Churchill and "The gathering storm"

This is a great movie:   Check it out!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

2013 post: Your Cuba 101 course

(My new American Thinker post)

Cuban-Americans like me are very passionate about the truth of the communist regime, especially the political prisons and repressive climate of Cuba.  We've all had experience with it so that's where the passion comes from.  My dad's cousin spent 14 years in a political prison without a trial so forgive me if I get irritated when we greet a dictator with a handshake.   

The battle continues even on the day that President Obama shook Raul Castro's hand:  CUBAN DISSIDENTS DETAINED ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY      

A couple of years ago, my Canadian friend Brian Lloyd French wrote a novel about Cuba, "Mojito".    It is a very entertaining story that tells you what life is really like in the island, from the "mask" that most people wear to coexist with the regime and the survival techniques that keep 1950s cars running.   

Brian explained his impressions of Cuba in a great article:  "The island of lies"  

"A few weeks ago I clicked a Facebook ad for luxurious "Boomer Tours" in Cuba. Being somewhat interested in that topic, I clicked a little deeper. I noticed that one of the local guides proudly made a claim to be a personal friend of Che Guevara - who, of course, wasn't exactly a role model for those interested in human rights. Except perhaps for those interested parties that wish to learn how to execute and imprison political opponents and get away with it.  A click later I learned that the organizer of the tour is a self-confessed Trotskyist. Which is fine - our society allows anyone to pursue any philosophy they wish. And any party, if it gets a sufficient share of the votes in an election, can receive federal funding for their party. I have many friends within the entire spectrum of philosophical positions - and we get along because we have more in common that we have in differences.  Which is the way that democracies act.  But it's not exactly that way in Cuba. Down there if you speak up you risk a term of re-education in a resort called Villa Marista. Which ain't five stars.  To the organizers' credit, they don't try to hide their beliefs. A click and a Wiki search and it's all there. Cuban propaganda is alive and well, and the internet does set us free. It's easy to discover a bias that a writer of an article might have or, like Yoani Sanchez, to actually blog from Cuba about government abuses of the governed.  Lenin described those westerners who support communism as "Useful Idiots" and he would be smiling in his hereafter about this if he hadn't been such an atheist.  A few years back, I was encouraged to write a novel as a sequel to one written by a famous friend of mine. We decided that Cuba would be a terrific place in which to place the plot and characters. Since then, I've spent a lot of time in Cuba with lots of Cubans, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of how they live day-to-day, even though I will never have to worry about what I say in public, or whether my family will eat protein at least once this week.  When does a revolution stop becoming a revolution and start being recognized as a misguided philosophy with a status present that is an insult to all those who believe in human rights?  Lies are a permanent part of life on the Castros' island paradise lost. Younger Cubans have to lie about their opinions of the government, its leadership and their opinion of the United States. Old Cubans lie about Fidel Castro because those lies are the only opinion they've ever been allowed to have. The Cuban politburo lies about everything it does, and just about everything everyone else does; especially the USA. The Castros spew lies constantly but are so absent from reality that they seem to believe them.  Fidel has always lied about his form of democracy. It started with his "temporary" suspension of free elections soon after he took power. Lie. While every few years Cubans are forced to go to a ballot box and vote for Socialist Candidate tweedledum or Socialist Candidate tweedledee, this temporary suspension is older than I am, and not likely to really become temporary any time soon.  Another great lie is that Cuba is an egalitarian paradise; where all are equal and everyone gets a great education and has tremendous health care. But as in Animal Farm, the pigs are more equal than others. In Habana, for example, loyal Fidelistas, virtually all of Spanish extraction, are rewarded with pleasant accommodations in nicer areas like Vedado and Miramar. Those who unfortunately are not in favour, who are mostly black, live in tenements in Central City on narrow streets filled with rubble that serve as both sewers and playgrounds.  There is only way to survive in Cuba. Theft. At least Fidel considers it theft. It's participation in the black market. A typical family stipend is between 10 and 20 dollar equivalents per month. Families are provided with housing (of a sort), a ration booklet that provides rice, beans, potatoes, milk (if you're a pre-schooler) and a few other staples. The ration coupons have some value as they that can be used for items to trade. Sick looking green onions and tiny garlic bulbs can be purchased at markets for a pittance. But meat isn't on the menu and eggs are treated like they are laid by a golden hen.  But what a family really has to do to survive is to somehow scrounge for something, anything of value that they can trade. It might be a coupon for a pair of shoes (size 11, men's black). They might be given chintzy curios and mass produced Cuban art to sell to naive turistas. Every month workers in tobacco factories get a box of cigars to smoke (but really to sell to gringos).  