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MARIO J. TORRES
Definition of Liberty
Have you ever wondered what the
word liberty means:
It is the civilized right, even practiced before mankind was really
civilized,
to freely execute all actions in life at the person's own will as long as
these actions be socially legal and lawful according to rational standards
without having someone in charge prohibit, limit or punish their
realization.
Liberty has a wide meaning in practice and a range of rights and benefits
that every citizen of any country should be entitled to.
Any human being should be able to openly express ideas, opinions and points
of view in public orally or in writing without the fear of being punished
because of this, and never hide those views in his mind, change them or
repeat someone else's ideas like a parrot pretending to feel something
he/she does not believe in or be someone he/she is really not; all for the
sake of survival or for fear to repression, harassment, retailiation,
imprisonment, punishment, discrimination or to get benefits from a hypocrite
behavior . This is a basic requirement in the quest of liberty.
Besides, all members of any community should do, act, move and live without
having anyone control or follow their actions and should be capable of doing
anything they want with all their property without having to ask someone for
permission.
All living person must have the humane possibility of being properly fed and
nourished, of having the right to get a job regardless of his/her political
integration or religious beliefs, race or social class and also of being
respected and treated as equal with his/her fellow citizens as well as with
any alien and never be discriminated for any reason.
Workers must be paid in the national currency of their country and products
must be sold in that very currency.
Liberty is expressed by the exercise of joy by the nationals of a country of
the benefits and beauty of their homeland without any prohibition.
To better exercise liberty, citizens must decide without any kind of threat,
pressure or any other outer influence to willingly belong or not to any
organization they wish without suffering from retailiation for their
decision and they must have the right to really, directly and actively
participate in electing the leader they find more suitable to rule their
country or to protest for any injustice or mistake made by that leader.
Liberty also means to have the possibility of choosing and practicing any
religion people wish to worship without the fear of being harassed or
discriminated for any kind of belief and also to freely join or not any
political party at will without being bribed or blackmailed to do it nor to
suffer from any kind of consequence for this action.
Another important issue in the accomplishment of the real value of liberty
is to have the possibility of receiving proper medical attention and an
education without the interference of political issues or brainwashing.
Every person considered free may enter and leave his/her country without
having to ask for permission to do so no matter when or where he/she is
going and should enjoy inside his/her country the contemporary and available
means of transportation of the time and not old fashioned or wild ones.
Besides, every person should have the right to refuse if he/she is forced by
the ruling system to go to another country on any "mission" if he/she
considers it absurd or dangerous and to suffer no consequences for the
denial.
Liberty also implies to afford a decent place where to live with access to
water and electricity and to have the opportunity to wear proper clothes and
not live in rags. Being able to read, write or publish any type of book or
article without fear of punishment is an important factor in attaining
liberty.
Being free also means getting rid of empty political slogans, silly parades,
meetings and false and nonsense "revolutionary" activities and of a
politically-oriented press, radio and TV network and a hollow and false
propaganda to other countries.
Finally, liberty is found even in prisons, which should be places for real
correction for the individual and not cementeries for men still alive and
besides no-one should be imprisoned, tortured or made disappear as a result
of expressing his/her ideas.
Everyone who lives or has lived in Cuba will surely realize that NONE of
these examples of civilized liberty are fulfilled or respected in the island
and that all these human rights have been totally violated on a daily basis
for more than forty years, so for the whim and stubbornness of one man, life
for Cubans has become hell on Earth and an undeserved and unexplainable
punishment as if they were carrying the ancient guilt of having nailed Jesus
Christ on the cross. This negation of the indispensable rights for the
enjoyment of liberty clearly gives the sometimes puzzled definition of
DICTATORSHIP.
International opinion everywhere must be aware that these are real facts and
no exaggeration: in the middle of the XXI Century, a whole island is being
destroyed and millions of people slowly perish in an enormous concentraton
camp by a system which is neither civilized nor humane and a call should be
made all over the world to stop this massive murder.
Cubans trapped inside their country are not free; on the contrary, they are
condemned prisoners slowly dying in this huge jail surrounded by water and
those in exile are also dying with the suffering of seeing how their island
and their loved ones sink.
"The merit and strength of a people are measured by their enthusiasm for
freedom when the only rewards from it are anguish and martyrdom, the blood
and ashes of exile, the sorrow of a house driven by the waves, and the shame
of a useless life that lacks the foundation and peace of mind needed to do
one's share of the common task".
Jose Marti
MARIO J TORRES
FEBRUARY 2004
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