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<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/castro11302006.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.counterpunch.org/castro11302006.html<br><br>
</a></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b>November 30,
2006<br><br>
</font><h1><font size=5><b>80th Birthday Message<br><br>
<br>
</i></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5 color="#990000">It
Is Our Duty to Save Our
Species</b></font></h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5>By
FIDEL CASTRO RUIZ<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=6 color="#990000">D</font>
<font face="Verdana" size=2>ear compatriots and friends from all over the
world:<br><br>
In this period I have worked intensively ensure the objectives set for
our country in the Proclamation of July 31st.<br><br>
Currently, we are facing an adversary who has dragged the United States
to such a disaster that the American people are almost sure to prevent
him from completing his presidential term.<br><br>
In thinking how to address you, intellectuals and prestigious
personalities from the world, I found myself in a dilemma, since we could
not assemble in a small room. It was only in the Karl Marx Theater that
all the guests would fit but, according to the doctors, I was not yet
ready for such a challenging engagement.<br><br>
I opted for this way to address you all. You are well aware of my
identification with Marti's ideas about honor and glory, when he said
that all the glory of the world fits in a kernel of corn.<br><br>
Your generosity to me is truly overwhelming. There are so many people
whose names I would like to mention here that I chose not to do that
either. I beg your pardon for only mentioning one name, that of
<>Oswaldo Guayasamin, since he embodied many of your greatest
virtues.<br><br>
He painted four portraits of me; the first in 1961. That one is lost. I
have looked for it everywhere but it has not appeared. It was
particularly painful as it became apparent to me what an exceptional
person Guayasamin was. The second one, which he painted in 1981, is
preserved at Guayasamin's House in Old Havana. The third one, painted in
1986, is kept at the "Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation of Man and
Nature". When we met, we were very far from even imagining that his
fourth portrait would be his birthday present to me on August
1996.<br><br>
His words were inspirational when he said: "In Quito or any other
corner of the Earth leave the lights on, as I will be coming back
late."<br><br>
At the inaugural ceremony of the Man's Chapel, I said about Oswaldo
Guayasamin: "He was the noblest, most honorable and humane person I
ever met. He created his work at light-speed and his human dimension
defied all limits."<br><br>
The work of creators will never be lost while this planet exists and
human beings can breathe.<br><br>
Today, thanks to technology, the works and knowledge created by man in
thousands of years are within everybody's reach, even if the impact of
radiation from billions of computers and cell phones is still
unknown.<br><br>
A few days ago, the prestigious organization World Wildlife Foundation,
based in Switzerland and considered the most important NGO in the world
to monitor global environment, acknowledged that the set of measures
implemented by Cuba to protect the environment made it the only country
on Earth to meet the minimum requirements for sustainable development.
This was for our country an encouraging honor, albeit one of limited
world impact due to the low significance of its economy. Therefore, on
November 23, I sent a message to President Hugo Chavez that
read:<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>"Dear Hugo:<br><br>
<dd>"The adoption of a Comprehensive Energy-Saving Program would
make you the world's most prestigious defender of the
environment.<br><br>
<dd>"The fact of Venezuela's being the country with the largest oil
reserves is of enormous importance, and would influence other other
energy consumers to do the same, thus saving incalculable sums in
investments.<br><br>
<dd>"Just like Cuba, a nickel producing country, can mobilize
resources amounting to billions of dollars for its development,
Venezuela, a hydrocarbons exporter, could mobilize trillions.<br><br>
<dd>"If the industrialized and wealthy countries were to succeed in
achieving the miracle, of reproducing on the planet, solar fusion within
the next decades, after first devastating the environment with their
hydrocarbon emissions, how could the poor peoples that make up the
immense majority of mankind live in this world?<br><br>
<dd>"Hasta la victoria siempre!"<br><br>
</i>
</dl>Finally, dearest friends who have honored us immensely with this
visit to our country, it is with great sorrow that I bid you farewell for
not being able to personally thank you and embrace every one of you. It
is our duty to save our species.<br><br>
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