Guest: Felipe Cuello, advisor for the US Latino community for Working Mothers for Donald Trump. We will discuss US-Latin American issues, such as immigration, Venezuela, Cuba, etc.
Friday, February 28, 2025
Hey Jake don’t make it bad
Hey Jake don’t make it bad: I guess that elections have consequences. Would Jake Tapper have published this book if VP Harris had won the election? Probably not. Nevertheless, we welcome the CNN host to the side that knew that something was wrong with President…
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I guess that elections have consequences. Would Jake Tapper have published this book if VP Harris had won the election? Probably not. Nevertheless, we welcome the CNN host to the side that knew that something was wrong with President Biden.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 28, 2025
Hey Jake don’t make it bad -…
2013: Thank you Pope Benedict XVI
Thank you Pope Benedict XVI and continue to enjoy a very well deserved retirement.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). If you like our posts, drop a dime here.
Thursday, February 27, 2025
US vs Venezuela, Jake Tapper and more stories
The Trump administration hit Venezuela hard by shutting down oil purchases. Also denying visas to those who use Cuban doctors. Mayor Johnson a disaster in Chicago. Jake Tapper of CNN has a new book. We remember Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)
Nobody likes Brandon
Nobody likes Brandon: Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago is getting a quick lesson on performance approval polls. It turns out that lousy mayors and governors get bad approval numbers. Here is the story:
In January 2023, shortly before the February Chicago mayoral...
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Nobody likes Brandon - American Thinker https://t.co/hw1vc6QrKv
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 27, 2025
Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago is getting a quick lesson on performance approval polls. It turns out that lousy mayors and governors get bad approval numbers. Here is the story:
In January 2023, shortly before the February Chicago mayoral elections, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot had a dismal 22% approval rating. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval has now sunk even lower, to only 6.6% in the latest poll, as issues such as rising crime concern residents of the Windy City.
In the latest poll from M3 Strategies, which surveyed 696 likely Chicago voters Feb. 20-21, 67% said that crime was one of the top three issues facing Chicago, followed by high taxes at 54% and inflation at 41%.
Who knew that voters concerned about crime, high taxes, and inflation would say “thumbs down” when talking about their mayor?
To be fair, I’m not sure what the mayor can do about inflation or taxes. However, the crime is all on him and his predecessor. They have tied the hands of the police, made excuses for criminals and now the place is a mess.
Another issue to remember is how the teachers’ union turned out to put Johnson in power. He was the candidate who opposed pro-charter school and school choice policies. He was their man and they put him in. It did a lot to demonstrate who runs Chicago but it didn’t do much to teach kids how to read, write, and multiply.
Sadly, Chicago is stuck with their man and his disastrous policies. Add to the formula a governor who is more interested in fighting Trump than making Chicago great again.
So the people of the Windy City will continue to be stuck in the hole that they are in. Elections have consequences, as we hear.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
We remember Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)
Taylor’s movie career stretched from the 1940's to the 1980's, from "Little women" to "Cat on a hat tin roof" to "Cleopatra" to many others.
She died in 2011.
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.
1936: 7-year old Shirley Temple signed a big contract
On this day in 1936, Shirley Temple got a new contract from 20th Century Fox. She was guaranteed $50,000 per film for the next 7 years.
Later in her life, she had a diplomatic career. Shirley Temple Black was named ambassador to Czechoslovakia by President Bush.
She died in 2014.
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.
We remember Juan Delis and the 1955 Washington Senators
We remember Juan Delis who was born in Santiago de Cuba on this day in 1928.
In the 1950’s, Juan was one of many Cubans who played with The Washington Senators.
In this photo, Juan (to the right) joined Carlos Paula, Pedro Ramos, Jose Valdivielso and Camilo Pascual in the 1955 team. Of course, Ramos and Pascual became very successful major league pitchers.
In the 1950’s, Juan was one of many Cubans who played with The Washington Senators.
In this photo, Juan (to the right) joined Carlos Paula, Pedro Ramos, Jose Valdivielso and Camilo Pascual in the 1955 team. Of course, Ramos and Pascual became very successful major league pitchers.
Delis was around one season as a utility infielder playing in 5 different positions. He hit .189 in 54 games. He played with Marianao in Cuba and in Mexico’s Pacific Coast League.
