By Stephen Kangal
February 04, 2009
Contrary to the view expressed by Foreign Affairs Minister Gopee-Scoon the time is most propitious and ripe for the Inter-American System to be initiating dialogue with the regime of Raul Castro. President Barack Obama has signaled in clear, unambiguous language that US rapprochement with Cuba is on the cards especially with the closure of the Gitmo Detention Centre. He has also relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba by Cuban-Americans.
The Fifth Summit participants cannot vicariously adopt a position on the potential re-admission of Cuba to the Inter-American family unless and until, according to OAS Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Albert Ramdin they have first hand insights into the thinking of the Cuban Government as expressed by the Cubans themselves.
The Cubans can be invited to participate as an Observer Delegation by the exercise of host-state prerogative since the Fifth Summit of the Americas is not an Official OAS Meeting but an FTAA meeting with the OAS providing Secretariat services. Such an invitation will attract astronomical interest by the international media and enhance the diplomatic reputation of T&T. Cuba was not officially expelled from the OAS. It was merely excluded from participating in OAS institutions.
One must remember that the capitalism ethic (according to Sparrow gone mad) has all but collapsed. Even the epi-centre of market theology, Washington as well as Western Europe/G7 have now adopted socialist intervention practices and strategies in the commanding heights of the US/Western economies. Accordingly the socialist doctrines of the Castro regime that constituted the ratio dicidendi for isolating and quarantining Cuba for 50 years have now been mitigated by the current capitalist/ global village melt-down. The leadership in Cuba has also changed. Capitalism is no longer the panacea that it was made out to be. There are also nine socialist states in Latin America.
It is also to be noted that the presence of the Cubans at the Fifth Summit will reduce the level of local protests during the Summit. It may also cause the leftist leadership in Venezuela (Chavez), Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia (Evo Morales), Brazil (Lula), Nicaragua, Uruguay and Argentina (Cristina Fenandez) to respond favourably to the Manning Administration. It will also add a new spirit of inclusion and hemispheric co-operation to the diplomatic setting of the Fifth Summit in POS.
The proposed T&T invitation to the Cubans to attend the Fifth Summit as advocated the COP is a win-win foreign policy option for PM Manning/Caricom. It will be conducting the politics of inclusion premised on the audacity of hope and reconciliation that is the DNA of the new Obama Administration.
Very good to see you have accepted the idea that the Summit must go on so that the country will not become the laughing stock of the hemisphere. You are quite right about the Cuban presence at the Summit as well. It makes a lot of sense, but will also put Obama on the spot in a manner he probably does not now expect. It will require a level of diplomatic savvy I am not sure either Manning or his hacks appear capable of. Risky business here.
No one anywhere in the world needs to do anything overt or covert to move the Cuban people into the 21st century ,that they are incapable of doing for themselves.
Castro and his senile brother should be placed in a rocking chair somewhere close to the Guantanamo base for what they have subjected the nation to since Batista and Che caught bullets in the head so long ago. If China and Russia can abandon or tweak this foolish ideology to serve their own purpose , and Libya can adjust so can under achieving gem.What Trinidadians should attempt to do is finally deal with its own issues of neglect , greed, economic subpar performances, and cronic corruption .
What is good for Cuba? How many tourist destinations does the Caribbean need? Does anyone know what Cuba would have been like without Castro, Che and Batista? Hypothetically speaking, can someone please enlighten me on what Cuba’s niche would be in the world if it would have been free of Castro forty of fifty years ago. Then tell me if it would have been good for Cuba?
I say that it wasn’t the U.S. embargo that hurt Cuba, but rather the lack of a spine that Cuba’s neighbors demonstrated by cowering to the U.S. enlighten of such restrictions being placed on Cuba. Why didn’t TNT (amongst others) stand against the corrupt capitalist pigs whose policies to this day seek to exploit other nations in order to achieve the goal of a monolithic version of democracy that seeks to empower and grow the resources of a select few under the pretense of democracy, capitalism, and freedom?
