October 2007: A chat with Claudia about Cuba

On Columbus Day 2007, we chatted with Claudia about her blog and thoughts on Cuba. As you can see in her blog profile, Claudia is Italian-American, teaches Spanish and has developed a genuine interest in Cuba.

Please add Claudia's blog to your reading list and enjoy her comments. Click here for the show!

December 2007: Free trade and the Democrats

A post from December 2007

Have you seen a Democrats' 2008 debate lately? It's all NAFTA and free trade bashing.

Wasn't it President Clinton who signed NAFTA?  And about China?

The Democrats have apparently forgotten that it was Pres. Clinton who signed the executive order giving China the preferred nation status:

"Yesterday the American people won a tremendous victory as a majority of the House of Representatives joined me in adopting our plan to revitalize America's economic future.

Today Members of Congress have joined me to announce a new chapter in United States policy toward China.

China occupies an important place in our Nation's foreign policy. It is the world's most populous state, its fastest growing major economy, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Its future will do much to shape the future…”

I am a free trade guy. I supported Pres. Clinton on free trade. It was one of the better things that came out of his inconsequential presidency. 

 However, today's Democrats are engaging in pathetic demagoguery bashing NAFTA and free trade in general. 

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

December 2007: Whatever happened to the war in Iraq?

A post from December 2007:

Yesterday, the debate moderator at the Republican debate did not ask a single question about Iraq, the surge or anything directly related. In fact, Iraq came into the conversation indirectly when candidates where talking about future threats to the US.

Whatever happened to Iraq? Why aren't we getting, at least, the same number of stories about Abu Garib as we are US soldiers destroying Al Qaeda?

The answer is that too many in the media, and specially Democrats, bet on the wrong horse in Iraq.

Check this out from Strategy Page:

"As al Qaeda suffered greater and greater losses in Iraq, recruiting became a serious problem.

In desperation, leaders were ordered to recruit whoever they could. This meant more women and more teenage males.

Normally, al Qaeda does not like to employ adolescents.

They are too inexperienced and unreliable.

That combination gets everyone in trouble, and adult al Qaeda do not like to work with kids.

But earlier this year, al Qaeda found that fewer and fewer adults were willing to join up.

This was largely due to U.S. troops capturing several key al Qaeda leaders, and lots of membership records.

Too many al Qaeda members were being arrested or killed, and recruiting became very difficult.

So kids were hired for a lot of simple jobs, like placing roadside bombs, or guard duty.

Turned out that these kids were more likely to run away, or just surrender, if confronted with Iraqi or American troops.

As a result of that, nearly half the al Qaeda under arrest (950 of 2,000) are under 18. Only about eight percent of the terrorists held by U.S. forces are al Qaeda.

The rest belong to various Iraqi militias or terror groups (most of them Sunni Arab.) Al Qaeda is the most hated terror group, because of the heavy use of large suicide bombs against civilians. And with this recruitment of children, who are easy to interrogate, and convert to government supporters, the government now knows more about what the terrorist organization is up to."

Wow! So much for the theory that the invasion of Iraq was a gift to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda! It'd be nice to do a poll in the region and check out Obama's approval ratings! Wonder if he has better ratings than the Pelosi-Reid Congress?

Again, we congratulate US troops for the incredible work in Iraq. We salute Gen. Petraeus for his leadership. 

Of course, we recognize President Bush for doing the right thing rather than reading polls!

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Let's chat with Alina Garcia-Lapuerta, author of "La Belle Creole"

Guest:   Fausta Rodriguez-Wertz, editor of Fausta's Blog, joins me for a chat with Alina Garcia-Lapuerta, author of "La Belle Creole".

Click to listen:

2007: Congratulations to Rusty Greer!

Ten years ago, the Rangers remembered Rusty Greer, one of my all time favorite baseball players! 

Between 1996 and 2000, Rusty was one of the key parts of the Rangers' division winners. It's true that Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez won 3 MVP's but Greer was a key component of those title teams.

It's great to see a great guy (and player) get so much attention.  We love Rusty Greer!

 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.

August 2007: Bonds passed Aaron but did the fans accept it?

Back in August 2007, baseball fans saw a lot of history.

Barry Bonds tied hank Aaron.  He passed Aaron the next night. 

