The Greatest Cuban Ever

“The Greatest Cuban Ever”

Written by Eugene Diaz, published independently

Greatest Cuban ever? Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Well, you’re not alone. There is not much to admire when it comes to the Cuban people, but yet, there have been some remarkable Cubans who knew their place in the world. Inspired by lists like The Greatest American (2005) and 100 Greatest Britons (2002), I will attempt to list five Cubans who I think embody Enlightenment values, civility, and reason.

Now, I know very well that if a poll was conducted on this subject in Cuba, no doubt the list would be dominated by figures of the communist revolution, such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos. There would also be figures that are universally admired by Cuban people on both sides of the Straits of Florida, but arguably have had a negative effect on Cuba, such as Jose Marti (a dodgy gunman and a bleeding heart nationalist poet), Antonio Maceo (another dodgy gunman and practically a black supremacist terrorist), and Felix Varela (a radical Christofascist), as well as laughable additions of pop stars and other figures of the arts, like Celia Cruz or Benny More. There is also Fulgencio Batista, who was not a diligent pro-West leader, but a Mafia-backed strongman who was a socialist of almost the same caliber as Fidel Castro. Anyways, without further ado, here is my attempt to find something positive to say about my fellow Cubans.

Honorable mentions: Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Cuban-American Senators who have contributed to the US conservative movement.

#5: Rafael Diaz-Balart. Cuban politician who contributed to the Western world. In Cuba, he served as Majority Leader in the Cuban House of Representatives and as Under-Secretary of the Interior under Fulgencio Batista. He bore the cross of having Fidel Castro as one of his in-laws, which I cannot imagine the struggle of that (I already feel shame from being a Cuban, imagine being related to Castro himself). In Florida, his family has gone on to contribute to American conservatism, showing that they know their place.

#4: Jose Miguel Gomez. President of Cuba from 1909 to 1913. He had voted in favor of the Platt Amendment, and oversaw the suppression of rebellion by the radical Independent Party of Color. Notably clashed with Alfredo Zayas, who was a bleeding heart nationalist, despite his stoicism uncharacteristic of a Latino. Gomez was in the moral right in this clash, as he was the one who knew his place.

#3: Mario Garcia Menocal. President of Cuba from 1913 to 1921. He was a conservative president who was a strong supporter of business and corporations. He aligned himself with the US, especially during World War 1, and his exceptional politics are most certainly a result of his education in the US, where he learned to know his place.

#2: Tomas Estrada Palma. President of Cuba from 1902 to 1906. He allowed for the Platt Amendment to be enacted, leased Guantanamo Bay to the US for use as a naval base, and appealed to the US government in what led to the Second Occupation of Cuba. He should be remembered for his accomplishments in education, infrastructure, and subservience to the US, illustrating how he knew his place.

#1: Felix Rodriguez. Cuban-American military officer in both the CIA and the US Army. He was involved in the Bay of Pigs, the execution of Che Guevara in Bolivia, the Vietnam War, and the Iran-Contra affair. He is at the top of my list because his actions are the ones that most directly benefited the United States. He served US military and intelligence loyally and diligently, which is what makes him the greatest Cuban ever, as he knew his place the most.

Now, we can conclude from this list is that the greatest Cubans are the ones who were sympathetic towards, collaborated with, or directly aided the United States. This serves as an argument that I have maintained for most of my adult life, that Cuba should be annexed by the US and made a commonwealth territory like Puerto Rico. Cubans cannot truly be great until they are unanimously and enthusiastically serving the United States of America.

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Eugene Diaz is an op-ed writer for Delaware. He has formerly been published in the Miami Herald and Breitbart. He has also worked in the public relations department of the Rockford Caretaking Foundation. Originally from Miami, Florida, he moved to Norfolk, Virginia in order to escape a toxic culture of machismo and populism. His specialties are current events, politics, and Hispanic culture.

Eugene’s blog is banned in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Eugene’s Twitter is blocked by Sec. Julian Castro, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Rep. Debbie Mucarsell-Powell (FL-26), Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rep. Jose E. Serrano (NY-15), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Univision journalist Jorge Ramos, YouTube video producer Carlos Maza, and rapper Residente.