Storm Stories. Even as Cuba attempts to come to terms with the hurricane damage they have already sustained, Hurricane Ike seems intent on bearing down on the already stricken country. Not surprisingly, the Cuban government has politely refused an the American offer to send an assessment team. They have, however, just as politely accepted an American offer of one hundred thousand dollars, a number that given the devastation seems woefully inadequate, near insulting. For some video of just that devastation, link provided by The Real Cuba, click here.
Aid is a ticklish proposition in that in order to make sure it reaches the victims it is necessary to circumvent the government. The regime has suggested that it is best to lift limits on remittances and visits to family. Read right front paw of the same camel that managed to infiltrate its head years ago after a hurricane where humanitarian aid led to our becoming one of Cuba's major suppliers and a growing chorus of "lift the embargo." But now as then the immediate disaster would seem to trump the chronic one.
Dissidents have also sent the President an open letter asking him to lift the same restrictions for at least two months. Members of the Agenda for Transition, noting the regime's hesitancy in dealing with the US government, asked that non governmental agencies be allowed to send help as well. Personally, I would love to see the marines land, as they did in Myanmar, bearing huge rice sacks with USA stamped all over them. But then, that's me.
Speaking of dissidents, it seems Cuban economist, dissident, and one time political prisoner, Oscar Espinosa Chepe is not only rooting for Obama but has also been reading the Times. The leaning toward Obama was to be expected- Chepe is one who favors engagement- but I was floored when I read Joe Garcia's talking points coming from Cuba. These include the Cuban demographic in Miami is changing, as younger generations- not as hate-filled as the old intransigents- take their place. You know the drill. The story in Spanish here, courtesy of Penultimos Dias.
Also at Penultimos Dias is a link to a magazine story about Naty Revuelta, Castro I's former lover and mother of his daughter Alina Fernandez. Terribly sad, alone and still deluded at 82, she relives the past in this story. Herejias Y Caprinhas has the whole thing posted. It's in Spanish. Just click on the pages for the text. For the whole back story in English read Wendy Gimbel's Havana Dreams: The Story of a Cuban family. You can also read my impressions of said book here.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Literary Interlude: from Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
The populist overtones this campaign have taken remind me of one of my favorite poems. It's pretty long, so I've only taken an excerpt. Read the whole thing here, particularly the next few stanzas. There is so much more. From his vantage point, the speaker looks about him at the graves where the humbler folk are buried, no church crypts for them.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Thomas Gray
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering
heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, 15
The rude Forefathers of the hamlet sleep.
The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn,
The swallow twittering from the straw-built
shed,
The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. 20
For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn,
Or busy housewife ply her evening care:
No children run to lisp their sire’s return,
Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share.
25
Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke;
How jocund did they drive their team afield!
How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy
stroke!
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; 30
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour. 35
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Nor you, ye Proud, impute to These the fault,
If Memory o’er their Tomb no Trophies raise,
Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted
vault
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. 40
Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honor’s voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flattery sooth the dull cold ear of Death?
Thomas Gray
About the Economy...
The release of the unemployment figures today and the soaring foreclosure rates have drawn attention to the state of the economy. Although the bread lines some political oratory would seem to paint have yet to materialize, our economy is not particularly robust, and it looks like things are probably going to worsen before they get better.
Here is what no politician is going to say. "We are suffering from a national hangover after a Real Estate bender, one fueled by our profligate habits. The greed and excesses of lenders and individuals have brought this on us. Now although there are ways to stimulate the economy and stave off utter disaster, there is no magic remedy government can administer. The economy will work itself out eventually, but in the interim people will suffer, families will suffer. That is the way of economies."
Instead Obama is going to tax us out of an economic slowdown and McCain is going to tax cut us out of it. Of the two, the tax cut would seem to be the more stimulative. One of the perks of getting older* is living through things, so that you realize that the best government can do is make a recession shallower and possibly shorter.
* That is to say that I have no particular expertise in this matter, but having grown up in a small business, I've had a certain exposure to the ups and downs of the American economy.
Here is what no politician is going to say. "We are suffering from a national hangover after a Real Estate bender, one fueled by our profligate habits. The greed and excesses of lenders and individuals have brought this on us. Now although there are ways to stimulate the economy and stave off utter disaster, there is no magic remedy government can administer. The economy will work itself out eventually, but in the interim people will suffer, families will suffer. That is the way of economies."
Instead Obama is going to tax us out of an economic slowdown and McCain is going to tax cut us out of it. Of the two, the tax cut would seem to be the more stimulative. One of the perks of getting older* is living through things, so that you realize that the best government can do is make a recession shallower and possibly shorter.
* That is to say that I have no particular expertise in this matter, but having grown up in a small business, I've had a certain exposure to the ups and downs of the American economy.
