Earlier this week, I read something that sickened me. It was not new, however. This time, it came from the lips of Pat Leahy, the Democratic senator from Vermont. (One of them, that is — the other is Bernie Sanders. I suppose he’s not a Democrat, technically, but he is running for their presidential nomination, so . . .)

Leahy said, “Positive change in Cuba will take time. But it will come not as a result of stubborn nostalgia by a vociferous few for the Batista years . . .”

I have addressed this subject many times, including on the last day of 2014 — not long after President Obama announced his unilateral normalization with the Castros. (I put it this way because our democratic government demanded precious little from the dictatorship in exchange for normalization.)

Let me paste a brief excerpt:

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen something I’ve seen my entire life — at least since college, when I became interested in Cuba, and in the American Left’s defenses of the Castro dictatorship.
Whenever you express a desire for freedom and democracy in Cuba — or even non-murderousness — they say, “You long for the days of the Batista dictatorship.” . . .
Over the years, when I have interviewed democracy activists, the Left has responded that these are “Batista stooges.” (Or they are gusanos, worms, which is the Communists’ term for opponents of the dictatorship.)
Most of the time, the dissidents I have interviewed were born after the fall of the Batista dictatorship. All they have known is the Castros.
Remember this, too: Many of the best and bravest democrats fought against Batista and then were imprisoned, tortured, and killed by the Communists.

Think of those Vermont senators: Leahy and Sanders. Are they the worst, most noxious pair from any state in the whole Union? Does Vermont win the prize, so to speak?

Whom does another state send? Chomsky and Zinn? (Zinn is dead, right?)

I have no doubt — none — that Leahy and Sanders admire the Castros more than they do, say, the Bush family. I also fear the same is true of our president and secretary of state.

While I have you on the line, and while we’re talking about Cuba, I’d like to share a letter with you — a letter and an article.

A reader writes,

Jay,
I learned about Communism second hand as a boy — my Seattle-area family sponsored refugees from Asia in the late ’70s, followed by a number of Marielitos. [Cubans who came in the 1980 Mariel boatlift.] Thus I share your opinion of Che and the Castro brothers.
In addition to NRO, I read the humor site Cracked. It is irreverent and profane, and very different from your publication. It is generally apolitical, but when any political topic comes up, Cracked is, like the pop culture in general, predictably liberal.
I came across an article today about Cuba, apparently a response to our execrable new policy toward the Castros’ island prison. I thought I would pass it on as it was nice to see a non-conservative outlet of any kind relate the truth.

Yes, indeed. This is “6 Ugly Facts Of Life In Communist Cuba.”

Thanks to all readers, by the way, and see you later.