Florida Senator Marco Rubio delivered a rousing speech on the Senate floor this week, addressing the current situation in Cuba.
The first lesson we need to take away from [Cuba] is that Marxism, socialism, doesn’t work. The way socialism, the way Marxism has always worked, the way it’s always empowered itself, is it goes to the people and immediately divides them. It says there is an oppressor class and that there is this victim class and these evil oppressors, capitalists, in the case of socialism or traditional Marxism, they oppress the victims.
What [victims] have to do is… you have to give us the power in government to take care of these oppressors, to go after these oppressors. And if you give us that power, we will deliver you security; we will protect you from the oppressors. They ask for security in exchange for freedom. That is always the price that socialism asks for: security. And what you wind up with is a country of people that hate each other, that are angry at each other. A significant portion of the people in the country have to leave, have to flee, go to jail because they are the oppressor class, their lives are destroyed, their family lives are destroyed.
But socialism can’t deliver the security. And when it can’t deliver the security, you don’t get your freedom back. And in fact, when you start to complain about that, that is when the repression comes. That’s what’s happened in Cuba.
Very inspiring. Rubio rails against socialist regimes’ practice of conning people into trading away their freedoms for the promise of security. It’s reminiscent of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
There’s only one problem with the lessons Senator Rubio draws from what’s happening in Cuba. He’s pushing similar false promises here by trying to get Americans to trade away some of their freedoms for a false sense of security.
Back in February, Sen. Rubio reintroduced S.183, the Terror Intelligence Improvement Act bill. As he boasted in a press release . . .
After the terrorist attack at Pulse nightclub, I made a promise to improve our laws to make it more difficult for evil people to get ahold of guns. This bill is a common-sense measure that would help ensure criminals, terrorists, and others seeking to take innocent lives are not able to acquire firearms, while also protecting the due process and Second Amendment rights of innocent, law-abiding Americans.
The Terror Intelligence Improvement Act would notify the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force when someone on the terrorist watch list list attempts to buy a firearm. The Attorney General could then decide whether or not to delay the purchase or even prevent it.
Give up some of your freedom and I’ll give you more security.
Senator Rubio is a big fan of giving the federal law enforcement and security apparatus veto power over who can exercise their gun rights.
He wants to have Americans stripped of their ability to purchase firearms if they find themselves on government watch lists. Lists that aren’t open to the public, lists that are compiled by un-elected bureaucrats, lists that can be used to control and destroy anyone that the government and those in charge deem as an enemy of the state. Or as some in government could designate, a domestic terrorist.
This is a system that is ripe for partisan abuse by unaccountable politicians and faceless bureaucrats.
It’s also exactly how the Cuban government operates. The Cuban Secret Police, the G2, maintain a number of lists. They catalog, track, and rank the people on a threat matrix. From there, they harass them by limiting the social services they can access, deny them jobs and education, or simply scoop them up in the middle of the night to never be heard from again.
Reporte actualizado con detenidos y/o desaparecidos, hasta las 10 am#SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/Fre0Do52qF
— CUBADECIDE (@CUBADECIDE) July 12, 2021
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
An American terror watch list is a tool that can be used in a similar fashion. Even CNN has detailed some of the Keystone cop-style screw-ups involved in the nation’s current terror watch list.
Sen. Ted Kennedy told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2004 that he had been stopped and interrogated on at least five occasions as he attempted to board flights at several different airports. A Bush administration official explained to the Washington Post that Kennedy had been held up because the name “T. Kennedy” had become a popular pseudonym among terror suspects.
On the same day Kennedy revealed his flight troubles, civil rights icon and longtime Rep. John Lewis revealed he, too, had been snarled by the watchlist dragnet. According to his office, the Georgia Democrat had over the course of a year been held up 35 to 40 times. Despite reaching out to a number of federal agencies over that period, Lewis’ name had remained on a list.
Those were high ranking federal officials who found themselves snagged by what were probably bureaucratic snafus. What chance does the average citizen have to straighten out a similar problem? Or find out if they’re on a list to begin with? Or why?
