MELISSA BLOCK, host:
It's time now for some of your comments on yesterday's program.
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
Many of you felt our coverage of Fidel Castro's resignation as Cuba's president missed a big part of a story.
BLOCK: I don't know which I'm more tired of, sanctimonious Fidel bashing by Cuban expatriates and their descendants, or sanctimonious U.S. policymakers opportunistically exploiting their anger for political advantage.
This is from Bob Letcher(ph) of Columbus, Ohio, who goes on: I imagine that during the American revolution, crown coverage of loyalists who fled to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick must have sounded much the same. News of the day always casts the George Washingtons, Fidel Castros, Ho Chi Minhs and (unintelligible), and the Martin Luthers, Martin Luther Kings and Nelson Mandelas, as enemies of the state.
In my view, Fidel belongs in that group, and it's not a bad group to be in, the comments of so many Cuban expatriates notwithstanding.
NORRIS: Todd Ricker(ph) of Portland, Maine, had this to say. The only Cubans you chose to interview for their reaction were anti-Castro Floridians and dissidents who live in Havana. Are we really to believe that there were no Cubans in Havana who could speak of their affection for their president or their concern for his physical condition?
BLOCK: Robert Riversong(ph) of Warren, Vermont, was among those who felt that Andrei Codrescu's commentary on Castro's legacy was unduly harsh.
For all the very real limitations imposed upon post-revolutionary Cuban society, Mr. Riversong writes, Codrescu fails to note the equally real accomplishments of the communist regime. Goals of literacy, universal health care, free education and non-discrimination, that the U.S. still falls far short of, had been achieved long ago in Cuba.
NORRIS: And Don Coppler(ph) of Tucson says, it is hardly fair to blame Fidel Castro for all of Cuba's problem. But the most powerful nation in the history of the planet has spent the last 50 years trying to undermine this small nation by embargos, economic sabotages and passive if not active support of terrorists may be relevant.
BLOCK: There was quite a bit of e-mail overnight about the interview we did with the nutrition director for the Fort Wayne, Indiana Community School District. She talked about how they had to clear out their freezers and change their menus when millions of pounds of beef were recalled.
That recall began with an alarming videotape released by the Humane Society, showing cruel treatment of cows at a California slaughterhouse. A number of you who are not meat eaters felt we buried the lede.
NORRIS: This e-mail from Rebecca Nielsen(ph) of Seattle was typical. No children have been harmed, but countless animals were electrically prodded, kicked, punched and tortured on their way to slaughter. We lose our humanity when we treat living creatures as a commodity. I hope the schools look past their myopic view of how they might be hurt and use this as a teaching moment to shed light on those horribly abused creatures. I can only hope a few more vegetarians result from this.
BLOCK: We always like to hear from you. Go to npr.org and click on Contact Us at the top of the page. Please don't forget to tell us where you live and how to pronounce your name. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.