We don’t remember Juan as a star player but he was an inspiration to many others who played later. Delis came along at a time when there were only 16 major league teams. In other words, it was a lot more difficult to make a major league team before expansion.
Delis died in Cuba in 2003.
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.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Trump's Cabinet meeting and a few other thoughts
President Trump's first Cabinet meeting turns into another press conference. MSNBC blues. A register for illegal immigrants. We remember Johnny Cash & Fats Domino.......
Your ‘inseminated person’ should know
Your ‘inseminated person’ should know: Well, let’s have a little fun and remember that one by The Beatles:
Let’s all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born
Though she was born a long long time ago
Your mother should know...
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How is the governor of Wisconsin going to explain it to his mom? I’d love to hear how that one goes.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 26, 2025
Your ‘inseminated person’ should know - American Thinker https://t.co/7ArpiXC7LQ
Well, let’s have a little fun and remember that one by The Beatles:
Let’s all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born
Though she was born a long long time ago
Your mother should know
They are crazy up in Wisconsin, especially at the Governor’s office. What are they smoking or putting in their coffee? Your guess is as good as mine, but the governor is proposing a change to how we refer to “mom,” having decided that “inseminated person” is a better descriptor. I couldn’t believe this story and had to read it twice to make sure it was true.
On the other side, here comes Doug Schoen, a sane Democrat who probably sends his mother a card purchased in the Mother’s Day section at your favorite store, has a message for the Democrats. This is the story:
If Democrats hope to right the ship and regain at least one chamber of Congress next year — or the White House in three — they must begin with a messaging strategy that speaks to the issues voters care about: the economy, public safety and border security.
They should start with the primary reason Trump won last November, the economy.
Trump made Americans’ economic pessimism and anger over inflation a centerpiece of his campaign, convincingly portraying Democrats as the party of elites who were out of touch with everyday Americans.
Yes, out of touch big time because most Americans, especially the ones I know, don’t refer to their mothers as an “inseminated person.” In fact, most of the men that I grew up with would punch you in the face if you referred to their mom in that way.
So what’s going on? It’s easy to say that they have not learned a thing about the election or the rejection of “woke.” More likely they are so invested in “woke” that it will take another defeat to drive home the point that calling a woman something like that is “super loco,” as my late Cuban mother used to say.
How is the governor of Wisconsin going to explain it to his mom? I’d love to hear how that one goes.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
We remember Bob Jagers (1922-2021)
Bob Jagers passed away on this day in 2021. He was 99 and been very sick for weeks.
Mr. Jagers was quite a celebrity in our area, a member of our parish and wonderful storyteller. For years, he visited the local schools and you could hear a pin drop when he spoke to youngsters learning about D-Day in their history classes. The kids loved him and called him back over and over.
To say the least, Mr. Jagers had quite a story to tell, from war stories to hitting a Bob Feller pitch during a baseball game in the Pacific theater. He saw Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Hank Greenberg play. How cool is that?
In October 1968, Bob was working for a U.S. auto manufacturer in Argentina. He ate lunch and tuned in U.S. Armed Forces Radio to hear Mickey Lolich and his favorite Detroit Tigers beat Bob Gibson’s Cardinals in game seven of the World Series. He once detailed Jim Nortrup’s triple over Curt Flood’s head, a key play in that game.
A few years ago, Bob published his story in a book called Whales of World War II:I was born in 1922 in Chicago, Illinois, and later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I graduated high school in Grand Rapids. I went to two years of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids before entering the war. I enlisted in the Navy in April of 1942. But they permitted me to finish my term.
In June of 1942 I was sent to Great Lakes naval training center, for my boot camp. After boot camp, I went to quatermaster signaling school .
Upon completion, we were asked what kind of ship we wanted to be on, and I said I wanted to be on a submarine. They interviewed me and gave me some exhaustive tests for submarine duty, and they said I was number 21. The next complement of sub sailors needed was of 20. If any of the previous 20 were rejected, or refused to go for some reason, then I would be selected.
Looking back 50 years, I was quite fortunate in that all 20 of them were selected. The next thing I knew I was on a train for amphibious training at Solomons Maryland.
I spent several months there, went aboard a training vessel, a LST training vessel on the Chesapeake Bay...
