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Fidel Castro resigned
Fidel Castro at age 81 resigned his position as President of Cuba which he took over at age 32. According to Bloomberg, Castro said:
`I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander-in-chief,'' Castro wrote, according to Granma in its online edition. ``My only desire is to fight as a soldier for my ideas.''
Castro's resignation is extremely important. For Cuba's countrymen and women, it offers an opportunity for new policies, an end to the embargoes, and new diplomacy.
Castro's resignation is so important that George Bush gave a rare press conference from Rwanda. In Bush's statement, he begged for democracy and fair elections in Cuba instead of staged ones. He said:
the beginning of a democratic transition for the people of Cuba,'' President George W. Bush said in a news conference in Kigali, Rwanda, and promised U.S. help. The international community should support ``free and fair elections, and I mean free and I mean fair, not these kinds of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off.''
Let that sink into your head for a few minutes.
Our selected President, the same one who suppressed votes, who allowed his fellow party members and their corporations to fix the 2000 and 2004 elections, used the words "staged elections ... foist off" with the word Democracy as a criticism about Cuba. Even though, it was true of Cuba, the world at large understands that those very words point to the current American pResident as well.
And let the words "beginning of a democratic transition" sink into your head for a few minutes too. George Bush, the pResident who illegally spies on his citizens, promotes immunity for corporations, tortures people, takes away Habeas Corpus, andwho has brought the USA to corporate fascism, raped our coffers, and who has sold the American people to the highest corporate bidder and has destroyed the people in this country and destroyed the American reputation globally, now is using the words "democratic transition..." as a reprimand against Castro and a reason to push for democratic reform--over there. Once again, the world at large understands full well, that those words point to our election in America as well as the future election in Cuba.
Yes...it is a new beginning in Cuba for a democratic transition and this year, and ironically it is a new democratic beginning in America as well.
For the first time in eight years, we are having a real election. We're seeing our candidates talk about public financed campaign, torture, immunity, international relations, excessive executive power, and election fraud.
The new beginning for Cuba and the new President in January 2009 brings hope for a new beginning of diplomacy between the two countries as well.
Looks like Cubans and Americans have a real fight on their hands, internally, as their citizens fight to bring back democracy, change, hope and a new beginning.
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Please read the Bloomberg link. Lots of good info there.
(Gotta go. Busy, busy, busy day!)
I'm pleasantly surprised that Fidel chose to resign, as opposed to rule for life (or at least attempt to do so), like many other communist leaders.
Good thing I am in Orlando and not Miami right now. I don't even wanna hear from the Little Havana exiles there. I did hear W's speech over the radio, and it disgusted me, since W doesn't understand what freedom really means.
monkey - the Disney money magnet is working its magic on me right now, shameful as it sounds (thanks to Disney's propaganda machine). And I have to tell you, Animal Kingdom was a letdown. I won't even bother with Magic Kingdom and Disney-MGM because they are very similar to parks I've already seen. Only Epcot holds my interest now; I'll head there Friday. On the other hand, I did enjoy Titusville and Kennedy Space Center!
The US spy state is alive and well, thanks to John Toyota Roberts' Supreme Court:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7253404.stm
As much as I love my rental Prius, if/when I actually get around to buying a hybrid, it'll NOT be a Prius.
Obama wins Wisconson
Wisconsin, sorry about that.
Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country
John F Kennedy
Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country?
If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert
Kahlil Gibran
Another great win, so it looks like Obama vs. McCain, possibly! We called this the dance between the basketball player and the tight end...
Here's what we said:
Obama vs. McCain
The dance challenge between a basketball player and a tight end; this one would be interesting. Do the American people prefer the one who can dribble for a while until making the shot? Or do we want the solid immovable guy who will hunker down and block the pass? Barack Obama’s short spurts of flow, coupled with his ability to almost levitate when he gets going on his oratory, contrast with John McCain’s stolid and relentless ability to keep pushing back and through. Watch the difference in how they stand behind a podium and deliver a message: Obama seems to be dancing back there, turning this way and that, while McCain holds onto the sides of the podium and occasionally stares down his opponents.
