Survivor

Fidel Castro, communist head of Cuba, is dead. World leaders are giving their take on the man based on their own ideology . . and it can be hard to know who to believe. Was he a brutal dictator or a blessing to his country?

First-hand, personal experience means a lot. Here is the story of Armando Valladares, now 78, but just 21 years old in 1959 when he made the decision that shaped his destiny. He refused to retain the sign on his desk that had been placed there by the new communist government.

He thought he would just lose his job. It was much worse than that.

In America of 2016, you can oppose the new government. You can protest, demonstrate, threaten violence, and stay free. Armando refused to put up the sign on his work desk, and he paid for it with 22 years of prison, torture, and solitary.

photo: worldmag.com

(cont'd tomorrow)