) in cool blood. Other mass murderers Like Herr Himler Heil Hitler, Monsignor Musolini, Gen Franco, Stalin, Amin all loved kids. I'll have nothing to do with a mass murderer even if he also had one of the most faces of all times.

Anonymous said...

Guevara, like all humans had his bad sidea and also had his good points... fearless, courageous, charming and intelligent his follwers say... but he was also acording to his critics a mass murderer of the lowest cadre. His love for children and cats no excuse for the brutal execution of his opponents (and even his comrades) in cool blood. Other mass murderers Like Herr Himler Heil Hitler, Monsignor Musolini, Gen Franco, Stalin, Amin all loved kids. I'll have nothing to do with a mass murderer even if he also had one of the most beautiful faces of all times.

Anonymous said...

It is in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of information.

I am glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us.
Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.


Also visit my web page :: calories burned walking

Anonymous said...

If some one wants to be updated with most recent technologies afterward he must be go to see
this web site and be up to date daily.

Look at my blog; natural cellulite treatment

Unknown said...

I might also like to state that most people that find themselves without having health insurance are generally students, self-employed and those that are jobless. More than half with the uninsured are under the age of 35. They do not sense they are needing health insurance because they're young and also healthy. Their particular income is usually spent on property, food, and also entertainment. Many individuals that do work either entire or in their free time are not supplied insurance by means of their jobs so they move without as a result of rising expense of health insurance in america. Thanks for the tips you discuss through this site.

Pusat Ketikan Murah said...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31