Congratulations to moderate Catalanist party Convergencia's youth group. They sent ten of their women members, including Barcelona city councilwoman Francina Vila, to Cuba in order to support the dissident group Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco), whose husbands are prisoners in Castro's jails. The Castro regime rounded the Catalan women up, and they are being detained in a Havana hotel until they are deported tomorrow. Their crime? Standing together in the streets of Havana with a banner reading, "Democracia."

Vila said, "Our goals are to support the Ladies in White because of the situation of their husbands, sons, and brothers who are in prison, in a disgraceful condition, some of whom are ill and in danger of death. We also want to support the Ladies in White because they suffer from 'acts of repudiation,' they are insulted, they have problems getting work, and in leaving their houses to help their husbands and relatives."

She added, "Our support is so they will have the spirit to keep fighting, to put pressure on the Cuban government to free their husbands and relatives. We want to call international attention to the problem of Cuba, which is a totalitarian regime where there is no freedom of expression, or of assembly, or even to demonstrate, and we want to make the Ladies in White's cause internationally known."

By the way, "acts of repudiation" are a lovely Castroite custom. If you criticize the government, your block leader informs the Party, and they send a bunch of their bullies to your house to shout insults and throw things. You are harassed every time you leave home, because, you see, the people are angered by your counter-revolutionaritude and they are expressing their justified indignation.

Convergencia's youth group is hereby forgiven for all its past (rather mild) Cataloony sins, because they're on the right side when you look at the big picture, and they just showed some guts. It's one thing to talk a good game from behind your computer screen, like me, and another to actually stick your neck out, as they did.