U.S. Libertarian Party Condemns Cuba's Incarceration of Libertarians

Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea have lit some huge brush fires of liberty in the short time since their arrest by State Security and incarceration in the Cuban Gulag.  After 10 Libertarian state parties in the United States, as well as the Libertarian parties of Spain and Russia, condemned the action and called for the release of Herrera and Velazquez, the U.S. (national) Libertarian Party published the following:

The Libertarian National Committee of the United States condemns the arrest and detention of political dissidents Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez, who have been detained by the Cuban government since their arrest on February 2.

Both men were targeted for peacefully promoting small government, civil liberties, and free markets, for which they occasionally distributed flyers and put up posters.

Hernandez and Velazquez are members of Mises Cuba, an independent think tank which is based on the Ludwig von Mises Institute of Auburn, Alabama.

Mises Cuba has confirmed the activists’ ongoing detention.

“Hernandez and Velazquez are political prisoners whose actions have harmed no one and damaged no property,” said Nicholas Sarwark, Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. “We stand in solidarity with our fellow freedom fighters in Cuba.”

The Libertarian National Committee passed a resolution asserting that the activists’ arrest and detention “illustrate the threats to freedom we all face around the world.”

It further states:
“The Libertarian Party calls on the Cuban government to immediately release details of the above-mentioned arrests and detentions, including the specific charges being levied against the individuals in question. In the absence of such information, we call for the release of these prisoners.

“Libertarian activism worldwide must not be deterred by the attempts of authoritarian leaders, totalitarian governments, and dictatorial regimes to silence the voice of freedom. We condemn any acts of official oppression, and uphold the promotion of limited government and free markets in any country. Furthermore, we call on the U.S. Department of State to publicly denounce violations of the right to free speech, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to due process abroad.”

For more information about this story:

Report: Arrested Mises Cuba Member Charged with “Distributing Enemy Propaganda”

Cuban libertarian activists sent to the gulag

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The Libertarian Party of Nevada extends a sincere THANK YOU to the LNC members who votes Yes on this resolution, on behalf of the libertarians of Mises Cuba and the Ben Franklin Library, and on behalf of the families of the now 6 imprisoned libertarians: Ubaldo Herrera Hernández, Manuel Velázquez Visea, René Ronco Machín, Rolando Guerra, Roser Ayala García, and Rafael Averof Rodríguez.  Repression against the ideas of liberty carries on in Cuba and elsewhere.  Days ago, Rodrigo Quintana of Paraguay's Authentic Radical Liberal Party was shot dead by police.  Less than 2 weeks ago, Javier Oteca was murdered in Colombia.  Oteca was a libertarian activist who'd been occupying and reclaiming lands stolen from indigenous peoples through eminent domain or forced evictions by paramilitary forces and given to crony corporations. Early in February, a libertarian and Community Police (anti-cartel self-defense militia) veteran named David (last name withheld) was murdered in Mexico City.  Last summer, libertarian activist Salvador Olmos Garcia was killed by crooked police in Oaxaca.  Sadly, the international libertarian movement has its martyrs, but it now also has international attention.

Also, Guatemalan libertarian author, activist, and talk radio star Gloria Alvarez recently dedicated an episode of the politics and current events talk show Libertopolis to the heroism of libertarians in Cuba.  Havana-based activists Nelson Rodriguez and Caridad Ramirez talked about the arrest and incarceration of Ubaldo Herrera and Manuel Velazquez, about the activism of Mises Cuba and the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library, and about the government's increased repression against libertarians and all other perceived opposition on the island.  Spanish speakers can enjoy the interview here.  LP Nevada extends a sincere thank you to Ms. Alvarez and to the independent Chilean libertarians who plan on protesting the incarceration in front of the Cuban embassy in Santiago in the near future.

Cuba's libertarians have officially asked the international libertarian community for help.  You can write to several human rights watch groups with the names of the libertarian prisoners. We recommend Amnesty International, The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, Human Rights Cuba, and the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation.  You can also directly contact Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations on Facebook and call for the immediate release of the libertarian political prisoners (@CubaMINREX on Twitter).  Finally, you can visit MisesCuba.org or email misescubacontacto@gmail.com to find out how to donate Bitcoins to Mises Cuba and the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library.

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Image courtesy of Haaretz.  This article was first published by the Libertarian Party of Nevada.  Full permission to reprint or republish this article on the condition that the author and first publisher are credited, and the reproduction links back to this page.

