Oye, Miami! The United States is not Cuba.
Like many first-generation Americans of Cuban descent, I grew up ever aware of the catastrophe of Communism. The tragedy of the Castro revolution shaped not only my political views, but also my work ethic and social norms. As I grew up, I struggled to understand how an inferior military force could topple a government supported by most of the people. With time, my understanding grew of the nuances of the revolution, the breadth of its support in rural Cuba, and the massive deception by the Castros. The horror of our loss has installed a permanent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nearly all Cubans in these United States. Central to that PTSD is the belief that Communism is a cancer; that communist thoughts MUST be obliterated in their infancy; that ANY movement along the political spectrum towards socialism or communism MUST be extinguished immediately, no matter how small, less it takes seed and unravels the fabric of democracy. This is a sentiment that is ardently expressed and defended by most of us. It is not just a sentiment, it is the “reality” of our past. It is however no longer my reality.
As I witnessed the tragedy inflicted on our Capitol on January 6, the division in our country could not be clearer. But what also was equally clear was the thoroughness of the protections installed by our founding fathers to ensure the orderly transfer of power. Despite a relentless attack upon the institutions of our Republic by President Trump and his sycophants, our system of government proved superior. Our founding fathers were well-aware of the destructive power of mob mentality. They purposely designed each level of government to withstand such attacks. The Republic survived because our founding fathers had a healthy distrust of the “majority”. They seeded power of the majority to only one half of one branch of the government, the House of Representatives. The President and the Senate are both empowered by the States; not the popular national vote. The Supreme Court, by extension, is empowered by the two parts of the government which are not democratically elected. Yes indeed. We stand here today about to inaugurate our next President and Vice President because our forefathers lived through and anticipated the untethered and nonsensical destruction that mob rule can bring.
The resilience of our government made me realize that the United States of America is a government DESIGNED to be in conflict. We often say, “United We Stand”. I disagree. Even a cursory look at our history indicates that DIVIDED WE STAND. That is the beauty of this nation. We are vastly different people, yet we live peaceably together IN DISAGREEMENT. When we are threatened as a nation, we set aside our differences and UNITED WE CONQUER, so we can get back to our infighting. Ideas that are proposed and implemented by any administration here are, from the start, opposed by nearly half of the country. No extreme policy, no matter how socialist or fascist, survives the election cycle. Only the smallest of steps to the right or left of center have the minutest hope of surviving that cycle, let alone redefining our nation.
The United States of America will NEVER be Cuba because nothing; no militia, mob, or radical idea can sweep through a nation that is divided by design. The belief that we must oppose the Democratic Party at all costs because the darkest, left-most corners of the party will plunge the nation into Communism is not only unfounded in the United States, but also IMPOSSIBLE. I know the reality of our past screams loudly in opposition to this realization. But again, THE UNITED STATES IS NOT CUBA. Ignore this, and you will find yourself ironically aligned with the darkest and most destructive enemies of freedom — intolerance and demonization.