I personally could care less about the plight of the Cuban people since through some misguided obsession, many especially the phony Cuban pseudo Republican expats bandits in Florida have failed to do what was necessary to rid themselves of this cancer and historical caricature defined as Fidel Castrol years ago. How ridiculous to have a leader more concerned with sacrificing the good of his people so as to continually obtain some ludicrous global accolades .
How comical, here you have Curtis growing all outraged over T&T for failing to lead the way in standing up to the regional hegemonic power house like they perhaps did for the benefit of Bernard Coard/ Maurice Bishop’s Grenada, Forbes Burnham and Cedi Jagan’s Guyana , as well as Michael Manley’s Jamaica , while at the same time he shows absolutely no concerns for the 1990 blatant and socially destructive actions of Backer -a phony religious Muslim thug , and his many closet sympathizers in and out of business and political power .
Today both him and others show contempt for our numerous dedicated police officers failing in the process to recognize that in the callous way that both political parties have shown for the spirit of the law through the decades , it would have contributed to the disaster we are seeing today.
Let me say it aloud senior C ,History matters ! Perhaps as you continue to educate yourself beyond your present first year undergraduate studies at the University of Halifax, you’ll come to appreciate this truism that I am most certain even an A’level Tranquility student recognized a long time ago in our blessed land.
A word of caution, you should be careful about biting the hands that feeds you son, the USA and other large capitalist metropolis of the global north do not take too kindly to immigrants like yourself -or decedents thereof – that are inclined to be critical of their domestic social and foreign policies – depending on which country the perpetrators emanate. Be forewarned, Trinidad and Tobago is the only true democracy you’ll ever know. Regards.
Another view of Fidel Castro:
Fidel Castro’s “Life”
La Lucha Continua
By Ron Jacobs
February 12, 2008
Fidel Castro is one of the great men of the past fifty years. Even his bitterest enemies acknowledge this by their continuing attempts to destroy the man and the revolution he is identified with. In 2003, journalist Ignacio Ramonet, editor of Le monde diplomatique, began a series of lengthy conversations with Fidel that were recently published in English. This collection of interviews taking place over two years, titled Fidel Castro: My Life, is a history and autobiography of a man who is not only a revolutionary, but the leader of a country that has maintained its national integrity and independence in the face of one of history’s longest economic blockades and has stared down the biggest empire in the history of humankind while doing so.
My Life is not necessarily a balanced account of Fidel or the Cuban revolution, but then again it is an autobiography. That means the subject is telling his version of events. At the same time it is not an egocentric adventure in braggadocio. The picture that comes across in these (almost) 700 pages of interviews is of a man who strives to maintain his humility, refuses to take credit for events and programs that he rightly credits to the Cuban people and their government, and still retains a sense of humor about his history and his legacy. This isn’t to say there are not flashes of arrogance or elements of egoism, yet the picture that emerges is of a man quite aware of the potential for someone of his stature to allow human frailties such as these to overcome his better self. Indeed, the struggle against those frailties appears on these pages, too.
Despite the neverending attempts by the Cubans that left Cuba after the victory of the Revolution in 1959 and their co-conspirators in the US government to destroy both Fidel and the government he is identified with, Fidel exudes optimism. His answers to Ramonet’s questions refer constantly to the power of the Cuban people, their general belief in the principles of the revolution, their educational system, their culture and their fortitude in what they call the Battle of Ideas. Where many northern progressives see nothing but despair and hopelessness, Fidel sees cause for hope in the struggle against capitalist globalization. His intimate involvement in the Cuban struggle for independence and socialism since the early 1950s has provided him with a comprehension of history that very few other humans have-especially those still involved in the struggle for social and economic justice. This understanding and experience alone makes the lessons and thoughts in this book worthwhile.
Ramonet asks Fidel tough questions regarding Cuba’s treatment of some of its dissidents and its use of the death penalty. Fidel answers these questions in a direct manner that explains Havana’s reasoning for its actions. He discusses the role the CIA and the right-wing Miami Cubans play in financing and organizing many of the so-called dissidents and he discusses mistakes the Cuban government has made in its attempts to respond to the legitimate criticisms of these people and other Cubans that disagree with various policies of their government. At the same time, he stands steadfast in his support for the revolution and against those who would destroy what the revolution has accomplished. He decries Washington’s meddling in Cuba’s economy and politics and sets the record straight regarding various accusations made by Washington regarding Cuba’s intentions and agreements with other nations.
