Wednesday's show: The day after The State of the Union speech with Don Surber, author

Guest:  Don Surber, author & blogger....we will discuss President Trump's State of the Union address................and other stories........

Click to listen:

Wednesday's video: My thoughts about President Trump’s speech!

My thoughts about President Trump’s speech: https://t.co/I83evEa2p2 via @YouTube

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 31, 2018

Communist crickets go on rampage

We’ve posted recently about the so called “sonic” attacks against U.S. diplomats in Cuba. The Cuban government blamed it on crickets or something like that.

Well, it looks like more U.S. citizens were attacked by the crazy crickets singing “Babalu.”

This is from news reports:   

The State Department says 19 American travellers who visited Cuba have reported symptoms similar to those suffered by U.S. diplomats, following a travel warning for the country posted in September.

“We continue to urge U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Cuba,” a State Department official told CBS News.

These cases are separate from the at least 24 American embassy personnel and their family members who have reported a range of symptoms from attacks that began in November 2016, according to U.S. officials.

The September 29 travel warning said the victims have suffered “ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping.”

Medical documents reviewed by CBS News show diagnoses of concussions as well.

Well, I was not expecting that story but here we are. So what’s going on?

First of all, let’s hope that all impacted will recover and be back to a normal life soon.

Second, these attacks are clearly target to U.S. citizens or tourists. In other words, I don’t see anything about “crickets” attacking other visitors to the island.  [There were a few stray Canadians attacked but they could have easily been mistaken for Americans. -ed.] Am I the only person who finds it strange that the attacks are virtually all on U.S. visitors or diplomats?

The Cuban government will dance around this issue and come up with silly explanations like blaming it on crickets.   So it’s time to put the foot down and take action against the Castro regime:

1) How about a class action suit against the Cuban government for these attacks?   My guess is that it would shut down tourism pretty quickly; and,

2) President Trump should close the embassy.

And yes my mother is horrified about what communism has done to the Cuban crickets!

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

A few numbers from the speech

Few numbers from speech: 72% of Independents and 43% of Democrats approved in a flash poll....not a fan of flash polls but the number about Dems is very important......Trump flipped Midwestern states by talking fair trade and appealing to union voters...

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 31, 2018

Another number that caught my eye

Another number that caught my eye today: Private payrolls grow by 234,000 in January, vs 185,000 expected...(ADP/Moody's Analytics)

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 31, 2018

CNN and polls

Weird headline: "CNN Discredits Own Poll Showing Overwhelming Positive Reaction to SOTU"

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 31, 2018

A quick reaction to the Trump speech

My quick reaction is that President Trump did a great job....we will review details on Wednesday.........but overall he did well........the Dem response was a travesty for those who had the patience to listen to it.........

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 31, 2018

Trump and The Beatles.........

New anti-Trump rumor is that he was responsible for the break up of The Beatles......

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 30, 2018

Ana gone silly.........

Let's file this in the silly very silly section.......Ana Navarro has gone over the cliff with her anti-Trump-ism comments: "CNN analyst re-words Holocaust poem to warn about FBI’s Andrew McCabe removal....."

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 30, 2018

Tuesday's show: Sonic attacks in Cuba, the State of the Union speech plus other stories

We will look at The State of the Union speech....... Grammy's and bad ratings..........Sonic attacks on US citizens in Cuba..........Happy # 77 VP Cheney........Happy # 75 Davey Johnson......we remember Sandy Amoros (Brooklyn Dodgers) and Barbara Tuckman ("The guns of August")......plus other stories....

Click to listen:

Tuesday's video: The State of the Union from Washington to Trump

The State of the Union from Washington to Trump: https://t.co/2bPLsogM17 via @YouTube

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 30, 2018

She’d rather be on TV Tuesday night

To be honest, I did not watch the Grammys. I have not since President Reagan.   

After all, how long can you watch actors give one-sided political statements?  It would be more interesting, sort of like the British Parliament, if both sides got up and called each other something.

But no, the Grammys are “one way” when it comes to politics and that’s why I watched American Graffiti.  At least Wolfman Jack does not get in your face with politics.

As I learned on Monday morning, Mrs. Clinton made a surprise appearance and read from Fire and Fury:     

The segment resulted in wild applause from the star-studded crowd. But not all were pleased. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed the bit. However, the harshest words came from Donald Trump Jr. 

