Ziva at Babalu blog has found a Miami Herald exclusive, buried deep, about young Cuban conscripts who just blew away their senior commissar officers in Cuba. It’s a stunning development. Read it here.

There are several interesting implications:

1. There may be more to come. People are less afraid to rebel these days and challenge communist authority.

2. A power void is being sensed. Obviously, Castro’s demise is creating less and less sense of direction, and people in leadership positions don’t know what to do, because they don’t know whether Castro will get well or not. If they make decisions on their own, and then Castro gets well, they could get into trouble if Castro doesn’t like those decisions. Therefore, they have every incentive toward inaction until they are sure the Havana Vampire is dead for good.

3. People are not afraid to fight. The Cuban conscripts used violence, something that surely would have brought consequences on themselves. People don’t do that unless they are steeped in some sort of culture that says that’s ok. What the heck are Cuban citizens talking about these days as Castro lingers between death and life. The U.S. is preparing for a boatlift as well when Castro’s death is announced because they expect a lot of people fleeing … violence. Castro’s end could result in a bloody power struggle.

4. There will be more of these, as word spreads.

5. But even if there is a civil war, it does mean there are people out there with the gumption and willingness to fight for their lives, one thing in a hopeless tyranny like Castro’s that can bring about freedom. There may be an American Revolutionary War ahead of Cuba, if the good guys win.

6. The Castroites are going to do everything they can to suppress this news to the rest of us, it’s very damaging in itself to them and their tyranny.