Biography
Guillermo I. MartÃnez is a journalist who lives in South Florida.
Capriles won't get chance to become leader in Venezuela
May 2, 2013
Slowly, a growing number of Venezuelan exiles living in South Florida are realizing it will be hard for Henrique Capriles Rodonski to peacefully get the government of Nicolás Maduro to accept a true recount of the vote count in the presidential election of April 14.
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Loss of printed books means reading won't be the same
April 25, 2013
Think about the monks who painstakingly copied by hand the books available before Johannes Gutenberg came up with the printing press in 1450. An era was ending and a new one that would last more than 550 years had begun.
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Citizenship proposal will be lengthy and costly process
April 18, 2013
In order to get into the United States, undocumented workers must have either crossed the border illegally and walked in the desert of the southwest at great peril, or simply over-stayed their visa and remain in this country without permission.
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Do Jay-Z and Beyonce care about human rights in Cuba?
April 11, 2013
This is an open letter to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, pop music's royal couple on their much publicized trip to Cuba to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
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Dissident Cuban blogger an electrifying personality
April 4, 2013
Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sánchez's incursion into Miami can only be compared to Julius Caesar's invasion of Europe and Britain. Both came, saw and conquered. Caesar did so with weapons; Sánchez with words
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Cuban dissident deserves respect as a true patriot
March 21, 2013
Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez's around the world in 80 days tour has been met by throngs of sympathizers, small groups of pro-Castro goons, and some exiles who say she is too soft on the tyranny that rules her country.
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Venezuelans have made great strides in South Florida
March 14, 2013
The presence and impact of Venezuelans in South Florida dates back to the late 1970s, or early 1980s when Miami elected its first Hispanic mayor, Puerto Rican-born Maurice Ferré.
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Guillermo Martinez: Death of Chavez leaves Venezuela future uncertain
March 7, 2013
Former Venezuelan tank commander and president for the last 14 years, Hugo Chávez Frías is dead. He was never able to recover from a cancer he had been fighting since 2011.
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Reality in Cuba: Freedom, democracy aren't close
February 27, 2013
News about Cuba came at us at a fast and furious pace last week.
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Guillermo Martinez: Dictators, elected strongmen, still rule in Latin America
February 21, 2013
As a young man, I realized that in Latin America many of the governments in the hemisphere were ruled by dictators, generals or, as they were known back then, caudillos.
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Guillermo Martinez: Rubio shows he's articulate, but he still needs polishing
February 14, 2013
In politics, history seldom repeats itself; particularly not in the same decade.
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Guillermo Martinez: No matter what is said, rights abuses abound in Cuba
February 7, 2013
For decades, the accusations of Cuban exiles about human rights abuses in Cuba have been questioned.
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Guillermo Martinez: As Chavez takes his time, Havana rules Venezuela
January 31, 2013
Latin American politics in the second decade of the 21st century are strange, to say the least. Other adjectives may apply. They reader may choose the most appropriate after reading this column.
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Now is the perfect time to prioritize immigration reform
January 24, 2013
After the inauguration speech, the White House explained the lack of details about some of President Barack Obama's agenda items did not mean he did not intend to pursue them. It said the details would come in his February State of the Union speech.
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Guillermo Martinez: New Cuban migration law causes questions, skepticism
January 17, 2013
The anxiously-awaited new Cuban migration law went into effect Monday. Now the questions begin.
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Martinez: Problems in Puerto Rico leave island in limbo
January 10, 2013
If one had to choose one word to describe Puerto Rico today, it would be "limbo."
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Martinez: Coaches can speak language that will help players succeed
December 27, 2012
The words came rushing into my mind as I read the story of the Cooper City soccer league coach ejected from the game for speaking Spanish: discrimination, common courtesy, bias, an English-Only referendum and misunderstanding.
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La salud de Chávez y el futuro de Venezuela
December 13, 2012
Ahora no tenemos que especular.
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Martinez: If Chavez no longer leads, what happens in Venezuela?
December 13, 2012
This time there is no need to speculate.
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News Media ignores plight of Cuban dissidents on island
December 6, 2012
The emphasis of the American news media on the third anniversary of the imprisonment of American contractor Allan Gross in Cuba for attempting to give internet access to the island's small Jewish community is natural. American journalists always follow up stories.
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Al Jazeera y las Damas de Blanco
December 5, 2012
Lo más importante para los periodistas que viajan a Cuba hoy día es escribir sobre los tres años que el contratista estadounidense Allan Gross ha estado en la cárcel por tratar de llevar equipos de internet a la pequeña comunidad judía que vive en la isla. La prensa siempre le hace seguimiento a las noticias importantes.
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Guillermo Martinez: U.S., Mexico should work together as economy grows
November 29, 2012
Peruvian Nobel Prize winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa used to call the 71-year-rule of the PRI in Mexico as the "perfect dictatorship." Each president would govern for six years, then appoint his successor. The party ruled in an uninterrupted manner until Vicente Fox of the pro-business PAN won the election 12 years ago.
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Lack of basic human rights one reason to keep embargo
November 22, 2012
Last weekend, during a presentation of the book "Cubans: An Epic Journey," which Sam Verdeja and I co-edited, a man in the audience asked the most expected question: "Why doesn't the United States lift the embargo on Cuba?"
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Republicans need much work to gain Hispanic vote
November 15, 2012
As Republicans entered their post-mortem analysis of the presidential race debacle, many of their top office holders and conservative pundits came up with a quick and easy solution.
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Can criminal get freedom by leaving their country?
November 8, 2012
In May of 2009 suspected Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk, 89, was deported from the United States to Germany where he was charged with the murder of 29,000 Jews.
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The Puerto Rican vote is not documented, but it should be
November 1, 2012
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Immigration reform gets unexpected supporter
October 25, 2012
It is too late to affect this year's presidential elections, but immigration reform is slowly becoming an issue that both Democrats and Republicans can, and should, come together and resolve for the good of the country.
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Cuban migration policy is good news — sort of
October 18, 2012
As one who worries about the plight of victims of human rights abuses, the announcement that Cuba will no longer require an exit permit to leave the island is good news. One hopes award-winning blogger Yoani Sánchez will be allowed to travel to receive her many international awards. Maybe the Ladies in White who peacefully protest throughout the island will be allowed to travel; as well as hundreds of other Cuban dissidents.