Colorado, Chile, and Guatemala Libertarians Condemn Cuban Government for Arrests

International support keeps growing for the now-famous Cuban libertarian prisoners, Ubaldo Herrera and Manuel Velazquez.  In recent demonstrations of support for the prisoners and opposition to the regime that sent them to Melena del Sur, the Cuban Gulag, libertarians in Colorado, Guatemala, and Chile took a public stand against the Castro regime's oppression of libertarians associated with Mises Cuba and the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library in Havana.  The parties involved are the Libertarian Party of Colorado, a libertarian talk radio celebrity in Guatemala City, and independent libertarians in Santiago, Chile.

In a recent press release, the Libertarian Party of Colorado said the following:

In early February, two libertarian activists, Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velasquez Visea, were arrested in Cuba and convicted of attempted assault and the highly disturbing “distributing enemy propaganda” in short order. There is no evidence of any violence by these activists, and the subversive literature is in fact the type of items that Libertarians routinely read and distribute here in the United States. This conviction is a violation of the human right to peacefully declare one’s political convictions, and further, it is reported that the conditions of the prison where Ubaldo and Manuel are currently housed is the equivalent of the “gulag.” The Libertarian Party of Colorado joins the state Libertarian parties of Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Florida in calling for the Cuban government to free these activists by passing the following Resolution:

The Libertarian Party of Colorado condemns the unjust detention of libertarian activists Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velasquez by agents of the Castro regime in Cuba on February 2, and demands the immediate safe release of these political prisoners who were targeted for their peaceful activism promoting limited government and free markets. We further ask the U.S. government's State Department to place diplomatic pressure on the Castro regime for their release, and encourage Libertarian Party members and supporters to contact their elected officials toward that end.

Recently, Guatemalan libertarian author, activist, and talk radio star Gloria Alvarez dedicated an episode of the politics and current events talk show Libertopolis to the heroism of libertarians in Cuba.  Havana-based activists Nelson Rodriguez and Caridad Ramirez talked about the arrest and incarceration of Ubaldo Herrera and Manuel Velazquez, about the activism of Mises Cuba and the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library, and about the government's increased repression against libertarians and all other perceived opposition on the island.  Spanish speakers can enjoy the interview here.

Libertarians in Chile also took a public stand.  Libertarianism is still in its seedling stages across Latin America, where CIA-sponsored terror has made socialism the default 'good-guy' philosophy for 60 years.  Despite their small numbers, independent Chilean libertarians took to the streets of Santiago to protest the incarceration directly in front of the Cuban embassy.  LP Nevada heartily extends a high-five to the handful of Chilean libertarians who did more for liberty with their one action of defiance than most of the armchair activists reading this article.  

In recent weeks, the incarceration was also denounced by the Libertarian parties of Spain and Russia.  This movement is growing.  Far from weakening political opposition, the Castro regime has only made libertarianism stronger. LP Nevada's sources in Havana say that Ubaldo Herrera and Manuel Velazquez are converting and new libertarians in the labor prison.  Even in their cell, the hunger strikers are growing the liberty movement in Cuba. Moreover, the Castro regime's repression has strengthened solidarity among libertarians across the world, but especially in the Americas.

Libertarians keep arguing against government intervention in favor of civil society voluntarily solving problems. Now is the time for libertarians to follow through on that standard with action. No one else is going to help our libertarian brothers languishing in the Cuban Gulag. Cuba's libertarians are officially asking the international libertarian community for help.

You can write to several human rights watch groups with the names of the libertarian prisoners. We recommend Amnesty International, The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, Human Rights Cuba, and the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation.  You can also directly contact Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations on Facebook and call for the immediate release of the libertarian political prisoners (@CubaMINREX on Twitter).  Finally, you can visit MisesCuba.org or email misescubacontacto@gmail.com to find out how to donate Bitcoins to Mises Cuba snd the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library.

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** Note: I was recently contacted by one of the Chilean libertarians.  Regrettably, they report that the protest at the embassy was postponed at the last minute in order to protest another, more local injustice, and a person's first priority is to clean up his own house.  Nonetheless, the Chilean libertarians insist they fully intend to follow through with the postponed Cuba protest in the near future.

Image courtesy of Region Coquimbo and has been cropped from its original version.  This article was first published by the Libertarian Party of Nevada.  Full permission is granted to reprint or republish this article, provided the author and first publisher are credited and the reproduction links back to this page.

