Friday, August 25, 2006

The type of Cuban that I am...

I am the type of Cuban that was born in the USA and has never been to Cuba. I am the type of Cuban who was never directly affected by fidel castro and his infernal revolution. I am the type of Cuban has lived comfortably in the United States and never had to go hungry. I am the type of Cuban the enjoyed a private high school education and earned a college degree from a notable University.

Does that disqualify me from having an opinion on Cuba or the embargo, or fidel and raul castro?

Before you answer that you should also know that I'm the type of Cuban that his been influenced by those that were affected by fidel castro and his infernal revolution. That I was born in the comfort and security of the US because my parents knew that a future in castro's Cuba was no future at all. I'm the type of Cuban that never went hungry because those same parents worked incredibly hard to pursue a dream that isn't just the American dream but the dream of anyone who believes in self determination. I'm the type of Cuban that was taught in good institutions because my parents believed that education is the most important aspect in fulfilling one's potential.

That education has served me well. I am able to not only read and write but also to think critically and express my opinions in a manner that hopefully others can connect with. I blog about Cuba because I'm passionate about it. Where does that passion come from? I don't know. Why is anyone passionate about anything? I can only tell you that like any passion, I don't control it, it controls me.

Why blog at all? For one thing, I have things to say and I'd like people to listen to what I have to say. Blogging provides an outlet to say these things. I also challenge people to think about what they may have believed about Cuba, Cuban-Americans or any subject I write about.

On this blog you will find my opinions. But not only that, you will find many facts to back up those opinions. You will find logical arguments.

What you won't generally find here is gratuitous name-calling. You won't find wild speculation (unless it's labeled as such) and you won't find unsubstantiated reports (unless they are likewise labled as such). I am not a journalist in the traditional sense of the word but I understand that my credibility is at stake every time I type a post or a response to a comment. And I value my credibility more than anything else I can think of apart from my family.

If that's not the type of Cuban you want to be associated with, fine. There's a button at the top of this page that says "Next Blog>>". You are free to use it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"What you won't generally find here is gratuitous name-calling."

Actually you do a lot of childish name-calling.

Henry Louis Gomez said...

Ok anonymous whatever you say.

Fantomas said...

After this debacle we either come stronger or more divided...

I tend to agree things will get much
better among us now that everyone has taken a position...

You have the righ to blog and give your opinions about cuba as much as anyone that was born there.

AmandaDufau said...

Well said, Henry.

It's so sad how we have to justify ourselves to others, even though we have nothing to hide, while those same others hide behind facades.

El Guardia Rural said...

I hear you brother. Viva Cuba Libre

Robert said...

Amen, brothah!

Anonymous said...

Hi i wrote the initial comment. I completely agree with enrique that you have the right to give yur opinion as much as any naturally-born Cuban, i just think that some of the language you choose to write your opinions in is unprofessional, and as i previously mentioned, childish.

I do think you are a very intellectual person who researches their opinions well, i just wish that you and others on this bog would not resort to personal attacks against those you disagree with. i believe this stops the flow of civil debate. i also believe this is what lead a previous poster to keep his/her identity anonymous for fear of "little demons." As much as i disagree with about 90% of what you have to say, i enjoy reading your site because you obviously put a lot of time , energy, and research into it.

I do believe you do a pretty good amount of childish name-calling. Just look in your archives. In my humble opinion that not only takes away from any possible discourse but also your credibility.

just my 2 convertable peso.

Henry Louis Gomez said...

There's only two people on this blog: myself and my blog partner Songuacassal. And I can tell you that Songuacassal has never uttered a word against anyone on this blog.

I, on the other hand, sometimes use language to punctuate my writings. I use curse words and I will use strong language against the people that I see as enemies of freedom or those to ignorant to know that their half-baked ideas are detrimental to freedom.

But this blog is not a food fight like you might find on other sites. Perhaps you are right that my tactics sometimes detract from my writings but it's 100% me. And by the way I disclaimed the fact that sometimes I do use name-calling tactics when I used the word "generally."

Nobody is perfect and I don't claim to be either.

It strikes me as odd that you would disagree with 90% of what I say yet the thing you comment on is one line in a post that was written about recent comments on another blog, which in comparison is much more of the food fight that I described earlier.

Perhaps you could offer your wisdom on more substantial issues on which you disagree with me.