Some of the most historically interesting sections of the book include his reminiscences of Che and the early days of the revolution. His account of the failed attempt on the Moncado barracks in 1953 and the time the rebels spent in the Sierra Maestro after Fidel’s release from prison in 1956 are revealing in that they show how a revolutionary must learn from their mistakes. This segment is, among other things, an intelligent multilayered defense of the Cuban revolution and Fidel’s commitment to that revolution. Details of episodes in Cuban and Latin American history are provided that are important not only for their source and the new facts they involve, but also because of Fidel’s way of placing them in a historical context many readers may not have known or considered. His recollections of various world leaders he has locked horns with or met and worked with are objective and respectful. His commentary on the current situation of the world reveals a man whose mind is sharp and whose thinking is framed by an understanding of economics and history and is driven by a desire for economic and social justice.
Fidel exhibits a sense of history rarely found among US political leaders. Even on those rare occasions that a mainstream political figure appears in the United States that does know their history, it is usually a history without graciousness and with plenty of imperial arrogance. Fidel’s understanding, on the other hand, is both gracious and intellectually thorough. It is not the historical understanding of a culture that has traded in any sense of history for the bluster of the bomb and the dollar, but the understanding of a culture that knows that history is more than destruction and conquest.
People on the left should read this book. Even if they (rightly or wrongly) disagree with Fidel, they will find his ideas and belief in humanity inspiring. People in the middle of the political spectrum should read it too. They will walk away with a new understanding of the Cuban revolution and, more importantly, a different way of perceiving their world. People on the right should also read it. They will walk away with a new respect for a man and country that is their most stalwart foe.
Ron Jacobs is author of The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground, which is just republished by Verso. Jacobs’ essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch’s collection on music, art and sex, Serpents in the Garden. His first novel, Short Order Frame Up, is published by Mainstay Press.
http://www.counterpunch.org/jacobs02122008.html
Neal our difference in opinion comes from your support of corrupt capitalist powerhouse infringing its political and social wants onto the members of another country. You say Fidel Castro sacrificed the good of his people while I say that Castro did the exact opposite. It’s just a matter of opinion. In my opinion judging by U.S. society at the time Castro came into power, the United States had a society within a society that couldn’t even uses the same restrooms based on race. You’re telling me that Fidel was wrong to not want to pander to people of such a mind set? Around that time Vietnamese wanted to be recognized by the U.S. as a free and sovereign nation and were turned away and told to go back and serve the French on Vietnamese soil. You would think that a nation that prides itself on it’s glorious revolution freeing it from England that they would support the Vietnamese. The only problem was that a free Vietnam wasn’t in the best interest of Europe or the European domination of the world that for some reason you think is fine. The U.S. Department of State currently claims in one of their publications to,” carry out the President’s foreign policy and help a more free, prosperous, and secure world”. What is not mentioned is how the U.S. defines more free, prosperous, and secure. That is where the conflict of ideas and thoughts are defended with sanctions that threaten innocent families. Children should not be denied resources because their parents don’t want to accept a menial role in global society fulfilling the goals and aspirations of another man trying to inflict his bigoted, xenophobic, protectionist ways upon others under the mask of democracy.
One of the reasons that the U.S. has so many immigrants legal and illegal is because the State Department has made life where they live difficult. According to the U.S. State department, there are 190 countries in the world and the U.S. maintains diplomatic relations with 180 as well ass many international organizations. China probably has a different number.
The four major goals of the U.S State department are to 1) Protect the United States and Americans. 2) Advance democracy, human rights, and other global interest. 3) Promote international understanding of American values and policies. 4) Support of U.S. diplomats, government officials, and all other personnel at home and abroad who make these goals a reality.
With that being stated lets for the sake of this debate try pretend that those were the goals of the U.S. State Department during the Kennedy Presidency to understand the logic behind the resistance that is Fidel Castro and the Cuban people from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to now.
