Saying that “50 years have shown that isolation hasn’t worked,” President Obama announced historic changes to the United states’ Cuban policies.
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Month: December 2014
I was getting worried there. The silence coming from the Hillary camp in regards to the nationwide protects going on these days, was deafening. But on Tuesday, Speaking to an audience after receiving an award from The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights in New York, Hillary declared, “yes, black lives matter.”
I can’t Breathe.
She wondered what Robert Kennedy would say about “the thousands of Americans marching in our streets demanding justice for all,” and “the mothers who’ve lost their sons.”
“What would he say to all those who have lost trust in our government and our other institutions, who shudder at images of excessive force, who read reports about torture done in the name of our country, who see too many representatives in Washington quick to protect a big bank from regulation but slow to take action to help working families facing ever greater pressure,” Clinton said, pivoting to the release of a Senate report last week investigating the CIA’s interrogation techniques after 9/11.
Clinton said that recent world events, including the mass murder of children in Pakistan and the siege in Sydney, Australia, “should steel our resolve and underscore that our values are what set us apart from our adversaries.”
Republicans expressed enthusiasm for Gross’ release but spoke out against the administration’s new approach, ThinkProgress reports.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) argued that America’s policy toward the island nation “should not be revisited…until the Cuban people enjoy freedom — and not a second sooner” and characterized the move as “another in a long line of mindless concessions to a dictatorship.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) — who is of Cuban descent — gave interviews to every news organization promising to “make every effort to block this dangerous and desperate attempt” as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee. He argued the “new policy is based on an illusion, on a lie” and sets a “dangerous precedent” that “will only cause other tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can take advantage of President Obama’s naiveté during his final two years in office.” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair, generally echoed Rubio’s criticism.
But the Republicans’ outcry against the new policy contradicts their own faith in the power of free market economies. Under the administration’s policy, the U.S. will restore full diplomatic relations, ease travel in 12 existing categories, allow U.S. to import more goods, expand exports to Cuba, among other changes. Opening up trade and investing opportunities will likely push Cuba toward a more American-style economy — the kind Republicans argue leads to freedom.
“We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries,” Obama said. “These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach.”
I remember watching the clip below of MSNBC’s interview with the Cleveland police union who kept insisting that the police officer who murdered of 12 year old Tamir Rice was “justified,” and while watching, all these questions and comments started coming to mind as I listened to the unbelievable cops-are-always-right nonsense coming from the cop.
Apparently Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks had the same questions and comments, and he used his platform on YouTube and blasted the cop for his moronic response.
“Just, for Christ’s sake, be a human for a second,” Uygur challenged the man after watching a clip of the MSNBC piece. “And say, ‘We’re so sorry that [a] 12-year-old kid died, man. Obviously we didn’t mean that.’ Is that too hard to say? Is that too hard to say — ‘We didn’t mean to kill your 12-year-old son. We’re so sorry about that.’”
Uygur continued. “You killed him in two seconds — [Rice] didn’t have time to listen to what you said,” Uygur said in response. “This Orwellian prick; we just saw the video, we’ve seen the video a million times. You pull up and you shoot him. You pull up and you shoot him. One-one thousand, two-one thousand and he’s dead.”
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Another historic achievement for the Obama administration. Detailed below are the basics of an agreement that will in essence, end the 50 years of hostility between America and Cuba.
What the US will give Cuba
The U.S. will take steps toward restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba, severed since 1961. The travel ban will still be in place, as will the embargo, but the embargo’s impact will be eased and some forms of travel will be made easier.
This will include the goal of reopening a US embassy in Havana in the coming months. The embassy has been closed for over half a century.
The US will release three Cubans who were convicted of espionage and imprisoned in the US: Gerardo Hernandez, Luis Medina, and Antonio Guerrero. All three prisoners were members of the “Wasp Network,” a group that spied on prominent members of the Cuban-American community. CNN reports that Hernandez, the group’s leader, was also linked to the downing of two two civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a U.S.-based dissident group.
The U.S. will make it easier for Americans to obtain licenses to do business in Cuba, and to travel to the island. CNN reports that the new rules still won’t permit American tourism, but will make it easier to visit for other purposes.
Americans will be able to use credit and debit cards while in Cuba.
Americans will be able to send up to $2000 per year to family members in Cuba. Cuban-American remittances are a major source of income for many Cuban families.
US travelers will be able to import up to $400 in goods from Cuba, including $100 in alcohol and tobacco products.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been ordered to review Cuba’s status as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” If his review determines that Cuba no longer deserves that status, that will be a first step towards lifting at least some US sanctions.
What Cuba will give the US
US contractor Alan Gross had been imprisoned in Cuba for the last five years on charges of attempting to undermine the Cuban government. His detention has been a major issue for the US and the Obama administration. He has been released and is on his way back to the United States.