Will the fans accept the new record?   Probably not. 

Yet, you can not dispute what Bonds has done:

"The Giants slugger has won 7 MVP awards, a major league record. He has the 5th highest career slugging percentage in baseball history, and the 6th highest career on base percentage. For the combination of the two, the SLOB or OPS, Bonds rank 4th for his career. Bonds has the 3rd lowest number of at bats per home run in baseball history." (Is Barry Bonds Baseball's Greatest Slugger? by Richard Baehr)

It's a shame about the steroids controversy. 

It's a bigger shame that Hank Aaron's record was broken by someone with such a controversial story.   

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.

2007: Cal Ripken, Hall of Fame

Back in 2007, we watched Cal Ripken get officially inducted into The Hall Of Fame.

My first memory of Cal Ripken goes back to 1981.    It was the crazy strike season and I caught a game on TV with Ripken at shortstop.   

In 1982, he was the regular third baseman and hit a home run on opening day.  By mid-season, Cal was playing shortstop and the rest is history:  MVP in '83 and the O's won the World Series.  Then came the another MVP in '91 and the "streak" that went on until 1998.

Unfortunately, Ripken played in bad Oriole teams.  Yet, he was out there every day playing and putting some good numbers, such as 431 Hrs and over 3100 hits.

We remember a great guy who clearly belongs in the Hall of Fame.

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.

July 2007: The investors loved President Bush!

A post from July 2007:

Yesterday, the stock market hit 14,000! It is a new record high! Obviously, someone likes what President Bush is doing:

"In just the past year alone, the Dow has gained a remarkable 30 percent. Meanwhile, Europe and Asia are up about 30 percent, Japan 23 percent, and emerging markets more than 60 percent. Clearly, the world is voting -- with real money -- for the American system of free-market capitalism. And it's my strong suspicion that the majority of the global investing community supports the Iraq War and a steadfast U.S. commitment to stop terrorism. They seem to know that if the United States doesn't do it, no one else will." (A Stock Market Vote of Confidence for BushBy Lawrence Kudlow)

So cheer up. The economy is doing well.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: A word about the young people who are wearing the uniform

A post from July 2007:

In past blogs, I have written about the courage, commitment and sacrifice of US troops. For a long time, US troops have freed more people than any author, writer, poet, singer, "Hollywoodie", journalist, college professor or pacifist.

From France '44 to Iraq, US troops have liberated more people than any other military force in history.

Bottom line: US troops are liberators!

I see this in my neighborhood. I know two young men who went into the military because they wanted to serve their country. They had other options but they chose to serve their country during war. Our own #3 son is considering a military career.

Let's salute the troops!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: The majority that can't do anything!

A post from July 2007:

Have you ever seen anything like this? The Democrats won the mid-term elections and declared a mandate to change everything.

Today, they are facing a huge backlash from the country.

Why? Because they have not done anything.

Back in '95, the new Republican majority passed a bunch of new laws and made a difference. The current Dems have not done that!

Divided government is actually good. It forces compromise. It usually results in better government.

In this case, divided government has not worked. My guess is that the Democrats have another 6 months to change the public perception. Otherwise, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will be electoral liabilities to the party's nominee in 2008!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: Soccer gives the Iraqis something to smile about

A post from July 2007:

During Saddam's reign, Iraq was a police state. There were mass graves, unspeakable repression and unbelievable brutality.

Since Saddam fell, Iraqis have voted three times and put up with daily terrorist attacks.

Yesterday, Iraqi had a chance to smile and cheer for something. The soccer team won and everyone was thrilled.

Iraq has so much potential. It has oil and a wonderful people. Let's hope that this is the beginning of something new.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: What's going on at NASA?

A post from July 2007:

For years, many of us admired NASA for its astronauts and incredible achievements. Unfortunately, NASA has been hit by some very bad news, from a woman chasing another woman to drinking on the job.

Of course, it represents a few people. Most NASA employees are first rate professionals. Sadly, they have given NASA a black eye!

Clean up the bad apples and reach for the stars!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: Could it be that we are actually winning?

As usual, I checked the Internet early this morning for some overnight stories. I was very happy to read A War We Just Might Win By MICHAEL E. O’HANLON and KENNETH M. POLLACK:

"Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms.

