Saturday, November 22, 2014

Not "Fun in Acapulco" anymore!

Years ago, Elvis made a movie called "Fun in Acapulco".     
It's not fun anymore as we check recent events from our southern neighbor. 

 It must be very bad in Acapulco.   

 We just read this from the US Embassy in Mexico City:
"The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a security message Friday warning U.S. citizens to avoid the Pacific resort of Acapulco because of violence and protests.
In yet another blow to a coastal city once favored by U.S. movie stars and jet-setters in the 1950s and ‘60s, the embassy said its personnel “have been instructed to defer non-essential travel to Acapulco, by air or land,” and added that it “cautions U.S. citizens to follow the same guidelines.”
The alert noted that “protests and violent incidents continue in Guerrero state in response to the disappearance of 43 students there.”
Demonstrators have blocked highways to Acapulco, hijacked buses and blockaded the city’s airport to demand the government find the students who disappeared Sept. 26 in the nearby city of Iguala.
Prosecutors say local police working for a drug gang probably turned the students over to gang members, who may have killed them and burned their bodies."
Mexico is in the middle of a serious political storm over the death of 43 students.    The anger was compounded by a scandal over The First Lady's interest in a very expensive home.

 Our friend Alfredo Corchado of The Dallas Morning News is reporting that there is a lot of uncertainty in the country.    It is hurting President Pena-Nieto's image.  

 It is also putting a lot of people in the streets.    It is also going to cost Mexico a lot of tourist dollars.

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

Will President Obama ever explain our new role in Afghanistan?

We just learned that President Obama has decided to extend our troops' role in Afghanistan.    

 The NY Times reports that US troops will be involved in more fighting than we were told:
"Mr. Obama’s order allows American forces to carry out missions against theTaliban and other militant groups threatening American troops or the Afghan government, a broader mission than the president described to the public earlier this year, according to several administration, military and congressional officials with knowledge of the decision.
The new authorization also allows American jets, bombers and drones to support Afghan troops on combat missions."
The good news is that President Obama learned something from leaving Iraq without a US presence to make a difference.   

 The bad news is that he is still not talking to the voters about his intentions.    

 We need to know!
Tags: Afghanistan  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
Post Link --->

President Obama has liberated the GOP from passing an immigration bill

The conventional wisdom is that President Obama has put the GOP in a no-win situation over immigration reform.  In other words, pass a bill or you will be labeled anti-immigrant.  

 See The New Republic's position:
"There’s the growing risk that conservative anger will force Republicans to do something epically stupid in the near term, like shut down the government."
I disagree with that conclusion.  The GOP will react by challenging President Obama in the courts, and that's the right approach.

 The politics of this will eventually play against President Obama, or exactly the reason that Democrats did not want to talk immigration during the campaign.

 What if President Obama had given a different speech?

What if he had delayed his decision and called on the new Congress to take a serious look at immigration?  The answer is that he would have put the ball on the GOP's court and put all of the pressure on Capitol Hill.

 President Obama would have looked conciliatory and like a man who understood the election results.  Everybody in the media would be asking Speaker Boehner and the GOP about immigration.

 By acting, President Obama has made everything about his judgment.  If he had passed the ball to Congress, on the other hand, he would have put the focus on the economic and humanitarian angles of this issue.

 P.S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.
Check Out Politics Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Silvio Canto Jr on BlogTalkRadio


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

More on President Obamas immigration speech


Tags: Immigration speech  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
Post Link --->