Friday, February 28, 2014

I guess that Putin didn't care for 'the reset'

(My American Thinker post)
A Russian warship in Cuba?  We have not seen that for 20 years or since the collapse of the USSR.

 What is a Russian warship doing in Havana harbor?

 The answer is simple:  Putin, and much of the world, see the US in decline.  They see President Obama as weak.

 We hear that Russia is going a lot farther, as reported in Fausta's Bog:  
"Russia is planning to expand its permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday.  
Shoigu said the list includes Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries. 
“The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow."
As any young recruit will tell you, there is very little military value to a Russian base in Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua.   They are not a military threat to the US.  We could take out those bases quickly in any war.

 The real value is psychological, or further indication that Russia is challenging The Monroe Doctrine and getting away with it.

 The "yes we can screamers" will go out of their way to tell us that the US has no right to keep Russia from opening bases wherever they choose to do so.  

 The rest of us, as well as much of the world, will see it as US weakness or another indication that President Obama has abdicated as my good friend Barry Casselman wrote yesterday:
"It is now becoming very clear that the true legacy of President Barack Obama’s terms in the White House
might not be his disastrous “Obamacare” legislation that was costumed as reform. Instead, Mr Obama might
be remembered as the first modern president to abdicate. That is, to abdicate the role of the United States in the world.

The latest announcement that Secretary  of Defense Chuck Hagel proposes to cut back the U.S. military to
pre-World War II levels is only the latest evidence in a relentless pattern of the Obama government to
change our relationships of world alliances, withdraw from world conflicts, and ignore global security threats."
Last, but not least, I hope that someone in the media will ask Secretary Clinton about the status of "the reset.."   Of course, we hear that Secretary Clinton does not take a lot of questions from the media.  She is doing her "kids tour" with the help of Univision!

 P. S. You can my chat with military historian Barry Jacobsen here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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Wendy Davis getting a lot of money from outside of Texas

(My new American Thinker post)
The latest poll about the Texas' governor race has AG Abbott up by 11 over State Senator Wendy Davis, according to Politico:
"Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott leads Democrat Wendy Davis by 11 points, according to a new poll Monday. 
Forty-seven percent of voters said they back Abbott, while 36 percent would vote for Davis, aUniversity of Texas/Texas Tribune poll found. Seventeen percent of registered voters said they had no opinion.  

 The new poll represents a widening gap between Abbott and Davis. In October, the survey found Abbott leading Davis by just 6 percent."

 The lead is not a shock, specially given Senator Davis' problems and personal story "contradictions".

 The other big story is that Senator Davis is getting a lot of money from outside of Texas, as reported by Wayne Slater of The Dallas Morning News:
"Underscoring the national dimension of the race, 27 percent of Davis’ total in the latest report came from outside Texas, compared with 2 percent of Abbott’s total."
This is why Senator Davis is trailing in the polls and very likely to lose in November.  She is popular but not in Texas.

 Slater's aforementioned "money source" story confirms what I suspected last summer.  I said last July that Senator Davis's "abortion show" had a lot to do with piling up the kind of money that it would take to run against a well financed GOP candidate.   She knew that the money would have to come from the big "abortion backer" pockets outside of Texas. She got the money but still trails in the polls days before the primary.

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Another judge decides to legislate from the bench

(My new American Thinker post)
To paraphrase The Beatles, we "read the news today of boy" about another judge who wants to change what the voters of Texas decided years ago.  We saw similar decisions in Virginia and other states.  The "gay marriage" movement is "judge shopping" and showing no respect for the voters.  

 This is from The Dallas Morning News:
"A federal judge in San Antonio ruled Wednesday that Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutionally deprives some citizens of due process and equal protection under the law by stigmatizing their relationships and treating them differently from opposite-sex couples.  U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia cited recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings as having trumped Texas’ moves to ban gay marriage. “Today’s court decision is not made in defiance of the great people of Texas or the Texas Legislature, but in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent,” he said in his order. “Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our U.S. Constitution.”  But Garcia’s ruling, while a major victory for groups seeking to make marriage legal for gay and lesbian couples nationwide, will not win them Texas marriage licenses anytime soon."
Texas AG Abbott, who is running for governor and the very likely GOP nominee, said that he will appeal.

