Eleven years old and required to choose a country.
Freedom or Family?
This email from Jose is
reproduced with permission.
Hi,
I just happened upon your web site and added it to my
favorites.
I have not had the time to go through it in detail, but will
return to it whenever I have a few free moments.
I've been in The United States of America since February 18,
1962. My parents gave me a choice, I could either go (from Cuba)
to Spain, where I had second cousins, aunts and uncles, or I
could come to The United States of America, to live in a refugee
camp run by the Catholic Church. To me the choice was simple,
even at the age of 11 I knew that Spain did not have a heritage
of liberty and individual freedom, I chose to come here, lived in
the refugee camp and then with a foster family until my parents
were able to leave the island a year later.
Anyway, my Dad was a hunter, I started going on hunting trips
with my Dad and friends at an early age. I think around the age
of 8 I was entrusted with my first pellet rifle, so I could learn
about fire arm safety. By the time I turned 10 I was allowed to
take a 22 caliber rifle on hunting trips and occasionally I would
shoot Dad's 410.
I'll never forget the day, in 1960, when the revolutionary police
came to our home (and to all the other homes where fire arms were
registered) to confiscate our fire arms. Castro had barely been
in power one year, but this step would insure that he would
remain in power for many years.
We didn't have any military fire arms (with the exception of
Dad's 9mm Luger, which he managed to pass on to a friend, as it
was not registered), but they took our hunting guns. The prize
was a 20 gauge made by Victor Sarrasqueta in Spain with a
beautiful pheasant hunting scene scrolled on the onion skin thin
barrels. Even in those days the gun was appraised at well over
$1000. Today it would be priceless. You can be sure a high
ranking member of the Communist Party ended up with that gun.
Anyway, they took everything they could find including my pellet
rifle and 22 rifle. I guess they felt safer with their
Kalishnikoff's knowing that an 11 year old kid didn't have a 22
or a pellet rifle to shoot at them.
Then, wouldn't you know it, after they had all the guns they
started confiscating all private property, cars, homes,
businesses, everything!
Folks, I love this country and it breaks my heart to see our
freedoms usurped little by little, usually in the name of safety,
or "the children". I get tears in my eyes whenever I read The
Declaration of Independence. I love The Preamble to The
Constitution of The United States of America and the Bill of
Rights.
I love your web site.
One little funny story you might appreciate and then I'll go. Dad
passed away a few years ago (in Toledo, Ohio). I managed to get
to Toledo (from Minnesota) the day he died. That night I was at
the house, going through papers, throwing away all the
unnecessary stuff, you know, general clean up. Anyway, I asked
Mom for Dad's pistol, she showed me where he kept it, in his
night stand by the bed. I took it and popped out the clip, pulled
back on the carriage and boy, did I get a surprise! Out comes a
round! Dad kept one in the chamber! Holy Christ! I thought,
What's Dad doing with a round in the chamber! Well, I thought
about it for a minute after my initial shock, and it occurred to
me that he was right. After all, the purpose of the pistol was
the protection of his home and family, what better way to do it
than being prepared to fire at a moment's notice?
Now, I don't advocate keeping a round in the chamber, I've got
four kids and I don't even keep the clip in the pistol (my wife
won't let me and I'm a wuss, I do whatever it takes to keep her
happy), but Dad was right.
Best regards,
Jose
[I asked for permission to post Jose's email on my Gun Rights
& Politics Web Page and here is his reply]
Al,
Please feel free, I would be honored.
I've been meaning for some time to put to paper my experiences in
the U.S. of A, but have never really found the time. I've started
a few times, but either the wife has something more pressing and
important, or one of the kids is having
a crisis.
Just this weekend I had occasion to explain to my 8th grade
daughter just why we have a right to bear arms, and from whom the
Founding Fathers meant that we should be able to protect
ourselves.
Wouldn't it be nice if we had a Republican President and Congress
and they worked together, not to pass laws, but to repeal all the
unnecessary laws that have been passed over the past 60+ years?
(I can dream, can't I?)
Best regards,
Jose