Strange Bedfellows, Indeed
This has been some election season! As the pack descended on Gov. Palin, some pounced because that is what they do: scavenge the underside of people's lives- their families, their peccadillo's, and their schoolyard infractions- ever looking for the sensational. Others had a more ideological bone to chew. Some of the most vitriolic and contemptuous pieces emanated from feminists themselves. I suppose I should not have expected any different. After all, did we hear one feminist voice denounce a middle aged executive who took up with an young female intern? But that's history.
The irony here, though, is dramatic. A number of high-powered, career women found themselves in the position of decrying Gov. Palin's potential neglect of her family. Whited Sepulchre, anyone? Sally Quinn- to be fair- has decided that she might have reacted too rashly in her column and had the integrity to go on O'Reilly to own up to it. But how do you explain the email to Working Mother magazine running 2 to 1 that Palin should have put her family first? After all, these are working mothers. Exactly. They know you cannot have it all. Someone always pays the freight.
On the other side, we have the likes of Pat Buchanan praising the wouldbe Veep and manning the barricades for women's rights. The exchange between Chris Matthews and Buchanan the other day was hilarious. Matthews, whose program I was watching, resorting to the expedient of turning the channel every time Olbermann's face appeared, because when not overcome by liberal fumes Matthews is the best political maven, finally could not keep a straight face.
Who knows? If this keeps up, we may yet see David Duke standing up for Civil Rights. Naw, that would be too much. Still....
The irony here, though, is dramatic. A number of high-powered, career women found themselves in the position of decrying Gov. Palin's potential neglect of her family. Whited Sepulchre, anyone? Sally Quinn- to be fair- has decided that she might have reacted too rashly in her column and had the integrity to go on O'Reilly to own up to it. But how do you explain the email to Working Mother magazine running 2 to 1 that Palin should have put her family first? After all, these are working mothers. Exactly. They know you cannot have it all. Someone always pays the freight.
On the other side, we have the likes of Pat Buchanan praising the wouldbe Veep and manning the barricades for women's rights. The exchange between Chris Matthews and Buchanan the other day was hilarious. Matthews, whose program I was watching, resorting to the expedient of turning the channel every time Olbermann's face appeared, because when not overcome by liberal fumes Matthews is the best political maven, finally could not keep a straight face.
Who knows? If this keeps up, we may yet see David Duke standing up for Civil Rights. Naw, that would be too much. Still....
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
They Just Don't Get It
This election cycle has given us glimpses of how those in our ruling elites really feel about the "little people." Apparently in their rarefied circles, they have not only forgotten homely values, but find them quaint, humorous.
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them...And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
First there was the implied superiority apparent in these rather injudicious comments on Obama's part, which at least were uttered with some expectation of privacy. But the reaction to the Palin nomination on the part of the Doyennes of the Liberal Media is not only cynical itself, but vitriolic.
Try this from Sally Quinn for cynicism:
McCain claims he knew about the pregnancy, and was not at all concerned. Why not? Not only do we have a woman with five children, including an infant with special needs, but a woman whose 17-year-old child will need her even more in the coming months. Not to mention the grandchild. This would inevitably be an enormous distraction for a new vice president (or president) in a time of global turmoil. Not only in terms of her job, but from a media standpoint as well.
Holy double standard, Batman! If such is the case, JFK's ailments, drug use, philandering and loss of a child would have precluded his candidacy. I suppose running for office should be limited to men and post menopausal liberal women. I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn't irony.
But even Quinn's blogpost pales in comparison to the Dowd column, which demonstrates all the cattiness which, I confess, the female of the species is sometimes heir to, and which should never, ever, be demonstrated in a national news venue. Imagine if a male pundit of any persuasion had written the following:
The movie ends with the former beauty queen shaking out her pinned-up hair, taking off her glasses, slipping on ruby red peep-toe platform heels that reveal a pink French-style pedicure, and facing down Vladimir Putin in an island in the Bering Strait. Putting away her breast pump, she points her rifle and informs him frostily that she has some expertise in Russia because it's close to Alaska. "Back off, Commie dude," she says. "I'm a much better shot than Cheney"...
..."The PTA is great preparation for dealing with the KGB," President Palin murmurs to Todd, as they kiss in the final scene while she changes Trig's diaper. "Now that Georgia's safe, how 'bout I cook you up some caribou hot dogs and moose stew for dinner, babe?"
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them...And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
First there was the implied superiority apparent in these rather injudicious comments on Obama's part, which at least were uttered with some expectation of privacy. But the reaction to the Palin nomination on the part of the Doyennes of the Liberal Media is not only cynical itself, but vitriolic.
