LET'S FIGHT BACK

LET'S FIGHT BACK
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

"I #WalkedAway after I ran for City Council in California."

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Why do we object to freedom?


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 189
 

Why do we object to freedom?

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By definition, an expanded government requires diminished liberty. Any function we ask of government requires us to surrender a measure of our freedom, and our treasure.  And yet, large segments of the population favor an expanded government, which is to say, favor less freedom. This is exemplified by our desire for government regulations.
According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, 40 percent of the public thinks that regulating business is necessary to protect the public interest. Among Democrats, the proportion increases to 57 percent who think government regulations are necessary to protect the public interest. Overall, the American public overwhelmingly supports strengthening regulations, or keeping them as they are, in specific areas such as food safety, and environmental protection.

Since the 1930’s, beginning particularly with the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Americans began developing the perspective that public policy should undertake an extensive paternalistic role in society. Today, this paternalism extends to comprehensive oversight, approval, prohibition, or control   of the production, buying, selling, and consumption of any good or service in the market.

Paternalism embodies the belief that people cannot be trusted to make good decisions, compelling government regulators to step in. Thus, the motivation for many paternalistic regulations are the twin convictions that most individuals make bad decisions when allowed to think for themselves, and that businessmen, acting out of greed, endanger the trusting public by cutting corners to increase profits.

Yes, commerce is a self-interested pursuit that encourages and rewards selfish behavior. However, it does not follow that business is about exploiting customers. Just the opposite, in a competitive free enterprise system, profits result from delivering superior value to customers, not from exploiting them.

Government regulations entail a transfer of authority, and decision-making from individuals to those in political power. This is a long way from  the “system of natural liberty” described by Adam Smith where government would be restricted to the provision of national defense, police, courts of law, and a limited number of public services. Government regulations ignore the great discovery of the 18th century that when individuals are left to follow their own personal judgements, the outcome for society is far superior to when those in governments are allowed to direct our affairs.

Another reason why many object to freedom, in favor of an expanded government and less freedom, is that freedom is a source of inequality.  In a free society, we can always expect unequal outcomes. Consequently, socialist thinking argues that the coercive power of government must be used to forcefully address income inequalities.

Central to socialism is the belief that a person’s life does not belong to the individual, but rather that it belongs to the community or society. Accordingly, individuals have no rights of their own and must sacrifice for the “greater good” of society.  Socialists have no problem allowing government to use force to bring about a predetermined distribution of wealth; even though, such a distribution can only be accomplished by continually interfering with our liberties.

Moreover, an enforced egalitarian distribution of wealth is an unachievable goal. Even if it were possible to achieve, for one instant, a desired distribution of wealth, such distribution would immediately begin to break down as individuals choose to exchange goods and services with each other, or to save or produce in different measures.

An expanded socialist government carries the principle of double effect first identified by Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, to evaluate the justification of an act. Government has the harmful double effect of reducing freedom.  Government’s usurpation of freedom is inseparable from whatever good results may be intended. Or as economist Jean-Baptiste Say put it, “…the mere interference [by government] is itself an evil, even where it is of use…”

As government expands, our freedom is weakened. An intrusive, coercive paternalistic state violates the American conception of a just society as one in which the citizenry is assured the freedom to choose how to shape their own future unforced by government interference.  When we support an expanded government, we are objecting to our freedom.

Please let us know if you Like Issue 189 - Why do we object to freedom? 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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Saturday, July 27, 2019

I Have Had It With These Lying A** Racist Democrats

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Friday, July 26, 2019

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ASCE conference 7/25-27 in Miami

2019 Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE)
 
Thurs. July 25th – Sat. July 27th, 2019
The Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel
1601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida 33132


**Accredited members of the media are welcome at no cost.  All attendees may register at the door.

See the program at https://www.ascecuba.org/c/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/program-july23-final.pdf
*Sessions are in English or Spanish, as they appear in the program.

