Speeches
“We should never trust imperialism because it is treacherous and capable of anything. It tortures in Guantanamo; it tortures in the Iraqi prisons and in the special centers set up in former socialist countries; it uses white phosphorous, and then it claims that “it is the most innocent and legitimate weapon.”
49 years ago today, the 'Granma' yacht arrived on the coast of our homeland. Thus today marks the beginning of the 50th year in the life of the Rebel Army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces.As is well known, in the wake of the landing and despite early setbacks, the fight spread rapidly to every corner of our fields and towns. There was not a moment's truce until the resounding people's victory of 1st January 1959, in the fight to the death against the oppressors who tortured and murdered tens of thousands of Cubans and drained the nation's monetary reserves.
It is for me a source of special satisfaction that we can meet again, this time in the land of Errol Barrow, who was a very dear friend of Cuba. Three years have passed since we commemorated in Havana the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the four Caribbean countries that were then independent, a significant and seminal event Cubans will never forget.
I will not intend to explain to you how life in Pinar del Río was once like. Peasants forced to pay a rent equivalent to more than 30 percent the value of their produce, large and privately owned estates, precarious social conditions, unemployment, the merciless exploitation of the people, illiteracy, high infant mortality rates, the almost complete absence of medical and educational services, the absence of drinking water and basic public services. Until the triumph of the Revolution, it was known as Cuba’s Cinderella.
Cuba’s attitude, and its response to the empire’s provocations, will be entirely peaceful, but we shall strike back with all the strength of our moral fortitude and we shall persist in our determination to fight to the death, against whatever act of belligerence of the restless and brutal empire that threatens us. Let no one for a minute forget the oath of Maceo, our Bronze Titan, when he said that whosoever attempts to take possession of Cuba shall conquer but the blood-soaked ground beneath his feet, if he does not first perish in battle.
At the onset of this march on the perfidious and provocative representatives of imperialism, I wish to reiterate what I said on Sunday in my closing remarks to the heroic people of our beloved homeland, to the noble American people and to the world public opinion.
Individuals may indulge in a certain kind of privilege, and this is what we were talking about as I presented this award to our dear brother Hugo Chavez. We were happy in that moment, thinking about the effort that was made on behalf of human beings.
From October 10, 2005 a total of 10,500 social workers began working at the gasoline stations, refineries, distribution centers and tank trucks. During this period, cash income from the sale of fuel in the gas stations has risen 2.53 times on a daily average. We are entering a new era of reorganizing the system and this signals an important victory that encourages us all in this battle we have decided to wage against squandering and vice, lifting up the revolutionary morale wherever routine and egoism have been eroding it.
"We cannot forget that in this province, in La Demajagua, our first war of independence began in 1868.
There is a political matter of major significance that I must certainly address here and that is the Alliance’s new Strategic Concept. I will refer to four paragraphs.
Each one of us has lived through different stages, from not being able to read or write until today, and we know how conscience can develop. So, all of us have acquired a certain degree of knowledge. We must fight for that; that is what I’m asserting. We have to fight without looking for anything! And it seems to me that if sometimes people make efforts for unimportant things, this is something that is worth making an effort for.