Try this from Sally Quinn for cynicism:
McCain claims he knew about the pregnancy, and was not at all concerned. Why not? Not only do we have a woman with five children, including an infant with special needs, but a woman whose 17-year-old child will need her even more in the coming months. Not to mention the grandchild. This would inevitably be an enormous distraction for a new vice president (or president) in a time of global turmoil. Not only in terms of her job, but from a media standpoint as well.
Holy double standard, Batman! If such is the case, JFK's ailments, drug use, philandering and loss of a child would have precluded his candidacy. I suppose running for office should be limited to men and post menopausal liberal women. I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn't irony.
But even Quinn's blogpost pales in comparison to the Dowd column, which demonstrates all the cattiness which, I confess, the female of the species is sometimes heir to, and which should never, ever, be demonstrated in a national news venue. Imagine if a male pundit of any persuasion had written the following:
The movie ends with the former beauty queen shaking out her pinned-up hair, taking off her glasses, slipping on ruby red peep-toe platform heels that reveal a pink French-style pedicure, and facing down Vladimir Putin in an island in the Bering Strait. Putting away her breast pump, she points her rifle and informs him frostily that she has some expertise in Russia because it's close to Alaska. "Back off, Commie dude," she says. "I'm a much better shot than Cheney"...
..."The PTA is great preparation for dealing with the KGB," President Palin murmurs to Todd, as they kiss in the final scene while she changes Trig's diaper. "Now that Georgia's safe, how 'bout I cook you up some caribou hot dogs and moose stew for dinner, babe?"
It never occurs to them that there could be legitimate values other than their own, because as Bernie Goldberg has pointed out, they only socialize with their own. Consequently, like Obama, they have a tin ear when it comes to real people and the values they hold dear. You know, things like family, religion, guns, stew.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Updated: The Experience Question: A Response
Here's a head to head matchup between Palin and Obama which I came across through the Bookworm Room. It's a definite must read.
Update: The comparison page has been changed, alas, alack. I can't find it, so here another comparison for you.
Update: The comparison page has been changed, alas, alack. I can't find it, so here another comparison for you.
Please Don't Drink the Kool Aid
Received the following from a member of the other side of the family, the non Cuban, slightly socialist branch. This person knows very well my political proclivities, so I can only speculate that he was so moved by this missive that he felt I would surely agree. I confess that I was stunned that his spouse is a Moveon member.
Dear MoveOn member, Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
So let me see if I've got this right? Because she is pro-life, pro-drilling, a onetime supporter of Pat Buchanan and only met McCain once, she is "dangerous."? My response in the next post.
Dear MoveOn member, Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
So let me see if I've got this right? Because she is pro-life, pro-drilling, a onetime supporter of Pat Buchanan and only met McCain once, she is "dangerous."? My response in the next post.
Vile, Viler, Vilest
The first is the word Mary Matalin used to characterize the apparent blog brouhaha over Sarah Palin's daughter. I would extend the term to cover the major media outlets that picked up the story. Ms. Palin's 17 year old daughter is not running for any office, to trot out her teen pregnancy and impending marriage in the guise of clarifying rumor is despicable. As for those who started the original rumors that Palin's baby was really her grandson, truly despicable.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
A Sunday Hobbyhorse Ride
International Politics. Using the reputed fate-a labor camp- of the two elderly wouldbe protesters, here is another installment in the Olympics condoned the militaristic, totalitarian rule of the Chinese State vein.
Social Criticism. In this one Kathryn Jean Lopez highlights the litany of personal tragedies that comprised so much of the oratory in Denver. Her point: how about self-reliance? Oh, and if you don't have any bootstraps, you just yank on the boot, duh.
Books. Joe Eszterhas of Basic Instinct fame has penned a religious tome. After a cancer diagnosis, he underwent a religious experience which changed his life. I always wonder about these experiences, since they never happen to me. Read all about it here. Also in the book department, our Sarasota Herald Tribune carried a review of Mel Martinez's new book, A Sense of Belonging. Alas, it's not online.
Popular Culture. Next, in the how shallow can we get? department is this slide show from the Today Show which accompanied an article about how ugly is the new beautiful. Sorry, but they don't seem so ugly to me. Ever take a gander at the mugs on some of those high fashion models?
Weather. For a good part of today, I was a bit worried that the storm was going to head our way. That's how ominous our weather was. We've had more wind from this one than from others in the past that were much closer. My thoughts are with those directly in its sights. God bless.
Social Criticism. In this one Kathryn Jean Lopez highlights the litany of personal tragedies that comprised so much of the oratory in Denver. Her point: how about self-reliance? Oh, and if you don't have any bootstraps, you just yank on the boot, duh.
