A lot of people were inspired by candidate and then President Obama. I was one of them. After watching him gain momentum in the primaries in 2008, thanks to his position on the war in Iraq, and then defeating Hillary Clinton and Senator McCain, I watched him squander the most political capital that a person could hope for.
I watched again and again, issue after issue, the president not only cede negotiating positions to the Republican party, but never even had starting points in negotiations that his supporters imagined he would. The key word here is "imagined".
I had never imagined that we were on the brink of a true universal health care system. I just thought he might at least bring it up. I never imagined that he would truly bring U.S.troops home from Iraq. I just didn't think he would actually try to extend the deadline that Bush had set. The one thing that I did expect him to do he did. He did allow unlimited travel to Cuba by people with relatives there. But unfortunately, he has maintained all of the programs that we spend millions of dollars on to undermine the Cuban government. I think it would be easier than most people think to go a lot farther and establish relations with Cuba since the times of Kennedy. There would be no personal political risk, which of course is the main calculation in the minds of politicians like him.
But what we are witnessing this week should turn the stomachs of decent people. The absolutely unbalanced military pounding being applied to the Palestinian people in Gaza. Hamas apparently has a military wing because its chief was assassinated by an Israeli air strike earlier this week, but I've not seen any images of an actual Palestinian military. Rockets and some machine guns can hardly be called a military in today's world and anyone who tries to claim that the fight is balanced is simply lying.
Watching Obama's administration answer the questions of violence by Israel by stating that they stand by Israel's right to defend themselves, as if the violent occupiers have been sucker punched and become victims by the people they seem to be determined to occupy. It's disgusting and disgraceful. It's also why Israel acts as disconnected to reality as the Obama administration when the United Nations votes to condemn the embargo of Cuba... another embarrassing stance that Obama decides to stick with.
Obama inspired me and these are events that reinforce my certainty. He inspired me to finally un-register from the Democrat party, which I had already believed for some time had not been a good fit for me. He also inspired me to vote for the Green party candidate for president on November 6 of this year.
He has done so much as president to have left me quite inspired. Hopefully others will be inspired too. For that I say to President Obama, "Great job."
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Gingich: The History Professor
As I've explained before, the anti-Cuba rhetoric during Florida campaigns is the same as it always has been. Newt Gingrich is attempting to set the bar of ignorance even higher than it usually is. He suggested that he, as president, would bomb Cuba if he thought the situation called for it. He was supposed to be a history professor at one point in his career. One would think that a history professor would have some sort of grasp of history, but in the case of Gingrich, apparently not.
Not only is he imagining some sort of right of the United States to intervene in Cuba, but he doesn't even have a grasp of current bombing campaigns by the U.S. and the outcomes of those campaigns. He is one of those ignorant people who actually believes in the idea that bombs and war create peaceful situations. This is not 1960, a time when the governments of Latin America were easily pressured by Washington to go along with trying to isolate Cuba. The year is 2012, and he should be aware of the strong bonds that Cuba has with the rest of the world, especially Latin America. Surely, Mr. Gingrich would try to claim that after bombing the proud people of Cuba, they would greet us with flowers!
By making such stupid remarks, it becomes obvious that he is simply pandering to the twisted right wing crowd in South Florida who can't for a single moment realize that Cuba does not belong to them. It isn't a U.S. territory, it isn't a colony, and it certainly isn't a client state of the U.S. It is a sovereign nation, which by international law, allows it to determine it's own affairs. The power brokers in Washington may hold on to a belief in the Monroe Doctrine, but they should be aware enough to realize that it is an imperialist doctrine rejected by the countries in the hemisphere. Imagining that it should or could be imposed is a grave error which only makes relationships with our neighbors more difficult.
In a few days, the Republicans will have their primary election in Florida and they will rush off to the next pandering battleground state. Their arrogance, ignorance, and flamboyant stupidity is on display for all to see. With almost every action and word they speak, they affirm Fidel Castro's description of them: "The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is - and I mean this seriously - the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been."
Not only is he imagining some sort of right of the United States to intervene in Cuba, but he doesn't even have a grasp of current bombing campaigns by the U.S. and the outcomes of those campaigns. He is one of those ignorant people who actually believes in the idea that bombs and war create peaceful situations. This is not 1960, a time when the governments of Latin America were easily pressured by Washington to go along with trying to isolate Cuba. The year is 2012, and he should be aware of the strong bonds that Cuba has with the rest of the world, especially Latin America. Surely, Mr. Gingrich would try to claim that after bombing the proud people of Cuba, they would greet us with flowers!
