Historians debate to this day whether Fidel Castro was a communist from the time he took power or only became one after he was spurned by the United States. What is not disputed is that he was always an autocrat moving ruthlessly against anyone who dared oppose him.

Tom Gjelten

Categorized in : Moving United States Debate

If you're wealthy like Donald Trump is, and you have a preacher who says your wealth is a sign God approves of you, you're probably going to like that preacher. And if there is one major element in Donald Trump's religious beliefs, it would be this prosperity gospel.

Tom Gjelten

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Muslim immigrants like himself encounter prejudice here [in U.S.] but also find political and religious freedom.

Tom Gjelten

encounters political religious

One of Donald Trump's criticisms of President Barack Obama and of Hillary Clinton was that they seemed reluctant to use the words radical Islam. It was not just semantics. Trump said it's important to name the enemy idea and then attack it. Consider the Cold War. The U.S. and its allies waged a kind of propaganda war against the communist idea using radio broadcasts and other tools. Trump has said he'd do the same against Islamic extremism.

Tom Gjelten

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Trump has always talked about how important in dealing with foreign leaders, how important it is to establish a good personal relationship very close to what Pope Francis says, so they may both really want to emphasize their development of a personal relationship.

Tom Gjelten

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Fidel Castro was loved and hated passionately.

Tom Gjelten

castro hated

Fidel Castro is one of the most inspiring leaders of the 20th century.

Tom Gjelten

most-inspiring century leader

Hispanics are the fastest-growing evangelical group in the country right now, an important constituency. But Trump's views, especially his views on immigration, did not exactly go over well with this faith constituency. Rev. Rodriguez told me that Trump's invitation created something of a stir in his world.

Tom Gjelten

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Being out of the mainstream is entirely consistent with the way Donald Trump is approaching his presidency.

Tom Gjelten

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Donald Trump seems to prefer people he sees as being on his side.

Tom Gjelten

trump sides people

There's a culture war in this country. Americans in recent years, as you know, have become more secular. They don't go to church as often. Bible reading, prayers in public are now frowned upon. And, of course, in addition to that, a lot of people have become much more supportive of LGBT rights. And in reaction to that, biblically conservative Americans feel that their faith is under assault.

Tom Gjelten

prayer war country

The First Amendment to the Constitution says government can't establish a religion, but neither can it limit the exercise of religion. And that's the issue here. What does it mean to be free to exercise your religion? It's not about what you can believe. It's whether you can act on those beliefs.

Tom Gjelten

exercise mean believe

You shouldn't face discrimination because of your sexual orientation. That should be illegal.

Tom Gjelten

discrimination should faces

In some states, it is illegal to turn down a same-sex couple when you're placing children for adoption. That's discrimination. But in the Catholic church, the sacrament of marriage is defined officially as the union of a man and a woman. So a Catholic adoption agency is torn between its faith doctrine and what it sees as a faith obligation to help orphans.

Tom Gjelten

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Fidel Castro was not interested in personal enrichment. His supporters say he deployed his enormous authority on behalf of health, education and welfare programs that brought Cuba attention around the world.

Tom Gjelten

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The collapse of the Soviet bloc ended the massive subsidies that had kept the Cuban economy afloat. The once-vaunted education and health care systems fell into disrepair. Fidel Castro's stubbornness, meanwhile, made political and economic change difficult in Cuba.

Tom Gjelten

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As his country crumbled around him, Fidel Castro's stature diminished abroad and at home.

Tom Gjelten

castro home country

Fidel Castro outlasted U.S. presidents determined to overthrow him, survived the collapse of the communist bloc that sustained him and outlived many of those who wanted to replace him. For those reasons, he will go down in history as among the world's most skillful politicians, even if his achievements largely die with him.

Tom Gjelten

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Fidel Castro was a born rebel.

Tom Gjelten

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As Cuba's leader, Castro answered to no one and allowed no challenge to his authority.

Tom Gjelten

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America is or should be about inclusion. Immigrants like muslims don't and can't fit the white European mold that prevailed in this country 50 years ago.

Tom Gjelten

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