An LST is the slowest ship in the convoy. It travels maybe four or five knots, about six miles an hour. Not only do you travel from Bermuda to North Africa, but you have to zig zag. So I’m sure that the destroyers and destroyer escorts that were accompanying us really didn’t like to see the LST’s come along because the convoy moved very slowly.
We went to the straits of Gibraltar, landed at the naval base of Oran.
On page 109 of Whales of WWII, Robert recalls D-Day and his participation. He remembers the heroic work of U.S., U.K., and Canadian young men landing on the French coastline. It must have been an awesome day for a 22-year-old sailor.
In 2014, Bob spent the 70th anniversary in France with some of the men he spent D-Day 1944 with. We did a show about it, and it was a treat to listen to him.
Rest in peace Mr. Jagers. We will miss you a lot.
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.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Voz Media on Tuesday
📹 | ENTREVISTA a @silvio_canto, analista político: Abbott se opone a una ciudad regida por la ley islámica
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) February 26, 2025
Mira la transmisión completa AQUÍ 👉 https://t.co/a1sC3kSdf2
Reporta @23gustavovargas para VOZ News por Daystar pic.twitter.com/zJgnESXGg9
The day the bakery stopped baking
The day the bakery stopped baking: It was a bad day at a South Texas bakery, and I don’t mean that they burned your bread. This is the story:
The owners of a South Texas bakery accused of illegally hiring undocumented immigrants were also housing their employees next ...
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It was a bad day at a South Texas bakery, and I don’t mean that they burned your bread.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 25, 2025
The day the bakery stopped baking - American Thinker https://t.co/6FiYxCPe0Z
World War II: Appeasement and the 1930's
World War II, episode 2:
Appeasement and the outbreak of war........click to listen.....
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.
Listen to "World War II, episode 2: Appeasement and the outbreak of war" on Spreaker.
Monday, February 24, 2025
The week in review with Bill Katz, editor of Urgent Agenda
Guest: Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda...Ukraine War resolution....Trump & Musk cont....Trump polls and other stories..
Check our blog.......click to listen:
No more ‘climate change’ Popes
No more ‘climate change’ Popes: As a lifelong Catholic, I am sorry to hear of the Pope's health. I love my Catholic faith and no one does Easter (or Holy Week) like we do.
Who is going to be the next Pope? There are some strong candidates such as…..
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The Catholic Church has two serious problems, from losing members to a current Pope who keeps making the leftist case for illegal immigration and climate change.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 24, 2025
No more ‘climate change’ Popes - American Thinker https://t.co/IznJQuxBBS
As a lifelong Catholic, I am sorry to hear of the Pope’s health. I love my Catholic faith and no one does Easter (or Holy Week) like we do.
Who is going to be the next Pope? There are some strong candidates such as Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, from The Democratic Republic of the Congo:
President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu made headlines when he rejected a controversial declaration of Pope Francis — with the papal blessing, no less.
The conservative Capuchin declared the doctrine of Fiducia supplicans — which allowed priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples — null and void on the African continent. Besungu was able to achieve explicit blessing from Pope Francis in an emergency meeting in 2023 shortly after the release of that teaching, the Catholic Heraldreported.
A Besungu papacy would be seen as a sharp rebuke of the left-leaning principles of Pope Francis. The current pontiff made Besungu a cardinal in 2019.
Rebuke of Pope Francis? I like that with all due respect to the ailing Pope.
Another good choice would be Cardinal Wim Eijk, 71, from the Netherlands. He is regarded as one of the most conservative of the front-runners.
There is also an American on the list: Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76. He is a proponent of the Latin Mass and a public critic of Pope Francis’ liberal tendencies.
I love the Latin Mass. My father was an altar boy in Cuba and learned all those Latin lines that we don’t hear anymore.
No one knows who it will be because it all happens in secret and we just get to wait. No polls here.
The Catholic Church has two serious problems, from losing members to a current Pope who keeps making the leftist case for illegal immigration and climate change.