Cuba will release 53 political prisoners from a list provided by the United States. CNN also reports that Cuba is releasing a US intelligence source who has been imprisoned in Cuba for more than 20 years, but it is not clear whether that individual was one of the 53 included on the list.
Cuba will allow its citizens increased access to the internet. The US has long sought this as a means of increasing pressure within Cuba for democratic reform.
Access by the UN: Cuba will allow officials from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to return to its territory.
The information included in the Spending Bill that passed both the House and Senate is quite simply scary, like calling white potatoes fresh vegetables and the massive raise in donations allowed for congress members… things that made Stewart shook his head in disbelief.
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That this man is even considered a leader in the Christian arena is in itself a travesty.
In recent writings, Bryan Fischer of The American Family Association, said that liberals “would drag the Bible’s heroes before the courts at Nuremberg and charge them with crimes against humanity” and suggesting on his radio program that Jesus would support the use of torture in a time of war.
Fischer argued on his radio program today that the Bible makes certain things permissible during times of war that would not be permissible during times of peace, adding that Jesus is a “warrior” who would probably approve of torture.
“Christianity is not a pacifist religion,” Fischer said. “The God that we serve is described in Exodus 15 as a ‘man of war.’ Now we often think of gentle Jesus, meek and mild, but let’s not forget, according to Romans 19:13, when he comes back … he will be riding a white horse and wearing his own robe, dipped in blood. That is a robe that is worn by a warrior who is inflicting casualties on the foe. So this is gentle Jesus, meek and mild; when we comes back, his robe is going to be dipped in blood because he too is a warrior”
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Back up the clown car. Another clowns wants to hop in.
“A lot of people think I have fun with [talking about running for president] and I enjoy the process,” Donald Trump said while at the Economic Club of Washington on Monday night. , “but the country is in very serious trouble so I am considering it seriously.”
Asked when he’ll decide, Trump said: “March, April or May.”
“I think we need someone very good, very fast, or we’ll be in a lot of trouble,” Trump said.
He said he’d rather do what he’s doing now, but that as far as a run for the presidency goes, “until I see someone I think is outstanding, I’d be inclined to do it.”
If Ted Cruz is apologizing for something, then it must be a good day in America.
According to five senators who attended Tuesday’s caucus lunch, Cruz offered the apology in unsolicited remarks, saying that he regretted if any of his colleagues’ schedules were ruined by his maneuvering. He didn’t say whether he would do something similar again, senators said.
And unlike a contentious lunch last year after GOP senators pointedly blamed Cruz for prompting the government shutdown, no sharp words were directed at the Texas freshman at Tuesday’s lunch, according to the attendees. Republicans do not expect Cruz to prevent the Senate from finishing its work promptly this week.
“Yes, the senator acknowledged that a number of his colleagues had to unexpectedly change their weekend plans, and he apologized to them for inconveniencing their personal schedules. That was not his intention,” Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said. “His intention was to secure a vote on President [Barack] Obama’s illegal executive amnesty, and to use every procedural means to do so.”
The comments cap a tumultuous several days for Cruz, who, along with his counterpart, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, suddenly scuttled a bipartisan deal Friday that would have prevented weekend votes in the Senate. After Lee objected to the agreement, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought the Senate back into session Saturday and began to advance nearly two dozen of the president’s stalled nominees.
When Michael Jordan left the NBA, it took him 1072 games to accumulate 32,292 pionts. It took Kobe Bryant 1269 games and almost 800 more shots to finally reach Michael Jordan.
But hey, I’m not taking anything away from Kobe’s historic feat this week when he passed Michael Jordan to become number 3 on the NBA’s all time scoring list, that is a huge accomplishment worthy of praise. Don’t tell that to Reggie Miller though…
During his weekly appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Reggie Miller ended the Jordan vs. Kobe debate – in his own mind.
When asked about Kobe Bryant passing Michael Jordan for third place on the all-time scoring list earlier this week, Miller said, “Michael Jordan on his worst day is 10 times better than Kobe Bryant on his best day. That’s not short-changing Kobe at at all, because he handed me my lunch pail, too, but I will take that Black Cat (Jordan) all day, any day over Kobe.”
But then there was this Reggie Miller/ Kobe Bryant fight back in 2002.
Categories
The Mayweather / Pacquiao Fight Has Begun
Floyd Mayweather threw the first jab in an interview last week, finally saying that he wants to fight Pacquiao on May 2nd.
“We are ready. Let’s make it happen. May 2. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Let’s do it,” Mayweather said.
Unfazed by Mayweather’s hit, Manny Pacquiao shot back with one of his signature moves.
He [Mayweather] has reached a dead end,” Pacquiao told skysports.com. “He has nowhere to run but to fight me.
“I will try my best to make this a thrilling and entertaining fight, but I doubt if he’s gonna engage me in a slugfest.