Karen
It was interesting that I got a call from the Progressive Institute here and the guy I talked to is from the same place where I grew up in South Dakota and we know alot of the same people. He wasn't really politically active til he'd had two terms in Kuwait and now is affiliated with Vote Vets and Drinking Liberally. It was amazing how much we had in common. This is going to be an interesting local contact that ties alot of things together - talk about deja vu - see his post at the end of the 1968 deja vu piece. He is from Mitchell South Dakota and the guy who did the murals on the Corn Palace was my art teacher and the guy who did them before that was HIS art teacher and also my dad's best friend (they taught together - he art, my dad music). That teacher's son was my first boyfriend, who was also the guy who stole Custer's sword from a museum and threw it into Lake Mitchell. Plus I guess Mitchell used to be called "Little Chicago" because of certain notorious activity that took palce there in the 60s and 70s that didn't surprise me at all, just as University of South Dakota was the Berkeley of South Dakota. I also got to hear about how the "purple" part across from Seattle (Redmond, Bellevue) is turning "blue" - just some amazing stories! This is going to be fun (amidst all the craziness)
Looks like Obama won WI and HI. Cyberspace seems to discussing if it's time for Hillary to bow out before the two candidates split the party. (Especially with the whole 'super-delegate' issue and the MI and FL voter disenfranchisement.)
Also, the newest topic is "Who should Obama pick as VP?"
Interesting...
Now I have to go to work. Another LONG day for me. (Hopefully less stressful than yesterday.)
Wake up DCP? Where have you all gone on vacation to and if it's above 50 degrees, why have you left me behind?
You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To just give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations
You've been with the professors
And they've all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well read
It's well known
Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?
from DailyKos (current recom diary)
10. It's Cold/Hot There. How can you have a fair election when it's 4° outside? Or 75°?
9. Caucuses And Primaries Are Poor Measures of Preference. Neither a caucus (like Hawaii) nor a primary (like Wisconsin) really tells you who voters favor. You need a system with both caucuses and primaries. Like Texas (Warning: This is a limited-time rationalization. This argument may no longer be valid on March 5).
8. Neither Wisconsin Nor Hawaii Are Really BIG States. You know. Like New York. And California.
GreenSooner's diary :: ::
7. "Delegate Counts" and "Popular Votes" Are Obsolete Microtrends. Unfortunately, we can no longer afford to pay Mark Penn to tell us what the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes will be.
6. Jesse Jackson, Though He Didn't Win Wisconsin or Hawaii, Polled Fairly Well in Both. In addition to the obvious significance of this fact, the fact that every single primary season someone won both these states suggests that Obama's victory is a form of plagiarism.
5. Wisconsin Lets Independents Vote. And only the votes of Democrats count. Especially in November.
4. There's Something Fundamentally Unfair About the Delegate Selection Rules in Both States. We'll tell you what it is as soon as we figure out the delegate selection rules in both states.
3. Kāne'ohe? La Crosse? Those don't sound very American to me! Let's face it. Wisconsin and Hawa'ii just aren't very typically American. You know...like New Hampshire, New York, and California.
2. Superdelegates can vote for anyone they want to. And, hey, so can "pledged" delegates!
And the #1 Reason that Wisconsin and Hawaii Don't Count...
VOTING IS JUST WORDS!
They also have one about how McCain is trotting out his patriotic clean & sober trophy wife
So it starts,
Michelle Obama: ‘For the First Time in My Adult Lifetime, I Am Really Proud of My Country’
Obama
Uploaded by krs601
Obama
Uploaded by krs601
"What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something -- for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I've seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it's made me proud."
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=49244
Up yours Chris Matthews you WANKER, what the Hell, were Georgies list of legislative accomplisments
Obama campaign rep STUMPED on legislative accomplishments
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Up yours Chris Matthews you WANKER, what the Hell where Georgies list of legislative accomplisments
Obama campaign rep STUMPED on legislative accomplishments
Here's the key point. Watson's cluelessness about Obama's legislative record as a U.S. senator reflects more on the Texas state senator than it does on Obama's Senate record.
As a junior senator with three years having passed since he took his oath of office, and the Senate being controlled by Republicans two of those years, Obama couldn't be expected to have many legislative achievements.
But he does have some notable ones. My colleague Christi Parsons wrote this in a piece that ran in the Chicago Tribune on June 12, 2007.
"My job was to work and learn the institution," Obama said. "I'm somebody who generally thinks that listening and learning before you start talking is a pretty good strategy. It's like any other social setting -- a new job, a new school, a new town. People appreciate it if you spend a little time getting to know them before you announce that you are looking for attention."
One colleague who took note was the powerful then-chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, who later invited Obama on a trip through the former Soviet Union, inspecting projects to decommission Cold War-era weapons. The two ultimately worked together to pass legislation to control the spread of weapons.
"I like him, and I appreciate working with him," Lugar said. "It seems to me that he was adept in finding partners and coalitions and actually was able to achieve results."
In addition to a legislative accomplishment teaming with Lugar, the partnership gave Obama the added credibility he sought in an association across party lines. A former presidential candidate who has seen many fellow senators launch White House bids during his 30-year Senate career, Lugar offers unusually strong praise for Obama.