Forbes and Celebrity Talk Show Host cover Libertarians in Cuban Gulag

Manuel Velazquez (left) and Ubaldo Herrera (right) before their arrest

The campaign to raise awareness of two Cuban libertarian activists thrown in the Gulag just took a turn for the better.  The world is hearing the cries of the victims' families!  Mises Cuba and the incarcerated Cuban libertarian activists were mentioned recently in a Forbes article.  The issue was also explored in greater detail by celebrity talk show host and libertarian activist Gloria Alvarez.  This follows multiple U.S. Libertarian state parties being joined by the Libertarian Party of Spain and the Libertarian Party of Russia in condemning the incarceration of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea, and calling for their immediate release.

Two days ago, Alejandro Chafuen wrote a Forbes article about free market think tanks and political entrepreneurs.  He mentions 25 independent Mises Institutes in the world that he's aware of, each modeled after the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn.  Chafuen writes, "To my knowledge, the last Mises Institute to pop up was Mises Cuba. Early in February, two of their members were detained and later sent to the Melena II jail, a maximum security prison for political dissidents."  (Read this for more details on their arrest and incarceration.)

Mises Cuba's Community Organizer also personally informed me that Mises Cuba founding member and lawyer Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand was just interviewed by celebrity activist and talk show host Gloria Alvarez.  Alvarez is a talk show host of Libertopolis (102.1 FM), a Guatemalan news and political station that broadcasts on the air and online.  Gloria Alvarez is also the author of the Spanish-language books 'El engaño populista' (The Populist Deception) and 'La Rebelión de los Mansos' (Rebellion of the Meek).  Alvarez and Libertopolis have a combined audience of millions, and Alvarez alone has half a million social media subscribers.  The interview of Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand about Herrera and Velazquez's incarceration in the Gulag, and the Cuban government's repression of Mises Cuba, is scheduled to air on March 31 at 6 PM Guatemalan local time.

Another bit of good news is that the Libertarian Party of Colorado's Executive Committee voted to join the cause.  LP Colorado condemns the incarceration of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea and calls for their immediate release.  LP Colorado has yet to publish anything on the vote or proclamation, but the resolution's unanimous passage was confirmed by Communications Director Caryn Ann Harlos.  The U.S. Libertarian National Committee votes on a similar resolution tomorrow.  If passed, the whole U.S. Libertarian Party will condemn the incarceration and call for the release of Herrera and Velazquez. So far, the Libertarian state parties who have taken initiative are Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado, plus LP Chicago.  This movement is joined by the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn and the fully independent Mises Institutes of multiple Latin American countries.

LP Nevada warmly thanks Gloria Alvarez and Alejandro Chafuen for significantly raising awareness of this issue.  As is the case of international celebrity whistle blower Edward Snowden, who's still a refugee abroad, there is little we can actually do to physically remove Herrera and Velazquez from the labor prison Melena II.  However, we can still make sure the whole world knows what happened to Ubaldo Herrea Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea.  We can make sure the whole world knows what Raul Castro's regime continues to do to peaceful dissidents who live by the non-aggression principle.  The greater the awareness each caring person helps spread, the greater the embarrassment to the quasi-Stalinist regime in Cuba, and the greater the chance the Interior Ministry will let them go. 

#TodosSomosMisesCuba

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Originally published March 18 by the Libertarian Party of Nevada.

[Mini-podcast] Cuban libertarian activists sent to the Gulag!

From 'My LPeeps! Libertarian Mini-podcast'

Two Cuban libertarian activists were arrested by the Cuban secret police, detained for weeks, and are now imprisoned in the Gulag! Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea must be freed from the Melena II labor prison. Herrera was targeted for his "dissident activities" of getting people together in a room to discuss limited government, civil liberties, and free markets. Velazquez had the misfortune of being with Herrera when both men were arrested by the secret police. 'We are subjected to a twelve-hour work day in the sun, melting and raising blocks or working in the field,' said a labor convict at the Melena II prison's collective farm... 

Listen at Soundcloud

Libertarian Party of Russia joins international movement to free libertarians in Cuba's Gulag

The Libertarian Party of Russia has joined the international movement of dedicated libertarians calling for the freedom of jailed activists.  Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea were arrested February 2, 2017 by State Security.  The Cuban libertarians are interned at the prison Melena II, part of Cuba's Gulag-style labor prison system.  The Libertarian Party of Russia published the following statement:

It has come to our attention that human rights situation in Cuba has just made a turn for the worse. Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez, a human rights activist in Cuba and a member of the Mises Institute Cuba, and Manuel Velazquez Visea, a Cuban libertarian activist, who were arrested by the regime on February 2nd, are incarcerated in Cuba's most infamous Melena II prison. Various human rights groups compare conditions in this prison to Soviet Gulag. Activists are charged with "attempted assault" although there is little doubt they are being targeted for dissident activities and promoting ideas of liberty.

