Politics and Culture

Blogging buddy Henry Gomez of Babalu blog has something on Pajamas Media today. He'd make a great addition to Pajamas Media. The banners might bother him- Babalu has one of the most functional blog designs out there.

What is the position of the Cuban community towards post-Castro but Communist Cuba? What if things get a little better on the human rights front like in..., well..., no Communist country ever, but Cuba could be the first. Or, it could mix in a dash of capitalism like Vietnam and China. What then? Will productive people immigrate into Cuba like in the first half of the century? I'm pessimistic myself. I think Cuba as the second, third, or fourth best place to live in the Americas is a past it may never reclaim for a variety of reasons which I won't go into now.

My thoughts at the time of the last Castro death "scare."

They're all on Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge's wall. Che explanation.

I'm glad the government is "allowing" people to have more things. Pretty amazing that they were ever denied.

Not so along go Senator Obama favored complete normalization of relations with Fidel Castro's Cuba. Last night, he said that as president he'd meet with the imprisoned island's new leader 'without preconditions.' So Raul Castro gets an audience with an American president, and all the prestige such a meeting confers, without having to release political prisoners, allow free media, political parties, and labor unions, or schedule internationally monitored free elections.

Instead, Senator Obama says he would meet Cuba's dictator without any such steps in the hope that talk will make things better for Cuba's oppressed people. Meet, talk, and hope may be a sound approach in a state legislature, but it is dangerously naive in international diplomacy where the oppressed look to America for hope and adversaries wish us ill.

for more thorough Cuban-American opinion, check out Babalu and other Cuban sites on my Cuban blogroll.

Here's an update from Babalu on Eliécer Ávila Cicilia, the student in this town hall meeting. It appears Cuban authorities arrested him. Story here.

Thanks to Chris for the link.

I know Walmart won't let my dad near the McDonalds because of his accent.

Jose Reyes from Cubanology has a show on Blogtalk Radio today. He will be interviewing Alexi Romay from CUBAARCHIVE.ORG. The show will start at 3:00 P.M Eastern Time. Listen in and/or call in, the number to call is 646-915-9812. Jose says that this is a very important website and that we should all call in and give our support for the work they do, so please make an effort, if you can.

Website

This question from Henry of Babalu and BUCL. I don't know- they might have said something. Then again, who cares what they say? Now, what's wrong with this commercial? Racism? No. Women providing good service to infants? No. It's the fact that Cuban women have no choice. They're stuck on that island with nothing to do but please fat capitalists.

At least the stewardesses get to travel.

You need to go to Babalu or one of the other pro-Cuban-freedom blogs for their coverage of the pro-democracy rallies in Havana Cuba. The coverage is eye-opening, sometimes shocking, and well worth your time. Here's a youtube video of Dr. Darsi Ferrer, a brave man with a valiant wife.

God bless them.