I thought when I began...

blogging I would have lots of interesting insights to pass along. Turns out that I'm not only not insightful but I appear to lack even a basic understanding of what goes on around me.

Today's confusing terms are 'to win' and 'to disable'. I presumed I knew the meaning of such common verbs but, I guess not.

For example, Hezbollah is celebrating its 'victory' over the Israels. This gala comes after losing more than 900 of their own countrymen and suffering billions of dollars of wanton destruction to the infrastructure of their largest city. They win! Win what? If that's winning then I wonder what's the definition of losing?

Israel is claiming they have achieved their objective, which was to run the Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon. Mission accomplished, they say. We've dealt a disabling blow to their capacity to wage war, they say. Yesterday, Sunday,the day before the cease fire, more than 250 rockets landed on Israeli soil. It was the heaviest bombardment in a single day since the debacle started. I must not know the meaning of 'disable' either. I thought 'disable' meant, at the very least, to slow something down.

Oh well, that's why I don't trust my opinions anymore. Found out my vocabulary isn't sufficient enough to record a sensible observation.

I still feel that I understand 'shallowness' and 'chickenshit' though.

The Bush Administration's 'relaxing' of immigration requirements for Cubans so "It will be easier for Cuban families to reunite.", stinks of both of those terms.

After all this time the Bush/Cheney cult decides now is the time to help Cuban families. Curious timing don't you think? It would seem such an announcement might cause a mad rush of Cubans trying to take advantage of such a generous offer. This, in turn, might cause the Cuban officials to crack down. This, of course, will cause civil unrest which, with a little push, could cause destabilization and panic.

During such a turmoil Cuba, especially with Castro on the sidelines, might fall into senseless internal fighting and some serious bloodletting.

I'm sure the Bush Administration did not have such a scenario in mind when they made their magnanimous gesture. Not even they could be that chickenshit right? It's all about reuniting Cuban families, right? Right??


QUOTE OF THE DAY:


Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. - Einstein


MEXICO (as I see it):

Since I'm in a political mood and since, as I've already shown, I don't understand a goddamn thing about it I'm going to pose this next observation as a question.

How is it that the U.S. has a policy which favors Cuban immigration, even to the point of saying if they touch American soil they can stay, while the same government is building walls to keep out Mexicans?

Does the U.S. love Cubans and hate Castro? Do they love Fox and hate Mexicans? Or...WTF!

Now you know the horrid truth - wisdom does not come with age.

I was this dumb at fifteen.

I'm no fan of ...

communism. I grew up learning to dive under my school desk in case the Russians let one fly (A-bomb that is). I do, however, find it unnerving that the Bush Administration is champing at the bit to destabilize another country.

The President is pandering to the dancing street hordes in Cuban Miami. Most of whose parents were not yet born when Castro forced Batista to flee. All they know about Castro's Cuba is what has been force fed to them from the old Batistas who lost their privileges when the their government fell and who fled to the United States.

One has to wonder if what these exiled Cubans really want is democracy for their former country or do they wish to re-claim their lost casinos, brothels and child sex industries. The Batistas had prostituted their country to the tourist world, mainly, the United States. For money, they allowed an anything goes policy. American Mafia investment brought the island millions of dollars as their part of the 'take'.

The forty seven year United States embargo against Cuba has done little to dampen the Cuban's sense of pride and nothing to bring them to condeming Fidel Castro.

For all Castro may not be it is clear that he is sincere in his beleifs. He has never used his dictatoship to enrich himself. He is still wearing the same style of military uniform that he wore when he and his troops entered Havana nearly fifty years ago. Castro has steadfastly resisted the enormous pressure brought against him by the United States, including some sixteen attempts to either assassinate or depose him.

It was surmised by the United States and its large Cuban exile population that when the Soviet Union folded it would mean the demise of Castro's Cuba. It did not.

The Cuban people are as patriotic and nationalistic as any other country's citizens and we can only hope that the Bush Administration understands that and doesn't start trying to sell the 'We will welcomed as liberators', 'There will be parades and flowers lining the streets' scenarios.

Let's pray that the intelligence our government is relying on takes into consideration how poorly we understood the Iraqi mentality.

Yes, it may be said that the poor people have suffered under the Castro regime but, it is equally true, that the poor suffered under Batista's rule. So, it appears to be crucial that, this time, the United States aligns itself with whichever side is truely for the betterment of the Cuban citizenry.


QUOTE OF THE DAY:

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell


MEXICO (as I see it):


I met an American in Mexico who was so pedantic as to, while helping his Mexican girl friend learn English, tell her not to learn contractions!

It seems they belong to a lower realm.

I knew I shouldn’t, couldn’t and wouldn’t go along with it.

Isn't it odd how the GOP...

doesn't want people to see the fruits of war? The President won't allow photos of the coffins of fallen American military. The Republicans recently protested so vociferously against a Democratic candidate's campaign ad using a backdrop of flag draped coffins that they forced the ad to be pulled.

Americans are fed news reels with the grisly parts edited out. We are not allowed to see the smashed bodies of children being pulled from under the rubble of destroyed towns. There are no cadavers in the Republican version of war. There are no cilvilians blown to smithereens, no arms and legs being strewn over acres of ground. No Marines are gutted and maimed. In the Compassionate Conservative's wars there are no bodies stacked like cord wood, no corpses of broken, ravished women and, above all, there are no flag draped coffins.

The Republicans would have us believe that their wars are done by buttons. Smart bombs and precisions targeting. Boom! Swoosh! All gone. Problem solved. Very sanitary.

The Bush Administration has God on its side. Everything is simple, it's good versus evil. How convenient for the keyboard komandos who support this puesdo religious jabberwocky and clamor for more incursions. They do not need to ask themselves any questions, do any soul searching or investigating , they are a gang of right doers morally bound to killing the Devil's helpers. The War President doesn't get any blood on his hands because God has told him war is a good way to cleanse the world.

The most shameful act this administration has foisted on the American citizens, apart from blacking out the human suffering in its wars, is to brand anybody who is against war, for peace, harmony and diplomacy as unpatriotic cowards. War is more noble than peace. Aggression is preferable to diplomacy. Condemn our enemies for doing exactly what we are doing. Talk of treason, torture and spying. Fear, suspicion and fanaticism. But, no photos of coffins.

We must be talking about some other place in the world, we cannot be referring to the United States of America. Can we?


QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Great men do not commit murder. Great nations do not start wars." William Jennings Bryan


MEXICO (as I see it):



ANIMAL WORLD

Remember, Mexicans think that an automobile, or any motorized vehicle, is an entity unto itself. That is, they view a car as if it were and animal; a thing large and scary to deal with, like a bear or a buffalo.

They appear to believe a car has a mind of its own, a metabolism and its own cellular components. When a car nearly runs them down
they are unmindful of the human control factor involved.

If the vehicles crash savagely into one another a Mexican might describe the wreck thusly: 'The blue one hit the red one'. The panther leapt on the stag. To them it's normal for the
species.

The driver inside the car is not considered responsible for the actions of the car any more than the passengers on a train are responsible for which tracks the engine follows.

A pedestrian, narrowly missed by a reckless, swerving automobile will often offer an apologetic smile to those inside the vehicle as if to say: I'm sorry, I just forgot to watch myself during the stampede.