But here we have Sen. Marco Rubio advocating that people who finds themselves on a secret government list is stripped of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
As a Cuban American, I find fellow Cuban American Sen. Rubio dishonest and distasteful. He is an authoritarian who wraps himself in the banner of liberty and uses it to hide his true intentions.
Rubio pontificates on the horrors of the Cuban socialist system and the oppression of the people there while pushing for some of the very same practices here. He doesn’t oppose the boot of oppression, he’s just upset that he’s not the one who wears it.
This isn’t the first time that Rubio has pushed this kind of Big Brother gun control. He’s been doing this his entire political career. He is no friend of the Second Amendment or the Constitution. He is an estafador and will sell you security as he steals your liberty and freedom.
Luis Valdes is the Florida Director for Gun Owners of America.
Rubio: “… You have to give us the power in government…”
True sign of a tyrant… Thibks government would stop tyranny. Government is THE ROOT OF TYRANNY!
That statement was in the voice of an authoritarian government. Rubio meant it as a voice to be wary of. Read the paragraph above it.
“Government is THE ROOT OF TYRANNY!”
government is how people organize common projects. so the root of tyranny is other people.
Castro didn’t waste any time when he took over…still remember those televised executions
Wee little Marco always been a POS backstabbing RINO. To hell with him
Exactly this.
Never forget. Rubio was for amnesty for illegals and increased immigration. He’s part of the uniparty problem that has destroyed the middle class. Just when both the middle class and lower class were beginning to make a comeback, Covid hit. Now we have crazy inflation thanks to stupid government policy that a sixth grader could have predicted, and open borders with 1,000,000 new illegal immigrants within the first six months of this year. What’s the population of your town?
the guy’s a political hack…just state the obvious…
On the surface one might look at Marco’s bill as reasonable.
However…
Who puts someone on this list?
What are the specific criteria for being put on this list?
Prior to be put on this list, are you notified and allowed a court hearing to defend yourself?
Is the process for defending yourself clearly communicated and documented?
Well the answer to all these questions is a clear no.
As such this is government over reach and no better than the secret lists held by the Cuban regime.
F**k those elitists. We don’t want to be ruled by you.
The republican party needs to get rid of these government money suckers, career politicians and corrupt market manipulators. The 30+ year long Senators. Get some people from the libertarian side (obviously not the no border hippies) to make an actual freedom party. Abolish old laws, regulations, federal agencies. Cut taxes, cut spending, fire some politicians.
Don’t force your “conservatism” onto people, rather allow all moderates to join your freedom side. Live and let live. Let them be themselves, just with more freedom and less taxes. And prevent election fraud, that might also help.
Ol Marco has always been adept at playing both sides while convincing he’s on the side of civil rights! When Trump was campaigning , he pointed that out just before little Marco dropped out!!
Rubio should be in Cuba, not the United States. All immigration has been bad for America and Americans. No immigrant or descendant of immigrants should be holding any office in the United States. If you do not have a direct ancestor listed in the 1790 census you are an guest and should not be allowed any vote or position in government.
Thank God you’re not in charge.
that was sarcasm…(I hope!)….
Chris wants to replace one form of tyranny with another. joe xiden and him are two birds from the same flock.
Hey, chris. Should all our elected officials be native Americans. They certainly qualify for that 1790 cut off. And I imagine they’d agree with immigration being bad for the country.
Well I’d vote for that.
My people cane here during the potato famine on one side and after WWI on the other. Both sides of my family have fought in every major conflict after arrival.
If you believe I am not good enough to hold office after giving 21 years to this Country as a soldier and the many first generation immigrants from Communists States who patents fled for here then your opinion is as worthless as the leftists.
Chris
And yet I bet assholes like you can buy a gun.
How unfortunate for the rest of us.
Chris,
My Grandmother on my Mother’s side was a native of Puerto Rico. Both sides of her family could be traced back showing no European intermixing. So, a native American. My Dad’s family are German Jews who emigrated to America in the late 1800’s. So, I guess I am not qualified, due to my heritage, to hold public office. Hmmmm……but then, my Dad was the Mayor….
