Déjà vu is literally translated from French to mean “already seen.” It is a sense of having already seen something—coupled with knowing you haven’t actually seen it, which is why it catches many people so off guard. It is thought to be the equivalent of a small brain “glitch,” with two streams of thought colliding.

Unfortunately, I and many others of what is mockingly called “historical exiles”, as it is no longer valid, have lived under the beginning of Castro’s tyranny much of what we are experiencing in this, our adopted Country.  

Nothing is more similar in our memories that the role played by the media and Castro’s many supporters in challenging the most important part of freedom, speech.    

The latest example of my fears was seen a couple of days ago in the renowned University of Stanford. Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee was loudly interrupted by a mob of “woke” students.    

To make matters worse and shameful, the so called associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, Tirien Steinbach then delivered a lengthy speech 

rebuking Duncan for the ‘harm’ he was doing.    

 In Cuba, not only our prominent newspapers and television spokespersons were banned, but individuals like me were warned about dangerous consequences by friends, both socially and as a student in the University of Habana. 

One of my best friends that was my roommate in Bowman Gray, when leaving Batista’s Cuba, was the first one when I dared to express my negative opinions of Castro’s initial agrarian and real estate “reforms”.  

Asked about free speech, he defined it as only the majority opinion was accepted.    

Not only this is the opposite meaning as this human right is meant to allow and defend the expressions of the minority, as the popular does not need it.    

The second warning, and most ominous, was given to me by a female friend that when enjoying a drink at a popular bar, I loudly criticized a few militia members that were drinking champagne in a near table.    

My words were something to the effect that the “revolution” was promoted as taking from the “rich” to give to the “poor” not to them!   

 Her message was that I was in a list to be searched at our home as potential counter-revolutionary.  A few days later I left our homeland with one of my brothers, towards the US.    

My father, mother and younger brother (my sister was already here with her husband and son) left when my father was invited to speak at a medical meeting in Colombia.  

A few days after they left, our house was taken over and searched.    

I was accused of having anti-Castro writing, which was correct.  Be forewarned, freedom of speech is what extreme socialists fear the most.    

It is time that we, the silent majority, and this include social-democrat, start defending this precious right of all opinions.