Many people embarrass themselves over Fidel Castro

Here is one menagerie, with Brad DeLong parrying ably.  A simple checklist would start with the question of whether an apologist has visited both the Dominican Republic and Cuba.  And a non-communist Cuba could have done much better than the DR.  It is a fascinating place for visitors, but right now the quality of life in Cuba isn’t close to that of the DR or for that matter Honduras, the second-biggest Latino mess in the hemisphere.  While we’re at it, let’s not forget northern Mexico or even central Mexico.  It’s time to stop apologizing for communist dictatorships; are you really so taken with the idea of confiscating property as to overlook decades of tyranny, impoverishment, and human misery?  Yes I am familiar with the UN social indicators; I say you need to visit each of these countries, preferably speaking Spanish, and then report back to me.