I don’t think that any person in the world who is of sound mind would believe that a country should not protect itself. The first goal of the U.S. State Department is common sense. The second goal of advancing human rights, democracy, and other global interest is debatable. The United States (as stated earlier) during the years of the Kennedy administration when roughly around the time Fidel came into power represented hypocrisy not a democracy. How can a democracy not allow all of its citizens participate freely within it’s society based on race, gender, religion among other things and try to spread those beliefs as if they are gospel to free men in other countries? The United States was not a democracy in Fidel Castros early years as a leader. I wonder what other global interest are as defined by the U.S. State Department. Global interest according to whom for the purpose of what is what I’d like to know. Please don’t tell me democracy. It is only with an act of ethnocentric, egotistical, imperfect xenophobes that could and would allow the United States of the Kennedy era (including Lyndon Johnson) to believe that promoting their values and policies abroad to (once again) free men in other nations to be a good idea.
My only outrage for TNT is that many times Trinidad and Tobago would rather follow the United States who cares very little about the affairs of the Caribbean outside of tourism than work in allegiance with it’s Caribbean neighbors to define themselves as a region in the global economy. I believe that Trinidad and Tobago can do more as a nation if everyone would stop claiming something else other than Trinibagonian. I don’t care how many family members live in Brooklyn. Let them keep their Crooklyn ideas in New York.
History does matter, but if you want a complete idea of what’s wrong with the world today, all that you have to do is follow his story starting in the years of the moor conquest of Europe to now. If you know history then you would be able to see why Fidel Castro did the right thing for his country and yes shame on those who allowed the U.S. to dictate the image of freedom in the Caribbean.
I see the bait and I’ll bite. I’m not Canadian nor have I ever visited that country. As far as fear of a government, I can say that only an infidel would want to live forever in the flesh. I don’t quite understand your forewarning. Please elaborate on that.
Curtis I am tempted to continue this debate with you but lack the energy or desire , especially if you are still inclined to believe -even after my writing on these forum for the past 11 months – that somehow I am a pro corrupt capitalist sympathizers simply because I believe that 80 year Castro and his 79 year old senile brother Raul should go , as the Cuban people today deserves better.
I am tired also of trying to have conversations with folks that I suspect have other agendas on this board . You know what I am referring to – the numerous writers , that merely write to titillate so as to encourage passive , status quo thinkers and admirers of their noble intellect.
When I confront someone that cares first and foremost about the interest of my fellow T&T citizens , then I can be engaged.
Good luck my friend as you attempt to extol the virtues of political ideologies that have been relegated to the dustbins of history by progressives leaders decades ago. I forgot who it was that said that ” too much education can be a dangerous thing, ” but hope it is not applicable to you son.
It is mind boggling how one can say with a straight face that Cubans are better off today , because of the inflexible intransigence of their larger than life and colorful , firebrand leader. No one should deny Fidel his rightful place in history as a champion of the globally oppressed , but changes are inevitable, and many poor struggling non Miami Cubans will I am certain agree if allowed .
It’s about values. When you state,” the Cuban people deserve better” what are you talking about? What would be better for Cubans? More money and private assets can’t be your definition of better? Are you insinuating that a person who has more man made materials is better of has a better life? If the Cubans had the “better” that you say they deserve, at what cost does “better” come?
Son, I would think a person as seemingly intelligent as you would know that “better” is relative to where the Cuban peoples future lay. Better for more resources at the cost of a deteriorating culture and lack of control over foreign influences in society may not be what they want. It may not be better, but we will see.
What Castro and Raul and the Cuban power elites are attempting to do at this stage of the global game are acts of futility, and tantamount to one trying to strop a raging hurricane with a large strainer. It is the same problem that confronts Theocratic Iran , and Simi Capitalist China . The New York Times opportunistic writer Thomas Friedman expanded on the global village phenomenon that is affecting the world in his book ” the world is Flat.’ Get a copy and read. You would remember this fool call Neal some time soon in the future , when Castro has departed .