Cuba Archive will participate in several sessions, including:
Friday July 26, 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM
Cuban Internationalism 

Chair and Discussant: Gary Maybarduk, U.S. Department of State, retired
Juan Antonio Blanco, Hugo Achá, and Rolando Cartaya, Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, "Cubazuela: Chronicle of a Cuban Intervention"
Maria C. Werlau, Cuba Archive, "Cuba’s Intervention in Venezuela: A Unique Form of Occupation"

For further information, please email Info@CubaArchive.org or text (973)219-7000.
Free Society Project, Inc., 2018. ©All rights reserved.
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MY STRUGGLES AGAINST LIES

July 25, 2019

 
Cuba Insight
A publication of the Cuban Studies Institute


 
MY STRUGGLES AGAINST LIES ABOUT CUBA IN THE U.S. MEDIA
                                                                                      by Carlos M. N. Eire*  
IMAGINE THIS....
Thugs take over your country. Much more quickly than you ever thought possible, one megalomaniac takes control, discards the constitution, abolishes free speech, takes over all of the news media, bans all sorts of books and films, closes down all private schools, expels most of the clergy, and abolishes all private enterprise and personal property. In the wink of an eye, he also seizes all the banks, wipes out all accounts and changes the currency so no one can have more than a week’s pay in their pocket.

In the meantime, as these changes are taking place, all who oppose the new regime are imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Some simply disappear. Spy houses are set up on each city block, to watch your every move, and these very same government agents are placed in charge of herding you to public demonstrations and telling you what to shout out. In addition to assigning you all sorts of “volunteer” tasks that amount to slave labor, these meddlers are also given control of your access to medical care, of your children’s placement in school, and of the ration cards that you need in order to survive.

Eventually, anyone suspected of being gay or too religious is rounded up and sent to concentration camps, where “experts” try to “cure” them of their “illness” through torture.

Should you murmur the slightest complaint or curb your enthusiasm, you will not only risk prison, but also imperil your family’s well-being.

Should you opt for exile, your neighbors suddenly “volunteer” to harass you constantly. You may also be forced to spend three or more years at a labor camp, working without pay, hundreds of miles from your home and family, before you are allowed to emigrate. When you finally do manage to leave, all of your remaining possessions are taken from you, including your family photos, your wedding ring, and the rosary or mezuzah your grandmother once gave you. After being strip-searched, you leave the country without a penny to your name, and only two changes of clothing in a very small bag. Suitcases are forbidden.

Or you may risk your life and flee in a flimsy raft under cover of darkness, knowing that there are many sentries patrolling the coast, with shoot-to-kill orders, and many sharks waiting to chew you up if your vessel sinks.

Then, imagine that once you get out, nearly everyone in your place of exile tells you that the totalitarian nightmare you have fled is a wonderful and praiseworthy experiment in social engineering, or even an egalitarian utopia. Imagine being scolded for disagreeing with such assessments. Imagine being told by many affluent and well-educated people that you are a selfish oaf who doesn’t give a damn about justice and can’t appreciate “visionary” leaders.

 WELCOME TO CUBA, AND ALSO TO THE LIFE OF A CUBAN EXILE !

Want to get a little deeper under this skin?

Imagine this, if you can....
The megalomaniac and so-called visionary leader who has hijacked your country for five decades falls ill and appears to be near death. One of the finest newspapers in your adopted land goes out of its way to ask for your opinion, presumably because you have managed to become a well-respected scholar. But this journal, The NEW YORK TIMES, doesn’t really want you to speak your mind. No. Instead it wants you to pass judgment on your fellow exiles who are openly rejoicing in Miami. And they suggest the topic in the most offensive way you could ever imagine, with a remark as flippantly ignorant and insensitive as Marie Antoinette’s infamous “let them eat cake.”

“I can’t help but wonder if this rejoicing is appropriate,” says the Times editor about the street revelers in Little Havana, “since many of them were likely allowed to leave Cuba in the early 60’s with Castro’s blessing.” Then, as if this were not vexing enough, she asks you to lay all your cards on the table and state your position on this question explicitly, to see whether or not your opinion is worth considering. And when you comply and offer to sum up the ailing tyrant as the consummate Machiavellian prince, you are curtly dismissed…

“We’re afraid that this approach is not quite right,” said the editor.
Imagine that.