Books. Joe Eszterhas of Basic Instinct fame has penned a religious tome. After a cancer diagnosis, he underwent a religious experience which changed his life. I always wonder about these experiences, since they never happen to me. Read all about it here. Also in the book department, our Sarasota Herald Tribune carried a review of Mel Martinez's new book, A Sense of Belonging. Alas, it's not online.
Popular Culture. Next, in the how shallow can we get? department is this slide show from the Today Show which accompanied an article about how ugly is the new beautiful. Sorry, but they don't seem so ugly to me. Ever take a gander at the mugs on some of those high fashion models?
Weather. For a good part of today, I was a bit worried that the storm was going to head our way. That's how ominous our weather was. We've had more wind from this one than from others in the past that were much closer. My thoughts are with those directly in its sights. God bless.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Gorki and the Convergence of Forces
The Good News is that Gorki has been released, after being charged not with "dangerousness" but with "disobedience," and fined 600 pesos. By my calculations, that's still a substantial amount for a Cuban. I couldn't write that he's been freed, because as someone* pointed out having been born and raised in Cuba, Gorki has never been "free" in his whole life. Think about that.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole episode is the coming together of a number of disparate voices in his defense. His band mates, his associates and friends outside the country put out the word. The news was picked up by bloggers, the Mainstream Media (Yup), the international press, Amnesty International. There was a concert/vigil for Gorki held opposite the interests section with well-known blogger Yoani Sanchez in attendance. Narrowly missing a beating, she managed to get the word out. Contacted by media, Hector Elizardo also took up the cause. This is but a brief summary of what went on. I am sure that there was more in the fusion of action and technology.
That said. If past history is indicative of anything, it is that world opinion will only go so far. If the government truly felt threatened, they might well ignore international outcry. Let's not forget the Black Spring round up which led to all sorts of consequences for Cuba. Yet there is another possibility here. Could it be that given the present conditions, the disappointed hopes, further privations looming, the "government" fears that any incident could set the tinderbox aflame? Food for thought.
*It was Gusano in a pair of moving posts.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole episode is the coming together of a number of disparate voices in his defense. His band mates, his associates and friends outside the country put out the word. The news was picked up by bloggers, the Mainstream Media (Yup), the international press, Amnesty International. There was a concert/vigil for Gorki held opposite the interests section with well-known blogger Yoani Sanchez in attendance. Narrowly missing a beating, she managed to get the word out. Contacted by media, Hector Elizardo also took up the cause. This is but a brief summary of what went on. I am sure that there was more in the fusion of action and technology.
That said. If past history is indicative of anything, it is that world opinion will only go so far. If the government truly felt threatened, they might well ignore international outcry. Let's not forget the Black Spring round up which led to all sorts of consequences for Cuba. Yet there is another possibility here. Could it be that given the present conditions, the disappointed hopes, further privations looming, the "government" fears that any incident could set the tinderbox aflame? Food for thought.
*It was Gusano in a pair of moving posts.
Literary Interlude: Women and Politics
CNN's John Roberts committed the faux pas of suggesting that Palin might neglect her child. Something about the ensuing brouhaha reminded me of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Here's an excerpt from her address to a congressional committee in 1892. The whole text here. The more things change; the more they stay the same.
Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee: We have been speaking before Committees of the Judiciary for the last twenty years, and we have gone over all the arguments in favor of a sixteenth amendment which are familiar to all you gentlemen; therefore, it will not be necessary that I should repeat them again.
The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul; our Protestant idea, the right of individual conscience and judgment-our republican idea, individual citizenship. In discussing the rights of woman, we are to consider, first, what belongs to her as an individual, in a world of her own, the arbiter of her own destiny, an imaginary Robinson Crusoe with her woman Friday on a solitary island. Her rights under such circumstances are to use all her faculties for her own safety and happiness.
Secondly, if we consider her as a citizen, as a member of a great nation, she must have the same rights as all other members, according to the fundamental principles of our Government.
Thirdly, viewed as a woman, an equal factor in civilization, her rights and duties are still the same-individual happiness and development.
Fourthly, it is only the incidental relations of life, such as mother, wife, sister, daughter, that may involve some special duties and training. In the usual discussion in regard to woman's sphere, such as men as Herbert Spencer, Frederic Harrison, and Grant Allen uniformly subordinate her rights and duties as an individual, as a citizen, as a woman, to the necessities of these incidental relations, some of which a large class of woman may never assume. In discussing the sphere of man we do not decide his rights as an individual, as a citizen, as a man by his duties as a father, a husband, a brother, or a son, relations some of which he may never fill. Moreover he would be better fitted for these very relations and whatever special work he might choose to do to earn his bread by the complete development of all his faculties as an individual.
Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee: We have been speaking before Committees of the Judiciary for the last twenty years, and we have gone over all the arguments in favor of a sixteenth amendment which are familiar to all you gentlemen; therefore, it will not be necessary that I should repeat them again.
The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul; our Protestant idea, the right of individual conscience and judgment-our republican idea, individual citizenship. In discussing the rights of woman, we are to consider, first, what belongs to her as an individual, in a world of her own, the arbiter of her own destiny, an imaginary Robinson Crusoe with her woman Friday on a solitary island. Her rights under such circumstances are to use all her faculties for her own safety and happiness.
Secondly, if we consider her as a citizen, as a member of a great nation, she must have the same rights as all other members, according to the fundamental principles of our Government.
Thirdly, viewed as a woman, an equal factor in civilization, her rights and duties are still the same-individual happiness and development.
Fourthly, it is only the incidental relations of life, such as mother, wife, sister, daughter, that may involve some special duties and training. In the usual discussion in regard to woman's sphere, such as men as Herbert Spencer, Frederic Harrison, and Grant Allen uniformly subordinate her rights and duties as an individual, as a citizen, as a woman, to the necessities of these incidental relations, some of which a large class of woman may never assume. In discussing the sphere of man we do not decide his rights as an individual, as a citizen, as a man by his duties as a father, a husband, a brother, or a son, relations some of which he may never fill. Moreover he would be better fitted for these very relations and whatever special work he might choose to do to earn his bread by the complete development of all his faculties as an individual.
The Palin Pick: So When do we Start Burning Our Bras?
"Did you hear? Good news. McCain has picked a woman, Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska." The speaker was a dyed in the wool Bush hater and Obama supporter.
"I'm not so sure, it's good news," I replied. And I wasn't. I confess that my first thought was "a neophyte one heartbeat away from the presidency?"
Then, I started learning about Sarah Palin. What I learned lifted my spirits. Here was a gracious, yet no nonsense broad. Originally, I had suspected McCain of pandering to women, but by the time I finished the short course, Palin's gender was just an added bonus. Here is a ticket with two mavericks. You can see how her reformist stance, her willingness to take on the oil companies, as well as the entrenched Republican machine, would appeal to Ol' Mac.
And, here's the best, the woman is a populist. Yup, finally, someone not from the ranks of the moneyed or political class. Here's a family, an honest to goodness family, not the photo op variety. Here's a woman who knows how many houses she has, doesn't mingle in elite circles,knows what it is to be middle class. C'mon, she's not even a soccer mom. She's a hockey mom.
So, why am I not nervous about her relative inexperience? Well, unlike Obama, she has actually presided over and administered a budget, that of a state government. In fact, a look at the variety of issues she's faced make her style and her beliefs clear. Unlike Obama, she is not running for the top spot where inexperience in the White House is a guarantee. She might be a rabble rouser, but she is not an "organizer" with all that entails. She does not in her inexperience seek to change the world, part the waters, or even stem global warming. Her political philosophy precludes big government. In this instance, less is more. Thus, if you were to parse it fairly, she is less liable to cause disaster than the "One," not to mention voters have a far better idea of what she would do in office. As far as I can tell, she never voted "present." So what's not to like?
What this choice makes evident is that Hillary should have been the nominee with an apprentice Obama. And I'm not even a Democrat. Hillary, I can respect. That's why they're all steaming. Gotta hand it to McCain.
"I'm not so sure, it's good news," I replied. And I wasn't. I confess that my first thought was "a neophyte one heartbeat away from the presidency?"
Then, I started learning about Sarah Palin. What I learned lifted my spirits. Here was a gracious, yet no nonsense broad. Originally, I had suspected McCain of pandering to women, but by the time I finished the short course, Palin's gender was just an added bonus. Here is a ticket with two mavericks. You can see how her reformist stance, her willingness to take on the oil companies, as well as the entrenched Republican machine, would appeal to Ol' Mac.
And, here's the best, the woman is a populist. Yup, finally, someone not from the ranks of the moneyed or political class. Here's a family, an honest to goodness family, not the photo op variety. Here's a woman who knows how many houses she has, doesn't mingle in elite circles,knows what it is to be middle class. C'mon, she's not even a soccer mom. She's a hockey mom.
So, why am I not nervous about her relative inexperience? Well, unlike Obama, she has actually presided over and administered a budget, that of a state government. In fact, a look at the variety of issues she's faced make her style and her beliefs clear. Unlike Obama, she is not running for the top spot where inexperience in the White House is a guarantee. She might be a rabble rouser, but she is not an "organizer" with all that entails. She does not in her inexperience seek to change the world, part the waters, or even stem global warming. Her political philosophy precludes big government. In this instance, less is more. Thus, if you were to parse it fairly, she is less liable to cause disaster than the "One," not to mention voters have a far better idea of what she would do in office. As far as I can tell, she never voted "present." So what's not to like?
