Freedom Is Never Free

Townhall.com ^ | May 31, 2012 | Jackie Gingrich Cushman

[Kaslin]

An 8-year-old boy loses his father to an execution squad. Imagine the shock, questions and hurt at losing his father at such a young age. Why did his father have to die? Could his death been avoided? Why did he have to lose his father?

Fidel Castro wrested the reins of power over Cuba from military dictator Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959. Luis Haza was eight. At the time, his father, Col. Bonifacio Haza, commanded the National Police in Santiago.

Batista had ruled with military might, leading a reign of terror that saw people taken from their homes, never to return.

For years, numerous factions had been working to overthrow Batista. In December of 1956, Castro and his allies -- who had been organizing in Mexico -- landed on the eastern shore of Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Batista's government. In the fighting that followed, most of Castro's troops were killed, and those who survived lost much of their munitions and supplies.

Undeterred, Castro continued his efforts. By the time he rode victoriously into Santiago a little more than two years later, the prevailing belief (including among the island's business leaders) was that Castro's overthrow of Batista would lead to democracy and free elections. Col. Haza believed democracy was Cuba's destiny and stood with Castro on a stage soon after Castro first entered Santiago in victory.

But it soon became apparent that Castro neither believed in nor would support democracy; Col. Haza withdrew his support.

Later that month, Col. Haza was force into a dark cow pasture, where he and 70 other prisoners were executed under the direction of Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother and now the country's president.

"My father thought the revolution was for democracy," Luis Haza said. "Castro betrayed my father and the entire revolution."

By 1963, Luis Haza had become an accomplished violinist and was appointed an associate concertmaster of a professional orchestra in Cuba. According to Haza, "the power structure wanted to see if I could be 'integrated' into the system. If they integrate the son of an executed man, it would be a model for all the young people."

But Luis Haza had a different dream: "To come to the United States for freedom. We knew that in Cuba, eventually we would die, just like we had seen neighbors die, and so-and-so disappeared. It was a daily thing, a daily subject: American freedom, to go to the United States."

After Haza refused to play for the elder Castro, a military squad charged into a rehearsal, pointing machine guns at the pianist. "Boy! Play something!" they shouted.

He did. "I played the American national anthem, 'The Star Spangled Banner.'" The entire thing! You could hear a pin drop. I finished playing, and nobody knew what to do."

Soon after, Haza fled with his family to Spain, where they waited to immigrate to the United States. They arrived in the United States on Election Day -- November 3, 1964.

Haza was recounting his story on Memorial Day this week, and mentioned having recently attended a ceremony in which a family friend was inducted into the U.S. Army. As he watched the young man swear to protect and defend the United States, Haza understood why his father had given his life for Cuba.

"Now, I understand," Haza said, "why my father died." In his death, Col. Bonifacio Haza served his country, and in serving his country he served his family, including his 8-year-old son, who now lives in freedom in the United States.

While many Americans take their freedoms for granted, Luis Haza, whose father defied Castro and was killed for doing so, understands that the freedoms we have are extraordinary and that freedoms are never free.

Col. Haza did his duty for his country and gave his life.

A father, full of love, for freedom and his family.

[nuconvert]

Great piece. Thanks for posting!

[Pollster1]

I’ll be reading this to my younger children at dinner tonight, and I already emailed it to my grown kids. The thing I’m most afraid of is that the next generation of citizens will forget these lessons and grow up to be Obama voters who want free stuff from the government instead of the freedom and opportunity to make their own way. American already has too many occupants who wouldn’t understand what this story is about.

[yldstrk]

Who is it that likes Gingrich so much on here?

This story is about two Cubans, who were betrayed by the devil Castro, who betrayed many. Castro is an evil mass murderer who is in power because he wanted power, not because he wanted anything good for Cubans.

Yes, Luis is very fortunate to live in the US.

I pray for God to do good to the good, and evil to the evil.

[Kaslin]

I don’t understand your question

[yldstrk]

It’s ok Kas, when I saw it was you I didn’t mind so much. I just can’t stand Jackie Gingrich or her father, I think her father is morally dead inside and she is his apologist.

But you I have respect for.

I think her little article leaves out a lot, for example, this Luis’ dad was a captain of police under Batista, who was a bad guy, so Luis’ dad obviously did some bad stuff under Batista. He probably did some bad stuff under Castro before he found Jesus. She doesn’t deal with that part. Captains of police under tyrants are not nice people.

Luis sounds like a gem however.

[Kaslin]

Well she is his daughter and I don’t think that he abandoned his daughters after the divorce of his first and second wife

[yldstrk]

whatever

[kabumpo]

Please don’t read this story to your children, because it has some egregious lies. Batista did not have a reign of terror - unless you think that a reign of terror includes an opposition media (the publication Bohemia), one of the highest standards of living in Latin America, complete religious freedom - from Christian Science churches to a thriving and prosperous Jewish community, and powerful labor unions.
Fidel Castro’s attack on the Moncada barracks - which assaulted a military hospital with wounded, sleeping soldiers - was an act of communist-inspired terrorism. The real reign of terror was conducted by Castro’s 26 of July movement, that put bombs in buses and movie theaters, killing innocent people.
Oh, and in this supposedly terrible dictatorship that Batista ran, there was no death penalty, so Castro served less than two years for his attack on Moncada and was then released (to kill again).
The beloved father in this story was a traitor and collaborator with brutal communists. You don’t get to have second thoughts after you join killer guerillas. The son has been told lies which he now is telling everyone else - the truth is that his father helped bring Castro to power.

[kabumpo]

Please don’t read this story to your children, because it has some egregious lies. Batista did not have a reign of terror - unless you think that a reign of terror includes an opposition media (the publication Bohemia), one of the highest standards of living in Latin America, complete religious freedom - from Christian Science churches to a thriving and prosperous Jewish community, and powerful labor unions.
Fidel Castro’s attack on the Moncada barracks - which assaulted a military hospital with wounded, sleeping soldiers - was an act of communist-inspired terrorism. The real reign of terror was conducted by Castro’s 26 of July movement, that put bombs in buses and movie theaters, killing innocent people.
Oh, and in this supposedly terrible dictatorship that Batista ran, there was no death penalty, so Castro served less than two years for his attack on Moncada and was then released (to kill again).
The beloved father in this story was a traitor and collaborator with brutal communists. You don’t get to have second thoughts after you join killer guerillas. The son has been told lies which he now is telling everyone else - the truth is that his father helped bring Castro to power.