In today’s Impromptus, I have occasion to mention Guillermo Fariñas, one of the more prominent Cuban dissidents. Like so many of the dissidents, he is an “Afro Cuban,” which is to say, black. It is one of the lies of the revolution, and of the revolution’s defenders in free countries, that the Castros have been good for Afro Cubans. Have a note from a reader:

“I recall the Cuban army in Angola — and the gall of the American Left. Here was an army with an all-white officer corps leading conscripted black men on a Cold War imperialist mission to Africa. And nobody on the left could find anything wrong with that!”

Well, of course not.

I also have an “impromptu” on one of my bêtes noires: the phrase, and concept of, “social justice.” Do you know there is a Social Justice High School in Chicago? I didn’t either. Many readers have written to say that for them, now, “social justice” means voting Republican.

But readers well know that partisanship is beneath me. (That was a joke.)

Turn now to food (glorious food): In my column, I quote an expression I learned the other day in Florida: “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.” From my point of view, apple pie without vanilla ice cream is like . . . like what?

NRO readers have answers. Let me share just a few of them: “Apple pie without vanilla ice cream is like a health-care bill without a deem.” (Points for topicality.) “Apple pie without vanilla is like the Philippines without Manila” — or “the Huns without Attila” or “Meara without Stilla.”

Beautiful.

Finally, a reader says, “As an Indian, I know two people named the following: Lincoln Patel and Ike Singh. Yes, both sets of parents were great admirers of those two presidents — Republican presidents, I might add.” Well, I give you the Cuban-born congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. His grandfather loved our Civil War president, and named his son Rafael Lincoln. The congressman’s grandmother loved Ralph Waldo Emerson — and so another boy was named Waldo.

Good taste.