After the show, Grammys Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich said getting Clinton to appear in the skit wasn’t tough. However, he credited Corden with sealing the deal. 

“She kind of took a couple of days to say ‘yes,’ but ultimately she saw the script, she knew what we were doing and she liked it.” 

Clinton recorded the segment near her home on Friday, the Grammys producer added.

He also admitted that he was aware the cameo was receiving some backlash, but said they stand by what they did.

Well, I guess that was the B-side of the “bit….es”.       

In the end, it probably turned people off. After all, am I the only who finds it disgusting to watch U.S. performers talk about repression? They should read The Gulag Archipelago or talk to people who live under serious repression and get the real story.

It seems that the ratings were another disaster, with the lowest viewership since the awards first aired. Furthermore, I’m sure that Mrs. Clinton would have rather be delivering the State of the Union on Tuesday night.

She is silly, this woman named  Hillary Clinton!

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

Michael Young and the Hall of Fame

Michael Young will be up for a Hall of Fame vote in a couple of years.   He probably won't make it but will get a lot of votes.

During his time in Texas, Young was a consistent hitter and won a few Gold Gloves:   .300 average, 2,375 hits, 185 HR & 1,030 RBI.

Again, he won't make it but Young was a really good player.

June 2006: A soldier wrote a letter to the NY Times!

T. F. Boggs was a 24-year-old sergeant in the Army Reserves back in Iraq in 2006.  

This is what he wrote to The NY Times:

"Thank you for continually contributing to the deaths of my fellow soldiers. You guys definitely provide a valuable service with your paper. Why without you how would terrorists stay one step ahead of us? 
I would love to hear a response as to why you deemed revealing this program a necessity, but that will probably come as soon as the government decides to finally put you guys behind bars where you belong."

Grammy's too political.............

This is what happens when you go political: "According to Deadline, this is the worst the Grammys have performed since 2009......"

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 30, 2018

Monday's show: The State of the Union coming plus Mrs. Clinton at the Grammys

We will look at President Trump's State of the Union speech........Mrs. Clinton and the Grammy's..........DACA and the immigration debate......Peter Paul & Mary signed their first contract in 1962...........MLB Hall of Fame 1936........plus other stories....

Click to listen:

Monday's video: The too political Grammys

Like many of you, I think that these awards shows are too political. The ratings keep dropping and it makes sense...

Click to watch:

Schumer caught between reality and the left

We understand that Senator Charles Schumer rejected President Trump’s “2 million” plan, the idea being discussed in public:   

The New York Democrat on Friday accused President Donald Trump of using a proposed path for citizenship for young undocumented immigrants as cover for making sweeping — and damaging — changes to the legal immigration system.     

“This plan flies in the face of what most Americans believe,” Schumer said on Twitter. While Trump “finally acknowledged that the Dreamers should be allowed to stay here and become citizens, he uses them as a tool to tear apart our legal immigration system and adopt the wish list that anti-immigration hard-liners have advocated for for years.”

The one-page proposal released by the White House on Thursday would allow as many as 1.8 million young immigrants to become citizens, while also calling for $25 billion in spending on a border wall and security as well as sharply restricting family-based immigration and eliminating a visa lottery system. White House officials are hoping the Senate will put it up for a vote, but it appears doomed to fail.

What do Americans really believe Senator Schumer? Did you forget what happened last weekend with your shutdown? 

I like President Trump’s proposal, even if I was surprised by the 2 million. At the same time, legalizing 2 million who are already here may be a very small price to pay for getting all of the other stuff, specially updated immigration laws.

It amazes me that Senator Schumer is not jumping on this plan. It must be because he is getting an earful from the left.    

President Trump is winning this battle and Senator Schumer can chat with Senator Manchin about it.

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

All politics means low ratings

A headline that does not surprise me: "Grammy Ratings Fall From 2017 As Politics Dominate Music’s Biggest Night....."

