Val Demings: “During his inaugural address in 1960, President Kennedy said these words: ``Let every nation know . . . that we shall…”

“During his inaugural address in 1960, President Kennedy said these words: ``Let every nation know . . . that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.'' We know what freedom means in America. It is the lifeline of our Nation. The people of Cuba have cried out for freedom, and because of who we are, America must answer the call. The failed socialist regime in Cuba has delivered tyranny instead of freedom, poverty instead of prosperity, and violence to silence its own people instead of protection and safety. We denounce that regime and we stand with the people because we stand for freedom. One protester said this: ``It's only human to feel fear but that moved to the background because you knew you were doing the right thing.'' I say to America, this statement should be familiar to all of us. We will not stay neutral for neutrality helps the oppressor, never the oppressed. Democracy and a free economy are the right path forward for Cuba. We stand today and we support this resolution so that every Cuban, like every American and every Floridian, will know that they have a God-given right to safety, liberty, and the right to freely choose their own future. Together we stand.”