 Judge Garcia should take off his robe and get in the political arena if he believes that the voters got it wrong.  He is entitled to his opinion about the definition of marriage but not to create one from the bench.

 Same sex marriage will have a lot more legitimacy if voters, not Judge Garcia, make it happen.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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Cubans are following the Venezuela story very closely

Have you spoken with your Cuban parents or good friends about Venezuela?  

 The scenes from Caracas, and other cities, are hitting Cubans in the US very hard.  We feel the agony and pain of all of those demonstrators and people in the streets.  We ourselves in the faces of those men and women down there.

 Speaking of Venezuela, Fausta has a great article today: "Venezuela Don't you get weary" Venezuela: “Don’t you get weary!”
Fausta reminds us that Venezuela is at crossroads:

 "Today there’s a women’s demonstration taking place. Tomorrow the Organization of American States will be meeting on Venezuela – I doubt they will denounce the regime’s abuses. Jimmy Carter wants to go to Venezuela, Next week Carnival celebrations are scheduled but the opposition has already said no to the Carnival.
Venezuela’s regime has no ace-in-the-hole monetary allies; there are signs that some of the military may side with the protestors. Yet, things will have to get a lot worse before they get better.
Venezuela’s opposition, in order to be effective, must continue its struggle. Their motto, so far, is “He who tires, loses.” As Jay Nordlinger said,
The Castros and the Chávezes and the Maduros and their apologists never tire — ever. Their opponents must not either, if they can possibly help it.
Click here for Wednesday's show with Fausta Wertz and Victor Triay:
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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

AG Holder's incredible statement about same sex marriage bans

(My new American Thinker post)
The Obama administration continues to go around the legislature or voters.  The latest example is AG Holder's statement about same sex marriage bans, as reported by The New York Times:   
It is highly unusual for the United States attorney general to advise his state counterparts on how and when to refuse to defend state laws. But Mr. Holder said when laws touch on core constitutional issues like equal protection, an attorney general should apply the highest level of scrutiny before reaching a decision on whether to defend it. He said the decision should never be political or based on policy objections.
“Engaging in that process and making that determination is something that’s appropriate for an attorney general to do,” Mr. Holder said.
The Obama administration needs to go the distance and make the case for a constitutional amendment for same sex marriage.  They should call on Democrats running in 2014 to adopt such a platform in the upcoming mid-term election.

 We should not get same sex marriage by refusing to enforce current laws.  It will divide the country.  It will also deny "same sex marriage" the legitimacy that comes from the ballot box.

 What if the Bush administration had told state AG's not to enforce federal abortion laws?  My guess is that Mr Holder and most Democrats would be up in arms.  They would say that laws have to be enforced until they are changed, or reversed in the case of Roe v Wade.

 Let's do "same sex marriage" the right way by following the US Constitution and the amendment process.

 Don't get me wrong.  I do not support same sex marriage.  However, I'd be willing to accept its existence if it happened the constitutional way not because the US Attorney General tells his state counterparts to enforce the laws they like and not the ones that they don't like.

 Someone needs to tell the Obama administration that the US is the longest running democracy in the planet.  This is a matter of great pride for millions of Americans who know their history and how exceptional the US is in the world's timeline.

 The Obama administration should stop behaving like we live in "a banana republic."  It insults naturalized citizens like me, and my parents, who have personal experience with "lawlessness" and "government by executive decree" in Cuba.

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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Texas politics PLUS an update from Venezuela




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AG Abbott's candidacy is going well


AG Abbott looks in good shape for the upcoming primary and general election for governor of Texas.    

 He will win the primary next week and has a good lead against Democrat Senator Davis in the latest polls.  Abbott leads Davis by 11 points.

 Abbott had to distance himself from Ted Nuget's comment but the impact was minimal.   I hope that the Abbott learned a lesson that they should keep their candidate from controversial speakers or visitors.

 Abbott should win because he has a good public record, a lousy opponent and a landscape that should favor the GOP in 2014.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Is this really a good time to cut back our military?