"He does have a sense of idealism and principled leadership, a vision of the future," Lugar said. "At certain points in history, certain people are the ones that are most likely to have the vision or imagination or be able to identify talent and to manage other people's ideas. And I think he does this well."
Within his own party, Obama gained the confidence of the leadership and soon took on a role as the Democrats' spokesman on ethics reform. A package that included many of the provisions he championed ultimately passed the Senate.
So Watson could've citied at least two things from Obama's three year Senate career, anti-weapons proliferation legislation and ethics reform which would have probably been enough for Matthews.
If you go back to Obama's eight-year career in the Illinois Senate, there's ample evidence of his being an engaged lawmaker who authored and pushed numerous pieces of legislation.
Here are some passages from an Oct. 8, 2004 article by Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell who covered Obama's Senate race and later wrote a book about the senator.
In the last two years, he has sponsored more than 780 bills, of which Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed more than 280 into law. Often, those bills gained Obama considerable attention or won favor with key Democratic constituencies, such as organized labor, that he would call upon in his campaign for federal office.
In the spring, for example, Obama sponsored legislation blocking overtime restrictions instituted by the Bush administration, a move that buffeted the wages of union workers in Illinois. He also sponsored a law that extended the reach of the Earned Income Tax Credit to the working poor…
Especially during his U.S. Senate campaign, Obama has shown a willingness to soften controversial legislation in the face of fierce criticism. He sponsored an ambitious act that called for the state to study ways to provide universal health care to all residents.
When GOP critics accused Obama of trying to implement a single-payer health care system run by state government, he rewrote the legislation to call only for expanding existing programs. ..
"I think if you look at my eight years in the Senate, my reputation in the Senate consistently has been that I work both sides of the aisle," Obama said. "If you look at my signature legislation, whether it was helping craft welfare reform, helping to shape the state Earned Income Tax Credit, death penalty reform, expanding KidCare, all those pieces of legislation are the bills that I am most proud of."
Here's a lengthy passage from a recent Washinton Post op-ed piece in which Charles Peters, founding editor of the Washington Monthly, seeks to bring attention to what he believes is Obama's overlooked Illinois legislative record.
Consider a bill into which Obama clearly put his heart and soul. The problem he wanted to address was that too many confessions, rather than being voluntary, were coerced -- by beating the daylights out of the accused.
Obama proposed requiring that interrogations and confessions be videotaped.
This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama's bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to "solve" crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.
Obama had his work cut out for him.He responded with an all-out campaign of cajolery. It had not been easy for a Harvard man to become a regular guy to his colleagues. Obama had managed to do so by playing basketball and poker with them and, most of all, by listening to their concerns. Even Republicans came to respect him. One Republican state senator, Kirk Dillard, has said that "Barack had a way both intellectually and in demeanor that defused skeptics."The police proved to be Obama's toughest opponent. Legislators tend to quail when cops say things like, "This means we won't be able to protect your children." The police tried to limit the videotaping to confessions, but Obama, knowing that the beatings were most likely to occur during questioning, fought -- successfully -- to keep interrogations included in the required videotaping.By showing officers that he shared many of their concerns, even going so far as to help pass other legislation they wanted, he was able to quiet the fears of many.Obama proved persuasive enough that the bill passed both houses of the legislature, the Senate by an incredible 35 to 0. Then he talked Blagojevich into signing the bill, making Illinois the first state to require such videotaping.
So there is a legislative record. The Obama campaign just has to make sure its surrogates care enough to learn it.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/obama_surrogates_flub_no_refle.html#more
Obama's "Plagiarism"
Mike and Noam have already done a great job explaining the ridiculousness of the Clinton campaign's charge that Obama plagiarized from Deval Patrick, but I thought I'd add one more point. Obama's already on record as admitting he borrows lines from Patrick (and vice versa). Stumping in New Hampshire last December, Obama said:
"But you know in the end, don’t vote your fears. I’m stealing this line from my buddy (Massachusetts Gov.) Deval Patrick who stole a whole bunch of lines from me when he ran for the governorship, but it’s the right one, don’t vote your fears, vote your aspirations. Vote what you believe."
I look forward to the Clintons' next desperate gambit.
--Jason Zengerle
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/18/obama-s-quot-plagiarism-quot.aspx
On Plagiarism
Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country
John F Kennedy
Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country?
If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert
Kahlil Gibran
http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com
Silenced Majority Portal
McCain may not be able to opt out of the Public Finance system
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/todays_must_read_281.php
Hey everyone reading this,
Richard and I are at the airport, off on an adventure--we will be back Sunday night. Email will work at night, but cell phones will not.
So y'all keep movin' towards democracy and have a great weekend!