What this choice makes evident is that Hillary should have been the nominee with an apprentice Obama. And I'm not even a Democrat. Hillary, I can respect. That's why they're all steaming. Gotta hand it to McCain.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Book in Hand and Stormclouds on the Horizon
Among the books I've been reading in the last few weeks, the latest Jance, Kaminsky, and Hall, as well as the final entry in Padura's The Havana Quartet, two have become timely. The Swamps of Bayou Teche (A Tony Boudreaux Mystery) by Kent Conwell and Crawfish Mountain: A Novel by Ken Wells are both set in Cajun country in Louisiana, and both touch upon a situation that is particularly relevant with Gustav bearing down on the Gulf. As the latter in particular details, between the lack of alluvial sediments caused by flood mitigation efforts on the Mississippi and the intrusion of salt water from poorly planned dredging, much of the swampy barrier which would protect New Orleans is being eroded. Caught in the cross hairs is not only land but a culture and way of life. For more particulars, read the article here.
DNC Convention: What's Wrong with this Picture?
So far to this jaded observer, the most striking aspect of the festivities has been the rank narcissism. Was a time, you got a nice little bio of the presidential nominee; nowadays, you get both a panegyric to and a loving portrait of the nominee, his spouse, the also ran he defeated, his vice presidential nominee, and the family cat, not to mention the slightly tarnished lion of the party. I'm struck by the lack of issues- with the exception of universal health coverage.
Do not kid yourself, the nomination of Obama signifies the triumph of the entitlement generation. The other day, I caught him on TV saying that his mother had received government assistance-food stamps, maybe- because she was a single mother trying to work and go to school to make a better life for Obama and his siblings. At first, I accepted it at face value. How nice. Then I got to thinking. So my father was working the overnight shift six days a week in a textile factory to give not only his family a better life, but also Obama's? That didn't sit as well.
It's the same with this much vaunted healthcare coverage which will, in essence, be asking someone who makes forty thousand a year to shoulder the burden for someone who makes eighty thousand. We won't even go into the potential abuses once something is free, like the midnight ride in an ambulance to the hospital for a sore throat. Sure, reform is need, but once we add another head to the government entitlement hydra, who knows? And once passed, however unfortunate the consequences, there is no going back.
I am a populist at heart, but there is a difference between believing in the inherent dignity of the individual and a level playing field and having a "soak the rich" mentality. I believe that there should be checks to power. I believe that there should be a social safety net, but only for the truly hard-pressed. It should be for people who will fall through without assistance. But there is also hard luck and there are also bad decisions in life. The question is how far the government is supposed to extend its helping hand and who is going to pay for that reach. The answer here is becoming increasingly apparent. At a time when Western European governments are pulling back from such socialist tendencies, this party would have us go toward them.
I look at all of these people on the convention floor: some who will benefit, some who have so much they can easily afford to subsidize whole towns, and some who are letting their partisanship and/or antipathy for Bush lead them in a direction they will come to regret. So tonight the one will pronounce from the Olympian heights. I probably won't watch, although the fascination of the train wreck may overcome me. If not I'm sure there's a Law & Order rerun somewhere. I can only hope that in the long run common sense and not the increased enervation of this country will prevail.
Do not kid yourself, the nomination of Obama signifies the triumph of the entitlement generation. The other day, I caught him on TV saying that his mother had received government assistance-food stamps, maybe- because she was a single mother trying to work and go to school to make a better life for Obama and his siblings. At first, I accepted it at face value. How nice. Then I got to thinking. So my father was working the overnight shift six days a week in a textile factory to give not only his family a better life, but also Obama's? That didn't sit as well.
It's the same with this much vaunted healthcare coverage which will, in essence, be asking someone who makes forty thousand a year to shoulder the burden for someone who makes eighty thousand. We won't even go into the potential abuses once something is free, like the midnight ride in an ambulance to the hospital for a sore throat. Sure, reform is need, but once we add another head to the government entitlement hydra, who knows? And once passed, however unfortunate the consequences, there is no going back.
I am a populist at heart, but there is a difference between believing in the inherent dignity of the individual and a level playing field and having a "soak the rich" mentality. I believe that there should be checks to power. I believe that there should be a social safety net, but only for the truly hard-pressed. It should be for people who will fall through without assistance. But there is also hard luck and there are also bad decisions in life. The question is how far the government is supposed to extend its helping hand and who is going to pay for that reach. The answer here is becoming increasingly apparent. At a time when Western European governments are pulling back from such socialist tendencies, this party would have us go toward them.