M The Castro’s revolution would be forgotten one year after . It is the same thing that occurs when one forces oneself on crazy diet , the urges remain and once the opportunities presents its self then Walla! Remember a former Super USSR that blossomed into Russia today . The old school Putin a protégé of Boris Yelsin the drunkard is also trying to turn back the tied of history using oil , gas and blackmail . Curtis I have absolutely no concern about what yard stick you try to muster up. Let me state categorically , that the only Cuban that have benefited from Castro’s 60 year experiment are those novo rich Cuban Miami capitalists that you run into each year as to drink tequila , and sex on the beach jumping up to Soca in Miami carnival . Each according to his needs …….. What utter nonsense . Fortunately Marx had the millionaire Engels to subsidize his Idealistic fantasy. Cuba got its support for years from Russia until its own citizens wanted to steal Donald Trump, Bill Gates , and Warren Buffet’s thunder.
I understand your commonly excepted points Neal, I just disagree with all of them because of history. I do not need to read Thomas Friedman (although I have)to know the where this world is headed. His story I mean History has spelled out the direction for years and all that we are doing now is reinforcing the rules of that New World Order. I do not agree with the premise of that New World Order because it is one way of life being forced on the global community. The World is flat basically a call to give up the resistance to a system that only intends to preserve and expand on a ideas and a way of life that has it’s roots at the base of the Moor takeover of Europe. The U.S. State Department outlines their mission for the time being which currently is to expand on a plan to expand democracy. I have news for all of those who plan to listen and that is Democracy according to the United States could mean a sacrifice of ideas that may be not only rooted in tradition, but in faith, and culture. If it is better to trade what you have for the enrichment of Yankee Doodle dandy and or the Queen then by all means pander and hope to be the shoe shine boy.
As for today and Miami’s Cubans I believe that they are a group of people without a nation. They want to be regarded as Cubans and clutch on to everything Cuban that they can remember which prevents their assimilation into real America. What makes them think that if tomorrow the Castro phase of Cuban history ended they would return to a Cuba that they once knew? I believe that Cuba would become the Las Vegas of the Caribbean as it was once intended to be. The culture that many in Miami cling to would be forever exploited by MGM, Trump, and others. I guess that would be their problem.
My basic philosophy is that Cubans should be Cubans in Cuba, Chinese in China, and Iranians in Iran and so on. Whys should Trinidad and Tobago for example be the U.S. version of Trinidad and Tobago for the people to pursue happiness as they know it within that nation? If you no longer wish to be Trini then move to Canada, U.S., England or anywhere else.
History does matter. If you can agree to that then please tell us why it is that you think that Cuba without Fidel would be any different than any other country that has participated in the U.S. regulated version of Democracy besides perhaps Israel? We will see what happens. Future events may be more predictable if one knows and understands His Story/ History.
I too Curtis appreciate the excellent points you have made re the historical realities that exist in the world perhaps since Cain allegedly committed the world’s first murder against his twin brother Abel, then “went into a distant land” to find a wife that was probably his own mysterious sister . Better yet , let us start our time line from when Harry Truman saved America from becoming a colony of Japan , by dropping the first atomic bombs on those two unfortunate cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing some 200, 000 civilians in the process , as well as wanton destruction that facilitated the end of WW11, and starting a global four decades Cold War with the envious USSR . Frank, Richard B. (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire, pp. 285-287, New York:
My point is that if Castro like you is concerned about his legacy , and wishes to ensure that what he stood for not end the day he enters the grave, wouldn’t he be better served to begin the process of putting in place a young , mature, and vibrant figure that might help meander the social, political and economic realities that confronts resource deficient countries like his that are still suffering from the tail end effects of the Monroe Doctrine ?
The USA gets away with what it does simply because the world remains divided. The EU for obvious reasons, are contented with the status quo, and cannot make a decision of their own without first obtaining permission from the guys on Pennsylvania Avenue. The many ‘School of the Americas’ graduates Mulattos and Mestizo elites kids in power of most of Latin America are jokers , so do not expect too much unity and push back anywhere there soon. With the exception of perhaps Tanzania , Botswana and recently Ghana , most other divided African states are failures , clueless , or unconcerned when it comes to making a dent on the world. The weakened and disrespected Russians are nostalgic about a distant era when they were relevant , so please do not look for much meaningful and sensible action from its leader led by the closet KGB , Judo loving Putin. The mismanaged Middle East ,and docile Asia ? Please! With all the pretense of independence not a single one posses the courage to stand up to what can best be still described as a global hegemonic force. Where does that leave us good old English speaking ex slaves and indentured folks that comprise the Caribbean?