The young and old share the responsibility to come up with stuff to trade. Grannies dress up in Santarian priestess costumes to have their picture taken by tourists for a fee. Children look for kind foreigners who will give them a buck because they're cute. Some young Cubana's dream of having a child with a rich tourist and, if the Dad has at least some ethical standard, an annuity by way of child support.  Yes. There is prostitution. And yes many "northerners" from Canada, Germany, Italy and England conduct the most heinous of all acts of economic imperialism; they travel to Cuba to have sex with young people, mostly girls. White haired Decembers from the north are often seen with dusky Aprils from the South. I try to show my disdain any way I can when I see this. I'm hardly a moralist, but these guys feel rich and handsome in Cuba by throwing ten dollar bills around like man-hole covers and I don't like it.  A key source of income for families is to have at least one family member that somehow has access to tourists. They may work in a hotel, restaurant, drive a taxi (legal or illegal), or act as "tour guides".   Almost all the official jobs that are tourism related are given to those of the Spanish persuasion. The "tour guides" are almost all black and risk their freedom if they get noticed doing the wrong thing by the wrong people. You will know them by their furtive catch phrases as they pass you in the streets of Old Havana, "Chica, Senor?" "Cigar, Senor?" "Restaurant, Senor?" Trust me. Chances are almost 100% that the cigars are fake, the girl is somebody's daughter who despises her source of income, and the restaurant will be over priced. (Private restaurants - paladares -were the only way to go up to a year or so ago when Fidel started taxing them to death and dropping the prices at government restaurants. He has succeeded in pricing these entrepreneurs out of business. But I'd not be the least bit surprised that even if they're without customers that they are still forced to pay protection money to the boss.)  Public Health? Cubans have admirably healthy people at least partly because their lifestyle prohibits them from enjoying the goodies that make us die prematurely. They pretty much can't help but avoid obesity - they can't get their hands on enough food to get fat. Rum, even at a CUC (dollar equivalent) a bottle is really beyond their budget. Drugs? Really, really beyond their budget.   They don't die in car accidents because no one has cars (but the few vehicles there do put out an admirably unhealthy quantity of exhaust). Cuba brags about it's low level of infant mortality, and the lack of unhealthy life choices helps this, but so does abortion on demand which isn't reported in any of their stats. And as far as drugs, ordinary Cubans do not have access to any, from Lipitor down to Aspirin. I had a friend die last year - a great musician - who died of a staph infection incurred when he was having his back scoped.   But if you're down there doing a documentary, they'll invite you to have a kidney or cornea transplant.   Schools are pretty good but all the kids are members of Fidel's version of the Young Pioneers, which was such a rousing success in great democracies like the USSR. Fortunately, around about the time that testicles start dropping and breasts lifting, the political indoctrination of the Communist Party on Cuban youth is forgotten and replaced by a huge desire to have nice clothes and a moto to drive your sweetie around in style.  Safety? Cuba is a police state, so tourists are likely as safe there as in, say, the guest lounge in a Canadian penitentiary. There is at least one para-military on every street corner that tourists frequent. So we're safe. The entire Cuban security apparatus, including their neighbourhood spies, are there to protect Cuba from Cubans, not to be a significant factor in fighting Bahia de Cochinos Dos.  For locals, nobody has anything so there really isn't very much to steal. But I do have a friend in Havana who runs an organized crime organization, and there is crime. Just not on an Ocean's Eleven scale.  Cuba's "friends" in Canada and the USA brag about how well Cuba manages through a fairly regular procession of hurricanes and tropical storms. But they fail to mention that there is very little in property value there to be lost in a killer storm and Cubans are savvy enough to get out of the way of hurricanes. Unlike more wealthy Americans. The big lie, or course, was the first one. Fidel Castro, according to himself and his Bolshie buddy, Che Guevara, took over Cuba to rid it of a torturous tyrant in Fulgenio Batista. To let his people go.   But, history does not absolve Fidel, as he predicted in his legal defence when jailed for fomenting rebellion in Santiago de Cuba in 1953. History has proven that he is a whole lot worse than his predecessor. Cubans traded one despot for two; either and both of whom are at least as nasty as their predecessor.   First off, Batista was mulatto, not "pur laine" Spanish, and mixed race and black Cubans had lots more opportunities to get ahead under Batista than ever under Fidel. Pictures of the time reveal that Batista's Havana was a true jewel - among the most civilized of all Latin American cities with the highest standard of living and a thriving middle class. The architectural look of the place was spectacular and photos of Cubans on the main shopping street, San Rafael, reveal an eclectic population of well dressed, multi-hued and happy people shopping and having fun.  And in terms of treating political opponents badly, Batista only sent Fidel to jail for 3 years for starting a bloody rebellion. Fidel throws drunkards in the slammer for complaining about not having food to eat. And he provides vacations for newspaper journalists who don't appropriately honour him with praise.  The next big lie is everything about Commandante Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. And the one after that is the myth of Fidel ever ceding power to his younger and much dumber and meaner brother.  But those are tales for another day. Meanwhile, Fidel has a lotta esplainin' to do."  