I look at all of these people on the convention floor: some who will benefit, some who have so much they can easily afford to subsidize whole towns, and some who are letting their partisanship and/or antipathy for Bush lead them in a direction they will come to regret. So tonight the one will pronounce from the Olympian heights. I probably won't watch, although the fascination of the train wreck may overcome me. If not I'm sure there's a Law & Order rerun somewhere. I can only hope that in the long run common sense and not the increased enervation of this country will prevail.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Updated: Repression in Cuba Continues: Gorki Arrested
Update: Gorki's predicament has received attention from the mainstream media, from AP, AFP, to Drudge. Let's see if it has any effect.
For some of you, this is old news. But for others, there is this CNN report. Cuban Punk Rocker Gorki Aguila, lead singer of Porno Para Ricardo and known for his profane anti-government lyrics, was arrested Monday at his home. Word is that he will be tried on Thursday when he faces 1-4 years on the charge of "dangerousness." I'd like to see Charlie Rangel justify this one.
You can go to the band's website here where there is a link to the info in Spanish.
H/T Babalublog
For some of you, this is old news. But for others, there is this CNN report. Cuban Punk Rocker Gorki Aguila, lead singer of Porno Para Ricardo and known for his profane anti-government lyrics, was arrested Monday at his home. Word is that he will be tried on Thursday when he faces 1-4 years on the charge of "dangerousness." I'd like to see Charlie Rangel justify this one.
You can go to the band's website here where there is a link to the info in Spanish.
H/T Babalublog
Post Olympics Buyers Remorse
Reflective by nature, I was fairly ambivalent about the Olympics in China. I rationalized into temporary abeyance my loathing for their fairly atrocious human rights record by thinking that it was an opportunity for the Chinese people to feel proud of their achievements, to celebrate their advances. And in the economic realm, China has achieved much, as anyone who has studied Chinese history or even read The Good Earth can attest. (By the bye you can forget the Cuba parallels here. In Cuba, infant was never on the menu due to famine. Cuba has been brought into the third world not out of it.)
I watched the opening ceremonies which were impressive and quaint, shocked at the co-ordination of thousands of performers. But maybe that's just it. Where other countries would have used the magic of hydraulics, they used people. With the drums pounding, it was reminiscent of the Sherwood Anderson story about the belt. People as machines. But that thought came later, later as I found out that the actual young singer had been deemed too "ugly" to perform. Later, when the single-minded pursuit of Olympic medals was apparent, when remarkably youthful gymnasts, some of whom had not seen their parents in a year, skirted legality, when table tennis was not a game. Later when two elderly ladies filed for a protest permit and were arrested, when others engaging in the same faux pas were sent to labor camps.
It was then that I realized that the Olympic face of China was just the face of the caged tiger. I, too, had been guilty of relativism. It was an impression heightened by Edwin Cody's fine piece in the Washington Post on how the Olympics may have strengthened the hand of the totalitarian State. One has to wonder. It is a consideration those who choose Olympic venues would do well to keep in mind.
I watched the opening ceremonies which were impressive and quaint, shocked at the co-ordination of thousands of performers. But maybe that's just it. Where other countries would have used the magic of hydraulics, they used people. With the drums pounding, it was reminiscent of the Sherwood Anderson story about the belt. People as machines. But that thought came later, later as I found out that the actual young singer had been deemed too "ugly" to perform. Later, when the single-minded pursuit of Olympic medals was apparent, when remarkably youthful gymnasts, some of whom had not seen their parents in a year, skirted legality, when table tennis was not a game. Later when two elderly ladies filed for a protest permit and were arrested, when others engaging in the same faux pas were sent to labor camps.
It was then that I realized that the Olympic face of China was just the face of the caged tiger. I, too, had been guilty of relativism. It was an impression heightened by Edwin Cody's fine piece in the Washington Post on how the Olympics may have strengthened the hand of the totalitarian State. One has to wonder. It is a consideration those who choose Olympic venues would do well to keep in mind.
Answer Me This: Dem Convention Questions
If you were a national party, and you really wanted to win the presidential election, would you have as speakers at your present convention the last candidate you ran for the office who was defeated, the one before him who was defeated, and a past President essentially booted out of office, Messrs. Kerry, Gore, and Carter?
And while we're on the subject of speakers, what was all the folderol about Michelle Obama? Did I miss something? Is she running for office? Not only is she a keynote speaker, but I channel surf right into her biography, lovingly narrated by her mother. What's with that? Are we going to get a night of Cindy McCain, too, at the RNC convention? Who cares? Please spare me spouses.