“You all know his fighting style. Most of his previous fights, if not all, induced us to sleep.”
And to make sure that Floyd get the message, Manny tweeted this directly to his opponent:
If the two meet in the ring instead of the jib jab they’re now find themselves in, this could be the match of the century year. Fans have been praying for this matchup for years, but it did not happened because of the purse circumstances beyond their control.
I will tentatively circle this date on my calendar… well maybe not a full circle… maybe something looking like a big C around the May 2 date will be enough.
During the grand jury proceedings she was called “Witness 40.” But thanks to investigative work by TSG, we now have a name for the woman known as “Witness 40.” Her name is Sandra McElroy and since her identity was revealed, McElroy has admitted that she was in fact, “Witness 40” in the grand Jury proceedings.
In an extensive post highlighted on The Smoking Guns, Sandra McElroy or “Witness 40” is a known racist who posted various racist comments on social media sites. Sandra has since deleted her Facebook and other sites, and has advised her children to do the same.
On August 15th, she “liked’ a Facebook comment reporting that Johnson [Mike Brown’s friend] had admitted that he and Brown stole cigars before the confrontation with Wilson.
On August 17, a Facebook commenter wrote that Johnson and others should be arrested for inciting riots and giving false statements to police in connection with their claims that Brown had his hands up when shot by Wilson. “The report and autopsy are in so YES they were false,” McElroy wrote of the “hands-up” claims. This appears to be an odd comment from someone who claims to have been present during the shooting. In response to the posting of a news report about a rally in support of Wilson, McElroy wrote on August 17, “Prayers, support God Bless Officer Wilson.”
McElroy waited four weeks after the shooting to contact cops. By the time she gave St. Louis police a statement on September 11, a general outline of Wilson’s version of the shooting had already appeared in the press. McElroy’s account of the confrontation dovetailed with Wilson’s reported recollection of the incident.
After meeting with St. Louis police, McElroy continued monitoring the case and posting online. Commenting on a September 12 Riverfront Times story reporting that Ferguson city officials had yet to meet with Brown’s family, McElroy wrote, “But haven’t you heard the news, There great great great grandpa may or may not have been owned by one of our great great great grandpas 200 yrs ago. (Sarcasm).” On September 13, McElroy went on a pro-Wilson Facebook page and posted a graphic that included a photo of Brown lying dead in the street. A type overlay read, “Michael Brown already received justice. So please, stop asking for it.” The following week McElroy responded to a Facebook post about the criminal record of Wilson’s late mother. “As a teenager Mike Brown strong armed a store used drugs hit a police officer and received Justis,” she stated.
On October 22, McElroy went to the FBI field office in St. Louis and was interviewed by an agent and two Department of Justice prosecutors. The day before that taped meeting, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a lengthy story detailing exactly what Wilson told police investigators about the Ferguson shooting.
McElroy provided the federal investigators with an account that neatly tracked with Wilson’s version of the fatal confrontation. She claimed to have seen Brown and Johnson walking in the street before Wilson encountered them while seated in his patrol car. She said that the duo shoved the cruiser’s door closed as Wilson sought to exit the vehicle, then watched as Brown leaned into the car and began raining punches on the cop. McElroy claimed that she heard gunfire from inside the car, which prompted Brown and Johnson to speed off. As Brown ran, McElroy said, he pulled up his sagging pants, from which “his rear end was hanging out.”
But instead of continuing to flee, Brown stopped and turned around to face Wilson, McElroy said. The unarmed teenager, she recalled, gave Wilson a “What are you going to do about it look,” and then “bent down in a football position…and began to charge at the officer.” Brown, she added, “looked like he was on something.” As Brown rushed Wilson, McElroy said, the cop began firing. The “grunting” teenager, McElroy recalled, was hit with a volley of shots, the last of which drove Brown “face first” into the roadway.
McElroy’s tale was met with skepticism by the investigators, who reminded her that it was a crime to lie to federal agents. When questioned about inconsistencies in her story, McElroy was resolute about her vivid, blow-by-blow description of the deadly Brown-Wilson confrontation. “I know what I seen,” she said. “I know you don’t believe me.”
When asked what she was doing in Ferguson–which is about 30 miles north of her home–McElroy explained that she was planning to “pop in” on a former high school classmate she had not seen in 26 years. Saddled with an incorrect address and no cell phone, McElroy claimed that she pulled over to smoke a cigarette and seek directions from a black man standing under a tree. In short order, the violent confrontation between Brown and Wilson purportedly played out in front of McElroy.
Despite an abundance of red flags, state prosecutors put McElroy in front of the Ferguson grand jury the day after her meeting with the federal officials. After the 12-member panel listened to a tape of her interview conducted at the FBI office, McElroy appeared and, under oath, regaled the jurors with her eyewitness claims.
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