God knows what they were searching for at the New York Times, or what they expected of me. All I know is that the Times made me feel as if I were back in Cuba, dealing with its state-run propaganda rag, GRANMA. Or like a “negro” in the old South, dealing with segregationists who couldn’t understand why colored folk were so ungrateful about being rescued from Africa.

But that’s not all.
If it were only the New York Times, maybe all of us Cubans would be in better shape, in exile as well as on the island. But, unfortunately, it’s not just the Times that loves to idolize the Castroite Revolution. It’s most of the North American and West European media, and their glitterati. Or so it seems, most of the time.

When Fidel Castro visited New York in 1995 to give a speech at the United Nations, he was the toast of the town’s news oligarchs: MORT ZUCKERMAN, then editor of U.S. News and World Report, hosted a lunch for the tyrant at his plush Manhattan apartment, where he and others such as BARBARA WALTERS, queen of tear-jerking interviews, and DIANE SAWYER, first prime-time anchorwoman of ABC News swooned in his presence, as if he were a rock star. (1) Barbara and Diane are in good company. DAN RATHER, former anchorman of CBS news, called Fidel Castro “Cuba’s own Elvis.” (2) Imagine Hitler or Mussolini being compared to Elvis.

Imagine all of this happening to Idi Amin, Sadam Hussein, or Augusto Pinochet.

Imagine even worse...
If it were only the news media, then maybe we Cubans would stand a chance of redemption. But the American entertainment industry seems to love the tyrant and his henchmen too. ROBERT REDFORD glorifies Fidel’s sidekick Che Guevara on film in “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and since that is apparently insufficient, STEVEN SODERBERGH follows suit with a six-hour epic hagiography that might as well have been entitled “SAINT CHE.” Director OLIVER STONE praises Fidel as “one of the world’s wisest men.” (3) Actor JACK NICHOLSON calls him “a genius.” (4)

Supermodels KATE MOSS and NAOMI CAMPBELL gush after meeting Fidel that this was “a dream come true.” (5) Not to be outdone, novelist NORMAN MAILER pronounces Fidel “the first and greatest hero to appear in the world since the Second World War.” (6) But in the end, no one could trump the French, those supreme arbiters of good taste. After all, long before Hollywood stars made pilgrimages to Havana existential philosopher JEAN-PAUL SARTRE had already crowned Che, rather than Fidel, as “the most complete human being of the twentieth century.” (7)

No wonder we Cuban exiles are seen as the fiends and villains of our own story, and of American politics. No wonder we’re loathed by intellectuals and commoners alike. No wonder the Washington Post and scores of American newspapers can get away with publishing this cartoon with impunity.

Imagine any other immigrants or any ethnic group in that boat. Imagine the firestorm of protest that would ensue.

Imagine the charges of bigotry and racism leveled against the cartoonist and the newspapers who would print such an offensive cartoon.

One final meditation. Imagine this, if you can.

Imagine a New York Times or Washington Post that would dare to print this essay, or apologize for their abysmal ignorance and bigotry.
_____________________________

Notes
(1) Servando González, The secret Fidel Castro: deconstructing the symbol (InteliNet/InteliBooks, 2001), p. 35.
(2) “The Last Revolutionary”: interview of Fidel Castro by Dan Rather, CBS News, 18 July 1996.
(3) Myles Kantor, “Oliver Stone’s Cuban Lovefest,” www.frontpagemag.com, 5 May 2004.
(4) Army Archerd, “Nicholson, Castrow powwow in Cuba,” Variety, 15 July 1998. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117478496?refCatId=2
(5) BBC News. News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/59225.stm
(6) Arnold Beichman, “Mona Charen Exposes Menace of Senseless Liberals,” Human Events, 17 February 2003.
(7) Frank Rosengarten, Urbane revolutionary: C.L.R. James and the struggle for a new society (University Press of Mississippi, 2008),


*Carlos M. N. Eire -  Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University and author of Waiting for Snow in Havana (National Book Award 2003) and Learning to Die in Miami. This article is based on a lecture he delivered at the Institute for Cuban & Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami, on November 21, 2011. Dr. Eire is also  recipient of PREMIO LIBERTAD 2016 by CUBAN CULTURAL HERITAGE and is also an original PEDRO PAN KID.