So why go out of your way to shake the hand of the leader of 'the island of lies"?  

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

Another anniversary for The Warren Commission

A post from 2015:

A few weeks ago, we got together with some friends for another Saturday night of good food and conversation.

We discussed the subject of another movie about the Kennedy assassination that was being filmed around Dealy Plaza.  Naturally, a good family friend raised the conspiracy question.  I stayed a bit quiet, because another “who shot JFK” conversation is the last thing that I want to talk about.

However, I had to say something when it came around to me.    

I said that I believe that Oswald did it, or pretty much the official conclusion.

A week after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, his successor, President Johnson, created the Warren Commissionto investigate the murder:

During its almost year-long investigation, the Warren Commission reviewed reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Department of State and the attorney general of Texas. It also poured over Oswald’s personal history, political affiliation and military record. Overall, the Warren Commission listened to the testimony of 552 witnesses and even traveled to Dallas several times to visit the site where Kennedy was shot. The commission concluded that Oswald had acted alone and that the Secret Service had made poor preparations for JFK’s visit to Dallas and had subsequently failed to sufficiently protect him.

We’ve had a lot of books and films since the commission made that conclusion.  I remember that a lot of authors brought their papers and books to a JFK conference held around here in 1993, or the 30th anniversary.  I heard some of their presentations.  I even heard comments about a minister who spoke with Jack Ruby at the Dallas city jail.

Some of the authors made strong cases, although I still don’t know how the conspirators could keep a secret that long.  In other words, it’s hard to believe that so many people could stay quiet.

Some of movies were just bizarre and irresponsible, such as Oliver Stone’s JFK.  I remember watching the movie in 1991 and going home furious.  The movie was absurd, a hate piece against the U.S.

One of my favorite books, and the one that persuaded me that The Warren Commission got it right, was Case Closed by Gerard Posner.  As I read in a recent book review:

Like Mr. Posner, I firmly believe that Oswald, by himself, was responsible for the murders of JFK and Dallas city policeman J.D. Tippit. And while re-reading “Case Closed” recently, I came across many outstanding hunks of fascinating text, including a good collection of direct quotes from various individuals that were placed into the book by author Posner in his efforts to provide the reader with a complete picture of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who was charged with killing America’s 35th President in Dallas.

I’ve listed some of what I think are this book’s most intriguing passages and quotes below, which give a good general indication as to the type of person Lee Oswald truly was (i.e., a strange, disconnected, secretive, violent, and abusive young man who embraced Communism and hated the American society he was living in).

