[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9102-9103]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE PASSING OF RAFAEL DIAZ-BALART

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and many fond 
memories that I stand here today to honor the life and invaluable 
legacy of Dr. Rafael Diaz-Balart. As a prominent attorney and elected 
official in his native land of Cuba, Rafael quickly rose to the 
position of majority leader in the Cuban Republic's House of 
Representatives before Fidel Castro illegally seized power in the 1959 
Communist revolution.
  As majority leader, Rafael warned his legislative colleagues of 
Castro's desire of absolute power, a desire that would be achieved by 
any means necessary. In a prophetic speech, Rafael said in the 
legislature of Castro's thugs, ``They do not want peace. They do not 
want a national solution. They do not want democracy or elections or 
fraternity. Fidel Castro and his group seek only one thing, power, and 
total power at that. And they want to achieve that power through 
violence, so that their total power will enable them to destroy every 
vestige of the constitution and law in Cuba, to institute the most 
cruel, most barbaric tyranny, a tyranny that would teach the people the 
true meaning of tyranny.''
  How sadly correct Rafael Diaz-Balart was so many years ago. 
Vigilantly opposed to the Communist tyranny and oppression that had 
taken hold of his country, Dr. Diaz-Balart and his family fled the 
island. Shortly after leaving Cuba, he founded the White Rose Party, an 
organization dedicated to fighting against Castro's dictatorial regime 
and restoring democracy and liberty in Cuba. In addition, his testimony 
to the United States Senate in 1960 alerted the Nation to the dangers 
of Castro's government. In his testimony, Rafael provided evidence of 
Castro's oppression and his abuse of the political dissidents as well 
as the global threat of communism.
  He, like my father Enrique Ros and so many others who fled Cuba due 
to Castro's dictatorial regime in these four decades, dreamed of a free 
Cuba, a country where human rights would once again be respected, where 
political prisoners would be freed, where a democratic multiparty 
political system would flourish and a free market economy would thrive, 
thus allowing the Cuban people and their foreign economic partners to 
own their own businesses and to prosper.
  A passionate and dedicated leader, Rafael was a relentless defender 
of human rights. He along with so many other human rights activists 
brought Cuba's ongoing human rights violations to the attention of the 
United States Government, to the attention of the American people and, 
indeed, to the international community. In addition, Rafael 
demonstrated his ability to fight not only for the Cuban and the Cuban-
American community but for all oppressed people throughout the world. 
His determination and his resoluteness have guided me in my own career 
as a public servant from my beginnings in the Florida State legislature 
to my current position in the United States Congress. I was inspired by 
his endless commitment to the Cuban people and to all individuals 
living under dictatorial rule.
  His sons Rafael, Jose, Lincoln and Mario continue this legacy of 
promoting peace, liberty and the rule of law, a legacy that began with 
Rafael Diaz-Balart, Sr., the namesake of Florida International 
University's college of law. Perhaps Rafael's strongest political 
legacy is the one that he has

[[Page 9103]]

passed on to his children and to his grandchildren, especially his sons 
Jose and Rafael and our esteemed colleagues serving with us in the U.S. 
House of Representatives, Congressmen Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.
  I am privileged to have known and to have worked closely with Rafael 
and the Diaz-Balart family throughout my professional career as a 
legislator. Together with them, I will continue to promote a free and 
democratic Cuba and democracy throughout the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Rafael Diaz-Balart, who was 
a wonderful friend, a loving husband, a dedicated father and one of the 
most outstanding members of our Florida community. My thoughts and my 
prayers go out to his family during this difficult time. He will be 
sorely missed by all.

                          ____________________