Libertarian Party of Russia strongly condemns political repression and demands release of political prisoners. We urge Cuban authorities to set Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea free immediately!

The Libertarian Party of Russia has joined an international movement to free these two political prisoners.  LP Russia now stands with the Libertarian Party of Spain (P-LIB), the independent Mises Institutes in Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia, and the American Libertarian state parties of Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Florida.  The state parties in North Carolina and Florida are the latest American affiliates to get on board.  They're joined by the Libertarian Party of Chicago, whose leaders are leading the way on this just cause inside the Illinois LP.

LP Nevada is honored and humbled that the Libertarian Party of Russia, of Spain, and of multiple states would stand with us in fighting on behalf of our oppressed libertarian brothers.  Libertarians aren't trying to send the Marines to Havana, but simply to call international attention to an abuse that's hurtful and wrong in countless ways.

There is something YOU as an individual can do to help!  You can directly contact Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations on Facebook and Twitter and demand the release of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea.  You can also lobby your regional representative on the LNC (actually, ALL members of the LNC) to vote YES on the U.S. LP's resolution calling on Cuba's government for their release.  Finally, you can share this news with as many people as you know, especially those on the Right who love to hate Communism; this is their chance to back up talk with action and do something, and from the safety of their own homes!

Never give in to evil, but proceed ever boldly against it.  This is the time for everyone who loves liberty to proceed boldly.

#TodosSomosMisesCuba

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This article was first published by the Libertarian Party of Nevada

Libertarian parties of Florida and North Carolina call on Cuba to act!

Two Cuban libertarian activists, Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea were arrested on February 2, 2017 by Cuba's political police.  The two activists were convicted of attempted assault and facing new charges for distribution of "enemy propaganda."  This "enemy propaganda" was in fact the writings of Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, and other laissez-faire economists and philosophers--all of which threatens the Castro regime and Communist Party's grip on the island nation.  Herrera and Velazquez are both imprisoned in the Melena II labor prison, Cuba's equivalent of the Soviet Union's Gulag.  

The Libertarian Party of Nevada issued a press release on February 9 condemning the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba, and demanding the immediate release of Herrera and Velazquez.  Shortly after, this became a movement.  The Libertarian state parties of New Hampshire and Oklahoma jumped on board, also calling for the release of Herrera and Velazquez.  We were then joined by LP Indiana, LP New Mexico, and the Libertarian Party of Spain.  In the last week LP Florida and LP North Carolina have joined the international movement to free these libertarian political prisoners.

James Hines, at-large Executive Committee member of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina, said

“As libertarians, we condemn our own government's interference in Cuba's domestic affairs.  Cubans had a right to revolt against the dictator Fulgencio Batista, who overthrew a democratic government in 1952 coup d’etat.

“Even more, we mourn for the Cuban people because Fidel Castro, the man they trusted to lead the resistance against Batista, and his brother Raul, have proven far more brutal tyrants than the dictator they replaced.”

“Today, the members of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina lament that Cubans live under a government which will arrest, or threatens to arrest them, by characterizing any expression of dissent in economic or political matters as an attack upon itself.

“We pray for the safety, happiness, and freedom of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velasquez Visea as we pray for all of the people of Cuba and as we wish all of these things for ourselves.”

In the Libertarian Party of Florida's condemnation of the Cuban government, LPF Chairman Char-Lez Braden said today,

“The Libertarian Party of Florida, and all free people, find the existence of political prisoners abhorrent and call upon Cuba and all nations with such prisoners to free these folks and stop this practice. The LPF strongly encourages the Cuban government to release Hernandez and Velasquez immediately and apologize for their arrest. In addition, the LPF strongly urges the Cuban government to rid itself of all laws which limit Cuban citizens from expressing their opinions in public."

The Libertarian Party of Florida also dutifully points out that this is not a practice found only in Communist republics. "Just this year, there have been several Americans arrested for doing nothing more than exercising their right of free speech. Earlier this year two students were arrested in Michigan for simply handing out free pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions."

