THE CUBAN AND FREEDOM Print

THE CUBAN AND FREEDOM
Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
President of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights
Presidential Medal of Freedom
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It often comes in several individuals for their role in the history of mankind, these are: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and in other realms and territories, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the pope Benedict XVI, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City and Vicar of Rome, and the Dalai Lama, spiritual symbol and leader of the Tibetan Government in Exile.
These celebrities have in common historic global leadership, and linked to hope and dignity of the faithful. Similarly are spiritual and political leaders with a fundamental mark for their people.
Other ideas that sometimes I think is that the followers of these distinguished people are reflections of their leaders and in most cases they behave well.
However, the events of March 15 when several dissidents occupied Catholic churches in the country, especially the 13 opponents, who came to the Basilica of the Church of Charity in Havana, the behavior of those who represent Benedict XVI not lived up to their responsibilities. These worthy Cubans demanded that the Pope in his homily for Cubans highlight the need for change that respects the dignity and fundamental human rights of our suffering people.
Surprising was the attitude of church leaders to order the expulsion by the forces of those faithful followers of Catholicism and promoters of humanism in Cuba. Also insulted the two publications were made in the official government newspaper.
But the saddest thing was that people called progressives and / or dissidents approve the censorship of these unique events in the nation for over thirty years. His words not only wounded the hearts of these lovers of liberty but also to history.
To say that this was inappropriate, irresponsible and intrusive is a contradiction of reality. This supports exposing irreverent as this was a radical action on the negative side of life.
But despite this sad situation, I rejoiced that the action of the occupants is not punishable at least by the word of God of the Bible, history and compendium of the science of non-violent mass civil disobedience by Gene Sharp .
Let us see what history says.
Martin Luther King also felt the painful weight of destructive criticism and in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, stated: "Was not Jesus an extremist for love?: Love your enemies, forgive those who sought to slander: do good to them that hate you and pray for those who maliciously abuse you and persecute you. And Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Martin Luther an extremist: They said I stand, I can not do otherwise, that God comes to my aid. And Jon Buyan: He remained in prison until the end of my days to kill before my conscience. And Abraham Lincoln: This nation can not survive half slave and half free. And Thomas Jefferson: For us there is self-evident truths, and one of them is that all men are created equal [...] ".
In the history of Cuba, in the same way, we have those great people who poured out their love to the end. Hatuey: invited him to repent of their struggle for freedom or the fire, and offered him life in heaven, and ask and you will be there, I said yes, and said then I do not want to be. Narciso Lopez and more than fifty of his comrades in their struggle against the Spanish Empire settled the Cuban flag in making Matanzas. Carlos Manuel Céspedes and his love for independence left all his property and privilege, and gave the cry of freedom and homeland. Bayamo And prior to return to slavery preferred to burn their city. And Antonio Maceo, to peace without independence, made the Protest of Baragua. And our apostle José Martí when he said, put the yoke on the star that illuminates and kills. And Tomas Estrada Palma, at the time military judge that he killed his mother explained: "The memory of my mother is too sacred for me to staining with a feeling of revenge." And the young men shot by Castro-Stalinist government that before dying they shouted long live Christ the King. And Orlando Zapata Tamayo who refused to eat until death to ensure respect for human rights. And John Wilfredo Soto who did not survive the beating of the political police when demanded freedom of expression. And Wilman Villar, died of starvation for basic freedoms. And Laura Pollan, his feet never got tired or spirit demanding freedom for their homeland.
And we keep saying King in his letter: "So the question is not whether we be extremists, but the kind of extremist we will be. ¿We will bring our ends to hate or to love? Will we extremism in the service of the preservation of injustice or the dissemination of justice? In the dramatic scene of the three men were crucified Golgotha. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime: the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and so they fell lower than the world around them. The other, Jesus Christ was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and so he rose above the world around him. It may well be that the South, the nation and the world need a lot of extremists creators. "
Well, these young people were in search of good for his country and his purpose was the love, we can not say with Machiavelli: "The end justifies the means", but if presented as Christians, "the end justifies the means ".
I think that the end is love and love means, plus live under a Stalinist totalitarian dictatorship with no free space to mourn our sorrows and shout to infinity by the pain that welcomes us in this society filled with fear. For all this we can not condemn this act of courage and love, because they carry in their souls an intense desire for freedom for his people.
These people in their protest did not violate any law just and yes, unjust laws prohibiting claims of basic human rights for the Cuban people. And I'm not alarmed by this violation, for the same St. Augustine of Hippo left us the legacy that "an unjust law is no such law" or St. Thomas Aquinas: "An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in the eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just; Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. "
The science of non-violent mass civil disobedience exposed in the book of Democracy to Dictatorship G. Sharp recommends these methods of nonviolent action: come in and sit, come and stay standing, getting a rush, non-violent raid, invasion non-violent non-violent occupation; strike to stay on the site; civil disobedience neutral laws.
All these ecclesiastical and other creative people are critical not censorship of Pope Benedict XVI. Because the Cuban people and the God of the Bible are secure.
I pray to this God merciful savior and interventions of Benedict XVI, look at the face and soul of the Cuban people's suffering so that you can recall the prophet Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because Jehovah hath anointed me, sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison inmate, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord's will. There is no peace, saith my God, for the ungodly.