As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with."

Not bad. Could it be that we are winning and so many Democrats can't stand it?

In the end, O'Hallon and Pollack urge Congress to keep it going until 2008.

Put me down as one of those who thinks that we've turned the corner in Iraq. It won't be easy sailing but we are navigating down the right path.

At the end of the day, good news is good for the US and Middle East stability. Unfortunately, good news is bad news for the party of Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan!

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.

July 2007: Gracias, Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan

A post from July 2007

We started this month with a post about Mexican politicians blaming the US for their problems. 

Today, we say "thank you" to Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's ambassador to the United States, for telling the truth:

""It's very hard for Mexico to preach to the north what it does not do to the south," Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said in a meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times, referring to Mexico's felony penalties for, and sometimes cruel treatment of, those caught crossing its southern border.

"Unless we correct the fundamental challenge of the violation of human rights of Latin American or Central American migrants crossing the border into Mexico, it's very hard for me to come up and wag a finger and say you guys should protect the rights of my citizens in this country," he said, adding that changes to the Mexican law are now pending.

Mr. Sarukhan, who presented his credentials as ambassador to President Bush in February, said his government is taking a new tack since the December inauguration of President Felipe Calderon, who has toned down the public relations push for an immigration bill in the United States and is instead trying to build infrastructure, combat corruption and create jobs to keep workers at home." (Mexican envoy hits own policies)

It's about time. It's refreshing to see Mexican officials publicly admitting what they know privately.

Last year, Banco de Mexico's chief came to Dallas and delivered a similar message.

Why is this happening? I think that Pres. Calderon understands that Mexico must change rather than export people to the US. This is a good start. It's good to see that Mexico is addressing its structural problems. You can not improve yourself until you admit that you have a problem.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: We are fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq!

A post from July 2007

What is the Democrats' message: Fight Al Qaeda everywhere except Iraq!

Here is the bottom line: We are fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq:

"In a global struggle against Islamic extremism, it is an incontestably welcome development that ordinary Sunnis in the Arab heartland are spurning al-Qaida. The extremist group has been on a campaign of savagery in Iraq that has discredited its own cause. The grassroots revolt against it means that it is within our reach to deny al-Qaida its most important current geopolitical objective, which is plunging Iraq into a bloody chaos in which it can thrive." (The Fight Against al-Qaida in Iraq By Rich Lowry)

At some point, we have to get our heads out of the partisan hole and see the big picture. How would an Al Qaeda victory in Iraq help out the next Democrat president?

July 2007: I was a guest on The Will and Nikki Show

Back in July 2007, I was on The Will and Nikki Show to talk about Hispanics and the political parties:

July 2007: The Democrats should listen to George McGovern!

A post from July 2007:

The Democrat Party changed in 1972. It nominated George McGovern and the party moved to the left.

To be fair, McGovern was a good man and a World War II hero. However, he was misguided about Vietnam and paid the electoral price by losing 49 states, including his own state of South Dakota.

What advice is McGovern giving today's Democrats:

"He is 84 now, is as opposed to the Iraq war as he was to the one in Vietnam -- and is paying close attention to the race for president.
"I'm not sure that an anti-war Democrat can win," McGovern said in an interview. "We haven't proved that yet."
"Some people point to the fact that the war in Vietnam was dreadfully unpopular," he said, "but that when I came out for an immediate withdrawal, it helped me win the nomination but not the general election. And there may be some truth about that." (McGovern: Not sure anti-war Dem can win)

McGovern is right. The Democrats are going to far to the left.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: The House vote is all about giving the angry left something to chew on!

A post from July 2007:

Last night, the House voted 223-201 to set a timetable for bringing troops home. It was along party lines but 10 Democrats voted with Republicans!

Speaking of Republicans, they stuck together which should settle some concerns about the party breaking with Pres. Bush. 

Where are we? This vote won't please the angry left.

First, this is setting a timetable. The angry left wants immediate withdrawal. They don't care about consequences because they are obsessed with "getting Bush".

Secondly, Pres. Bush will veto this proposal and the House needs 67% to override the veto.

Third, the US Senate has to vote. The Democrats do not have the vote in the US Senate either!