In other words — Lee Harvey Oswald was the exact type of individual who might just have had an urge to take his mail-order rifle with him to work one day (a day when the President’s motorcade was scheduled to pass right in front of the building he worked in) and fire a few shots at JFK from a secluded sixth-story perch.

The evidence in the John F. Kennedy murder case, in fact, tells the world that Mr. Oswald did that very thing on Friday, November 22, 1963.

We will never know 100%, because life is that way.  However, put me down as one who believes that the Warren Commission got it right.  It’s a testament to the integrity of the commission, made up by very good people, including future president Ford.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

We remember William F Buckley (1925-2008)

William F. Buckley was born on this day in 1925.  He died in 2008. (William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82) 

In the mid 1970’s, many of us young conservatives were recovering from Watergate. In my case, I found Buckley’s “Firing Line” show a wonderful place to see a conservative with wit, grace and a wonderful command of the language.   In fact, I would often jot down words and check them in the dictionary later. 

Then I got hooked on his columns, National Review and some of his books. I must confess that I did not read all of Buckley’s books.  I did enjoy “Overdrive” from the early 1980’s.   I read it during a flight. 

Buckley’s legacy is National Review, the magazine and wonderful website, and all of us conservative bloggers. 

Buckley was a pre-blog conservative. However, he certainly inspired all of us to blog conservative ideas. 

In sum, William F. Buckley had a wonderful life. Thanks for everything!

Can you imagine that round table in heaven?  Reagan, Friedman, Goldwater and Buckley! 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1963: And my mother said: “Mataron a Kennedy”

November 22 means another anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. It always takes me back to that day in Cuba when we got the news.

We were "gusanos waiting for el telegrama" to leave Cuba. We eventually left in July '64.    

"Gusano" is Spanish for worms.  This is what the Castro opponents were called in Cuba.   I heard later that Castro got the idea from Hitler who referred to Jews as "worms" too.  Frankly, I don't know if that Castro-Hitler connection is true but it sounded plausible to us back then.

Kennedy's assassination was a time of terrible tension and fear that "el comite" would find some excuse to delay our exit or make life miserable for our parents.    "El comite" was the neighborhood spy committee.  It was their job to keep an eye on "gusanos".

It was the daily grind of a repressive communist society. You couldn't trust anybody beyond family and a very select number of friends.

Such is life in a communist country. Yes, that was the "gusano way" in Cuba!

My father was working at a friend's "pasteleria", or bakery, after the banks were "nationalized", i.e. stolen from their rightful owners.

My mom was constantly arguing with the local "comite" president about food shortages. She would always scream at them: "Esta revolucion no tiene pan o leche"!   It translates to this revolution has no bread or milk!

On the afternoon of November 22nd, my brother and I were playing that game of "beisbolito" that we loved so much.  "Beisbolito" was a board game that Cuban boys used to play. I miss those "beisbolito" games against my brother. We had teams, batting averages and each team had a play by play announcers.

The phone rang and my mom answered. She said the usual "oigo" and yelled: "Mataron a Kennedy".

My father got home a bit later and tuned in the Voice of America for more news. We got more details, such as that it happened in a place called Dallas, in the state of Texas, and that someone had been picked up by the police.

Dallas, Texas? That's where I live now!

Later that night, or maybe the next day, I sat down with my father and watched Castro talk about the assassination. I don't recall what he said but my father found it interesting. I learned years later that there were all kinds of conspiracy theories about the assassination.

The funeral came a few days later. We heard it on VOA. I recall everybody talking about the little boy saluting the flag. (I saw that picture of little John later when we came to the US).

From the communist takeover, to the tragedy at The Bay of Pigs, to the tense Missile Crisis to the assassination of President Kennedy, it seems like I was in the middle of some of the most dramatic moments of the 20th century.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

We remember Lyman Bostock (1950-1978)

We remember Lyman Bostock who was born in Alabama on this day in 1950.  He was killed in 1978.

Bostock broke with the Twins in 1975.  Over the next four seasons, he hit .311 over 526 games with the Twins and Angels.

