Fidel Castro will indeed live forever, as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has declared – in infamy, that is.

Chavez’s ridiculous tribute to the crusty caudillo, amid the latest rumors that Castro had passed away, was designed to perpetuate a shameful myth. There is nothing noteworthy or enduring about Castro or his overall record, except the lessons that they teach about getting duped by a ruthless tyrant.

Not surprisingly, in the weeks following the Cuban dictator’s mid-August birthday, which passed without the usual official fanfare in Havana, speculation and exultation have abounded in Cuban-expatriate communities such as Miami. Could a half-century fright show finally have ended?

Perhaps the air of celebration appears cold and inappropriate, given Castro’s advanced age and ill health. But my feelings about this issue are blunt: When someone has spent the bulk of his life causing people – his own countrymen – to suffer almost inexpressibly cruel repression, he deserves little sympathy during his feeble, terminal moments.

Of course, as is frequently the case in communist systems when ailing leaders start to fade, it behooves Castro’s cohorts to play the guessing game while they scramble to manipulate matters to their advantage.

Their bag of tricks contains various items, from photos of Castro holding a current newspaper to recordings of his voice and written announcements. Whether the Cuban dictator is dead or not, they can use such tactics to shape their desired reality.

This week’s prop, an article supposedly written by Castro and published in Juventud Rebelde on Sunday, invokes memories of the original revolution that brought today’s misery to Cuba. It was the second piece attributed to Castro in recent days.

I do not personally remember the revolution, for Castro and his evil descended from the Sierra Madre mountains about the time of my birth. Still, it was quite early in my existence that I came to understand just how loathsome his regime is.

People do not typically leave in droves when a new government exhibits tolerance, leadership and vision. But that is what happened in Cuba shortly after the strongman’s rise to power. Sure, Castro pretended to be moderate for a period of time, but that behavior did not last. The façade of fairness was just part of the plot to lull people into a state that allowed him to consolidate his rule.

Some Cubans have yet to recover from their stupor. Despite decades of governmental excesses, they dutifully sing the revolution’s praises. And they are among those who insist that Castro penned Sunday’s article, asserting that the Cubans will be the first to know when their leader dies.

Well, again, if communist tradition is any guide, the people are often the last to know. Cubans live in a system that strains to derive legitimacy from a failed ideology. It has nowhere to go but the ash heap of history. Thus, the end truly is near – and I am not referring merely to Castro.

In that sense, it really does not matter if Castro died last week, or if he will die today or next month. The framework that he erected displays brittle qualities from overexposure to time and the light of day. No matter how one rationalizes, propagandizes, obfuscates or lies outright, the truth eventually shines through.

In 2007, Cuba – notwithstanding the positive tales that Castro and his cronies delight in spinning – comes nowhere near its people’s potential. Once the dictator and his system crumble, though, and Cubans rise up, it will be theirs to claim.