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 29, 2018

Senator Manchin wants the wall and the crazy rhetoric to stop

Senator Manchin is finally speaking out against the crazy stuff coming out of his party:

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin told House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to stop her divisive rhetoric on immigration and work with the Republican party, Sunday on CNN’s “State of The Union.”Host Jake Tapper played a clip of Pelsoi claiming President Donald Trump’s immigration plan seeks to “make America white again,” and then asked Manchin what he thought of the quote.“You know what, we don’t need that type of rhetoric on either side. From Nancy, Paul Ryan or anybody else” said Manchin, of West Virginia. “We have the wall. We need to repair the wall. We’ll need to build more wall. We need to do whatever we can to secure the borders.”

The Democrats need more people like Senator Manchin.

RIP Norman Lyons

We learned that Norman Lyons passed away.    He joined the Texas Rangers in 1993 and became the team's face in community relations.   

I met him in a previous career and found him to be quite a gentleman.

RIP Norman Lyons.

The Grammys too political again!

Not surprising, the Grammys opened with politically charged performance.........not surprising they will end with another night of very low ratings.....makes no sense but these people make no sense.....

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 29, 2018

July 2006: A baseball rarity

Baseball note: Back in July 2006, the ChiSox played a series against Boston.
It was a regular season series between the last 2 WS Champs.
Frankly, I can't think of any other examples of the last two World Series champions playing each other in a regular season series.

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 29, 2018

Dems to Trump: “Yo quiero marchas no soluciones”

President Trump has a message to “dreamers”:  a path to citizenship plus security & changes to outdated immigration laws.   It is an incredibly fair offer.   It allows more than the 800,000 to stay in the US.

As expected, Democrats say no.    Why?   Because they want marches not solutions!   Senator Schumer and Rep, Pelosi do not want President Trump to sign the law that accomplishes what Democrat majorities never did.

Let’s remember that President Obama & Democrat majorities never passed immigration reform or The Dream Act.

The Democrats will lose this battle more decisively than they lost the shutdown debate last week.

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

Sunday's show: The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda

Guest:  Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.......we will look at President Trump's week:  the victory over Democrats over the shutdown, good economic news and a wonderful speech in Davos................Democrats keep struggling with a message.............maybe that wave won't be so blue after all..............and other stories....

Click to listen:

Sunday's video: The Challenger 1986

It was 32 years ago that the Challenger exploded and millions saw it on TV....then later President Reagan spoke to the nation..........

click to listen:

Trump to "dreamers"

Trump to "dreamers": path to citizenship plus security & changes to outdated immigration laws.....Democrats say no......why? Because they want marches not solutions.....Dems will lose this battle more decisively than they lost the shutdown debate last week......

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

Saturday's show: The political climate in Washington with Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor

Guest:  Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor.........we will look at the state of US politics..............and other stories.....

Click to listen:

Saturday's video: A big week for President Trump

From winning the shutdown debate to good economic news to Davos, it was a good week for President Trump.........click to watch:

‘Morning in America’… Davos 2018

As I watched President Trump speak at Davos, I couldn’t help but remember the Reagan 1984 TV ads called “Morning in America.” Those ads were a 60-second promotion for the U.S., a signal that things were good again. All that VP Walter Mondale could do was work very hard to make sure that Minnesota didn’t vote for President Reagan, too.

President Trump was a salesman for the U.S. in Davos:   

“The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America,” Trump said. “I’m here to deliver a simple message. There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United States. America is open for business and we are competitive once again. The American economy is by far the largest in the world and we’ve just enacted the most significant tax cuts and reform in American history. We’ve massively cut taxes for the middle class, and small businesses to let working families keep more of their hard earned money.”

It was a great message, unless you are so angry about the election of 2016 that you’ve lost your common sense.

What I saw at Davos was a confident man, marching ahead and telling the world that the U.S. is the best place to invest or open a plant.   

Yes, it’s a lot like those “Morning in America” ads that had such an impact in 1984.

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

The honest professor speaks out

The honest professor speaks out on the photo that was kept from US voters until his two terms were over........."Dershowitz: I Wouldn't Have Campaigned for Obama If I Knew About Farrakhan Pic...."

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 27, 2018

Getting stranger by the day

Well, thank God no GOP woman said this......but Hillary will get a pass from the same feminists who stood by her husband: "Hillary Clinton praises 'activist b----es supporting b----es' in online video"

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 27, 2018

A post from July 2006: And now GITMO goes to Congress!

