- Campaign Videos (May 2012) « Romney for President
Romney for President
"Remarks by Mitt Romney on Cuban Independence Day" +
3:42 web video from May 21, 2012.
[Music] Romney: Today, I join
with the Cuban people—on the island, here in America, and
elsewhere in the world—in honoring the independence that was so dearly
won by brave Cubans over a century ago. The struggle for Cuban
independence was based on the principles of liberty, and won through
the courage and sacrifice that the yearning for freedom inspires.
Today is a recognition of freedom's triumph, but
it's also a sobering reminder that over 50 years of Cuba's history have
been lost to the tyranny of the Castro regime.
Since Castro took power, the Cuban people have
been denied basic human freedoms—no freedom of religion, no freedom of
the press, no political freedom—and the regime uses brutality and
violence to suppress these freedoms and impose its will.
In recent years and months we've seen the deaths of Orlando Zapata Tomayo, Juan Wilfredo Soto, Wilman Villar and Laura Pollan at the hands of the dictatorship. We have witnessed the continued incarceration of peaceful pro-democracy activists and the unlawful imprisonment of Alan Gross.
These injustices make painfully clear that the Castros’ grip on power remains as tight as ever. The regime touts so-called “reforms,” but the facts point to continued oppression. The Cuban people still live in constant fear of a brutal totalitarian regime that has demonstrated time and again its utter disregard for basic human dignity.
The fight for a free Cuba has gone on for far too long. Too
many dreams have been shattered. Too many lives have been
ruined. And, too many families have been separated by the tyranny
of the Castro regime. Too many Independence Day celebrations have
passed with that regime still clinging to power, and too many political
leaders, on both sides of the aisle have lauded the dream of a free
Cuba on this day over the years only to falter in realizing that dream
once in office.
In recent years we've seen the United States back away from
pressuring the Castro regime under the misguided view that placating
them with an open hand would yield progress. That naivete has
invited only more cruelty and oppression in return.
Today we join Cubans around the world in celebrating independence
and remembering the brave men and women who gave their lives in the
fight for freedom. And to those who continue the fight, I offer
not only words of support but the promise of action. If I'm
elected president, the Castro regime will have no reason to doubt our
unwavering commitment to your cause. The regime will feel the
full weight of American resolve.
The international community will know that the future of Cuba is
within the leadership of the Cuban pro-democracy movement,
representative men and women like...
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