Strange Christmas Season / Fernando Dámaso

Jose Marti

In this Christmas season, when peace, brotherhood, kindness and love should prevail, some bellicose grey characters call for a new witch hunt directed at this who think and act in ways different from that established by the socialist model. In their dogma, outdated to the point that it lacks originality, they link, once again, free thought with mercenaries-cum-employees of the Empire.

To think for ourselves is not to attack but to integrate. When there is an abundance of free thought, it facilitates the achievement of better and more complete solutions. It is not an exclusive monologue, but an inclusive dialog in which truth appears. In short, the nation is not the private property of any party or group in power: it is the property of all its citizens, whatever they think and however they act.

Some not-too-distant day they will sit down and talk to each other. It is the only civilized way to confront and solve our problems. The sterile path of confrontation does not lead to anything good: more than fifty years thrown overboard proves that.

I hope this strange Christmas is just that, and the responsible authorities act with intelligence, not giving in to these professional mourners, as the political price to pay would be great.

The nation, submerged in a profound economic, political and social crisis can’t deal with more mistakes. It’s time to get together shoulder-to-shoulder, and without impositions of any kind, finish building the Republic with everyone and for the good of everyone, that Jose Marti dreamed of.

December 19 2011