Among the Congressional boneheads was my favorite communist-coddling congressmen Maurice Hinchey, who last graced Confederate Yankee when he was the keynote speaker for a Marxist anti-war group on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

What did gems of wisdom did Hinchey have to offer?

Mr. Hinchey, too, said he objected to the language of the legislation, which he said "originates with the descendants of the Batista regime, who trace their origins back to the 1950s."

"It does nothing to improve the situation in Cuba ... it just continues the same old worn-out, tired, silly policies," the upstate Democrat said.

"Castro is harmful to no one," Mr. Hinchey said.

"To the extent that any harm is being done, it's the continuation of this policy over the last five decades now," he said, referring to the American embargo. An aide to Mr. Hinchey later called to clarify the congressman's statement, saying the Cuban strongman had done no harm "in a national security sense."

In 1962 Castro and Khrushchev plotted to place Russian ICBMs with nuclear warheads within 90 miles of the U.S. mainland, which led to a standoff that nearly ended in global thermonuclear war. Perhaps Congressman Hinchey might have come across this tidbit of information at some point in his life?

But beyond the possible incineration of billions by nuclear fire that Castro almost triggered, we can look to the very real tens of thousands of deaths caused by the man Hinchey claims is "harmful to no one."

NoCastro.com lists the following in a November 27, 1998 Washington Post Letter to the Editor:

In a book in progress by Dr. Armando Lago an attempt is being made to list Castro's deaths. With Castro still in power, obtaining information is very difficult, but, so far, the deaths of 97,000 persons have been counted, each confirmed by at least two sources. Some 30,000 executed by firing squad, 2,000 judicial assassinations, 5,000 deaths in prison due to beating by guards and denial of medical care and 60,000 deaths while trying to escape Cuba by sea.

Among the victims are 20 US citizens: Armando Alejandre, Jr., Howard Anderson, Rudolph Anderson, Jr., Leo Francis Baker, Carlos Costa, Mathew Edward Duke, Robert Ellis Frost, Robert Otis Fuller, Wade Carrol Gray, August K. McNair, William Alexander Morgan, William Horace Patten, Bill Paterson, Mario de La Pena, Rafael del Pino Siero, Mike Rafferty, Thomas Willard Ray, Anthony Salvard, Riley W. Shamberger and Allen Dale Thompson (the remains of some are on display in Cuban museums). He has also found 6 Spaniards, 1 British, 1 Dane and 1 Haitian.

Since very early on Castro has been involved in arming, training and offering sanctuary to terrorists from all over the world. Dr. Ehrenfeld says in her paper that the 1979 edition of the "Soviet Military Encyclopedia" recommends "the use of biological weapons, narcotics, terrorist activities, poisons and other methods. This definition accords with a decision made at the Tri-Continental Conference of world revolutionary groups held in Havana in January 1966. The decision called for the planned destabilization of the United States and explicitly detailed such activities as the exploitation and undermining of American society through the trafficking of drugs and promotion of other corrupting criminal activities."

According to Irving Louis Horowitz's Preface of David J. Kopilow's 1985 paper "Castro, Israel and the PLO," this Tri-Continental Conference, heavily attended by more than 500 delegates from radical leftist groups and terrorists, led "a series of moves ranging from Cuban co-sponsorship of the U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning 'Zionism as Racism' to manifest training and support for PLO efforts." Castro provided tank crews that fought alongside the Syrians against Israel in the 1973 Syrian-Israeli "war of attrition." At a point, Cuba had 3,000 troops deployed in Syria.

We know you don't have the correct answers, Mr. Hinchey.

You never do.

Note: Slant Point is also providing coverage of this story.