Were you actually writing satire?
….and my grandfather took off and left the country when they tried to draft him into the Czar’s army…so what?….
Guys, I’ve read his comments before. Chris Mallory is a lefty troll. He pretends to be one of those scary white supremacists that are on the verge of overthrowing the government.
infiltration of this site does appear to be happening more often……
“All immigration has been bad for America and Americans.“
Good Lord, you people are hilarious!
Of course you are right, the real problem started when all those white Europeans immigrated to the Americas, enslaving the native peoples and stealing their natural wealth.
I’m just surprised that someone would post the truth, thanks!
“Lest We Forget.” Marco Rubio like other do gooders runs around concocting solutions that do nothing but take Freedom and move it another inch in the direction of the racism and genocide attributed to Gun Control.
Like POTUS DJT did to idiot democRat regulations that had their foot on the neck of prosperity. For every regulation passed 3 regulations were sent down the crapper. Not the other way around like the Rat Party wants and RINOs let happen. Checks and balances Marco.
Better yet Marco…Be sure what you are doing is not and does not make matters worse. Failure to do so is a ticket for your replacement.
Axiom: The world is inherently dangerous.
Axiom: Risk can be controlled, but not eliminated.
Axiom: Everybody is both hunter and prey (some moreso than others).
Axiom: Predators will predate.
Axiom: Relying on others to protect you rather than relying upon your self, makes you a victim.
Axiom: Anyone attempting to limit your ability to defend yourself is a predator and you are the prey.
Axiom: When a predator tries to predate you, predate him back.
In this case, throw him the heck out of office and onto the curb. Then, curb your dog.
A
ALL politicians are only interested in money and power. None of them care about you.
Yup.
I’ve always said if minimum wage is good enough for me then it should be good enough for the people who Work For Me.
nobody leaves Washington poorer than when he came….
This bill is a common-sense measure that would help ensure criminals, terrorists, and others seeking to take innocent lives are not able to acquire firearms
“Common-sense” A favorite phrase of the LEFT, usually accompanied by “The majority of Americans agree” or “Upholding OUR American values”….
Most politicians are garbage, from both parties. They are owned by a bunch of people who put them in place. It part of the reason that they HATE Trump…because he’s his own man. He didn’t have sell his soul to win an election. I will only support candidates who are endorsed by Trump. And no, I’m not a sycophant. I didn’t support Trump in 2016, but he earned my trust and admiration through his actions.
From Wikipedia:
Politics (from Greek: Πολιτικά, politiká, ‘affairs of the cities’) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups… Politicians are those people making the decisions.
And of course the Greek root “politiká” has a colloquial meaning also:
Two-faced hypocritical, greedy liar.
/sarc off/
Thank you Luis for the energy and work you do supporting the Constitution and the US.
You and I both have our homes and make our livings within the state of Florida.
Having been “behind the ropes” in Tallahassee, I cannot imagine how frustrated you must be with our current horde of RINOs conducting state business. I want you to know that in fact you are known and much appreciated in my circle of gun friends here in SW Fla.
If our paths ever cross I will insist on buying you an adult beverage and sharing a little conversation. Thank you for being a true patriot.
You misspelled his name… it’s RINO Rubio.
I appreciate the sentiment, but he’s a real Republican. They’re mostly a despicable bunch.
¡Verdad!
Rubio’s a dyed in the wool RINO.
I wouldn’t trust his opinion on any issue.
Don’t forget that when you’re talking about Rubio, you’re talking about the man Chuck Schumer referred to as “my favorite Republican”.
Rubio says something about Cuba that I think most here completely agree with.
Rubio has also said and done things we disagree with.
Instead of supporting his statement about Cuba, many here would rather tear him down for the things they don’t like.
Gee… reminds me of how BLM mad ANTIFA treat the founders’ statues.
Carry on tender snowflakes.
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