Sad story.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

---

Dallas 2013: Remembering November 22, 1963

(My new American Thinker post)

I was in Cuba on the day that President Kennedy was assassinated.  I can still remember the phone ringing, my mother said hello and then yelled "Mataron a Kennedy", or "they killed Kennedy." Later, my father said that he had been killed in Dallas, Texas. Who would have believed that I'd be living there someday?

Let me congratulate Dallas, its government and citizens for a great ceremony.  Mayor Rawlings delivered a nice speech. I loved what David McCullough, historian and author of that wonderful Truman biography said:

"It was an exciting time. He talked of all that needed to be done, of so much that mattered - equal opportunity, unity of purpose, education, the life of the mind and spirit, art, poetry, service to one's country, the courage to move forward into the future, the cause of peace on earth."

Dallas has carried this terrible burden for 50 years. Dallas did not kill JFK. It was Lee Harvey Oswald.

We look back to remember a sad day but it's also time to move on, as Steve Blow wrote:

"Fifty years out, the rest of the world can now see Dallas in proper historical context. It's time for us to see ourselves in that way, too.  
A recent symposium here offered fascinating discussion, but I hope to never again see an event with this one's focus: "Understanding Tragedy - The Impact of the JFK Assassination on Dallas."  
Enough. We really need to get over ourselves, horrible as that day was for the city. The world has moved on. We should, too. 
Many young adults across the country don't even know that Kennedy died here. For lots of kids, the only Oswald they know is a blue octopus on the Nick Jr. network.  
Not for one minute am I suggesting that we minimize our history. If anything, I'm saying it's time to fully embrace it - but as history, not as a wound to be endlessly examined.  
Let's use this 50th anniversary to shift the focus forevermore from ourselves and our hurt to the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy.  
His presidency stood for looking ahead, not back, for focusing on nation, not self.
In Dallas, Texas, too."

Yes, it's time to move on. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  

 

September 2006: Can I go to Caracas and say all of this about Chavez?

A post from September 2008:

We just saw a good example of why most people would rather live in the US than Venezuela or Iran.

In the US, you can criticize the President without consequence. In Venezuela or Iran....that's another story!

The Iranian president went to a New York news conference and said that US was guilty of ‘hegemony’ and ‘hypocrisy’.

Yet, Ahmedinejad and Chavez would not have allowed anyone to make similar comments about them in Tehran or Caracas.

Freedom matters and that's why so many dictators hate the US.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.

 

A word about Jeanne Kirpatrick (1927-2006)

In 1981, President Reagan appointed Jeanne Kirkpatrick as US ambassador to the UN. She went there and changed the job forever. What a great choice.

Mrs. Kirkpatrick was born on this day in 1926 and passed away in December 2006.  

 

What a neat and wonderful spokeswoman for President Reagan's foreign policy she was, as we see in this obituary:  

Kirkpatrick was known as a blunt and sometimes acerbic advocate for her causes. She remained involved in public issues even though she'd left government service two decades ago. She joined seven other former U.N. ambassadors in 2005 in writing a letter to Congress telling lawmakers that their plan to withhold dues to force reform at the world body was misguided and would "create resentment, build animosity and actually strengthen opponents of reform."

We love you, Mrs. Kirkpatrick!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

 

We remember Gene Mauch (1925-2005)

The Gods of Baseball can be very cruel.   They were very cruel indeed to Gene Mauch born in Kansas on this day in 1925.

Check out the story of Gene Mauch who died in 2005 at age 79.  

We remember Gene Mauch managing the Twins and Angels in the 1980's.   He was considered a great manager but also very unlucky.

A few years ago, I read a great book titled "October 1964" written by David Halberstam.  The book is about Mickie Mantle’s last World Series and the Yankee dynasty, 1949-64.  It also covered the NL pennant race, which came down to the Phillies, Dodgers, Giants and the eventual winners, the Cardinals.

Mauch managed for 26 years, which is one of the longest in baseball history.   He managed 3,938 games and won 1,901, or in the Top 15. 

He was the NL Manager of the Year in 1962, 1964 and 1973 and was the National League All-Star manager in 1965.

Not bad.

Unfortunately, Mauch will be remembered for two of baseball's worst team collapses.

