It’s Hotter Than the White Party: Miami’s Big Plans

Cuban exiles have long been looking forward to the day when their homeland is no longer goverend by aging revolutionary Fidel Castro, but now the city of Miami (where more than a few ex-cubanos find themselves living) is going beyond wistful daydreams and making concrete plans for Castro Is Dead Day:

The city of Miami is planning an official celebration at the Orange Bowl whenever Cuban president Fidel Castro dies. Discussions by a committee appointed earlier this month by the city commission to plan the event have even covered issues such as a theme to be printed on T-shirts, what musicians would perform, the cost and how long the celebration would last.

Such a gathering has long been part of the city’s plan for Castro’s death, but firming up the specifics has been more urgent since Castro became ill last summer and turned over power to his brother, Raul.

As much as I’d like to see Castro out of business, isn’t there something odd about an official government body deciding how free people will be expected to celebrate the demise of a socialist dictator? I say leave the t-shirt slogans up to the street vendors and limit the government’s involvement to discouraging celebratory gunfire into the air. It is Miami, after all.