LP Florida and LP North Carolina are joined by the Libertarian Party of Chicago.  Rather than wait for the Illinois party's Executive Committee to act, LP Chicago is leading the way in Illinois!  The Libertarian Party of Russia and the Libertarian Party of Spain join 7 American LP state affiliates in a growing movement to free these innocent men.  Whether governments are persecuting nonviolent dissidents in Michigan or in Cuba, We the People will call out oppression and stand for freedom and common decency.

There is something YOU as an individual can do to help!  You can directly contact Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations on Facebook and Twitter and demand the release of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea.  You can also lobby your regional representative on the LNC (actually, ALL members of the LNC) to vote YES on the U.S. LP's resolution calling on Cuba's government for their release.

#TodosSomosMisesCuba

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This article was first published by the Libertarian Party of Nevada

Cuban libertarian activists sent to the Gulag!

The civil rights and human rights case regarding the two jailed Cuban libertarian activists just took a dark turn.  As of this afternoon, Mises Cuba reports that Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea are incarcerated in Cuba's infamous Melena II prison.  Various human rights groups have documented conditions at Melena II, and it's Cuba's equivalent of the Gulag in Soviet Russia and the labor camps in North Korea.  

Five Libertarian state parties (Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Indiana, and New Mexico) and the Libertarian Party of Spain (P-LIB) have already published denunciations of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba, and these parties are calling for the immediate and safe release of the political prisoners.

Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea were originally arrested by State Security (the secret police) and the National Police on the night of February 2 and were being detained at a jail facility in Mayabeque Province.  Less than 2 hours ago Mises Institute Cuba (an independent Cuban organization based on the American Mises Institute) reported that Herrera and Velazquez are believed to have been convicted of attempted assault.  In truth, Herrera was targeted for his "dissident activities" of getting people together in a room to discuss limited government, civil liberties, and free markets. Velazquez had the misfortune of being with Herrera when both men were challenged by a plainclothes undercover State Security agent who demanded to see their ID.

Mises Cuba staff members Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand and Heriberto Pons Ruiz both testify that Herrera and Velazquez have been transferred to Melena II, a labor prison outside of Melena del Sur, near Havana.  Thanks to refugees like Esteban Marcial Mosqueda, whose testimony was published by retired U.S. immigration judge Susan Yarbrough, we know exactly what conditions the two jailed libertarian activists are facing.

"There were no beds and no sheets so I slept on the floor with the other men.  The toilet was a hole in the floor, and it overflowed everyday.  At night the rats and roaches came through it, and sometimes a snake.  Our food was beans once a day, and it was always filled with insects and worms.  We got a pail of water every other day; it was for drinking, but it was so dirty it made us sick...  Many months and many guards went by.  Most of them would call me negro azul [blue-black, because of his dark skin]...  I was very thin by then, and it was very easy for them to pull down my pants."

In 2011 the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed the existence of Melena II, and the labor prison's appalling conditions.  The Spanish-language Cuban-American news venue Let's Talk Press reported appalling conditions and human rights abuses in the Melena II prison as recently as 2015.  The Spanish-language Cuba news venue Café Fuerte reports on the forced labor conditions.   "'We are subjected to a twelve-hour work day in the sun, melting and raising blocks or working in the field,' said a labor convict at the Melena II prison's collective farm...  The Melena II prison houses more than 600 convicts, mostly young black men. They work by making cement blocks."

Now that the Cuban libertarian activists Herrera and Velazquez are in the Gulag, it's now more important than ever for supporters of human rights across America and around the world to take action.  Libertarians from around the world are already taking the fight back to the Cuban government. In one example, a French supporter demanded their release on the Ministry of Foreign Relations' French-language Facebook page.

All concerned citizens in all countries can help by doing these things:

1. Publicly condemn the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba, and demand the safe release of the libertarian prisoners,
2. Ask the US State Department to place diplomatic pressure on Cuba for their release,
3. Call Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and State Legislators to make their own statements of support for these political prisoners and to ask the State Department to diplomatically pressure the Cuban government. Find your Congressman here and contact his or her office, and tweet at your governor.
4. Directly contact Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Relations and demand the safe release of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea. Send them a message on Facebook and tweet directly at them.

The Libertarian Party of Nevada isn't advocating for sending the Marines to Havana; we're simply rallying free people around the world to call out a human rights abuse against one of our own flock.  We the People must never give in to evil, but fight boldly against it. #TodosSomosMisesCuba

For further inquiries contact Zach Foster at zach.foster@lpnevada.org 

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Melena II prison photo courtesy of CIH Press.  This article was first published by the Libertarian Party of Nevada.

