A word about Iran plus midterm polls......
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - President Ronald Reagan
A massive attack against Iran may be the tipping point that makes that uprising inevitable.
----------------------------------
Before you think I want President Trump to drop nuclear bombs, let me explain. I mean "Nagasaki" in terms of breaking the back of the Japanese regime. Nagasaki sent the message that the end was here, and they better cooperate or suffer more consequences.
That's where we are in Iran today. I'm happy to hear that President Trump is getting options to finish the job. This is from the Wall Street Journal:
The top U.S. commander in the Middle East briefed President Trump on Thursday on military options for Iran, a rare in-person visit to the White House as the U.S. weighs resuming major combat operations, according to U.S. officials and other people with direct knowledge of the meeting...
Trump officials have told Arab Gulf states to be prepared for a short, intense campaign after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Vance has also engaged one of Iran’s most powerful hard-liners in an effort to revive peace negotiators, the Journal reported.
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump said at a rally last week, referring to the heavy U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign in the spring. “Or they’ll agree.”...
Cooper rarely briefs Trump in person, so the meeting could signal that the U.S. is moving closer to significant military operations.
Moving to significant military operations? Hope so. By the way, the plan must be very good because Senator Chris Murphy came out of a briefing and said it was a bad idea.
For months, I've felt that President Trump was strangling the Iranian regime with economic sanctions and hoping for an internal uprising. I think that he has concluded that the uprising will occur once the Iranian people sense that the moment to go out in the streets has arrived. A massive attack against Iran may be the tipping point that makes that uprising inevitable.
Well, let's hope so because this war has to end with a victory for the good guys, including the good people of Iran.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

(My new American Thinker post)
Halloween was totally new when our family came to the U.S. The idea of kids wearing masks and asking for candy was totally new to us. I mean totally new. I don't remember watching a Disney cartoon about it, and we learned a lot about the U.S. in Cuba watching Disney cartoons.
So we went out on our first Halloween and could not help laughing whenever my mom said "trick or treat." She couldn't get the pronunciation down and said "tree ka tree." The three of us couldn't stop laughing at my mother's accent until she got mad and said that if we didn't like her accent, then we could eat breakfast somewhere else. We did not laugh anymore after that because we really didn't have another place to go for breakfast. I should add that the McDonald's across the park did not serve breakfast in 1964.
My kids have grown up, pursuing their careers, interests, and other things. Therefore, Halloween just doesn't mean as much as it used to. I still enjoy seeing the little kids in their costumes, but it's different. My grandkids are cute wearing their costumes, but they're still too young to get into the Halloween spirit. I'll wait a couple of years to take them trick-or-treating.
A few years ago, I had Dr. Ileana Johnson, author and native of Romania, on my podcast. We spoke about her book Echoes of Communism, her story about growing up in communist Romania. We found a lot in common about leaving communist countries and settling in the U.S. She is also a wonderful economist who has a lot to say about socialism and what's going on in our colleges.
Dr. Johnson wrote about Dracula and the castle during a recent trip to Romania:
Bram Stoker chose Transylvania, the western province of Romania, as the location of his 1897 gothic novel "Dracula" because of the dark, foreboding feel of the area even when it was bathed in sunshine. The myth of Dracula was so attached to Vlad Tepes and Bran Castle that the locals, when asked about it, shrugged their shoulders with amused looks, and went about their business.
The real Vlad Tepes, the inspiration source for Count Dracula, was known for his strong resistance and valiant battles against the advancement and occupation of the Ottoman Empire. "Voievode" Vlad was a real hero and founding father to the local population.
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476), was named posthumously "Vlad the Impaler," for his habit of impaling his enemies and those condemned for capital punishment. Tepes was his Romanian moniker for "Impaler." He ruled mainly from 1456–1462, the incipient period of the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. Of the house of Draculesti, Vlad III, son of Vlad II Dracul, was born in Sighisoara, Transylavania and died in Bucharest, Wallachia.
Dracula is Romanian for "the son of the Devil." Historians argue over the meaning of the Latin "draco" (dragon). Vlad was of the order of the dragon bestowed on his father to defend Christianity. However, the Romanian word for dragon is "balaur." "Dracul" is identified in modern parlance as the "devil." The Ambras Castle portrait of Vlad III, c. 1560, is reputedly a copy of an original made during his lifetime.
I catch this article every year and and enjoy it a lot. Who knew that Dracula and a castle could be so interesting? Well, it is, and I hope you read her full article about Dracula before the kids come to your door.
And then play "The Monster Mash" to make Halloween complete.
Happy Halloween, and don't forget to vote.
PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
(My new American Thinker post)
Another Halloween and another time to remember our first Halloween in the U.S. Back in Cuba, it was "El Dia de los Santos" or All Saints Day on November 1st. Of course, it was a "day of obligation" or don't forget the mass today. And there was no candy on All Saints Day!
We had been in the U.S. about six weeks when Halloween came up on the calendar in 1964. My Uncle Orlando and family told us about the night. They suggested wearing a costume, walk around and say “trick or treat” when standing at the door.
We followed his advice and got lots of candy, especially the lady in the neighborhood who made the brownies that reminded us of the Cuban chocolate cake we had before food shortages and rationing spoiled everything in the island.
Our mother came along to help our little sister who was dressed up as Cinderella. My brother and I went as cowboys. It was a wonderful night. My favorite part of Halloween is hearing my mother say “trick or treat.” It sounded a lot like “tree ka tree.” And explaining to her why there were so many “calabazas” or pumpkins.
So many Halloweens have come and gone since that night in 1964. Things changed and then it was our sons' turn to dress up as Indians or should I say indigenous people so no one is offended. Another year it was Dallas Cowboys about to play the Washington Redskins, another thing of the past. Or one year they just took off with their friends and came home with lots of bags full of everything. Of course, everyone remembers the morning after when all that chocolate had kids saying that they couldn't go to school because their stomachs were upset.
Today, our Halloween is hearing about the little grandchildren going "trick treating" and watching videos and photos by phone. Last but not least, we have candy ready in case the new generation knocks on the door.
Nothing will replace that first Halloween and especially explaining so many things to our mother who was proud of my sister's dress and had no clue of what the holiday was about.

2015: Our annual Halloween show with Leslie Eastman & Daisy Viktoria....