By making such stupid remarks, it becomes obvious that he is simply pandering to the twisted right wing crowd in South Florida who can't for a single moment realize that Cuba does not belong to them. It isn't a U.S. territory, it isn't a colony, and it certainly isn't a client state of the U.S. It is a sovereign nation, which by international law, allows it to determine it's own affairs. The power brokers in Washington may hold on to a belief in the Monroe Doctrine, but they should be aware enough to realize that it is an imperialist doctrine rejected by the countries in the hemisphere. Imagining that it should or could be imposed is a grave error which only makes relationships with our neighbors more difficult.
In a few days, the Republicans will have their primary election in Florida and they will rush off to the next pandering battleground state. Their arrogance, ignorance, and flamboyant stupidity is on display for all to see. With almost every action and word they speak, they affirm Fidel Castro's description of them: "The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is - and I mean this seriously - the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been."
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Old Bread
There is nothing more stale than the customary pandering to the extremists in Miami during the election cycles. There are more politicians repeating the same nonsense about Cuba to the usuals on Calle 8 than there are empty plastic coffee cups in the trash cans in Miami. It is the same usual routine; drink coffee at the Versailles bakery while rubbing elbows with the defenders of terrorists like Orlando Bosch an Luis Posada Carriles. Each and every candidate explains how he or she will be Castro's biggest enemy. Each and every candidate explains how he or she has the secret plan to finally bring down the Cuban revolution. Each and every candidate knows full well that their words are more useless than all of the covert and overt actions perpetrated by the U.S. against Cuba combined. Only the delusional dinosaurs of Calle 8 are mesmerized and believe the rhetoric.
Here's an excerpt from The Milwaulkee Sentinel dated October 24, 1960. "Castro is destined to go- whether or not Nixon or Kennedy becomes the new president. The embargo on exports is merely the beginning of contemplated moves moves with intervention blueprinted as the ultimate measure." That is an article from the time of the presidential campaign between Nixon and Kennedy. As we can see, this is not new rhetoric! History can show us that predictions from the U.S. have been wrong for over 50 years.
Here we are in 2012, new actors, excuse me, politicians have descended upon the world of Miami. The strange town that suffers from the Kennedy syndrome although he has been dead for almost a half of a century. They somehow hold on to the idea that they maintain some sort of significance on the island of Cuba. They are so far out of touch that they don't even recognize that they are becoming a minority in their own stronghold, Miami, the retirement home of ex-Latin American thugs and terrorists.
The only breath of fresh air comes from Ron Paul, who the media has treated as a circus act which only hurt his chances in the race. I think his economic policies would be disastrous, but his policy of not interfering with the internal workings of other countries should be a more common position in American politics.
So after the elections of 2012, the street sweepers in Miami will be busy once again cleaning up the countless anti-Castro political propaganda as this issue remains unresolved. Not the issue of Castro, which should not be the business of American politicians, but the issue of the embargo which isolates the U.S. from the rest of the world. Please, let's demand more than just stale bread. Let's find the strength to end the terrible policy of the embargo against Cuba and normalize relations so that the people in both countries can work together for a better future.
Here's an excerpt from The Milwaulkee Sentinel dated October 24, 1960. "Castro is destined to go- whether or not Nixon or Kennedy becomes the new president. The embargo on exports is merely the beginning of contemplated moves moves with intervention blueprinted as the ultimate measure." That is an article from the time of the presidential campaign between Nixon and Kennedy. As we can see, this is not new rhetoric! History can show us that predictions from the U.S. have been wrong for over 50 years.
Here we are in 2012, new actors, excuse me, politicians have descended upon the world of Miami. The strange town that suffers from the Kennedy syndrome although he has been dead for almost a half of a century. They somehow hold on to the idea that they maintain some sort of significance on the island of Cuba. They are so far out of touch that they don't even recognize that they are becoming a minority in their own stronghold, Miami, the retirement home of ex-Latin American thugs and terrorists.
The only breath of fresh air comes from Ron Paul, who the media has treated as a circus act which only hurt his chances in the race. I think his economic policies would be disastrous, but his policy of not interfering with the internal workings of other countries should be a more common position in American politics.
So after the elections of 2012, the street sweepers in Miami will be busy once again cleaning up the countless anti-Castro political propaganda as this issue remains unresolved. Not the issue of Castro, which should not be the business of American politicians, but the issue of the embargo which isolates the U.S. from the rest of the world. Please, let's demand more than just stale bread. Let's find the strength to end the terrible policy of the embargo against Cuba and normalize relations so that the people in both countries can work together for a better future.
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