You have articulated our problems much better than I can dream of , so Curtis, we do have a problem don’t we? Examine this analogy with me if you will. Can you imagine trying to drive a modern ,high powered Lamborghini, Ferrari ,Bently or similar vehicle with coconut oil, while also doing pit stop at your lazy illiterate wayside mechanic when you are confronted with a major mechanical problem? I can see you cringe in your 12 room mansion in Boston right now at the thought, correct? (Just kidding) It’s the same problems we have of trying to advance causes , and issues you and I can figure out even while half asleep – after attending a WASA ,PSA, Customs or Police fete -, while our leaders cannot. It is therefore asking too much of present local and regional political dinosaurs , square pegs , visionless, and insecure benevolent dictators, to present a coherent foreign or domestic policy capable of advancing the region’s peoples interest.
Listen friend , we can take inspirations from a US President that beat the odds to assume power because he fully understood how the political game is played . I see that you scoffed at Friedman’s book by saying that it was a call for placid acquiescence by a people to global conglomerates,foreign movements ,powerful governments ,and manipulated global organizations. Perhaps not , what he was probably doing instead was admonishing the power structures to recognize the facts , which are that changes are in the air , and resistance is futile. This is the case whether you are in Cairo, Tel Aviv ,Iran, Libya, Zimbabwe, Havana, Racist Virginia and the other 49 states of these United States ,or good old sweet T&T .
It might just be time for some of us to gravitate towards that information highway and embrace others, wheresoever they exist , to construct that vital bridge needed to ensure that ‘sustainable development’ for all people in the Global South becomes more than a catch slogan come budget speech day. The trick is to educate those power brokers in the global North as well,into the realization of the fact that doing so is in their own interest as well.
As cynical as I am , I would like to believe that Americans and their leaders today can be led to recognize that a vibrant Cuba , Latin America, and the entire English and French speaking Caribbean is good for peace , security and mutal economic prosperity. Who is going to convince them is the question ?
There is obviously work to be done for progressives. We must find a way to make abstract theories of realism, neo-liberalism , utopianism , and multilateralism work also for us as well using 21st century methodologies and technologies., agreed? I hope that you were able to decipher an answer from my lengthy response. Remember ,it is no longer necessary to convince folks like myself and similar others- with the time to traverse these boards- about true historical realities on the ground, it is the sleeping giant that are represented by the often docile, busy,unconcerned ,illiterate, and unconscious masses ,that must be aroused into meaningful action.
If a skinny mulatto kid with a penchant for Blackberry communication technology can circumvent traditions and energize new youthful bases into actions of change , then think of the possibilities of harnessing the energies of Marshall Montano , the Chutney king , and the Westmorings yuppi ,into to a common political cause, eh ? Get ready for the real revolution!
At times it all seems like a waste of time.
Curtis if you should fall prey to such negative , defeatist mindset , then what do you leave for some unfortunate Couva , Barackpore , Chickland , Toco, or Signal Hill Tobago kid devoid of the benefit of a politically powerful family name to do in their desperate quest to get out of their prison-like squalor, decadence , and social malaise ?
Unfortunately not everyone of the above listed , possess a parent who hold 200 acres of land that they can quickly turn into liquid assets and hop on to a jet for more pristine shores of Toronto, Maimi, or Northumberland as soon as the going gets a bit turbulent in Rainbow country.
I was expressing the difficulty in fighting a system that has been modified and adjusted for at least twelve hundred years. It seems like a waste of time because the beneficiaries, members, and promoters of the status quo are a diverse ilk with a single minded purpose under the guise of righteousness, humanity, capitalism, democracy, Christianity, western theology, etc….., did I mention capitalism?
