Cuba all alone. Democrats and primaries. AG Ellison at Senate hearing. We remember President Lincoln (1809-65)
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Another win for the ‘primarians’
In previous posts, we’ve mentioned that a primary is the Democrats’ biggest fear. I mean a primary from the left in a blue district. Do you remember AOC? Anyway, it is this fear of the left driving so many Democrats into different stages of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Or,…
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 12, 2026
Click to read:
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/02/another_win_for_the_primarians.html
We remember Pat Dobson (1942-2006)
We remember Pat Dobson who was born in Buffalo, NY, on this day in 1942. He died in 2006.
In 1971, he was one of the four 20-game winners in the Orioles' starting rotation. Overall, he was 122-129 with a 3.54 ERA over 11 seasons.
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We remember Lorne Greene (1911-1987)
We know him as Lorne Green, or the man who played Ben Cartwright in “Bonanza”.
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We remember Joe Garagiola (1926-2016)
Joseph Henry “Joe” Garagiola was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on this day in 1926.
My first memory of Garagiola was when he hosted the pre-game show on NBC. He was also on The Johnny Carson show once in a while.
Garagiola was a catcher with the Cardinals before going to the TV booth. He was a great ambassador for the game, as well.
He died in 2016.
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.
Another 12th of February to remember my late great Uncle Joaquin
As we get older, we associate certain moments of history with people we grew up with. For example, the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis remind me of my parents. Hearing of Minnie Minoso reminds me of my father and brother one Sunday afternoon in Cuba.
I am always reminded of my late great uncle on Lincoln anniversaries, from his date of birth to the Gettysburg Address to the day he was assassinated.
President Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. I don’t believe he had a bigger fan on this planet than my late great uncle, who was a judge; a college professor; an attorney; and, I repeat, a big fan of President Lincoln.
I am sure he would have loved this post about Mr. Lincoln written by Scott Johnson:
Today is of course the anniversary of the birth of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln.As a politician and as president, Lincoln was a profound student of the Constitution and constitutional history.Perhaps most important, Lincoln was America’s indispensable teacher of the moral ground of political freedom at the exact moment when the country was on the threshold of abandoning what he called its “ancient faith” that all men are created equal.In 1858 Lincoln attained national prominence in the Republican Party as the result of the contest for the Senate seat held by Stephen Douglas.It was Lincoln’s losing campaign against Douglas that made him a figure of sufficient prominence that he could be the party’s 1860 presidential nominee.At the convention of the Illinois Republican Party in June, Lincoln was the unanimous choice to run against Douglas.After making him its nominee late on the afternoon of June 16, the entire convention returned that evening to hear Lincoln speak.Accepting the convention’s nomination, Lincoln gave one of the most incendiary speeches in American history.Lincoln electrified the convention, asserting that the institution of slavery had made the United States “a house divided against itself.” Slavery would either be extirpated or become lawful nationwide, Lincoln predicted, provocatively quoting scriptural authority to the effect that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”Demonstrating how it “changed the course of history,” Harry Jaffa calls it “[t]he speech that changed the world.”
Yes, my great uncle would have loved President Lincoln referred to as “America’s indispensable teacher of the moral ground of political freedom.” Yes, he would have loved that!
To say the least, Abraham Lincoln had a huge impact on his life and specially his political ideas.
In fact, he was such a fan that my brother and I got to sit at his home study and hear him recite the Gettysburg Address.
We were too young back in Cuba to appreciate his message. It took me a while, and relocation to this wonderful country, to understand it and to love each and every word.
Years later, I always think of my great uncle on any day, or when I am exposed to any documentary or book, that reminds us of the 16th president of the U.S.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/02/another_12th_of_february_to_remember_my_late_great_uncle_joaquin.html#ixzz4YTPrM3wH
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Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook
1924: Gershwin's "Rhapsody in blue" made its debut
You can get a "digital" version of the original and let me also recommend Deodato's version.
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.
"Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin
This is a very interesting book about the Lincoln presidency. It tells the story of how President Lincoln surrounded himself with "rivals".
Remembering President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
President Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.
We will have many celebrations across the land. Lincoln was a great man. The Lincoln monument was the highlight of my visit to DC many years ago.
It's hard to pick a favorite quote from Lincoln. I like this one from the 2nd inaugural speech, about a month before his assassination:
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). There are many books about Abraham Lincoln. Let me recommend this one:
Why my late, great uncle loved the Gettysburg Address
(My new American Thinker post)
My late great Uncle Joaquin was a judge, college professor, an attorney and a big fan of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
He was a young boy when Cuba became independent in 1902.
Like so many of his generation, he was born in the island when it was a Spanish colony, saw the US occupation (1898-1902) and then cheered May 20, 1902 when it became an independent nation. I can recall some of his stories about Cuban flags flying and people celebrating the moment.
My guess is that he'd really enjoy the upcoming Ken Burns' documentary on the speech.
