The Greatest Team Ever Fielded

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 384B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  The Greatest Team Ever Fielded (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

No, this is not a column about the 1972 Miami Dolphins team who went on undefeated to win Super Bowl VII in a perfect 17-0 season. The greatest team ever fielded is a phrase used by historian Walter Isaacson to describe the incredible collection of patriotism, brilliance, passion, vision, and rectitude that is the Founding Fathers.  Among the Founding Fathers we find John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin who were members of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay who authored The Federalist Papers advocating ratification of the Constitution; and, of course, George Washington, Commander-in Chief of the Continental Army and President of the Constitutional Convention.  Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison went on to serve as presidents, Jay served as our first Chief Justice; Hamilton as first Secretary of the Treasury, and Franklin as our most senior diplomat. Their contributions to American constitutionalism and citizenship are incalculable as when Washington, attending the inaugural ceremonies of John Adams as his successor, insisted on walking behind Adams, thus demonstrating the peaceful transfer of power under the new Constitution.  Washington’s most magnificent legacy is that he did not perpetuate himself in power as other victorious revolutionaries had done before, and have done since. He willingly gave up power, in an era of kings, when there was no precedent of a former head of state. When Washington left the presidency, he established the principle that the power of the presidency is vested in the office and not in its occupant.  Historically less understood are the core ideas that informed the political thinking of the Founders. In his book “The Political Theory of the American Founding”, Thomas G. West argues that natural rights doctrine is the centerpiece of the Founders’ political theory. Indeed, the Founders declared independence with natural rights theory as their justification.  In their simplest formulation, natural rights are the rights to life, liberty, and property that every person has. Natural rights do not come from government, and cannot be denied by government.  Natural rights are fundamentally different from legal rights which are granted by government and can be taken away by government. Natural rights derive from our human nature and are inalienable as the Founders stated. Liberty and property are natural rights because they are indispensable for a happy life. And, for the first time in human history, the Founders team created a government organized around our natural rights.  Rights are connected to liberty and the Founders understood that, any government embodies restrictions on liberty. Consequently, they sought to design a government that was capable, yet remained constrained by the people. However, they were also fearful of too much popular participation in government and thus conceived the Electoral College to elect the president and, at that time, the indirect election of senators by state legislatures.  Also central to the Founder’s political vision was the civic virtues needed for a free society. As Franklin put it: “only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more needs of masters.” Or, in Jefferson’s words, “if a nation expects to be ignorant and free...it expects what never was and never will be.” Or Madison, “...a government must be fitted to a nation as much as a coat to the individual.” In other words, whereas liberty may be a basic aspiration of all human beings, political freedom may not be possible for all societies.  So, what is government for? What should government do? The Founders’ answer was that the fundamental purpose of government is to secure and defend our natural rights. Thus, any government constructed in harmony with our natural rights must be limited, and subject to the consent of the governed.  It is unfortunate that today we no longer guide our political vision by the limited government philosophy of the Founders, and we unthoughtfully ascribe to government almost limitless functions. This endangers our freedoms. The alternative to a government limited to protecting our life, liberty and property is one that delivers death, repression, and destitution.  Please let us know if you  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. Dr. Azel was 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 and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  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 José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra 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                                                            Compre Aqui "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. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "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. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José 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. Buy Now 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. Compre Aqui 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. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

To friend, follow or email author click on the icons below: Click here to: View this email in your browser Access past issues Access automated translations Facilitate sharing Print from your browser Copyright © 2022 Azel & Associates, All rights reserved. If you are receiving this email it is because we met you at some point on an adventure. Our mailing address is: Azel & Associates 440 Sawgrass Parkway, Suite 106 Sunrise, FL 33325