So, where are we? Nowhere! We are back to the stalemate, i.e. giving the base something to chew on because the Dems do not have the courage to cut the funding and assume any responsibility!

P.S. By the way, our troops continue to do fine work in Iraq. We are making huge gains against Al Qaeda. Of course, who cares about beating Al Qaeda in Iraq! The Dems want to fight Al Qaeda everywhere except where they are, which is Iraq!

July 2007: Rudy is OK!

A post from 2007:

My money is on Rudy!

My liberal friends are betting that Rudy Giuliani will not get nominated. They claim that he is too liberal for the conservative party!

I disagree.

Indeed, Giuliani is not a 100% conservative on social issues. However, it does not matter in a post 9-11 world.

Why are liberals betting that Giuliani will not win? The answer is that they fear Rudy-G a lot

Giuliani will force Democrats to defend New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At the same time, a Giuliani-Huckabee or Giuliani-Thompson ticket would do very well in the South.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

July 2007: Why does Michael Moore love Cuba's health care?

A post from July 2007:

Michael Moore loves Cuba's health care for these reasons:

1) There are no conservative talk show hosts in the island. No Rush Limbaugh in Cuba!

2) Abortion is legal.

3) Cuba has socialized medicine.

Who cares about freedom in Cuba? They have abortion on demand paid for by the state.

As for Cuba's hospitals, they are a disaster but they are free!

Michael Moore is another example of a crazy liberal who has a horrible case of hating the US!

You are not fooling me, Michael!

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Watching “John Adams”

A few years ago, I purchased the John Adams HBO series and watched the whole thing over a rainy weekend. It’s amazing what you can do during a long “rain delay” theater.  

As a naturalized U.S. citizen, I’ve always had a passion for everything about U.S. history. 

I think that the U.S. is the greatest nation in history. 

It has done more good for mankind than anyone else. 

Its sons have liberated millions, an important point to remember this weekend.

The U.S. economy has brought boundless prosperity to more people than anything else.

This great nation opened its arms to our family and gave us a chance at a new life. 

It has given me so much. Therefore, I don’t stand quietly when people take “cheap shots” at the U.S.    

Let me recommend that you revisit the  John Adams series. It will cost you seven hours but the dividends will be tremendous.

The main character is John Adams, our first VP and second president.

The series covers the Declaration of Independence (a great segment), his diplomatic trip to Europe, his service as VP, President, and the retirement years when he reconciled with Thomas Jefferson.

You cannot understand John Adams without understanding his amazing wife, Abigail. During their long and very happy marriage, Abigail and John wrote an amazing number of letters. The “letters” have given historians so much background about the events and passion of that period. They tell the story of a man and a woman living in the early days of a new nation.

Here is a historical gem:  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two of the key players for independence. They died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, or the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 

Watch it and reignite your love for the U.S. It may be wise for all of those who want to bring down statues to catch the series, too.

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

"John Adams"... https://t.co/QU3J9Lyg0i via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) May 28, 2018

2016: The Battle of Waterloo with Barry Jacobsen

 

Another anniversary of The Battle of Waterloo with Barry Jacobsen..........https://t.co/E2RLEozC54

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) April 11, 2016

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

1993: The Bee Gees & Blue Island

Back in 1993, The Bee Gees released "Size isn't everything".

Time flies and it's hard to believe that so many years have flown by.

"Blue Island" is a beautiful song recorded in an acoustic style.  We understand that the song was dedicated to the children of Yugoslavia.  By the way, I love The Bee Gees when they do their acoustic medleys.

Click for the song.

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

April 2008: Rockies vs Padres in 22 innings!

On this day in 2008, they played 22 innings and the Rockies beat the Padres, 2-1. 

This is like playing one game and a second game with extra innings.  It was the longest Major League game since August 31, 1993.

The box score shows that Willie Taveras was 3 for 10.....everybody else did not do much for their batting average. (Todd Helton was 1 for 9!)

The pitching was great. Peavy threw 8 scoreless innings. The bullpens were almost perfect for both teams.

Moral of the story: You can't run out the clock in baseball or do penalty kicks like soccer. You have to make the last out! In this case, it was not 27 but 66 outs!

We remember Rep. Henry Hyde (1924-2007)

We remember former Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, who was born on this day in 1924.  He died in 2007.