So stay tuned. The smoke will eventually go up and a new Pope will reveal himself in the balcony. I’d love to see one of these three men on the balcony.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
We remember Joe Lieberman
We remember Senator Lieberman for several reasons:
1) In 1998, he stood up in the US Senate and called out President Clinton's Oval Office behavior. Unfortunately, most Democrats, and specially the party's women, stayed quiet;
2) In 2000, VP Gore selected Senator Lieberman to be the party's VP nominee. We recall that the Gore-Lieberman ticket lost that election. Unlike VP Gore, who became unhinged, Senator Lieberman accepted the verdict and moved on;
3) In 2003-04, it was Senator Lieberman who tried to persuade Democrats to adopt a more realistic view of the Iraq War;
4) In 2006, Senator Lieberman was defeated in the Democrat Senate primary but won the election as an independent anyway; and,
5) Mr. Lieberman became a Trump supporter in 2017.
We remember him as maybe the last of the old Democrats.
The Liebermans wrote a good book about their 2000 campaign memories.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
February 24, 1996: The Cuban government shot down US citizens over The Florida Straits
We hear that President Biden wants to change the tough approach that the Trump administration set against Cuba. He wants dialogue, whatever that means, with a dictatorship. How can you talk to a regime that locks up its own people?
From Miami to other cities, Cuban Americans will remember today another anniversary of a terrible massacre over the Florida Straits.
On this day in 1996, four young men on a humanitarian mission were killed by the Cuban Air Force.
Our friends at Capitol Hill Cubans recall what happened that awful day. This is from Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence King in the civil lawsuit against the Castro regime and the Cuban Air Force (FAR):
“The government of Cuba, on February 24th 1996,in outrageous contempt for international law and basic human rights, murdered four human beings in international airspace over the Florida Straits. The victims were Brothers to the Rescue pilots, flying two civilian unarmed planes on a routine humanitarian mission, searching for rafters in the waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys.
As the civilian planes flew over international waters, a Russian built MiG 29 of the Cuban Air Force, without warning, reason, or provocation blasted the defenseless planes out of the sky with sophisticated air-to-air missiles in two separate attacks. The pilots and their aircraft disintegrated in the mid-air explosions following the impact of the missiles. The destruction was so complete that the four bodies were never recovered.””
What was “the crime”? They were flying over international waters looking for rafters and advising the US Coast Guard. It was a humanitarian act that posed no threat to the Cuban regime.
The four victims were: Armando Alejandre Jr. (45 years old), Carlos Alberto Costa (29), Mario Manuel de la Peña (24), and Pablo Morales (29).
Three of these young men were US citizens and the 4th was a legal resident.
On behalf of their families, I call on the Biden Administration to remember that nothing has changed in Cuba. To my knowledge, the regime has never apologized for this criminal act.
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Sunday, February 23, 2025
Time to deactivate the activist judges
Time to deactivate the activist judges: The Democrats are down to one card: activist judges. In other words, shop for a judge who will write an opinion, put the Trump plan on hold, and hope 2026 gives you back the House. It’s the only plan that will work, or so ...
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Time to deactivate the activist judges - American Thinker https://t.co/k0t3XyqEtp
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 23, 2025
The Democrats are down to one card: activist judges. In other words, shop for a judge who will write an opinion, put the Trump plan on hold, and hope 2026 gives you back the House. It’s the only plan that will work, or so they think.
So it’s up to the Supreme Court to stop this nonsense. I agree with Mike Davis that they owe it to the country. This is his opinion:
The executive power, according to Article II of the Constitution, is vested in the president, who is also commanded to “take care” that laws are faithfully executed. Trump has already begun his work at agencies like USAID and the Treasury Department, uncovering appalling levels of waste, fraud, and abuse. Activist federal judges, however, have halted these efforts, basing their decisions on politics and policy disagreements rather than law.
Furthermore:
If appellate courts do not intervene, the Supreme Court must address these activist judges through its emergency docket. When activist judges issue baseless rulings like preventing the Secretary of the Treasury from accessing departmental records, it erodes the legitimacy of the courts. Such rulings would be as absurd as preventing senators or representatives from reviewing records within their respective chambers—or the Supreme Court reviewing lower courts.
It’s insane for one federal judge — say, in Seattle or Minneapolis — to stop the work of a president who won 80% of the counties. It’s crazy, and it stains the Judiciary.
If a judge disagrees with the Trump administration, then he should run for office and win an election. Otherwise, get out of the way, and let the voters have their way.
I understand that once in a while, the Judiciary has to stop an unconstitutional order, such as when the Biden administration decided to buy votes paying off college loans or redefine Title IX. But there are no such issues here — rather, petty judges who should know better but don’t.