 
This is a publication of the Cuban Studies Institute. 

Our mailing address is:
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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Mueller Hangover; Omar Demands; Muslim Journalist Killed; Clueless on Ca...

Mueller EMBARRASSED the Libs with a Dismal Performance

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Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Don’t Allow Schools to Intimidate You into Embracing Socialism | Ep 411

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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

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Those who have nothing to say, and say it very badly


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 188
 

Those who have nothing to say, and say it very badly

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Philosopher Karl Popper (1902-1994), castigated obfuscating writers as those “who have nothing to say, and say it very badly.” Popper, a forceful defender of liberal democracy, was particularly critical of highbrows who criticized the social system without offering any viable alternatives. I am often reminded of Popper’s acerbic criticism when reading the vacuous commentaries of some politicians, celebrities, and columnists. From the political left- to-right, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Steve Bannon come to mind.  The reader can surely insert a few favorite names here.
Yet, Popper believed that social criticism was essential for the success of an open society. He advanced the paradoxical idea that “In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.” Popper adds a warning that, if a society is unlimitedly tolerant, its ability to be tolerant is eventually destroyed by the intolerant. Such is the tongue-twisting paradox of tolerance.

The paradox enters our daily lives when deciding what restrictions, if any, are to be applied to freedom of speech. Popper believed that to allow freedom of speech to those who would use such freedom to eliminate freedoms was contradictory. That is, allowing freedom of speech to those that would suppress the speech of those with whom they disagree is inconsistent. So, what freedoms of speech should a tolerant society extend to the intolerant fascists and communist ideologues among us?

Popper, as well as John Rawls, two of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, offered some ideas. The American attitude is to tolerate intolerant views almost without limits.  But that, for Popper and Rawls, seemed risky.  If the intolerant seek to destroy a society, that society has the right to become intolerant of such views in order to preserve itself. Thus, Rawls added a “self-preservation” exclusionary clause to his tolerance.

In current free speech practice, we seem to have adopted a double standard. Totalitarian views of the right (e.g. fascism) are not to be tolerated, but totalitarian views of the left (e.g., communism) are permissible. For example, if a Neo-Nazi is invited to speak at one of our universities, the appearance is likely to be cancelled in a furor of protests. In fact, even moderate conservative speakers encounter significant backlash. Yet, totalitarian left-wing speakers do not face such a hostile environment.

At this point some clueless reader, who has nothing to say, and says it very badly, will object to my counterpoising racist fascism with “altruistic “communism. Let’s review the historical facts of democide by fascist and communist regimes. Democide, or death by government, is the useful term introduced by R. J. Rummel to define “the intentional killing of an unarmed or disarmed person by government agents acting in their authoritative capacity and pursuant to government policy or high command.”

When it comes to democide, Hitler’s Nacional Socialists are responsible for approximate twenty million victims. Similarly, The Black Book of Communism estimates one hundred million individuals murdered by Marxist socialists in the 20th century. The authors examine the China of “the Great Helmsman,” Kim Il Sung’s Korea, Vietnam under “Uncle Ho,” Cuba under the Castros, Ethiopia under Mengistu, Angola under Neto, and Afghanistan under Najibullah.

In a liberal society, the rule of law must protect even odious beliefs. So, should a tolerant society allow a fascist like Steve Bannon, or a socialist like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the right to disseminate intolerant ideas that undermine the foundations of society? Or, should a society, refuse to tolerate the intolerant? Either undertaking is defensible, but somehow, I am not sure on what grounds, we seem to have concluded that Bannon’s odious beliefs should be banned from public discourse, but Ocasio-Cortez’s democide producing beliefs should not.

Perhaps the most consistent way to address the paradox of tolerance is not to display intolerance to ideas that make us uncomfortable, that differ from ours, or even to ideas that make us mad. We should reach for intolerance only when those ideas present a clear and present danger to our political order. Meanwhile, we can choose to avoid those politicians, celebrities, and columnists who have nothing to say, and say it very badly.

Please let us know if you Like Issue 188 - Those who have nothing to say, and say it very badly 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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