He would also have a hard time understanding President Obama's absence for the 150th anniversary.
My great uncle would ask: "What else is more important"?
In fact, he was such a fan that my brother and I got to sit at his home study and hear him recite it in English & Spanish.
We were too young back in Cuba to appreciate his message. It took me a while, and relocation to this wonderful country, to understand it and to love each and every word.
Here it is. I can still hear my great uncle reciting it and telling me that it was the greatest speech ever delivered:
"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
My late great uncle would have loved this post!
P. S. We spoke about the speech with Frank Burke.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
‘El conejito malo’ forgot that the audience ‘no habla español’
So the whole thing was a bad idea. Woke gone mad or the NFL forgetting that this is a football championship, not the woke Oscars.
It’s time to bring back some college bands and let the public enjoy the show in peace.
Click to read:
So the whole thing was a bad idea. Woke gone mad or the NFL forgetting that this is a football championship, not the woke Oscars.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 11, 2026
It’s time to bring back some college bands and let the public enjoy the show in peace.
Click to read:https://t.co/W6YU1h4HZl
Happy # 77 to Ben Oglivie
Ben grew up in New York City and attended Roosevelt High School and later Wayne State College in Detroit.
Oglivie broke with the Red Sox in 1971 and traded to Detroit in 1974. His career really blossomed when he was sent to Milwaukee in 1978. As a Brewer, Oglivie hit .277 with 176 HR & 685 RBI in 9 seasons. He led the AL in HR in 1980: .304, 41 HR & 118 HR.
Happy Birthday Ben Oglivie!
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 Sergio Mendes (1941-2024)
We remember Sergio Mendes, a very talented Brazilian band leader, who was born in Rio de Janeiro on this day in 1941. He died in 2024.
Mendes recorded my favorite cover of a Beatles' song. His version of "Fool on the hill" is great. It is creative and sounds great because it is Sergio Mendes rather than someone trying to imitate The Beatles.
Here is the Mendes' unique arrangement!
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.
1861: President elect Lincoln took the train to Washington DC
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1945: The Yalta Conference between Stalin, Churchill and FDR
We remember the Yalta Conference of 1945 between PM Churchill of the UK, President FD Roosevelt of the US and Premier Stalin of the USSR.
Unfortunately, PM Churchill turned out to be right about "The Iron Curtain" and Eastern Europe. In less than a year, the Red Army marched into Romania, Poland and other countries. It took almost 50 years to drive them out!
Unfortunately, PM Churchill turned out to be right about "The Iron Curtain" and Eastern Europe. In less than a year, the Red Army marched into Romania, Poland and other countries. It took almost 50 years to drive them out!
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda. The Guthrie case. Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl. Another week waiting for Iran. Democrat upset in New Jersey. plus other stories.
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.
The Guthrie case. Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl. Another week waiting for Iran. Democrat upset in New Jersey. plus other stories......
click to listen:
Remember the Paris Olympics? The weird opening ceremony? The man boxing as a woman?
Click to read:
Remember the Paris Olympics? The weird opening ceremony? Thehttps://t.co/qDovAblGKJ
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 10, 2026
We remember Roberta Flack. (1937-2025)
We say happy birthday Roberta Flack who was born on this day in 1937 in North Carolina. She died in 2025.
As a young woman, Roberta Flack loved classical piano and won a music scholarship to Howard University. She became a music teacher after graduation and sang at a club to make a little extra money. Eventually, someone heard her lovely voice and the rest is music history.
Her first hit was "The first time ever I saw your face", an absolutely amazing vocal performance. Intense and lovely!
Her second song was "Killing me softly" in 1973.
Her first hit was "The first time ever I saw your face", an absolutely amazing vocal performance. Intense and lovely!
Her second song was "Killing me softly" in 1973.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
We remember Laura Ingalls Wilder who died in 1957
We remember Laura Ingalls Wilder who died on this day in 1957.
We know Laura from "The Little House in the Prairie" TV series.
In real life, Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in Wisconsin back in 1867. She lived in Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota with her family: Charles her father, Caroline her mother & sisters. Eventually, Laura became a school teacher and married Alonzo Wilder.
In 1932, she wrote her family story in "The Little House" series. It became a TV series in 1974.
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.
Monday, February 09, 2026
Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, Monkey-Hitler & politics. Crockett leading Talarico in latest poll. The Beatles Ed Sullivan 1964.
Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, Monkey-Hitler & politics. Crockett leading Talarico in latest poll. The Beatles Ed Sullivan 1964.
Keep the monkey and Hitler out of our politics
Keep the monkey and Hitler out of our politics
Click to read:
So, it was stupidity all around. What else can we say? Keep monkey and Hitler out of politics.https://t.co/6hes95NzzB
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 9, 2026
Happy # 84 Carole King
We say happy birthday to Carole King, who was born in New York City on this day in 1942.