So let the Roberts Court stop this nonsense.
PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
The Texas Report with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
The Texas Report with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
Vouchers and the Texas state legislature, Trump at CPAC, Miracle on Ice 1980 Winter Olympics, Judges vs Trump and more stories....
When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys
When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys: We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732. We used to celebrate his birthday as a special day. It reminded everyone of the greatness of the man.
Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s….
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It gave us the lift that we all needed back then! Again, what a game and how timely that it happened on George Washington's birthday.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 22, 2025
When we beat the guys wearing the CCCP jerseys - American Thinker https://t.co/f8Kva5ZTUa
We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732. We used to celebrate his birthday as a special day. It reminded everyone of the greatness of the man.
Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game. It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice.” It was sort of like the recent U.S.-Canada game without the fights but a million times more tense.
As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.
First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was throwing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa. Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocked President Carter every day. It seemed as if no one feared the U.S. and the bad guys certainly didn’t. Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation. I remember all of this because I sat waiting in one of those gas lines.
In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives. It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!
The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game. What a great game. In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.
Here is the story of that day:
The story first needs a Goliath, and even the most cursory look at the Soviets shows their might. They had won each of the previous four Olympic gold medals in hockey and 12 gold medals in the 16 world championships they played in between 1961 and 1979.
The USSR also won all 12 matchups with the United States between the 1960 and 1980 Olympics, outscoring the Americans 117-26…
The idea of competing with the Soviets was absurd on paper. But the victory becomes even more miraculous when you see how badly the U.S. was outchanced that day by the older, more experienced Soviets…The most basic metric is total shot attempts — the total number of shots a team takes, whether they hit or miss the net or are blocked by the opposition, commonly known in the hockey stats community as Corsi — specifically those taken when both teams are skating five players a side. It is commonly presented to show possession tendencies. Consider:
In all situations, the USSR had 52 shot attempts, while the U.S. recorded just 25 (67.5% of the total attempts).
When taking that same statistic and looking at only 5-on-5 situations, the USSR held a 46-21 shot attempt advantage (68.7% shot share).
When looking at shots that hit their target, the official box score credited the USSR with 39 total shots on goal, and we determined it had 31 at 5-on-5. The United States? Try 16, and just seven at 5-on-5. We actually classified six of those 16 American shots as dump-ins on goal, too, meaning there were really 10 true shots from Team USA. A ridiculous 71% of shots on goal in the game came from the Soviets, and that number jumped to 81.6% at 5-on-5.
Running a possession deficit that substantial is not usually going to lead to success, and it’s somewhat rare to see. Over the past three NHL postseasons, only five playoff games out of 258 have had a possession disparity as large or larger than what we saw in the Miracle on Ice.
Yes, “Running a possession deficit that substantial is not usually going to lead to success” except when you are playing on Washington’s birthday. Maybe George persuaded the Gods of hockey that the country really needed this one. I don’t know how it happened but the good guys won that day and people like me began to take hockey seriously. All of a sudden, the Stanley Cup was a sports final rather than a gift for newlyweds.
It gave us the lift that we all needed back then! Again, what a game and how timely that it happened on George Washington’s birthday.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 with Barry Jacobsen
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.
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Friday, February 21, 2025
Tea for two in '72
Tea for two in '72 : It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV.
It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of ...
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It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 21, 2025
It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of the troops out of Vietnam. Does…
It was 53 years ago that President Nixon had tea with Mao. As I recall, Air Force One, the 707 version, landed in China and I watched it while eating breakfast with my parents on TV.
It was shocking, and happening in an election year with most of the troops out of Vietnam. Does it get any better than that? After all, who would have believed that the anti-communist Nixon would shake hands with Mao? But he did and we saw images of the President and First Lady walking around China. Again, who saw that coming?
President Nixon paved the way for the China of today. In other words, cars instead of bicycles and skyscrapers instead of simple buildings. It also contributed to the outsourcing of thousands of manufacturing jobs, i.e. “Made in China” is everywhere! And most damaging of all, China is now a full adversary on the economic front and all those aircraft carriers that they are putting out to sea.
