LET'S FIGHT BACK

LET'S FIGHT BACK
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Friday, November 30, 2018

From The Religion Of Peace

Robert Spencer: Lessons for Today's Foreign Policy from 1400 Years of Jihad

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Mark Levin Show PODCAST Thursday November 29 2018

Thursday, November 29, 2018

The History of Jihad review by Dale Brown

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Savage Nation with Michael Savage Podcast Wednesday - November 28, 2018

Alex Jones Show November 28 2018

Rush Limbaugh Show Full Video - 28 November 2018

Mark Levin Show PODCAST Wednesday November 28 2018

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

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Sean Hannity 11/27/18| Breaking Fox News | November 27 2018

Savage Nation with Michael Savage Podcast Tuesday - November 27, 2018

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The Rush Limbaugh Show Video Tuesday November 27, 2018

The Mark Levin Show PODCAST Tuesday - November 27, 2018 | Mark Levin Show

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

The Five 11/26/18 [FULL] | Breaking Fox News November 26, 2018

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Savage Nation with Michael Savage Podcast Monday - November 26, 2018

Alex Jones Show November 26 2018

The Rush Limbaugh Show Video Monday November 26, 2018

The Mark Levin Show PODCAST Monday - November 26, 2018 | Mark Levin Show

No One Washes a Rental Car


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 154
 

No One Washes a Rental Car

In memory of Luis Diaz
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“In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rented car.” The saying, attributed to economist Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard, is a delightful metaphor for the relevancy of a culture of private property ownership in human affairs. A renter has little incentive to wash a car that he or she does not own, is returning to the rental agency, and will never drive again. On the other hand, a car owner has a much greater incentive to take good care of his car. Owners care and plan about the future.
Private property has a distinguished and polemical intellectual pedigree. John Locke, the 17th century British political philosopher and father of classical liberalism, conceived private property as a “natural right” independent of government. “Every man has Property in his own Person…The Labour of his Body, and the Work of his Hands, we may say are properly his.”

In the 18th century, the moral philosopher and economist Adam Smith argued that property and civil government were dependent on each other, and that the main function of government was to safeguard private property ownership. And, in the 19th century, Karl Marx rejected private property outright stating in his Communist Manifesto that “…the theory of Communists may be summed up in a single phrase: Abolition of private property.”

Today, private property is a legal concept prescribed by a country’s political system for the ownership of property by individuals and non-governmental entities. As it turns out, property rights and national prosperity are intimately connected. Contrary to Marx’s theory, nations prosper when private property rights are clearly defined and enforced in favor of the right of individuals to own resources and use them as they see fit. In the 19th century, Marx did not have the benefit of the rental car metaphor and unfortunately, the Marxist view of property rights captivated much of the world in the 20th century.

But even more important than the now clear positive correlation between property ownership and economic development, is how private property serves to protect our freedoms.  In his political treatise The Road to Serfdom, Austrian-British economist and philosopher Friedrich von Hayek, warns of the tyranny that inevitably results from government control of economic decision-making through central planning:

“The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not. It is only because the control of the means of production is divided among many people acting independently that nobody has complete power over us…”

Economists now realize that the broader and sounder the laws protecting property rights, the clearer the incentives to work, save, and invest. Thus, the stronger property rights are protected, the more efficient the operation of the economy, and the greater the creation of wealth. It is no longer economic orthodoxy that national development is subject to the presence or absence of natural resources. Development has occurred in countries with a scarcity of resources, and development has been dismal in countries rich in natural resources.

Studies show that a handful of institutional variables explain over eighty percent of the international variation in per-capita gross national income with property rights having the highest level of significance. (e.g., Richard Roll and John Talbott, “Why Many Developing Countries Just Aren’t”)

And yet, even “free market” governments are consistently weakening property rights with an onslaught of regulations affecting the use of private property. Regulations negatively impact economic activity because regulations interfere with private property rights and undermine the most effective allocation of resources. On average, GDP per capita is twice as high in nations with the stronger protection of property than in those providing only fairly good protection. (Lee Hoskins and Ana I. Eiras, “Property Rights: The Key to Economic Growth”)

But for most of us these economic studies are unnecessary to fully apprehend how a culture of private property ownership affects our decision-making. We just need to remember when we last washed a rented car before returning it to the car rental company.