The first one was the '64 National League pennant race and the second the '86 AL Championship Series.

The '64 collapse was awful.  Mauch's Phillies had a six-game lead with 12 games to go. However, they went 2-10 down the stretch to finish one game behind the Cardinals.

In '86, the Angels had a 3-1 series lead.  They were leading 5-3 as Boston came to bat in the top of the 9th.  Don Baylor and Dave Henderson hit two-run homers off Angels' closer Donnie Moore and sent the series back to Boston.

The Red Sox won games 6 and 7 and eliminated the Angels.

It was cruel.  It was horrible!

Mauch was a great manager, first class strategist and an old school no nonsense type of skipper.

The Gods of baseball were very cruel to Mauch.  Very cruel indeed! 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

We remember Mike Garcia (1923-1986)

We remember Edward Miguel "Mike" Garcia who was born on this day in San Gabriel, California.  He died in 1986.

Mike broke with the Indians in 1948 and won the AL ERA title in 1949 (2.34).    He won 104 games over the next 7 seasons, including a trip to the World Series in 1954.

He retired with 142 wins & 3.27 ERA.   Garcia pitched for the legendary 1954 Cleveland team that won 111 games but was swept by the Giants in the World Series.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

 

---

We remember Barbara Gibb (1920-2016)

Barbara Gibb was born on this day in 1920 and died in 2016.  She was 95 and remember her as the mom behind The Bee Gees and Andy Gibb.    She married Hugh Gibb during World War II and they had 5 children, the 4 pop singers and a daughter.    Barbara lived in Florida after her husband passed away in 1992. 

P.S.  You can to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

2011 post: Will Jackson & Sharpton call on stores to stop selling images of that racist named Che?

Fausta Wertz of Fausta's Blog alerted me to the latest article about Che Guevara, the leftist folk hero: Che's Secret Diary

It turns out that Che, the icon of so many in the left, had a bit of a "diversity" problem:

"Reading The African Dream, it's easy to understand Debray's conviction.  

Guevara casts serious doubts on the possibility of anything like world revolution. 

Everything went wrong, and the racial politics were hardly progressive.

The Congolese had decided that Guevara should not be viewed as the leader of the Cuban-Congolese forces, but rather as a Cuban "councilor," so it would not appear that a white man was giving them orders.

After discovering that so many of the African fighters were incompetent, Guevara took charge anyway, breeding bad blood.  He had ongoing problems, too, with his black Cubans acting superior to and contemptuous of the native Congolese.

As for igniting revolutionary fervor among people he believed would lie -- and lie preposterously -- at the least provocation, Guevara found it just impossible.

The beloved revolutionary icon sounds pretty much like an old-fashioned racist when it comes to evaluating his black brothers in arms."

Of course, this is not a shock to those of us who knew the real Che.   I don't mean to break your leftist heart but Che was not at all like the figure that we've seen idolized in movies or rallies.

Yes, it's true that a younger Che took a motorcycle trip through the continent.  So what?  At the end of the day, Che is a killer no  matter how much leftist movie makers want to present him as some romantic figure out to change the world!  

Furthermore, Che's ideas failed miserably in Cuba.  His revolution was a disaster in Bolivia.  Che only succeeds in the minds of the corrupt left or the many idiots who wear his T-shirts thinking that he is Jim Morrison of The Doors or some guy who played drums for The Grateful Dead.

We've discussed Che with Humberto Fontova, Carlos Eire and others on our show.  You can read The Babalu Blog for more "historically correct posts" about Che, a man who should be known as a criminal rather than some kind of revolutionary who fought for the common man.

Is Rev Sharpton going to organize a "rally" in front of one of those stores that sell "Che" shirts?  He should!  He should consult with Rev Jackson and demand that all of those stores stop promoting "racism" by selling Che T-shirts!

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

 

November 1982: We remember Lech Walesa

Today, we recall Lech Walesa, the man who became the face of freedom and anti-communism in 1980's Poland and who led the workers against the Polish state.  On this in 1982, he was released from jail.

Eventually, he was elected president of Poland.  