A post from July 2006:

What did the Supreme Court really say? What does it really mean politically?

Mark Davis is a local talk radio host (WBAP) and he just posted this on RCP:

"Democrats and detainees may be chortling with glee for the moment, but they may soon get a dose of the danger of getting what you wish for.
Guantanamo's "guests" may now find themselves in an extended Cuban limbo, eligible for neither a tribunal nor immediate release.
And the President's enemies on Capitol Hill may not welcome another vote-- even closer to election day-- which will provide further evidence that they lack the seriousness to be trusted on the war in the first place."

We are now going to force Democrats to take a position on GITMO.

No more free ride. It's time for a "Yes or No" vote.

Also, how many Democrats agree with Justice Stevens that terrorists are covered by the Geneva Convention? My guess is that most Democrats will find this portion of the decision as silly as I did.

Our side always wins when Democrats have to vote. We will soon be voting.

A post from July 2006: How much damage did the NY Times do?

Jed Babbin knows national security.   The NYTimes does not. 

According to Babbin:

"We have had, in the past year, three instances of stories published by the Times and the Washington Post that have severely reduced our ability to interdict, capture and disrupt terrorists. These actions, by the most irresponsible press in the history of the nation, have greatly reduced our ability to fight the war against terrorists and to protect our homes from terrorist attacks. In two of the three - the WaPo story of the secret CIA prisons and the NYT articles on the SWIFT program tracing terrorist fund transfers through the Belgian conglomerate - the newspapers revealed both directly and indirectly the nations that were cooperating with us in secret. And "were" is the operative word."

Freedom of press is a wonderful thing. What we have seen here goes beyond that. This is a total disregard for the safety of US citizens.

Again, check the advertisers. Call them and tell them that you do care when secrets are recklessly published on the front pages.

A post from July 2006: Say hello to Presidente Calderon

A post from July 2006:

Here it goes. It's time to put my money where my mouth is. It's time to bet on the horses.

Calderon will win.

Bu 11pm tonight, political analysts will be talking about the two Mexican nations. The 2006 election will remind many of us of those US electoral maps from 2000 and 2004.

Calderon will win because he will sweep the north and the middle class. AMLO will win the south but it won't be enough to win. Also, enough conservative PRI-istas will switch to give Calderon the votes to cross the line.

Calderon will have ideological soulmates in Pres. Bush and Canada's new conservative PM Harper. At the end of the day, Mexico needs to be integrated further into the North American economy.

It won't be easy. AMLO won't go down quietly. Mexico will be very polarized on a regional basis. AMLO will urge his voters to march and claim fraud.

The bottom line is this: say hello to Presidente Felipe Calderon.

What's a "hissy fit"?

In Texas, we call it a "hissy fit". According to a slang dictionary, a "hissy fit" is:

"A sudden outburst of temper....Thought to originate from contraction of "hysterical fit."

A post from 2006: Detroit, Mexico and globalization!

A post from 2006: 

Do you know where they manufacture 2 million vehicles? Do you know where you can find a job making cars?

The answer is not Detroit, Michigan. The answer is south of the border:

"The expansion, being fueled by Mexico’s top five automakers — General Motors, Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler, Nissan and Volkswagen — stands in contrast to the plans by G.M. and Ford to cut 60,000 jobs in the United States and close two dozen North American plants through 2012.
The reason for Mexico’s new wave of growth is twofold.

First, it is next to the world’s largest auto market, allowing greater production integration because auto companies can easily ship cars and parts by truck and rail.
And second, it is still cheap to operate here compared with the United States, where unionized workers earn at least $27 an hour and benefits can double or even triple the total cost.

By comparison, Mexico’s typical auto industry wage of about $3.50 an hour for an experienced worker — which doubles with benefits — looks like a bargain." 

What about the future:

"New investments could raise Mexico’s production to three million cars by 2012, depending on growth in the United States, Mexico’s main market, according to Emilio Mosso, an official at the Economy Ministry.

In part, the boom is a rebound after sales slumped for aging models made in Mexico, and automakers halted production to prepare for new models.

Exports are up 50 percent in the first six months of the year from the same period last year.

About three-quarters of production goes abroad, mostly to the United States. And analysts say that figure could rise.

