A daily blog in support of liberal ideas and the President.
As the President leaves for the Summit of the Americas the question is being asked whether or not we should lift the ban on travel and trade to Cuba. My answer would be yes, and in a survey poll conducted by CNN a majority of Americans feel the same way. We must now wait and see if President Obama will show the political strength to go against right wing activists who want to keep the embargo in place just because the Cubans are dreaded "COMMIES" and the Cuban Americans in south Florida who believe the sanctions are the only way to force the Castro brothers out, even though it hasn’t worked for the last 50 years I guess they think the next 50 years will be different. I know a lot of red blooded Americans don’t want to see changes in our policies toward Latin American nations, but it is time that the U.S. ends its strong arm tactics with these nations and begins a new policy of equal relations and recognizing that these countries are no longer Banana Republics and we have moved passed the Monroe Doctrine.
So the Governor of Texas thinks talking about succession is ok. I sometimes don’t understand the right at all. When W. was in power to question his policies was to be un-American, but now that Obama is President it is ok to talk about rebellion? Of course there is a part of me as an educated northern American who would love to see Texas leave the Union if for no other reason than it would raise the overall IQ of our country, but in seriousness, I am outraged that he can talk about this and the news doesn’t call him out. It seems to me the greatest difference between the right and the left is that when the right is in power the left talks about ousting them during the next election, but when the left is in power the right talks about how repressed they are and how we need open rebellion and armed revolt. How long till the FOX News Gang inspires the next Tim McVeigh? I figure it won’t be long, but I also guarantee they won’t take credit for it either. They will say, "Hey we were just expressing ourselves freely as guaranteed in the 1st Amendment, we aren’t responsible for what some crazy person does." I hope I am wrong, but I worry that I am right.
I know I sometimes use CNN as my whipping boy, but they have this uncanny way of sucking and yesterday I was watching Kyra Phillips, during her two hours of reading the prompter, and she would lead into a story with the line "Pushing the story forward". I hate this term, it is non-journalistic. It implies shaping the story to fit your agenda as opposed to reporting the facts of a story and leaving it at that. CNN must decide if they are a news organization or just a commercial enterprise with no soul and no heart like FOX. If being FOX is their goal they should remember that FOX viewers aren’t going to switch to CNN, but CNN viewers are switching to MSNBC.
Finally we come to the Philosopher of the Week, where we have been reciting snippets of wisdom from our 4th President James Madison who said, "I have no doubt but that the misery of the lower classes will be found to abate whenever the Government assumes a freer aspect and the laws favor a subdivision of Property." What is our 4th President talking about the redistribution of wealth all those years ago? President Madison also wrote, "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." Can we say George W. Bush anyone! Because it is Friday, and also because I love James Madison, I give you another quote, "In no instance have... the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people". I couldn’t have said it better myself, I wish everyone a joyous weekend and until Monday, goodbye....