(My new American Thinker post)

 According to news reports, the US military will be cut dramatically:  

 "Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has proposed shrinking the Army to its smallest size in 74 years through a series of base closures and troops cuts, and by completely eliminating several Air Force aircraft fleets.    
The move comes as the U.S. Army moves into the final phases of a massive troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and Congress raises new red flags about American deficit spending.    
Hagel surprised some observers on Monday when he outlined a global military philosophy that removed America from the center of its universe.   
'The development and proliferation of more advanced military technology of other nations - it means that we are entering an era where American dominance on the seas, in the skies, and space can no longer be taken for granted,' Hagel said.    
'As a consequence of large budget cuts, our future force will assume additional risks in some areas,' he added.    
That sets the table for a coming congressional battle over what to keep and what to toss out."   

 To be fair, we need to reevaluate our military from time to time.  We need to understand that future wars are more likely to look like Afghanistan or targeted missions against terrorist cells than D-Day or the Tokyo bombing raids.

However, I oppose these cuts because they will confirm that the US is in retreat. 

This is the wrong message when we have China rising and sending its warships around.   

It is also the wrong message for President Putin, North Korea, Iran and other enemies of the US, as my friend Bill Katz posted today.

Question:  What happened 74 years ago when we had this size of a military?  It was 1940 and we should remember what happened after that.  We had to rush to build our forces because we weren't ready for world challenges!

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The Rangers did the right thing in extending Washington to 2015


The Rangers settled a big pending issue by giving Washington an extension, as reported by T R Sullivan:

 "General manager Jon Daniels said there was never any question in his mind about Ron Washington being the Rangers manager beyond 2014. Now the Rangers have backed that belief with the symbolic gesture of a contract extension.
The Rangers announced Monday that Washington has been given a one-year contract extension through 2015. Washington's contract was set to expire after this upcoming season but Daniels was ready to continue what he calls a "partnership" that is entering its eighth season.
"We feel as strongly as we ever have about Wash and we expect that to continue for a long time," Daniels said at a late-afternoon press conference Monday. "He's a big part of who we are and what we are all about and is everything you would want in a leader."
Washington has been the Rangers manager since 2007 with a record of 611-524 and a winning percentage of .538. It's the most wins and highest winning percentage of any Rangers manager in history. It is also the fourth-most wins by a Major League manager since 2007.
Under Washington's leadership, the Rangers went to the World Series in 2010 for the first time in club history before losing to the Giants in five games. They repeated again in 2011 but lost to the Cardinals in seven games."
This is a good move because Washington has earned it.  He's the most successful manager in team history.
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Monday, February 24, 2014

I guess that # 45 will have to tackle entitlement reform

(My new American Thinker post)
Let's add another campaign promise to the "no he won't" category.  I can't wait for hear how the "yes we can" screamers will spin this broken promise. 

Do you remember this one from 2007-08, or the "yes we can" days? 

 On July 3, 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama said this:   
The problem is, is that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents - #43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back - $30,000 for every man, woman and child. That's irresponsible. It's unpatriotic."
We understand that President Obama's budget will avoid any tough decisions and kick the can forward, as The Washington Post correctly points out:
"With his party facing a battle to hold its Senate majority in November, Mr. Obama has apparently concluded that the expedient course is to bash Republicans rather than to resist bad policy ideas emanating from his own camp. In so doing, he has abdicated what little leadership on entitlement reform he had shown, making it much more likely that the problem will be left for his successor - contrary to Mr. Obama's repeated assurances, both as a candidate in 2008 and as president."
So I guess that # 45 will have to tackle the problem that # 44 just doesn't want to deal with.   

 We understand politics, and specially helping his party overcome the Obama Care avalanche in November.  However, President Obama's unwillingness to get serious with our structural budget problems is very irresponsible.

 So much for "we are the ones that we've been waiting for"!

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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Mexico should put 'El Chapo' in a plane and send him to the US

(My new American Thinker post)

 My friend Alfredo Corchado of The Dallas Morning News has a detailed account of "El Chapo's" capture in a Mexican resort. 

 It is clear, as Alfredo reports today, that this was a US-Mexican cooperation:
"The operation that led to the capture of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was an unusual joint effort carried out by Mexican and U.S. law enforcement officials who were down to the wire in a manhunt for the world's most-wanted drug capo, according to a top U.S. law enforcement official. 