Please let us know if you Like Issue 154 - No One Washes a Rental Car on Facebook this article.
We welcome your feedback.
Abrazos,
 
Lily & José
 
(click on the name to email Lily or Jose)
José Azel, Ph.D.
José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Formerly, a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics.

In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami.

José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp.

They cycled St. James Way (
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary. They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands.

Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them. 
Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro.

Books by Dr. José Azel
"Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations.
If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would recommend its reading to politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With this book Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous"
Carlos Alberto Montaner
"Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones.
Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería lectura obligatoria de todos los estudiantes, tanto de bachillerato como universitarios, pero, además, se la recomendaría a todos los políticos y periodistas, a todos los policy makers. Azel logra con este libro lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo."
Carlos Alberto Montaner
In Reflections on FreedomJosé Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles.
En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico.
Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future.
Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish.
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Mail from CubaArchive.org
November 2018
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We really need your support!


Dear friends,

We’ve had a very busy year (see highlights below) and have so much more to do, …so, we really need your support!  

Cuba Archive is the flagship initiative of Free Society Project, an “activist think tank” that promotes the understanding and observance of human rights particularly through research and publications. (See more here.) Our goal is to advance the urgent aspirations of those living in oppression in Cuba; we have also increasingly extended our efforts to include Venezuela.

The Cuban dictatorship devotes vast resources to spreading its influence and propaganda globally. Yet, we are constantly reminded that truth is disproportionately effective —in an instant, it can undo millions of dollars of disinformation. That's why our efforts are devoted to uncovering and providing facts with objectivity and precision.

Our staff of three professionals with part-time compensation (and a good deal of pro bono work) plus a few freelance contractors has been able to exceed results —in scope, quality, and impact—  of similar projects worldwide with a much larger staff of full-time workers. And there is so much more to be done... That's why we really need your help!

We are hoping for your support and generosity. Please donate via Pay Pal or send a check in the name of Free Society Project to  P.O. Box 612224, North Miami, FL 33261-2224. (Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S.) Also, see here other ways to advance this work.

To our supporters, our heartfelt thanks; to all our readers, thanks for your interest and for disseminating our work.

From Cuba Archive’s Board of Directors and Staff

    Highlights of Cuba Archive's work in 2018:
  • Continuing to populate and constantly update an electronic database that currently has over 10,500 individual records and is offered online free to the public;
  • Gathering direct testimony and information on victims and conducting research on historical events for continued documentation efforts;
  • Publishing myriad reports, including this year: “Fact Sheet on Cuba’s state-run labor trafficking business,” “Cuba’s commercial aviation crisis and its alarming record of air disasters,” “How many political prisoners are there in Cuba?”
  • Delivering a monthly fact-filled newsletter to thousands of influential people in many different countries;
  • Highlighting select cases of human rights defenders in Cuba for international campaigns to protect their lives and safety.
  • Having our work cited in media venues throughout the world –in 2018, these include: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Reuters, National Public Radio (NPR), The Daily Beast, Tampa Bay Tribune, Breitbart News, CNN Español, America Teve, Diario las Americas, El País, El Nuevo Herald,Infobae, Globo, El Comercio PanamPost, Martinoticias, 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba, La Poderosa Radio, and others.
  • Presenting at the Geneva pre-session of Cuba’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UN Human Rights Council on the Cuban state’s systematic violations of the right to life;
  • Holding advocacy meetings with representatives of several governments and UN Special Procedures in Geneva.
  • Presenting our work at several events, conferences or radio shows in New York, Washington, Miami, and Cleveland sponsored by entities such as Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, UPR-Info, Institute for Interamerican Democracy, Case Western University, the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, the Women’s Republican Club of New York, and more.
  • Communications and meetings with officials from many countries and organizations including the UN, OAS, European Parliament, U.S. and other governments.
  • Supporting human rights defenders in Cuba with training, computers, and humanitarian assistance.
  • Addressing inquiries from researchers, organizations, students and assorted interested parties from different countries;
  • Collaborating with organizations and human rights defenders from Cuba and other countries;
  • Maintaining an updated website with quality content with around 21,000 visitors a month from all over the world;
  • Posting on social media (Facebook and Twitter) relevant information on victims and transitional justice issues.

