Cuban Punk Rocker's Bum Rap

For a better appreciation of American freedoms, consider the case of Gorki Aguila. Better yet, sample the Cuban punk rocker's music.

The lead singer of Porno para Ricardo writes lyrics that, how to say this delicately, portray Fidel and Raul Castro in a negative light. In "El Commandante," said to be his most famous song, the singer calls on Fidel to stop performing sex acts on men.

The song is profane and vulgar, no question. But it's not criminal.

Yet last week in Cuba, Aguila, 39, was jailed on a charge of "pre-crime social dangerousness," a law used against those considered dangerous to the revolution. But in a surprising decision, prosecutors dropped the charge and the court found him guilty of public disorder for playing his music too loudly during rehearsal.

Aguila was fined the equivalent of $28, a big sum in Cuba, but spared prison.

It's not clear why the charge was reduced. The trial was closed to the press and Cuban authorities didn't comment, so it's impossible to know whether President Raul Castro is softening Cuba's harsh treatment of political protestors. More likely, world attention forced Raul to wield a smaller stick.

In considering this case, American parents may secretly wish they could jail certain artists who write profane lyrics.

But a cherished American value holds that political speech, no matter how crude, is protected speech. Even Americans who disagree on the issues would fight to the death for their opponent's right to say what he thinks.

Free speech is not a universally held value. In parts of the world, including the tinderbox Middle East, dictators regularly imprison citizens who say or write something perceived as "insulting the government."

When Raul assumed power in Cuba two years ago, he said complaints should be aired. It seems he failed to recognize that lifting the lid of censorship creates space for messy public disagreements and prickly protest songs.

By arresting Aguila, Raul resealed the lid of censorship and gave the world another chilling glimpse of communism.