In the 1960's, Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin wrote one hit after another: “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles, “Take Good Care Of My Baby” (Bobby Vee, 1961), “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva, 1962), “Up On The Roof” (The Drifters, 1962), “Chains” (The Cookies, 1962; The Beatles, 1963), “One Fine Day” (The Chiffons, 1963), “Hey Girl” (Freddie Scott, 1963), “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits, 1964), “Just Once In My Life” (with Phil Spector for The Righteous Brothers, 1965), and “Don’t Bring Me Down” (The Animals, 1966).
In 1971, she went solo with her LP "Tapestry" and it became a huge smash.
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.
Happy # 83 Barbara Lewis
Some of her big hits were "Baby, I'm Yours", "Hello Stranger", and "I'll Make Him Love Me". I saw on the Internet that they've released a collection of her hits!
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.
The Beatles that we didn't get to hear in Cuba
The world is celebrating another anniversary of The Beatles landing at JFK Airport and appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
It was one of those events that changed music, radio playlists and the length of our hair. My mom used to call them "los bitles" or her "Cuban accented" pronunciation. It was also her disapproval of the hair or my desire to look like that.
However, I did not know a thing about Beatlemania until our family got here. 50 years ago we were in Cuba but The Beatles in New York, or Ed Sullivan, was nothing we knew a thing about.
The Castro dictatorship censored The Beatles and their music was not heard on local radio. The "ban" came from the to the top:
"Fidel Castro's government frowned on Western music as a 'decadent' influence in the decades after his 1959 Cuban Revolution. Many Cubans recall being harassed for wearing long hair or listening to rock and pop music from Europe or the United States."Eventually, the Castro regime liberalized rules so Cubans finally got their taste of The Beatles. It was 40 years late.
We arrived in the US in September '64 and all of those Cuban kids in Miami were singing their songs. I remember "A Hard Day's Night" movie signs everywhere.
In a few days, I heard that it was a British group and a girl showed me her copy of "Meet the Beatles." It was the first time that I had seen a picture of the group or heard their music.
A few years ago, I spoke with a 50-something Cuban who left the island recently. We spoke about the repression, censorship of the press and the food shortages.
Then he said this: "You know one more thing I hate the Castro dictatorship....they denied me The Beatles"....I never got to enjoy it like you did in the US"
Thank God for freedom was all I could say! All of a sudden I realized that freedom is "a free press" and my copy of "Abbey Road."
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
Sunday, February 08, 2026
A chat with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
A chat with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
click to watch:
James Talarico talks about the pro-choice angel and billionaires
We’ve been watching the Texas primary battle between two Democrats: Rep. Jamine Crockett and Texas state Rep. James Talarico. To refresh your memory, Rep. Talarico is the one who quotes the Bible more often than a Sunday preacher. If he were a GOP candidate, they’d call him a religious fanatic.
Click to read:
We’ve been watching the Texas primary battle between two Democrats: Rep. Jamine Crockett and Texas state Rep. James Talarico. To refresh your memory, Rep. Talarico is the one who quotes the Bible more often than a Sunday preacher. If he were a GOP candidate, they’d call him a…
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 8, 2026
We remember Jules Verne (1828-1905)
Most of us read his books in school. We also saw the movies based on his books: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954), "The Mysterious Island" (1929 and 1961), "From the Earth to the Moon" (1958), "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959), and "Around the World in 80 days.
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 Laura Ingalls Wilder (1860-1957)
The real Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in Wisconsin on this day in 1860 and died in 1957. The Ingals lived in Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder and they had one daughter.
Frankly, I never read the books but the TV shows were fantastic.
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.
Saturday, February 07, 2026
The “Lion King” video and lots of selective indignation & Winter Olympics.
The “Lion King” video and lots of selective indignation & Winter Olympics. https://t.co/QauRp8BE7t
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 8, 2026
Click to watch:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=58PszWz5G6I
The kids should not be marching
Have you noticed all of the young ones marching against ICE? I have, and it has all of the look of a manufactured operation. It’s hard to believe that a bunch of high schoolers suddenly decided to get out of class and march for something. Forgive me for being skeptical, but these marches smell like someone let the kids out for something other than walking for a little exercise.
Click to read:
https://x.com/silvio_canto/status/2020110134404424055?s=46&t=_XcW8Uclr_H1JKY4oMxwZw
The real story here is that these anti-ICE marches are manufactured to create the impression that Minneapolis is the country.
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) February 7, 2026
Click to read:https://t.co/tRQFxgmfTh
1964: The Beatles arrived in New York
It was many years ago today....that The Beatles landed in New York to begin their US tour and appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
On the pop charts, The Beatles had the #1 song on Billboard from February 1 to May 2. They called it "Beatlemania"!
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.
1962: US-Cuba embargo with Jason Poblete
Guest: Jason Poblete, attorney.........we will discuss the latest in US-Cuba embargo and other trade issues and other stories...On February 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order broadening the United States' restrictions on trade with Cuba.
click to listen:
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