LP Oklahoma joins coalition to free jailed Cuban libertarians

The Libertarian Party of Oklahoma (LPOK) joined the Libertarian Parties of Nevada (LPN), New Hampshire (LPNH), and Spain (P-LIB) in speaking out on behalf of jailed Cuban libertarian activists.  LP Oklahoma, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Spain have condemned the Cuban government and Communist Party of Cuba for the arrest and detention of Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea.  LPN, LPNH, LPOK, and P-LIB demand the immediate and safe release of Herrera and Velazquez.

Read more

Libertarian Party of Spain joins in condemning the Cuban government

The Libertarian Party of Spain has joined the Libertarian Parties of Nevada and New Hampshire in condemning the Cuban government for the arrest and unlawful detention of two libertarian activists.  In a Spanish-language news release, the Spanish Libertarians announced:

The Libertarian Party of Spain (P-LIB) strongly condemns the arbitrary imprisonment of two Cuban libertarian activists, Ubaldo Herrera Hernández and Manuel Velasquez Visea, perpetrated several days ago by the island's brutal communist regime, and demands its immediate release.

Read more

LP New Hampshire joins LP Nevada in condemning the Cuban government over activist arrests

This weekend, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire issued the following statement on their website:

The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire answers the call from the Libertarian Party of Nevada in the condemnation of the Cuban government for arresting libertarian activists. LPNH Chair Darryl W. Perry stated “I’d like to thank LP Nevada for taking the lead on this issue, and encouraging other state LP affiliates to join in on the condemnation of the Cuban government’s arrest of two libertarian activists and in calling for their immediate release.”

Read more

Cuban Libertarian Activists Arrested By State Police

Herrera Hernandez, far right, has been arrested several times before for peaceful dissidence.

A libertarian brother from the Mises Cuba Institute notified me shortly after two Cuban libertarian activists were arrested by State Security officers—the political secret police.  Mises Cuba, Mises USA, and the PanAm Post all confirmed that Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea were both arrested in the last week.  Other members of Mises Cuba were also threatened with arrest by the political police.

The two men were arrested together.  Reportedly, they were approached by several plain-clothes undercover secret policemen.  The secret policemen harassed the two men and arrested the activists when they refused to show ID to non-uniformed officers.  Herrera and Velasques are still detained.

Read more at The Libertarian Republic

Five Libertarian Ideas #17 - Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts, Activism, Cold War

Air Force and Coast Guard Auxiliaries

I've seen conspiratarian blog posts making the Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary out to look like the Waffen-SS. That couldn't be further from the truth!

Both CAP and CGA are consistent with the non-aggression principle. Though they wear military uniforms and carry out missions on behalf of the military, both organizations are privately funded, relying mostly on member dues and charitable gifts.

Furthermore, they engage not in armed campaigns but in search and rescue operations, disaster relief, local community service, and education. Both organizations are the most benevolent manifestation of the organized militia. -4/27

Boy Scouts of America

Almost time to continue teaching Citizenship in the Community merit badge tonight. The Boy Scouts in my troop will get OUR worldview on civil rights and the true role of government. It's not just about activism; education is just as important. If the fight for liberty takes 20 years, we'll need new, young voters already on our side. -4/30

War in Ukraine

38 people are dead in an arson fire in a trade union building in Odessa in south-central Ukraine. The fire is believed to have been caused by Right Sector radicals but so far that's only speculation. It looks to me as if a greater emergency is being manufactured, and the Russians will use this to justify a full-scale invasion. -5/2

The embargo on Cuba

Wealthy joy riders in Havana; modern cars are rare in Cuba

The embargo on Cuba is damning proof of the futility of sanctions, since Fidel Castro still lives a life of wealth at the expense of the common people. I want to end Communism in Cuba by ending the embargo. I WANT Cuba to be flooded with American capitalism. I want the average Cuban who lives on $15 a month to be overwhelmed by drunk FSU students with fistfuls of money to spend, and realize in one day that Castro bamboozled Cuba for 55 years. -5/4

Liberty Letdowns and Pickups

It's been a privilege being a part of the liberty movement. Some people have chosen to be my brothers and sisters while others in the movement chose to remove me from their lives. They let me down, but the staggering amount of patriots who surround me with warm acceptance is always medicine for the soul. -5/6 

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Civil Air Patrol logo courtesy of CAP and in the public domain. Havana photo by "russavia", used via CC BY 2.0 license and obtained from Wikimedia Commons.