Guzmán, head of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, and an associate were captured at 6:40 a.m. Saturday in a modest yellow and white beachfront hotel in the Pacific Coast resort city of Mazatlán. No shots were fired.  

The weeks-long operation that led to his capture involved agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security 
Department, as well as U.S. marshals.  

The top U.S. law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Americans were given less than a month to work closely and on the ground with the Mexican navy to capture the longtime fugitive, whose empire stretched from the streets here in Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso, throughout North America and to Europe, West Africa, Asia and Australia. 

"The Mexican government gave us a set time, and we were right down to the wire - in fact, down to the last day," said the U.S. official. "This couldn't have been more dramatic, but the arrest was a credit to our long working relationship with Mexican marines, who led the operation." 

In Mexico City, President Enrique Peña Nieto confirmed the capture via his Twitter account, and Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karám lauded the work of Mexican authorities, particularly marine commandos. He credited U.S. intelligence for assisting but did not elaborate. 

Asked whether U.S. law enforcement officials had assisted on the ground in Mazatlán, a Mexican official said only, "This was a Mexican operation."  

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, whose Department of Justice had placed a $5 million bounty on Guzmán's head, called the capture a "landmark achievement, and a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States." He said the U.S. government "salutes the government of Mexico, and the professionalism and courage of the Mexican authorities, for this arrest." 

Guzmán's arrest, which captivated Mexicans in Ciudad Juárez and throughout the country, was likened to the killing of Osama bin Laden. "El Chapo Captured!" screamed the headline of an afternoon newspaper in Ciudad Juárez."
Again, both governments, as well as all of those agents on both sides, deserve a lot of credit for a successful capture.

What happens next?

Mexico has to put him on trial and convict "El Chapo."  This is going to take time and it will be very dangerous for public officials who work in the prosecution.  The cartels are going to get very aggressive and target public officials all over Mexico.

This is why Mexico needs to send him to the US and get "El Chapo" out of  their jail as soon as possible.  

I spoke with a Mexican friend on Sunday who confirmed that there are fears south of the border that "El Chapo's" jail will be a target for a terrorist attack or that he may escape.

Again, send him north and let US authorities hold him.  He will not escape here.

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

Team Canada was the best on the ice.  Their defense was outstanding, as reported on NHL.com:

 "Canada allowed three goals on 129 shots in six Olympic games, a team save percentage of .977, and allowed none in its final 164:19 of play.
It was a defensive Picasso.
Carey Price was named the top goaltender of the tournament by the International Ice Hockey Federation directorate, but he didn't think he was particularly deserving of it."
At the end of the day, no one could score on Team Canada and that is why they won!
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Sunday, February 23, 2014

A huge victory for Mexico's anti-cartel efforts

(My new American Thinker post)

 Remember how you felt when Saddam Hussein was captured or Osama Bin Liden was killed?   I'm sure that they are feeling this way down in Mexico, specially the military fighting cartels for years.

"El Chapo" has been captured, as The Washington Post reported:    

 "Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the man who supplied more illegal drugs to the United States than anyone else on Earth, was captured by the Mexican military without a shot Saturday morning in the Pacific coast town resort of Mazatlan, according to U.S. and Mexican authorities.   

 The arrest of the world's most wanted drug lord was electrifying news in Mexico and a major political victory for its president, Enrique Peña Nieto. On Saturday afternoon, Peña Nieto confirmed the capture in a tweet and thanked his security forces. "Congratulations to all," he wrote.   

 Guzmán runs an organized crime empire that spans several continents and earns billions of dollars. Guzmán built a shipping and transport empire that plied air, sea and roads to sate the world's demand for cocaine, heroin and marijuana. From Los Angeles warehouses to Chicago barrios, his employees criss-crossed America to supply their customers.   

 His Sinaloa cartel is the grandfather of Mexican drug-running organizations, the wealthiest and most powerful corporation in the business, whose riches have corrupted generations of Mexican politicians and corroded the nation's democracy.  

 "He's a legend," said security analyst Jorge Chabat in Mexico City. "He is the jewel of the crown.""       

 Congratulations to President Pena-Nieto and thousands of Mexicans who've been deployed to fight this awful war. Let's not forget President Calderon who took on the cartels directly in 2007.       

