During the 2003 Black Spring crackdown in Cuba, among the dissidents rounded up and arbitrarily sentenced, were fifteen librarians.  They were members of an Independent Library movement that collected books , newspapers and periodicals banned by the regime,  and loaned them to interested readers. In Cuba this is a crime. 
 At the time of their arrest, thousands of books and [...]

Popular opposition blogger Martha Colmenares has posted on facebook that her blog has been deactivated by the host.
From Facebook:
Mi blog ha sido desactivado por el hosting, con el Cadivi del régimen no sé si podré o cuando tiempo llevará solventarlo... esto es Cuba
Rough translation: 
My blog has been deactivated by hosting, with the Cadivi of the [...]

Penultimos Dias has word that Yoani Sanchez and other Cuban bloggers have been arrested in Havana.
Yoani Sánchez, Orlando Luis Pardo, Ciro Díaz and Claudia Cadelo among those arrested. Cadelo is reported to have already been released. Details on whereabouts of other dissident bloggers are still sketchy.
UPDATE 6:46 EST: Im told all were picked up, [...]

If there is anyone who understands what is at stake in the current crisis in Honduras, it is former political prisoner and US ambassador with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Armando Valladares.
Via email:
Obama's Kerenskyism, Honduras and the Chavist Abyss
Just like President Eduardo Frei Montalva passed to history as the Chilean Kerensky for paving [...]

Yesterday former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for the withdrawal of Supreme Court judicial nominee Sotomayor because of what he considers racist remarks she made.
He has a point:
Mr. Gingrich, in his Twitter feed to more than 344,400 followers, called on Judge Sotomayor to withdraw from consideration to the high court. He said her remarks citing [...]

Cubanet reports that on April 23, police along with members of the DTI (Department of Technical Investigation) seized thousands of DVD’s, and equipment from a neighborhood in Guanabacoa. Numerous people were taken to the police station, and at present, their whereabouts are unknown.
Who would want to visit a country where the people are not allowed [...]

I'll believe it when the FCC kills any notion of its reinstatement.

Here's a nice slap-down of the ACLU and their stance on the controversial removal of "Vamos A Cuba" from Miami-Dade County school libraries by none other than Herald TV critic Glenn Garvin. This isn't totally surprising coming from Garvin, who's demonstrated some libertarian tendencies in his regular gig. Garvin has been assigned a biweekly opinion [...]