And while we're on the subject of speakers, what was all the folderol about Michelle Obama? Did I miss something? Is she running for office? Not only is she a keynote speaker, but I channel surf right into her biography, lovingly narrated by her mother. What's with that? Are we going to get a night of Cindy McCain, too, at the RNC convention? Who cares? Please spare me spouses.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Telling It Like It Is
Cuba's nomenklatura does not believe that there is an inherent human right to political liberty and self-government. Raúl Castro and his inner circle are not closet democrats waiting for an opportune moment to express their Jeffersonian ideals
-José Azel in "Cuba's future: Democratic reforms key to real change" here.
-José Azel in "Cuba's future: Democratic reforms key to real change" here.
Sunday at the Polls
Leadership. Now Ted Nugent is not usually my look to guy for political insight. I turn to him when I feel like asserting my rugged individualism. But this piece, posted on Townhall, ostensibly about "whiners" is spot on. His take: McCain is more "presidential." Besides the man has a point about whining.
Canvas. The incomparable Peggy Noonan weighs in with her take on why the election has turned into a horse race: the American people are paying attention. Particularly amusing is the anecdote she recounts about McCain's speech at the 2004 Republican convention. While sometimes unfortunate, Mr. McCain's sense of humor is part of his charm. Read it here.
Folly. Here's two to lighten up the morning. Seems the Obama camp couldn't resist a little payback. According to this, the 3AM Veep choice text message was taken as a dig at Hillary Clinton. Talk about adding insult to injury. You decide. And I've decided that this is the political cartoon of the week.
Character. Cuba's Angel Matos earned himself a lifetime ban from the Olympics by kicking the referee when disqualified at his Taekwondo match. Wonder what he earned himself back home? Oh well, at least he didn't defect. Read about it and watch it here.
Libations. I'm heartened to see one of the beers of my youth making a comeback. Pabst is making Schlitz again. Speaking of which, do they still sell Pabst Blue Ribbon? I can still hear the sibilations of my Dad saying, Scheeltssss.
Canvas. The incomparable Peggy Noonan weighs in with her take on why the election has turned into a horse race: the American people are paying attention. Particularly amusing is the anecdote she recounts about McCain's speech at the 2004 Republican convention. While sometimes unfortunate, Mr. McCain's sense of humor is part of his charm. Read it here.
Folly. Here's two to lighten up the morning. Seems the Obama camp couldn't resist a little payback. According to this, the 3AM Veep choice text message was taken as a dig at Hillary Clinton. Talk about adding insult to injury. You decide. And I've decided that this is the political cartoon of the week.
Character. Cuba's Angel Matos earned himself a lifetime ban from the Olympics by kicking the referee when disqualified at his Taekwondo match. Wonder what he earned himself back home? Oh well, at least he didn't defect. Read about it and watch it here.
Libations. I'm heartened to see one of the beers of my youth making a comeback. Pabst is making Schlitz again. Speaking of which, do they still sell Pabst Blue Ribbon? I can still hear the sibilations of my Dad saying, Scheeltssss.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Literary Interlude: from Walden
All this talk of wealth and houses brings us to Henry David Thoreau's Walden this fine summer eve. Did you know he once spent time on Staten Island as tutor to Emerson's brother's children? Have at it.
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poor-house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it oftener happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means, which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society. If I were confined to a corner of a garret all my days, like a spider, the world would be just as large to me while I had my thoughts about me. The philosopher said: "From an army of three divisions one can take away its general, and put it in disorder; from the man the most abject and vulgar one cannot take away his thought." Do not seek so anxiously to be developed, to subject yourself to many influences to be played on; it is all dissipation. Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. The shadows of poverty and meanness gather around us, "and lo! creation widens to our view." We are often reminded that if there were bestowed on us the wealth of Croesus, our aims must still be the same, and our means essentially the same. Moreover, if you are restricted in your range by poverty, if you cannot buy books and newspapers, for instance, you are but confined to the most significant and vital experiences; you are compelled to deal with the material which yields the most sugar and the most starch. It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. You are defended from being a trifler. No man loses ever on a lower level by magnanimity on a higher. Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul.
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poor-house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it oftener happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means, which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society. If I were confined to a corner of a garret all my days, like a spider, the world would be just as large to me while I had my thoughts about me. The philosopher said: "From an army of three divisions one can take away its general, and put it in disorder; from the man the most abject and vulgar one cannot take away his thought." Do not seek so anxiously to be developed, to subject yourself to many influences to be played on; it is all dissipation. Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. The shadows of poverty and meanness gather around us, "and lo! creation widens to our view." We are often reminded that if there were bestowed on us the wealth of Croesus, our aims must still be the same, and our means essentially the same. Moreover, if you are restricted in your range by poverty, if you cannot buy books and newspapers, for instance, you are but confined to the most significant and vital experiences; you are compelled to deal with the material which yields the most sugar and the most starch. It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. You are defended from being a trifler. No man loses ever on a lower level by magnanimity on a higher. Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul.
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