Whether they choose to exercise that right is another story.

So I guess, according to your logic, Jose Marti should have kept his mouth shut about Cuba for all those years he lived outside in exile. Since he "forfeited" his opportunity to have his opinion taken seriously when he left his PATRIA in the hands of those that wanted to destroy it--again, according to your logic--he should of just respected, supported, and humbly advised those that stayed behind.

Interesting.

Ahem...I see nothing...

Look who sneaked thru the door...

Right on Val, America is our home and country today, and we're proud of that fact.

You are 100% incorrect in this:

On the Obama answer to Yoani: we may dislike him and most of his policies, but take into consideration that he did something nobody has been willing to do: make direct contact with someone who openly disagrees with the dictatorship.

Our former Commander in Chief not only made direct contact with many dissidents, but he followed up said contact with direct action. Moreover, he even hosted at the WHITE HOUSE the families of numerous political prisoners and confenred Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

let's keep the facts straight and lets not glorify seven verbal newspeak, softball responses from from most likely a state department staffer as "something no one's been willing to do." That is absurd.

First, ill address the "change this blog has made."

I started this blog over six years ago. From day one, when I was the only commentator, it has covered a range of political topics, including, but not limited to, elections all across the board. From local to national elections. It has always - ill repeat ALWAYS been right of center, and, Ill venture to say, extremely right of center. Moreover, while the majority of topics we have discussed focus on Cuba, it has always focused on US politics as well.

While Cuba is our homeland, The United States of America is my home, and one that I love - as I believe we all do - as much as our homeland. And, believe it or not, whats happens here in the US, both locally and national, does, in fact have an effect on Cuba.

if you are looking for a Cuba blog 24/7 in English without any commentary on anything else, you might as well start one because I dont think youll find one.

With respect to Yoani, your accolades and opinions on her may be true and accurate, and I may or may not agree with you on same. However, with her position and her exposure and her notoriety comes one thing that - IN MY OPINION - she did not take into account both when she wrote the questions and when she wrote a letter to congress for the lifting of sanctions: RESPONSIBILITY.

Yoani should have known that the seven questions post and her subsequent ass kissing of a US congressman would take the focus away from the true and real issue, the VERY ISSUE SHE AND HER HUSBAND AND COLLEAGUES DEAL WITH EVERYDAY. And that is the brutality and mistreatment of the Cuban people at the hands of the castro regime. As I have stated earlier, the US isnt the entity that fucks the Cuban people on a daily basis, that is reserved for the cuban government and cuban government alone.

You can take everyone here to task for criticizing Yoani until you are blue in the face, it still does not make their criticism wrong.

I second George as it is your commentary what gives you away (and I could care less what you think about me).

By the way I grew-up under the Castro regime and spent a good chunk of my life there so I know extremely well how it is to live under that oppression.

j alvarez,

You may think that Obama is doing a great thing by talking to Yoanis. I'm sure that if Yoanis opposed him he would not be talking to her.

You failed to mention George W. Bush support for Dr. Biscet (and other Cuban dissidents) and how he invited his family to the White House, yet I have not seen Obama do likewise.

All Obama is doing is surrendering to the Castro dictatorship by providing it with the lifeline it needs to continue in power. You may be one of those that mistakenly think that the Castro brothers give a shit about their excuses if we drop the embargo and that is where you are fundamentally wrong.

The embargo issue has been debated and debunked in every which way possible on this site. If tomorrow the American government would go and drop the embargo the Castro brothers will take advantage of this opportunity and take all the money it could from American banks (that it won't repay) and the Cuban people will still be slaves for the next fifty years; make no mistake about that fact.

The Castro brothers will make another bullshit excuse why they should be still in power once the embargo is gone (that's their nature of ruling by lying, oppression and deceit, I wonder if you understand that fact after so many years), the difference this time will be the US government would be funding their dictatorship. And I'm not willing to support that policy in any way shape or form.

The sad truth is that no liberal like Obama will ever bring freedom to Cuba but on the other hand Obama is working his hardest to turn America into another Marxist/Socialist society.

We on this blog saw what happened to the land that we were born and we're surely oppose the same happening to this great country.

Bravo, ilovecuba1, bravo! I think there's something in my eye.

I second Henry Agueros comment to you:

Dejate de comer tanta mierda que estas muy viejo para eso.

Don’t ever expect any help from the left on liberating Cuba from the Castro brothers when the left itself are worshippers of the Castro brothers. Look at the MSM, the Hollywood idiots and many members of Congress to name a few.

And don’t expect anything from Barack Hussein Obama in helping liberate Cuba from the Castro brothers, as he’s a Marxist himself. Yoanis Sanchez is making that big mistake but we here at this blog know better not to trust our current President on anything that comes out of his lying mouth.

And if believing in Freedom, Liberty, God and Country and the down to earth American values that are being attacked today by those who want to destroy America and not willing to be an accomplice to what the left is trying to do our country today is considered by you as right wingers then we carry it as a badge of honor and it displays what your true principles, values and loyalties are.

How many times does the left in this country have to screw the Cubans on the island and in exile before we call them out on it?

How many decades do we have to watch political groups on the left, like the Congressional Black Caucus, espouse the wonders of a murderous tyrant before we are allowed to speak out?

How many speeches praising a dictatorship do we have to hear from people on the left like Jose Serrano before we are given permission to express our disagreement?

Sure, there are those on right who have betrayed the Cuban people too, but they are a small minority and have been called to task on this blog every time they do it. The majority of the left in this country, however, appears to not give a rat's ass about the oppression the Cuban people suffer and on top of that, many go out of their way to express their support for the oppressors.

But hey, according to ilovecuba1, we're just supposed to be quiet and act like good little minorities. We should be expressing gratitude and pledging our loyalty to the leftist elites who will occasionally brush a few crumbs off the table for us, but only if we behave.

I don't think so.

As Ziva posted above, I did cover Yoani's questions and responses from the administration.

However, Ill further that the reason I didnt go in depth is because that question and answer session detracts from the real issue. First, the situation Cubans live with is a result of simply and solely of the castro regime policy towards the Cuban people. US policy has nothing to do with the lack of human rights and civil liberties in Cuba. and yoani's question dont mention same and change the focus of the conversation we should be having from that of human rights issues in Cuba to US/Cuba policy.

Moreover, the majority of the Cuban exile community supports said US policy towards Cuba and the yoani post served as yet another wedge between Cubans, both on the island and in exile, pitting them against each other over their opinion over a policy that has absolutely nothing to do with the HR/CL situation in Cuba.

Thus that post served the regime perfectly well as it took the focus away from their brutality and oppression over to a US Policy issue that in reality has no chance of changing.

http://babalublog.com/2009/11/seven-questions/

If it leaves you wanting, then perhaps you should start your own blog.