Columbus and Che, Honored this Day

Columbus is honored this day for discovering huge material wealth for his superpower, Spain. Che Guevara was captured and later executed 40 years ago today in Bolivia, and is celebrated a hero, almost a Christ-like figure of hope and deliverance to millions. Both used violence to achieve their ends. One is reviled; the other, celebrated in all the "other" Americas. Columbus wanted wealth and fame for himself, gold and empire for his Queen; Che wanted a better life for the poor and oppressed he felt kinship with.

We don't know what would have happened in Latin America had Che lived - his friend Fidel is not an unblemished example - but we do know what the Columbus legacy meant for the Americas. The PBS series, Conquistadors, offers a fair and balanced view of that tragic history. Compared to Columbus, Fidel is a saint.

In the mid-20th century, guerrilla warfare was the tactic of change. Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and Ronald Reagan were all supporters of armed insurgency. Ho and Fidel succeeded, Reagan and Che failed. Ho's Vietnam is now embraced by the US; Cuba, still an enemy. Reagan was like the Columbus saga, the agent of a superpower who sent armed insurgents to a foreign land (Nicaragua) for interests of empire. (Let's not forget the Nixon and Kissinger coup that successfully overthrew the democratically elected government of Chile in the '70s for the interests of the US corporate empire. Can you say, ITT?)

IMHO, Ron is largely reviled around the world, as are Nixon and Kissinger. Che is largely celebrated. And, although Che was captured and executed by the militarist government of Bolivia 40 years ago, his spirit is embraced by the Bolivian government today.

Listen to CIA man, Felix Rodriguez, talk about his part in the capture and execution of Che. Read more about he and Che here. Watch those who fought alongside him talk about him today.

And do a Google video search for "Che" and see how much he is remembered in the Spanish speaking Americas today. Below is a music video found in that search that has been viewed over 200,000 times.



One lesson for today's young would be, if you want to be remembered a hero, be more like Che, and a lot less like Columbus, or Reagan, or Kissinger, or Nixon. You get the drift. :>)