He was a hero, a freedom fighter and a man who challenged Soviet repression. 

It takes a lot of courage to stand up to communist oppression and these men and women did it many years ago. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

The late President Ford made history in 2006

On November 14, 2006, President Gerald R. Ford became the oldest former president in U.S. history.   At 93 years and 4 months, he overtook Ronald Reagan, who previously held this distinction.

He died a month later.    Well done Pres. Ford.

 P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

Is there really a summer place called "Temma Harbour"?

Mary Hopkin was one of the first recording stars who scored big hits on the Beatles' Apple label!

I remember "Temma Harbour".  It was a song about a summer paradise that sounded awfully good on that Apple Records 45 rpm single that I used to play.

This week, I was driving around Dallas and I heard that song again. 

It reminded me of a question that I never got an answer to: Is Temma Harbour a real place in the planet?  

Is there such a beautiful spot?  What place was Mary Hopkin singing about?

I don't know the answer but spending a weekend in Temma Harbour sounds great when our afternoon temperatures go over 100!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

November 2006: A word about Nathan Aguirre's funeral

Our community came together yesterday and said goodbye to Nathan Aguirre. 

As I wrote before, Nathan was a very popular young man who died in Iraq.

The church was full. The streets were full of school children and others. It was a wonderful sight.

Remember him on Memorial Day.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.

Memory Lane: Bob Gibson's brilliant 1968 season!

Imagine that you are a major league manager. 

Imagine that you can pick any pitcher to start game 7 of the World Series.

Who would you pick? My choice is Bob Gibson hands down. No one comes close.

Gibson won game 7 of the 1964 series against the Yankees. He followed that with another game 7 victory against Boston in 1967.

Gibson was the top dog in the great Cardinals teams of the late 1960s. He was surrounded by other great players like Orlando Cepeda (MVP '67) and Ken Boyer (MVP '64). In the outfield, he played with Lou Brock and Curt Flood. His catcher was Tim McCarver, the same one who worked the post-season with Fox Sports.

In 1968, Gibson pitched the Cardinals into the Series again but lost to Detroit. 

Nevertheless, the 1968 season was magical for Gibson:

1) He won 22 games, pitched 28 complete games and 13 shutouts.

His ERA was a super-human 1.12!

I did not make a typing mistake.

It was indeed 1.12 over over 304 innings.

2) In game 1 of the Series, Gibson struck out 17 Tigers.

I remember running home from school to catch the last few pitches of this game. I missed the game but caught the last few K's on the radio.

Gibson went on to win 251 games in his career with a 2.91 ERA. He also threw 56 shutouts!

Bob Gibson was the greatest pitcher of his time.

Gibson was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1981. He is one of all my time favorites because he threw strikes and wasn't afraid to throw inside once in a while.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

1938: The Nazis launched Kristallnacht

On this day in 1938, the Nazis launched Kristallnacht.   For a couple of days, windows of Jewish-owned establishments were smashed, killing 100 and destroying businesses, synagogues, homes, schools and graveyards.   It was one of the ugliest incidents of the 20th century.

Back in September 2010, we spoke with Max Glauben.  Max is a Holocaust survivor and related great stories about that terrible moment in world history.

Click here for the show..................

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

We remember John O'Donnell Rosales (1968-2014)

We remember the late John O'Donnell Rosales, President of The Sons of Spanish American War Veterans, Cuba Libre Camp #172.  

John died on this day in 2014.    It was a huge shock.   

We recorded several shows with John over the years.   He was always very informative and quite a fan of The Spanish American War 1898.....click to listen...........

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

1976: Jim Palmer won 3rd Cy Young in 4 years

On this day in 1976,  Jim Palmer won his 3rd Cy Young Award in 4 years.    He was just awesome during that stretch.

Palmer won 268 and was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

---

2016 like 1896? A new book by Karl Rove

Love or hate him, Karl Rove was born to analyze politics.   You can see him on Fox News and he writes a weekly column at The Wall Street Journal.

His new book is "The triumph of William McKinley" is about the election of 1896.   Rove believes that our politics today resembles that of 1896.

Let's read the book!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.