A challenge for Cuba bloggers

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An Uncommon Sense reader e-mailed me a rather pointed, but thought-provoking question:

I just spent a few minutes reading about your political prisoner of the week. As a reader, I want you to address these questions on your blog on behalf of you and other bloggers who write on the oppression of the Cuban regime:

Are you all fuss and no muss? Would you have the courage and willingness to suffer for your journalistic ethics and for your profession, even to the point of imprisonment, to write about freedom and denounce your government (which you have done before on your blog)? Isn’t it easy for you to sit at the convenience of your home computer and from the comfort of your home and praise those who would? How easy it is to declare, “F**k Castro,” from the United States. But isn’t it a little hypocritical as well, if you would not be willing to do likewise, in the sense that you claim solidarity with them as journalists? Are you really worthy to share imprisoned Cuban journalists’ stories?

Read my response here.

18 thoughts on “A challenge for Cuba bloggers”

  1. I have lived my live in this great Nation of ours. I have suffered the pain of imprisonment for my love of Freedom, for the great Cause of Cuban Freedom. AND I would gladly exchange myself for Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet or any other Cuban political Patriot who is in Prison in Cuba. I am sure that anyone of them would be able to do more than I at this point for the cause of Cuba Libre.

  5. The emailer asks if it’s hypocritical for you to praise the sacrifices of the political prisoners from the safety of the United States. Which is kind of a fucked up question that tell me he doesn’t know what hypocrisy means. It would be hypocritical if you DISMISSED the work of the independent journalists and such because you live in freedom and comfort here.

    What you are doing is bringing attention to the rest of the world, something we know about. There’s nothing hypocritical about that.

    Perhaps our friend needs some of that “average” to “good” Cuban-style education.

  6. The emailer asks if it’s hypocritical for you to praise the sacrifices of the political prisoners from the safety of the United States. Which is kind of a fucked up question that tell me he doesn’t know what hypocrisy means. It would be hypocritical if you DISMISSED the work of the independent journalists and such because you live in freedom and comfort here.

    What you are doing is bringing attention to the rest of the world, something we know about. There’s nothing hypocritical about that.

    Perhaps our friend needs some of that “average” to “good” Cuban-style education.

  7. I kind of thought that he was referring to our high expectations of those on the island in contrast to our life of ease here. The only point I can see is in that while we may go on and on about the paiful sacrifices that need to be made to see a free Cuba we are not personally ready to make that sacrifice. On the thread regarding the embargo (so-called) we claim the injustices of giving money to the castro regime and some feel that the answer is no visits and no remittances. While there is some merit – yet balance needed as well – we in the USA won’t even go so far as boycotting those that trade openly with castro. I have mentioned it on other occasions that we should boycott all companies and states to the best of our abilities that trade with the monster if we were genuinely balanced in our feelings about propping castro. We know ADM and others openly trade with castro yet do we have any kind of boycott campaign on our side of the caribe? No and we won’t because it will cost us too much. Unless we are willing to pay a price for a free Cuba we should not expect others to. Are we truly for an embargo? Then lets show it. Otherwise talk is cheap.

  8. Pototo,

    I don’t think anyone is “expecting” them to do anything. Marc and others praise them for having COURAGE to do what we might not do faced with the same circumstances. As far boycotting the companies that deal with Cuba I’m not quite sure I follow. Companies like ADM (not that I’m a big fan) aren’t breaking the embargo. They are working within its limitations. I think perhaps we should boycott the countries that are making money off the backs of Cubans: like Canada and the UK and especially Spain. But how big of a percentage do we Cubans and those that are sympathetic to us do we represent to their business?

    Look for a post from me about the embargo later this week.

  9. Pototo,

    I don’t think anyone is “expecting” them to do anything. Marc and others praise them for having COURAGE to do what we might not do faced with the same circumstances. As far boycotting the companies that deal with Cuba I’m not quite sure I follow. Companies like ADM (not that I’m a big fan) aren’t breaking the embargo. They are working within its limitations. I think perhaps we should boycott the countries that are making money off the backs of Cubans: like Canada and the UK and especially Spain. But how big of a percentage do we Cubans and those that are sympathetic to us do we represent to their business?

    Look for a post from me about the embargo later this week.

  10. Henry,
    My point is that either its right or its wrong. If its wrong for the US to weaken the embargo with Cuban travel then it must be just as wrong for the US to weaken the embargo for private companies. I guess I am trying to address the double standard that its okay for laws to be changed if it will benefit business, yet not if it will benefit families. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the abuses as much as the next guy. I just think that we as Cuban Americans living in comfort and safety there must be something legitimate that we can do. I just don’t see family restrictions and remittances as something legitimate. Just frustrated as we left in 62 and no closer to returning in the foreseeable future. Just getting tired of years of nothing.

  11. My response is quite simple:

    It’s irrelevant where you are in relation to the political prisoners, we don’t have much of a choice in that respect.

    However we do have a choice as to whether we want to take time from our days to bring light to their injustice, or sit back, enjoy the fruits of our good fortune, and do nothing.

  14. I think it’s great Fidel is the last image. Little things like the fact that he will stick out in people’s minds are always good for the cause (NOT that these other guys need to be reviled less)

  15. el “emailer” suena a provocacion,y muy sutil,pero ustedes aqui en USA son el eco de los periodistas independientes en cuba,que hacen el ruido y la bulla,y si no fuera por ustedes aqui en USA,no hubiera ningun eco que se proyectara fuera de la isla y llegara a millones de gentes que a veces ni conocen la realidad cubana…tan importantes son los que en cuba se oponen al regimen por la via periodistica,como ustedes aqui,que hacen que los de alla se sientan vivos,ya que ven en ustedes la continuacion de sus gritos,de sus denuncias…sin ustedes no hubiera eco..sin los de cuba no hubiera grito…entonces solo quedaria el silencio…

  16. Robert puts it quite succinctly:

    However we do have a choice as to whether we want to take time from our days to bring light to their injustice, or sit back, enjoy the fruits of our good fortune, and do nothing.

    Short, concise and to the point.

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