Monday, November 26, 2018

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How the hell did she go from bartender to congresswoman in one year? Well the same way Nicolas Maduro, who destroyed Venezuela, went from bus driver to dictator; the communist way, answer: You take it...



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Present at the Creation


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 153
 

Present at the Creation
Dedicated to the heroes of the Brigade 2506 and the underground resistance 

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“Had I been present at the creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.” This nostalgic expression of Alfonso X King of Castile (1252-1284) inspired the title of Dean Acheson’s memoirs “Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department.”  Acheson (1893-1971) was not just present at the creation of the postwar world; he was one of its architects until he left office as Secretary of State in 1953.
Jose Azel - (4th Grade)
Colegio de los Hermanos Maristas
 
Similarly, my generation was present at the creation of Cuba’s totalitarian state beginning in 1959 and has witnessed the socioeconomic devastation of a nation.  In the introduction to my book “Reflections on Freedom,” I recount the story of how I was ten years old in January 1959 when the Cuban revolution came to town. Like most Cuban children I was captivated by the circus-like and storybook qualities of that surreal experience.

I did not then apprehend the antecedents and the consequences, and it did not take long for the storybook heroes to turn into villains. Within a year I had joined the underground urban resistance fighting against the Castro regime.

Following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, my father concluded that for our safety, my brothers and I should leave Cuba. Thus, in June 1961, I left Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan, at that time the largest exodus of unaccompanied children in the history of the Western Hemisphere. I began life in the United States as a thirteen-year-old political exile with an indelible, if juvenile idea of our individual freedoms and how they must be protected. I was never able to see my father again, and I have never returned to my place of birth as I vowed never to return until Cuba was once again free.

I beg the reader’s indulgence for this melancholic walk on memory lane. But, as the cohort of those present at the creation dwindles, it is important to convey the angst for freedom of a generation of Cuban-Americans that has fought valiantly defending freedom for both their adopted homeland and their place of birth.  My generation is that of the aging heroes of the Cuban urban resistance of the 1960’s, of the Bay of Pigs invasion, of the uprising in the Escambray mountains, of the Pedro Pan exodus, of the Vietnam War.

Our generation, present at the creation of a totalitarian regime in our homeland, has not succeeded in bringing freedom to Cuba. And perhaps, like Alfonso X, we could have done more for the better ordering of the universe. But we have succeeded admirably in transmitting love of country – for both the United States and Cuba- and democratic values to our children and grandchildren.

Those inheriting our struggle understand freedom as a state of being, and a state of consciousness. Our children and grandchildren apprehend the free flow of information, economic freedom, human rights, political liberty, transparency, freedom of speech, and empowerment of the individual as a way of life. Their freedom-fighting tactics may differ from ours, but these are values they will not repudiate by embracing tyrannical collectivism.

We are passing the torch to a generation that understands instinctively that economic well-being is a consequence of freedom, and that to value freedom is an insightful philosophical and moral achievement. It is a generation that grew up listening to our stories of a lost country and has learned the lessons of Pericles as he sought to inspire the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War: “Make up your minds that happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.”

The youngest of my generation are now in their 70s, and we are necessarily passing the responsibility and the honor of defending freedom to a new generation that was not present at the creation of Cuba’s totalitarian state. But, like a mirror at the end of the road, this generation will honor us by being present at the creation of a democratic nation.

Please let us know if you Like Issue 153 - Present at the Creation on Facebook this article.
We welcome your feedback.
Abrazos,
 
Lily & José
 
(click on the name to email Lily or Jose)
José Azel, Ph.D.
José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Formerly, a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics.

In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami.

José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp.

They cycled St. James Way (
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary. They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands.

Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them. 
Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro.

Books by Dr. José Azel
"Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations.
If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would recommend its reading to politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With this book Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous"
Carlos Alberto Montaner
"Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones.
Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería lectura obligatoria de todos los estudiantes, tanto de bachillerato como universitarios, pero, además, se la recomendaría a todos los políticos y periodistas, a todos los policy makers. Azel logra con este libro lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo."
Carlos Alberto Montaner
In Reflections on FreedomJosé Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles.
En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico.
Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future.
Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish.
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