Paranoia

A hallmark of Fidel's Cuba continues on even in his real or imagined absence:

Cuba is taking the threat of a possible US invasion during Fidel Castro's health crisis seriously, even as the White House insists such a threat does not exist. The island's government, currently under the control of defence minister Raul Castro, mobilised citizen defence militias and asked military reservists to check in daily.

Cubans interviewed on state-run media on Friday said they would fight to the death any invaders from the north, while the Communist Party daily Granma said, "We Cubans are prepared for the defence" of the island.

Yet White House press secretary Tony Snow rejected as "absurd" any suggestion that the United States would militarily attack the island. "The US has absolutely no designs on invading Cuba," Snow said.

"Cubans are going to have to chart their destiny. It's the one thing that they've been deprived during the dictatorship of Fidel Castro."