Although Cuba is treated like an equal instead of a pariah in places like the United Nations, the Internet is virtually illegal in Fidel Castro's Cuba. Almost alone among the world's nations, including even oppressive states like Burma and Zimbabwe, Cubans are deprived of access to Internet unlike almost any other nation on earth.

Anyone who can get rare access — through a tightly controlled government machine, or something brought in from abroad, or an Internet cafe computer with access obtained by posing as a foreigner — has a vivid real window to the outside world, and can instantly turn around and see what a prison Cuba is. It's very rare, of course, and all of Cuba's phone lines are tapped, making it very easy to detect someone who's using one illicitly, and to read what he has to say.

Castro knows the power of the Internet very well. The world's longest—ruling dictator understands power in all forms and the Internet is particularly threatening to his absolute rule.

Guillermo Farinas Hernandez is an independent journalist in Fidel Castro's Cuba. The bravery it takes to do that, and his prospects in those conditions, are not good. But he has gotten into further trouble with Castro's goons for trying to tell the outside world about the nightmare inside Cuba through the Internet.

Castro's security men have deprived him of his lone window to the world, which is the Internet. For that, he's on the 57nd day of a hunger strike, saying he is willing to die to get Internet access. He has no other means of telling the world what's happening in Castro's monstrous tyranny. And he must do it.

Surprisingly, the mainstream media doesn't seem to notice this intense showdown between Castro and the right to free information inside Cuba. But we do. Today, Val Prieto at Babalu blog is organizing bloggers everywhere for a 'blogburst,' with each of us posting something today on the plight of Farinas in his struggle for free information in Castro's dictatorship.

We are proud and duty—bound to do it. More information about Farinas, the blogospheric effort around the world, and the hypocritical high Cuban officials who easily can be contacted by Internet, can be read here  .

A.M. Mora y Leon 03 27 06