BABALU: (Lo que uno aprende en The NY Times): “Glimmers of Tolerance for Voices of Dissent”!

(My new Babalu post)   

According to The NY Times, change is happening in Cuba:  "Within Cuba’s Revolution, Glimmers of Tolerance for Voices of Dissent"     

"Glasnost it is not, say Cuban intellectuals and analysts. But glimpses of candor in the official news media and audacious criticism from people who, publicly at least, support the revolution suggest widening tolerance of a more frank, if circumscribed, discussion of the country’s problems.   
“There is more space for debate,” said Armando Chaguaceda, a Cuban political scientist and blogger who lives in Mexico. “People are more outspoken.”"

Dios mio!  How did I miss that one?

I am sure that these new "glimmers of tolerance" will come as a shock to "Las Damas en Blanco" and other dissidents in the island.

Perhaps they need to get a complimentary subscription to The NY Times to read about all of these "glimmers of tolerance".    

Of course, the "glimmers" do come with a few limitations, as you read further in the article:  

"There are still limits. While the government preaches frankness, it continues to crush opposition, and those who step over the fickle line between loyal criticism and dissent risk ostracism, loss of employment, harassment or jail.    

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, an independent group that tracks treatment of activists, said there were 761 short-term arrests of dissidents in November, one of the highest figures in the past two years.   

And in October, five independent journalists were detained for several days, according to Reporters Without Borders.   

“It’s ambiguous,” said Mr. Chaguaceda, the political scientist. “It depends who you are, how you say things, where you say them.”"

Maybe it depends on what the definition of  "glimmer" is!    It always does in Castro's Cuba!

In the meantime, "Las Damas" will march on Sunday and see no "glimmer" that the harassment and name calling have disappeared.

No "glimmering" for "Las Damas" this Sunday!   It's another repressive Sunday in Cuba for them!

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Cancel all talks with Cuba until Mr. Gross is released

(My new American Thinker post)

The Allan Gross story took a strange turn today. 

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson made the following statement:  

"Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson has admitted to Newsmax that he "screwed up" in his 2011 bid to free American Alan Gross, who has been held in a Cuban prison for four years.

He spoke to the press when it would have been better for him to keep quiet, he said on Newsmax TV's "Steve Malzberg Show."..."I screwed that one up," Richardson said.

"I thought we had a deal. I went in and talked to the Cubans. The Cubans were changing their policy at the last minute."

OK so Gov Richardson thought that we had a deal!

How about this deal?  

President Obama should cancel any pending talks, especially visits to Cuba by US businessmen or public officials. 

He should make it very clear that everything is on hold until Mr Gross is released unconditionally.  

We must make it very clear that there is a price for jailing US citizens for no reason at all.

P.S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Tags: Cuba and Dr Allan Gross  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

President Obama and Hispanics

(My new American Thinker post)

There is a very old Spanish phrase that goes like this:  "No hay mal que dure cien años."  My mother always mentions that  phrase when she is talking about the Castro dictatorship in Cuba.

It literally means "nothing bad lasts 100 years." Perhaps a better translation is that nothing lasts forever.    

Well, the Hispanic "blind love" for President Obama has apparently run its course.    

"Hispanos" have finally opened their eyes and realized that they were used cynically by a Democrat party that talks a good game but never solves any of their concerns.  

The Spanish word for that is "charlatanes."  (I probably don't have to translate that one)   

We got a poll today that Hispanic support is down:  

"Hispanics are the most disappointed by President Barack Obama, according to a new Gallup Poll.   

While the president's job approval rating dropped 12 percent among the general population over the last year, declining from 53 percent last December to 41 percent in November, it plunged twice as much among Latinos.   

Obama's approval rating dropped 23 points among Latinos, from 75 percent in December, 2012 to 52 percent in November.   

Latinos played a critical role in the president's re-election, with 71 percent of the community's voters casting their ballots for him.   

The report on the poll results noted that the waning support for Obama among Latinos may spell trouble for Democrats running for office in 2014."   

I think that the Democrats' biggest challenge in 2014 will be to get Hispanics out to vote.  The Obama team did not make that mistake in 2012.  

The GOP can take advantage of this "desencanto" by following this strategy:  

1) Keep talking about jobs and economic growth;  

2) Talk about taxes and regulations because a lot of Hispanics are small business owners;  

3) Pass a very limited version of The Dream Act for young people in high school or college.  What's the point of punishing young people who were brought here by their parents?  Attach this to a tough border security bill and prosecute employers who hire workers without papers.  By the way, the "missing truck incident" reminded us that a truck could indeed driver over the border;   

4) Keep reminding young Hispanics that they will paying for ObamaCAre. President Obama never mentioned that at the "si se puede" rally or the annual "5 de Mayo" speech;  

5) Support life and traditional marriage; and,  

6) Talk more about commerce with Latin America.  Many of the beneficiaries are Hispanic business in the US.    The Obama administration's indifference toward Latin America has hurt the US economy and allowed China, and worse Iran, to walk in without consequences.  

Please note that I did not say a word about "a path to citizenship" or amnesty.   At the same time, the "hateful" rhetoric turns off people, including me and I've voted GOP all of my life.  In other words, it's hard for me to get angry with  25-year olds fixing my roof because the federal government will not go after the employers who hired them!  

The Spanish reaction to this poll is simple:   "Ya es hora" or it's about time. 

Let's hope that the GOP can see the hole and rush for a first down!     

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Tags: President Obama and Hispanics  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!