He was one of my favorite members of Congress.

Most people remember Rep. Hyde because of the Clinton impeachment proceedings. Yet, I recall his work against abortion and wonderful command of the English language.

We miss Rep. Hyde!

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.

I love the "doo wop" chapter of rock music!

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

In the 1970's, I took an interest in the "doo wop" chapter of rock music.  It happened because of the American Graffiti soundtrack and a "Sha Na Na" concert that I attended with friends!

I fell in love with the songs and the harmonies.   (It was also the music that some of our parents danced to in the late 1950s!)

"Doo wop" was a great period in the history of rock music.  The format was great songs, super singers, spectacular harmonies and the kind of music that every girl wanted to dance to!  

What more do you need?

A post from 2007 about the shooting at Virginia Tech

A post from 2007:

On Monday morning, many law abiding students in Virginia left their guns in the car. They did not want to violate Virginia Tech's "gun free zone" law.  Unfortunately, a young man named Cho violated the law and entered the school. At the end of the ordeal, 30-plus people, mostly young people, were dead.

What would have stopped Cho? An armed law abiding citizen with an opportunity to defend himself.

Guns protect people, too! This is why I support our right to carry a gun and defend ourselves against the anarchy after Katrina and the mad man who walks into a school.

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.

April 15, 2007: MLB started the tradition of wearing # 42 for Jackie Robinson

Back in 2007, MLB celebrated the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson starting for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  

The Padres played the Dodgers on ESPN.   It was a special night.  Every Dodger was wearing # 42.  They've been wearing # 42 every April 15th since to remember Robinson.

During the game, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan spoke with Mrs. Robinson. She looked great and as upbeat as ever.

Of course, we forget that Jackie died young.  I was reminded of this by watching an old video from the '72 World Series (his last public appearance) and reading Taking a Bat to Prejudice By George Will:

"By 1956, Robinson's last season, he had lost his second-base position to Jim Gilliam, a black man. Robinson died of diabetes-related illnesses in 1972, at 53, the same age Babe Ruth was when he died. Ruth reshaped baseball; Robinson's life still reverberates through all of American life. As Martin Luther King Jr., who was 18 in 1947, was to say, Robinson was "a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides."

 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.

We remember Willie Davis (1940-2010)

We remember Wille Davis, who was born in Arkansas on this day in 1940.    He died in 2010.

He played most of his career with the LA Dodgers, including trips to the World Series in 1963, 1965 and 1966.      His career numbers were really rather impressive:  .279 average, 2,561 hits, 1,217 runs scored, 396 doubles and 1,053 RBI.

Davis holds a lot of LA Dodgers records:  career hits (2091), runs (1004), triples (110), at bats (7495), total bases (3094) and extra base hits (585).

And he had a 31-game hit streak in 1969, also tops in LA Dodgers history.

Davis was a magnificent outfielder as well and huge fan favorite.

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

---

"Where have all the flowers gone", a gem by The Kingston Trio

Once in a while, we drop the politics and go musical.  Today, I will tell you about one of my very favorite songs.  This is a folk classic written by Pete Seeger and performed by The Kingston Trio:

This song has been recorded by just about everyone. It was also one of the first tunes that I tried playing on the guitar. The big hit version belongs to The Kingston Trio but Peter Paul & Mary also had a very nice arrangement of it.

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

April 2007: Mother Nature, April snow and the global warming zealots

A post from April 2007:

A few days ago, the UN released another one of those "end of the world" reports regarding global warming.

I guess that's a little tough to think of global warming these days.

On Saturday night, the Rangers played the Bosox and it was 36 degrees. I don't recall cold temperatures like that at any outdoors sporting event since the infamous snow in Thanksgiving '93 and the Cowboys-Dolphins game!

In fact, I don't recall such a cold day for baseball since I watched a Brewers-White Sox game in April 1970. Back then, my dad, brother, a friend and I went to watch Luis Aparicio at the old County Stadium and froze to death.

So what's going on?  We are having a freaky Easter, at least as far as the temperatures are concerned.

What else is going on? There is a little too much hype about global warming. Al Gore and his pals need to sit back and enjoy the April snow!

Is it time to panic? Not at all.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).