 Politically, this is a huge one for President Pena-Nieto who has his hands full with the events in Michoacan, where local residents have decided to take on the cartels directly.

 P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
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Saturday, February 22, 2014

What if Obama had supported the protesters in Venezuela?

(My new American Thinker post)

 Once again, President Obama has missed a chance to put the US with the people of a country rebelling against a corrupt regime.

Remember Iran in 2009?  Remember when Iranians took to the streets to protest a corrupt election?  President Obama stood silent and watched the regime commit atrocities.

Why didn't President Obama stand up with the people in the streets of Venezuela? These people are fighting a government that ran a corrupt election, develops its ties with Iran and Cuba.  It is also an anti-US regime, from insults for President Bush at the UN to supporting leftist candidates with cash.

So what relationship with Venezuela is President Obama trying to protect?  A friendship with a regime that is not friendly to the US? Thugs who've used every opportunity to make life difficult for the US?

Again, what relationship are we preserving?  The Caracas regime just expelled more US diplomats for no reason at all.  They accuse the diplomats of being puppets of the CIA or people planning the demonstrations.

Wouldn't it make more sense for President Obama to put the US with the people in the streets?  Can you imagine how such a supportive statement would be received by the public?  It would energize the opposition and probably be the last straw to bring down the Maduro regime. 


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Friday, February 21, 2014

Venezuela is a lot more than the birth place of great shortstops

(My new American Thinker post)

 Most Americans are probably not following the tragic events in Venezuela. 

The violence is out of control, as reported daily by several bloggers like Fausta's Blog.   There is more at Caracas Chronicles.  The good people of Caracas, and other cities, are coming face to face with a ruthless regime that won't hesitate to fight back and kill demonstrators.

Add Ukraine and Syria and most Americans are ready to wash their hands and tell the world to take their problems to the UN.  I understand it. 

How did that work for us in the 1930's?   We spent the second half of the 1930s avoiding the world.We spent the 1940s fighting a world war.

I understand the American indifference but someone needs to remind us that US interests are at stake here. This is what a president does.  He explains why some countries matter, no matter how much we want to look the other way.

Venezuela is the 4th largest supplier of oil for the US.  It ranks behind Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico in thousands of barrels per day.    The September numbers tell the story:

CANADA2,3242,2402,1571,9371,971
SAUDI ARABIA1,4651,0751,1801,0821,072
MEXICO1,0991,1501,1131,1081,132
VENEZUELA759806893919928

(The top five sources of US crude oil imports for September were Canada (2,324 thousand barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1,465 thousand barrels per day), Mexico (1,099 thousand barrels per day), Venezuela (759 thousand barrels per day) and Nigeria (529 thousand barrels per day))

This is why the events in Venezuela are a matter of national security for the US.  What do you think would happen to our gasoline, or home heating prices, if there was a major disruption in Venezuela? 

President Obama should explain these matters of national security to the American people.  Maybe Americans would show more interest in world affairs if they understood that we are all connect in a global economy.

Yes, a lot of great shortstops have come from Venezuela.  A lot of oil is coming every day too!

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Thursday, February 20, 2014

At least he didn't draw a 'red line' this time

(My new American Thinker post)
President Obama finally got into the Ukraine story.   He had VP Biden contact the leader of Ukraine yesterday, as George Will mentioned in his column..

This is what President Obama said in Mexico, according to news reports:
"President Barack Obama says "there will be consequences" for violence in Ukraine if people step over the line.  
He says that includes making sure that the military doesn't step into a situation that civilians should resolve.  
Obama says the U.S. condemns the violence in the strongest terms. He says the U.S. holds Ukraine's government primarily responsible to ensure it's dealing with peaceful protesters appropriately. 
Obama is speaking in Mexico after arriving for an international summit. He says the U.S. is deeply engaged with European partners, Ukraine's government and the opposition. He says the violence has captured the entire world's attention.   The U.S. has raised the prospect of joining partners in Europe to impose sanctions against Ukraine. At least 25 people were killed Tuesday in clashes between protesters and police."
President Obama's problem is that no one takes him seriously anymore.  I do not write this with glee.  It hurts me to see a US president reduced to this!

I understand that his options are limited and no one is suggesting that we send troops into Kiev.   At the same time, President Obama's disengagement from foreign policy has reduced him to an observer in the world stage.