“When companies look at where to put a new plant, Mexico is starting to compete a lot more with Detroit South,” said Gabriel Renero, a consultant at Deloitte in Mexico City.

“They are finding a very attractive work force in this country.”

Democrats will jump on these figures to beat up NAFTA and free trade.

NAFTA is not the problem. Our challenge is that we are in a new world economy!

The customer is always right or something like that.......

Over time, we've always treated our customers with respect..or as they say don't insult the people who pay your salary or buy your products......then we see this headline: "Clothing Company Founder Finds Out it's Not a Great Idea to Call His Fox Viewing Customers 'Idiots'"

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 27, 2018

Can we agree that Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were talking too much?

Can we agree that Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were talking too much?

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 27, 2018

It happened a long time ago

This is quite a story about migration and the early days of man:    

There’s not much left of this person who lived and died in a cave on the slopes of Israel’s Mt. Carmel between 177,000 and 194,000 years ago. 

All that remains is the left half of an upper jaw, with some fragments of palate, cheekbone, and the floor of the nasal cavity still attached, along with a complete set of upper left teeth. 

But those fragments of bone mean that modern humans probably found their way to southwest Asia about 40,000 to 50,000 years earlier than fossil evidence previously suggested.

 ("Humans expanded out of Africa 40,000 years earlier than we thought.....")

Wonder what we will learn next?

A post from July 2006: McCain-Romney in 2008

This is a post from July 2006:

Speaking of polls, Rasmussen released a shocker. McCain is leading Hillary Clinton and Al Gore (44-43%) in very blue Massachusetts. 

In the end, I believe that a Democrat will carry Massachusetts in 2008. However, by how much? And, how much will McCain force Democrats to defend states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Let's not forget that Gore and Kerry barely won Minnesota and Wisconsin, a couple of high tax states that are trending Republican. Michigan's Gov. Granholm is in deep trouble because her state cannot attract business or create jobs.

This is why I continue to propose a McCain-Romney ticket.

McCain brings credibility on national security, the Republicans' strength. He also connects with independents.

Romney brings the cultural values because of his opposition to abortion and same sex marriage. He is also a very well spoken man who looks very presidential.

McCain-Romney would be a winning ticket in 2008. They will carry every one of the 30 states carried by Bush plus Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey and compete in Massachusetts.

I don't see a single Democrat that can stand up to McCain-Romney!

Friday's show: President Trump in Devos and other thoughts

We will look at President Trump's speech in Davos......very good speech........Sanctuary city politics........DACA and the immigration debate..............plus other stories..

Click to listen:

Friday's video: Great speech by President Trump at Davos

It was a great speech and reminded me some of us of “The morning in America” TV ads from 1984.
Click to watch:

Let’s have an abortion ‘sanctuary city’

We understand that the DOJ is headed for a showdown with some of our city governments. The issue is sanctuary cities or local government who have concluded that they don’t have to play ball with the federal government. As expected, some leaders of these cities will “boycott” The White House over this issue.

Insanity is not insane enough to describe these people!

So it’s time to support my friend George Rodriguez of San Antonio. He will presenting a resolution to the city government declaring the Alamo City as a sanctuary from Roe v Wade.   

This is a bit of the resolution that he plans to propose:   

We would like to propose that the city of San Antonio declare itself a “sanctuary city” for the unborn citizens who conceived without their consent and by no action or decision of their own…but who are under the threat of death because of an unjust law that is the result of judicial activism rather than the will of the people. 

We should establish this “Sanctuary City for the Unborn” to help these unborn but living persons realize their potential as citizens.

The city government should ignore and/or minimize cooperation with government programs that seek to kill these unborn citizens.

The city government should encourage the birth and nurturing of young new citizens rather than their annihilation and destruction.

These unborn but living citizens should be able to pursue personal and individual development without the threat of death before they are even born, and be allowed to fully participate in American society as citizens. They should be embraced as part of our community, and we should recognize their capacity to contribute to our economy and society, if they are protected and allowed the right to be born.

Out of concern for these unborn citizens, we should call on local city and county officials to protect these unborn but living citizens by creating a sanctuary city for the unborn.   

Good luck, George! Let’s start a movement and show the left that we can play, too! Drop him a line and show your support!

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