A Patriot and his son

From left to right in the picture: Fernando Villar, yours truly, and Fernando Villar Jr.

Recently I was contacted by Fernando Villar Jr. He wanted to ask me some questions for a documentary he is filming about the idolization of Che Guevara. Here's what he's attempting to do in his own words:

I am a Cuban American student at Rutgers University. I am currently, in preproduction for a documentary on the mass production and idolization of che guevara.

I want this documentary to provide a voice for the otherwise voiceless standpoint of Cuban exiles who know what a despot and murderer el che really was.

This is an ambitious project but I am very passionate about it because ideally I want the admiration and idolization of this murder to cease, mostly among the youth.

Fernando Villar, the filmmaker's father was a political prisoner in Cuba for almost 8 years. After his son finished interviewing me yesterday, we talked for some time about his experiences. Almost immediately tears began to well up in his eyes. Here's a man, 75 years old, who has gone through more than any of us could imagine, a strong man, reduced to tears when thinking about what what was done to him, his compatriots and his country.

One thing he said has really stayed with me. "If we were document everything that has happened, all of the process of the Cuban Revolution, it would fill more than 20,000 pages."

Luckily we have people like his son, Fernando Jr., who will document these things for future generations. Stories, like those of his father, should not be lost to time but rather an example for us all.

Thank you Fernando and Fernando Jr. for making my day yesterday.