They forget that in cyberspace my voice can travel without limits, leaving and returning without asking for permission… It does not matter if they have kept my passport. Since one year ago I have another, on which, in the section for nationality, appears a short word: “blogger”.

Cuba is a reverse Matrix. Freedom exists in, not outside, the Matrix. Yoani Sanchez sneaks blog postings into the blogosphere, but is not allowed to travel to receive a prestigious award for her work. In political prisons, men and women express themselves freely, but pay for it with physical bondage. Outside are the prisoners, inside the free. Set them free.

H/T: The Corner 

Why a podcast on Cuban history? First of all, thank you Dr. de la Cova for taking the time to speak to us on Cuban history, about which, we Americans, including myself, don’t know nearly enough. I was at a technical conference this past December in Miami where I became friends with a fellow from Texas. A conversation that started off about computer programming eventually turned to Cuba and Cubans in America. I answered his questions as best I could, but felt my explanations only scratched the surface, that I needed to delve deeper into my native land’s history, something I’ve wanted to do for years, but have never taken the time to do. We all lead very busy lives. History is just not an immediately pressing matter, but nonetheless, extremely important, for those who don’t know their own history are doomed to repeat it. A podcast is a very convenient way to fit information into our daily lives that otherwise we would likely never get around to giving our attention.

That’s the rationale for the podcast. Here are some of the questions I asked Dr. de la Cova.

1. As I understand it, some time between 1906 and 1959, Cubans had a republic, but we were obviously unable to keep it. How long did this the republic last? Why couldn’t we keep it?
2. Had Jose Marti survived the war, could he have played the George Washington figure Cuba sorely needed?
3. The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba all got their independence with the same war. How and why did their histories’ diverge?
4. How do you think Cuban history would have turned out had the British kept it?

You can listen to his answers and much more here. Thank you once again Dr. de la Cova for being gracious enough to indulge our curiosity, and even to answer a few speculative, counterfactual, what-if questions. Thank you Claudia for the opportunity once more to co-host Blogging For Libertad. Dr. de la Cova is a treasure trove of information. I learned a lot.

Sounds like the start of a great short story…someday…when I have time…

Available here.

Watching me on 3/28/2008, Miami, FL.