Rigged Trials at Gitmo
Ross Tuttle |Has the Pentagon foreclosed the possibility of acquittals for terror suspects?
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080303/tuttle
The McCain Standard
APPLY THE MCCAIN STANDARD TO MCCAIN...
Remember his vote to impeach Clinton?
John Nichols | John McCain treads dangerous ground as he defends himself against charges of questionable relations with a lobbyist.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=288534
Dick and Karen
Have a nice trip! By the time you return, I will no longer be in Orlando.
And given my business contacts' defense of W's version of FISA (and their disbelief at the Dems killing what they call a "very useful piece of legislation"), I can't wait for my business to be over.
Richard and Karen,
Have a blast! (Of warmer air rather than colder, I hope!)
Kangaroo,
They should apply the McCain standard to McCain. However, they long ago should have applied the "Rule of Law" standard to Bushco.
sparrow
Based on Facebook status updates, Karen and Dick are headed for Nova Scotia.
At least there are no W or Huckabee supporters up there. I'll take that over the praises of the W surveillance state here in Orlando any day.
(Fortunately, my business is over tomorrow morning. From then on, sightseeing until going home on Sunday.)
I don't know if anyone is able to watch the debate. I'm not.
So please feel free to update any grade lines/info for me.
I heard a little on the commute - I'm sure the highlights will be on YouTube etc.
Sparrow...
My take on it isn't that Fidel Castro resigned per se, it's that he elected to transfer power to his chosen successor while he was still in a position to do so.
Had he ruled until death (or as incapacity overtook him), he would have set off a power struggle and a lot of chaos. This way he maintains control just a little bit longer.
Like a CEO stepping aside to hand control to his hand-picked successor.
So Hillary decided to go negative last night, choosing to use the "change you can xerox" taunt on Obama. Now, isn't that special?
Because, based on her Iran vote - which paints her, given everything that has happened since 9/11, as either strategically and militarily clueless, or as a rank political animal, willing to do or say anything to uphold the Clintonian Prime Directive - retain political viability - I say that Hillary's character stinks to high heaven. I'd say that that vote paints Hillary has a person who puts personal ambition ahead of both our soldiers' best interests and the national interest. I'd say that it paints as absolutely the last person you'd want in the White House.
So, yeah, I far prefer change you can xerox to change you can rent at short stay rates.
Sparrow...
V said:
My take on it isn't that Fidel Castro resigned per se, it's that he elected to transfer power to his chosen successor while he was still in a position to do so.
Had he ruled until death (or as incapacity overtook him), he would have set off a power struggle and a lot of chaos. This way he maintains control just a little bit longer.
Like a CEO stepping aside to hand control to his hand-picked successor.
bruary 21, 2008 10:53 PM
V--Of course you're right. The early papers all used the phrasing, "Resigned." But then by day two, they started talking about a successor.
I have been too busy to come in and edit or notify.
But your point is absolutely true. The early reports weren't accurate. He has chosen his successor.
*How will President Bush be celebrated in the future?*
Presidents' Day is a time to honor the past leaders of our
country. However, Sen. Sessions is blocking a bill that would
expose the full history of Bush and other presidents' records to
the American people. Call Congress to demand he release his hold
on H.R. 1255/S. 886!
*Take Action!*
Sorry missed the link.
*How will President Bush be celebrated in the future?*
*Take Action!*
Try Try Try again
*Take Action!*
http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22958
Investigate Superdelegates!
Got 10 minutes? Here's the raw footage of our wide-ranging Democratic superdelegate conversation with Devine. A highlight: when I asked Devine if the system is undemocratic. Watch the video for his answer.
Raw Interview: Tad Devine
Somebody sent me MSNBC - Chris Matthews and Joe Klein, discussing the primaries (specifically the Clintons). I didn't make it very far through it - it was tv, which I don't watch. I had to watch a Staples ad and I avoid ads (except in magazines, where I study the photography.) Then the talking heads started, the pundits. I normally don't even know what these dorks, these suits look like. I can maybe read them in print. I was reading a soggy Newsweek with some Joe Klein last night in the jacuzzi. Look at them and listen to them blather on? Can't make it through and don't believe they know what they're talking about anyway.
Obama's America Looks Alot Like Canada (The most interesting articles are in financial magazines)
Here are Obama's initiatives, which are common policy in Canada and other developed nations:
-Americans will have the same health-care benefits as its politicians;
-Poor American children should enjoy the same quality of public education as well-off children; and
-The United States will pull out of Iraq and work on multi-lateral efforts to restore peace around the world. President Obama will expect Canada, Europe and others to pony up much more to help create global police forces.
New thread, ya'all!