Without untainted organization and material growth life will remain everyman for himself in third world countries because of the lack of individual power. Another problem is that individuals these days find power in money rather than pride.
Perhaps countries should start talking to Cuba again if not for any other reason to find out the secret of survival under unprecedented economic downturns. Obama should lead the way. The U.S. deficit is spiraling out of control and sooner or later there will be a mass exodus of Trinis from the U.S. home to stretch their money. That’s my prediction. The U.S. Stimulus Package is a joke. I also predict that Castro will be laughing at the sight of broke Floridians living a economic lifestyle as tough as the one that they fled under false pretenses.
So the spiral continues with you Curtis as you seems quite enamored with Castro and brother Raul and wish to see them controlling the fortunes of the suffering ,resilient masses in that country into perpetuity. Of this you are entitled.
“The U.S. deficit is spiraling out of control” & “The U.S. Stimulus Package is a joke.” Tell us something we do not know my friend. If the leaders and general populace are too dumb to recognize the social, economic. and political cost to the country of attempting to fight two pointless , drawn out ,non – winner able wars, then who are we to try and enlighten them?
One Jewish crook stole some 50 billion from investors across the country and in the process jeopardize all confidence in all the major US financial markets and integrity of the country . As the heat piled on he ran to his ancestral home and US close ally Israel with some 49 billion in tow , yet everything is fine in la la land. Contrast that with some 50, 000 Black men and a handful of Whites and Hispanics with miniscule education if any , are serving thousand of years in jail for victimless crimes such as drugs use and other blue color inconsequential crimes . This obviously aids the Prison Industrial Complex , but does very little for the future of a leading industrial country that boast to be the one with the highest incarceration rate per population in the world, but cannot produce a proper /viable vehicle that it‘s own citizen can be tempted to purchase with confidence . The results are obvious- the murder of the car industry and eradications of thousand of offshore jobs to starving Chinese working for 5 Yen per year , or barefeet technologically savvy Mumbai street kids contented with 1 rupee in payment for similar exploitable efforts .
I hope that you are smart enough to see the connection , and where the emphasis should be – real issues, real solutions to get the country out of the quagmire. We are in agreement , a fancy talking mullato , skinny kid com President with a pretty wife, is way over his head when it comes to moving that great country forward, if he is simply contented to practice Ronald Reagan’s trickle down economics past tricks disguised as changed from the bottom up, while demanding restrain. Call me again when a peace envoy for Sudan or Congo is created . Talk about a 6 for a 9!
It is up to cuba an venezuela to show their stuff on the Caribbean/world stage. It is important that venezuela look at the history of Cuba and learn from it..Oil will not be a class one weapon in the next few years, as cuba found out about special relationship with their communist directors in russis and china. Don’t equate capitalism failing with oil being power, as cuba did with communism vs capitalism…There will always be a castro and that feller runing venezuela. The kind of people who uses misdirected reasoning to enslave their people in order to maintain power will never acieve total slaveryt of the human element within the country…Power is like a fashion..here today, gone tomorrow….There are still plenty people like that in the caribbean and more so in Trinidad who believe that oil will be king weapon forever….castro and their pardners has forced their citizens to live a humanistic lie..by having them live a fourth rate life in the ever changing and beautifull world….If their system is so great and it is meeting the needs of the citizens, there is no reason for engagement with the evil empire..live is all good, and their quality of life is the same standard and in most cases, better than the rest of the world…Then there is no argument for engagement with the evil empire….there is no reason for change after all these years living the communist way of life. All non cubans who is complaining for the cubans, must be missing the key point…cuba engagement is no one fault ..the cubans wanted the quality of life they are living. It is time that we stop talking about relationship with the USA and talk about improving the quality of life within the countries in the caribbean….Grenada and a few other Caribbean countries find it ok to take money from China as a bribe to support them in the UN..so is back to the same old colonial days..after all the hard work for independence in the Caribbean..! Take a hard look, the US is currently laying the ground work for self sufficency..no walls, just closure at the boundries? so the castros’ and others will find that they will always have to depend on their paymasters to keep their people out of poverty..and be told by others what to do..”TOP TABLE SLAVERY”…