Nixon and Mao are now gone. Nixon in 1994 and Mao a few years after this visit. So what was the impact of that visit? I always enjoy reading articles about how the visit happened in the first place. This is from the Nixon Foundation:
On July 15, 1971, President Nixon — broadcasting live from studios in Los Angeles — sent a tremor through the Cold War world, announcing that he’d be visiting the People’s Republic of China early the following year.
The move proved to be a geopolitical game changer.
When President Nixon took the oath-of-office in January 1969, the Vietnam War was raging. He wanted to bring the nation beyond the decade long morass that was draining political capital and resources abroad, and intensifying social strife at home.
For the 37th president, rapprochement with China would help the United States end the war through diplomacy with a more powerful Communist country in Southeast Asia. It would also put pressure on the Soviet Union, whose relations were frayed with the PRC following clashes on its eastern border, make progress on the limitations of nuclear arms, and peace in parts of the world where it continued to be engaged.
After a series of carefully calibrated moves through PRC allies Romania and Pakistan, President Nixon landed in Peking in February 1972. He stepped off Air Force One, extended his hand to Premier Chou en-Lai, and ended nearly a quarter-century of non-communication.
Memorialized by the president as The Week that Changed the World, the trip culminated in the announcement of the joint US-China Communiqué in Shanghai.
Both sides agreed to articulate their substantial differences, make progress towards normalized relations, and refrain from seeking hegemony in the Asia Pacific region.
The most significant development came from the United States on the issue of its democratic ally Taiwan, affirming that “there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China,” and that a peace be settled by Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait.
In August 1974, when President Nixon resigned, his successor President Gerald Ford sent a personal letter to Chairman Mao Ze Dong pledging to continue on the path to stronger relations with the PRC, a policy still maintained by the White House today.
So the question remains. What did we get out of this visit? It’s a close call and will continue to be as China expands and builds all that infrastructure in Latin America. On the other hand, maybe China would have grown anyway without the visit. We will never know, but it was a consequential trip and one that will consume analysts for years.
Last, but not least, the phrase “Nixon to China” is now part of our political lexicon. You hear it every time that a politician goes against his base.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Thursday, February 20, 2025
The Pope and immigration plus other current events
Guest: Frank Burke, businessman and author.....The Pope and immigration plus other current events……Click to listen:
Don't touch my favorite program
Don't touch my favorite program: Over the last few weeks, we've learned that the federal bureaucracy is out of control or doing crazy things such as sending Social Security checks to dead people or financing trans operas in faraway places. We don't know if it's….
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We hear a lot about the Democrats lost in the wilderness. Well, it's easy to stay lost when you defend expenditures like these. Where is the Democrat who will challenge the public-sector unions and say that this is crazy? Where is that Democrat? He or she could become a relevant…
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 20, 2025
Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned that the federal bureaucracy is out of control or doing crazy things such as sending Social Security checks to dead people or financing trans operas in faraway places. We don’t know if it’s corruption or incompetence. My guess is that it’s a bit of both, but the jury is still out on the final verdict.
So what are the Democrats doing or reacting to this? Well, so far, the Democrats have decided to lie with the bureaucrats.
How is this playing outside of Washington D.C.? Not well according to Ruy Texeira:
Over time, Democrats have been hemorrhaging working-class voters, including and especially in the last election. A resolute, unconditional defense of government bureaucracies does not appear to be a promising route to getting them back in our current populist era.
But oddly, Democrats seem to have decided that hitching their wagon to government bureaucracies is just the ticket they need to storm back against Trump and GOP. Nothing illustrates this better than how they’ve mounted the barricades to defend USAID and each and every dollar it spends.
By the way, Mr. Texiera has been warning Democrats for years. He once predicted that Hispanics would create a Democrat majority, but now he is warning them that they are creating a permanent minority. I guess that open borders, on demand abortion, and having men steal young women’s trophies will do that to you.
Texeira is correct. Watch the Democrats defend USAID without stepping out of the box and seeing all the crazy stuff that taxpayers are paying for. Wonder how many taxpayers are doing their taxes today and watching Elon Musk reveal how we are spending money? As David Alxerod said: “[How did] the party of working people become a party of elite institutions?“
We hear a lot about the Democrats lost in the wilderness. Well, it’s easy to stay lost when you defend expenditures like these. Where is the Democrat who will challenge the public-sector unions and say that this is crazy? Where is that Democrat? He or she could become a relevant national figure in the age of Trump.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
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