Wednesday, April 3

A Historic Visit -

Havana Blogger Yoani Sanchez has received a warm welcome in Miami. I had been concerned that hecklers might try to silence her or shout her down, but almost everyone has been on their best behavior and let her speak, I am happy to report. Miami's Cuban Exile Community can be a tough crowd, but Yoani seems to have won them over. Looks like some reconciliation going on, and that's a good thing.

I didn't study Political Science in college, so I'm not well equipped to give anyone political advice. And I'm not a Leftist or a Rightist; I've always been an Indy voter. Speaking solely on the basis of the most logical or rational choices, it seems to me that the current Cuban regime should look to move more in the direction of the Scandinavian model of Socialism, since their societies appear to be quite prosperous. What are they doing right which Cuba can learn from?

For my part, I am mostly concerned with respect for basic human rights. Giving Yoani permission to take a trip abroad is definitely a step in the right direction. People have a right to share their experiences and observations from their lives, to communicate and to socialize with their friends and families. No government should cut them off or isolate them from the outside world. I hope Yoani's visit here is a sign of better conditions to come.

In an ironic sidebar to Yoani's visit, the person who is responsible for maintaining our WiFi Internet connection doesn't consider it a high priority. As a result our connection repeatedly gets disrupted when she erratically doesn't pay the bill as it comes due. She is still firmly entrenched in the Twentieth Century and doesn't seem to have any awareness that many people today communicate and socialize over the Internet, by Email, IM, Skype, etc. One can only wonder how much longer she is going to be able to sustain living in that kind of Retro Life Bubble without adverse impact on her.

:: Miami Herald ::

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