Monday, January 12, 2009

Channeling Che


This photo is one of the most iconic images in modern history. Who was this guy? And what does he have to do with today's political climate?

Che Guevera (1928-1967)

· Liked: Communism (thought Socialism was for sissies), cigars, chess, and poetry

· Disliked: Catholic nuns, Democracy, bathing, and being faithful to his wife

· Nicknames: “Choncho”(pig) and “The Butcher of La Cabana”

· Imprisoned in his labor camps: Poets, rebellious intellectuals, & gays

· Said: “An effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine: this is what our soldiers must become.”

· # of people Che personally ordered to be executed: 400+

· # of middle-class Latin American college students he inspired to become guerillas: 30,000+

· # of people killed in these insurgencies: 300,000+

· # of successful revolutions besides Totalitarian Cuba: 0

· Called Che “excessively aggressive”: Best buddy Fidel Castro

· Admirers: Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, Nelson Mandela, Allen Ginsberg, Santana, Hugo Chavez, liberals, and most college students

· Response to The Motorcycle Diaries (biographical Che movie) at Sundance: Standing ovation

· Still seeing his face on the walls of college dorms: (yawn)

· Seeing his face alongside another well-known revolutionary: PRICELESS














Obama campaign offices

















Judge James Burge of Elyria, Ohio





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