Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

We are all familiar with the traditional saying: Actions speak louder than words. In virtually every language we have similar expressions, even though conveyed differently. In Maltese, for example, which is a language that has been in operation for well over 2,500 years there is a proverb that says: Il-hmar imlibbes to sultan hmar jibqa – an ass dressed as a king still remains an ass. In other words, we have to assess a person not by what we hear about him but by what such a person says and eventually does at the same time.

Accurate Analysis of Bush and Castro

Of course, this makes plenty of sense especially when it comes to objective analysis and judgment. Needless to say, there seems to be hardly any educated person in the world who never heard of George Bush and of Fidel Castro. If we were to judge these two world figures by what people say of them, then we would experience the following. Those that like them and admire them will say excellent things about them and those that do not like them and feel no respect whatsoever for them would be expected to say nasty things about them. This is plain common sense and there is not much to argue about it.

We will now proceed to help the reader develop a clear perspective of these two personalities, George Bush and Fidel Castro of Cuba. Most of the people tend to make rash judgments about each one of them, each time they hear what they should represent. George claims he stands for capitalism that supposedly promotes democracy and freedom, while Castro says he stands for socialism that helps equip people with a sense of security and better stability.

While both George and Fidel claim that the system they represent is much better than the other, their respective populations do not seem to be quite aware of what the alternative has really to offer. George tells his people that Fidel’s system is awful and that Fidel is a bad man, while Fidel tells his people that George is dangerous as revealed from the way he tries to control the economy of several other nations. Well, it would be ideal if the United Nations were to conduct a referendum among all the people of every single country on earth and to see what they have to say about these two world figures.

After all, we want to see finally the people speaking for themselves. We do not want to see any longer a handful of people in the government assuming to be speaking on behalf of their people. At the same time, we do not want to hear any longer what a handful of paid journalist want us to believe about these two presidents that represent the USA and Cuba respectively. Hence, let us here present an accurate picture of what Bush says and does on one hand and what Castro says and does on the other hand. We will then be in a better position to make a value judgment on these two important personalities.

Nature of Government in America and Cuba

Bush says he wants to put top priority on bringing democracy and freedom to every country. The question that needs to be raised here is this. What does he mean by democracy and freedom? Democracy is supposed to be a government of the people and for the people. In the USA we have plutocracy where the government is composed basically of the rich and for the rich. Here we have the usage of the word “democracy” merely to mislead and confuse the people. Also, according the UN Charter on Human Rights, people everywhere have a sacrosanct right to move freely in the world wherever they want. Americans are prohibited to visit a number of countries including Cuba!

Castro says he wants to put top priority on the health care and good education of his people. To this end, he built small clinics equipped with a medical doctor and a couple of nurses every few blocks to look after the people periodically, checking their blood pressure, giving them medical assistance, and providing them with hospitalization if needed. Everything is free of charge. No money is needed and no insurance is required that would try to fleece you out of every penny you have. He also provides free facilities for all the elderly people with room and board free for life. His military exists merely for defensive purposes and it has been trained to provide humanitarian assistance when needed, like repairing old bridges, among other things

He also provides all the people of his country with free education from the cradle to the grave. Students in Cuba do not have any tuition fees to pay when they study in universities to pursue higher degrees including doctoral programs. The idea of having to have money to pursue higher education and of having to borrow money does not exist. By way of contrast, in the USA there seems to be nothing free, not even a cup of coffee as Americans themselves can attest. Unless you have insurance for almost anything you can imagine, you are bound to be in trouble sooner or later financially. Unlike that of Cuba, the US military is trained to invade and attack other nations where American corporate interests are especially involved.

When Bush sends his representatives to other nations in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, he offers them weapons of destruction and all kinds of military aid. The purpose of such transactions is to equip them with all needed material to be capable of waging wars for as long as needed. On the other hand, when Castro sends representatives to other nations in Africa and Latin America especially, he offers them medicine and physicians, as well as educational material and teachers wherever they may be needed.

US New-Media View of Bush and Castro

Ironically, the news media in the USA has depicted a picture of Bush as a good man who goes to church and prays to God. This same US news-media has also depicted a picture of Castro as a bad man who has deprived his people from democracy. The question that has been often raised around the world is this: Which is better to have a nation with a good man who does bad things or a nation with a bad man who does good things? Just one ounce of common sense would be enough for an accurate answer. If we were to examine the foreign policies of these two involved nations, we find quite a contrast. Whereas Cuba’s foreign policies concentrate on establishing good rapport with other nations, US foreign policies concentrate on controlling the good resources of other countries.

This is initially done diplomatically but, when diplomacy fails, then the military is used, even brutally, to achieve this end. So, as far as the world is concerned, do people in general feel more secure with George or with Fidel? The answer is so obvious. While in Cuba people may walk in their streets without any fear of being shot and killed, in the USA you may never know what may happen to you since everyone is allowed to carry loaded guns like candies. Statistics tell us that there are more people killed by the gun every year in the land of Bush than there are people killed by the gun every year in all the nations of the world combined.

If the USA were to cut its military budget by 50% there would be enough money to provide all the homeless everywhere with housing facilities, to feed the hungry for a long time, to guarantee medical assistance to all those in need, and to cure such maladies as leukemia, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and heart disease. And there will still be money to help clean our entire planet from its air and water pollution. This would lead to a better, healthier and saner world where every one would be a winner and no one a loser. So, we are here faced with a mysterious phenomenon: Bush, an assumed good man whose priorities are upside down and millions of people are suffering as a result versus Castro, an assumed bad man whose priorities are in proper order by making the people the most important element in all the nation’s policy making endeavors.