Unfortunately, President Obama's words do not matter.  

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President Obama looks out of touch with reality

(My new American Thinker post)
President Obama will go down to Toluca, Mexico for a 9-hour visit.  He will see that Toluca is an industrial town outside of Mexico City that looks like a portion of the industrial Midwest has been transferred south of the border. 

He will sit down with a couple of leaders who are leading and getting things done. Let's hope that he listens for a change.

Prime Minister Harper will probably remind President Obama about that Keystone Pipeline and how the Chinese are ready to buy his oil.   I'm sure that PM Harper would rather sell it to his friend south of the border but how much longer can he wait for an indecisive US president to make a decision?

He may have to wait a while because President Obama got a big warning from the "greens".  The Hill reports that some "greens may sit out" the midterm if Keystone is approved.

President Pena-Nieto of Mexico is facing a crisis in Michoacan.   He's also taken the first steps to reform PEMEX and invite more foreign investment in the energy sector. This is an amazing opportunity for US companies, from oil companies to manufactures of oil production equipment.

Unfortunately, President Obama seems more interested in global warming or climate change rather turning North America into an economic superpower. 

North America could soon be energy independent.   Mexico is slowly turning into itself into a huge consumer of US goods and services, or a $1 trillion GDP!  

Yet, don't expect anything from the summit.    We have a visionary leader from Canada, a "get things done" man in Mexico and a US president who looks like he'd rather be somewhere else.

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A winter that we will not forget!

Do you recall a winter like this one?  I can't.  I can't remember the last time that I saw snowstorms shutting down Atlanta, Georgia!

 According to a new study, Lake Superior has more ice than ever:
"With no end in sight, the winter of 2014 rages on, ushering in frigid Arctic air and dumping record-breaking snow and ice on much of the nation. This season, ice coverage on Lake Superior has exceeded other measurements in recent history."By the long shot this is the most ice we've had on Lake Superior in 20 years," Associate Professor Jay Austin of the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, Minn., said.
During a typical winter, 30 to 40 percent of the Great Lakes are covered by ice, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson."
Anyway, maybe it's just Mother Nature reminding us that she always has the last word.  At least, the "last snow".

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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Tell the UAW to stop insulting the intelligence of the plant workers in Tennessee

(My new American Thinker post)

 It never fails.  Every time that the left loses or can't succeed it is "racism," "sexism," "Tea Party madness", and so on.  This is getting as predictable as President Obama playing golf.

No one in the left has sat back and looked at the UAW defeat seriously.  It is "a teachable" moment as President Obama likes to say. I just hope that the UAW takes the time to learn from this "teachable moment"!

The Wall Street Journal looks at the UAW's hysterical reaction:
"The union is blaming Tennessee politicians for raising this possibility, especially GOP Senator Bob Corker, a former mayor of Chattanooga who helped bring Volkswagen to the city and who said last week that he felt "assured" (he didn't say by whom) that the Tennessee plant would get the second production line if it rejected the union. The company disavowed that claim, but the union may use it as an excuse for defeat and to file an unfair labor practice complaint under the Wagner Act with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

This isn't likely to fly on the merits. Mr. Corker may have been impolitic. But he didn't give up his right to free speech when he joined the Senate, and every public action by Volkswagen had favored the union. State legislators had said they might withhold future tax incentives if the UAW organized the plant, and Tennessee had reason to believe that a UAW success would hurt its ability to recruit other companies that would fear the union precedent."
The UAW lost for a few reasons and they have nothing to do with outside influence. By the way, there was outside influence from both sides. In other words, both sides got to make their case in this one. In fact, Rich Lowry reported that the UAW spent $5 million over two years.

It failed because Volkswagen is an excellent employer and people are happy there. This is a huge lesson for employers.Take care of your people and they will stand by you.

It failed because they didn't get the votes.  The workers simply did not want to change their situation. They don't see in the UAW what workers back in the 1930s did. 

The UAW has a choice. It can accept defeat gracefully or continue to accuse the workers in Tennessee of being morons.

I hope that the UAW learn a lesson or they will continue to lose members, as they've been doing for a lot longer than Senator Cocker or "the tea party" have been around.

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