Links: A. Obama and Russia
B. Obama Claims Victory In Stand-Off With Russia
C. Latin American Perspective on Obama
Please be sure and read all three links before diving in to my commentary today. After the wreckage of Ferguson and the debris left over after the unilateral Executive Branch fiat to normalize relations with Cuba, President Obama is talking about Russia. On one hand, he appears to be discreetly inviting Russia to a round of formal discussions, and on the other hand, he is informing the free world that Sanctions on Russia have crippled the Russian economy. True to form, I like to start with the truth. The Sanctions enacted by President Obama and the European Union have not crippled the Russian economy. Have a look at what the Sanctions were actually targeting. Yes, the Russian economy is in the tank and the Ruble should change its name to the "Cossack Lira", but it has very little to do with the Sanctions regime as it currently exists. It has everything to do with the price of oil. President Obama admits this fact himself when, in the second link, he points out that Russia's economy is too dependent on the fluctuations of the oil market, while the U.S. economy is much more diversified.
Earlier this week, two prominent opponents of Putin were arrested and thrown in jail. Reviewing the rap sheet has become a way to kill time and nothing more. They were arrested for opposing Putin and for becoming a bit more vocal and effective than the government will allow. Did the Russian people storm the prison? Has the international press taken up a story of Russian political reformers in jail on a hunger strike? Does Putin have an Aeroflot jet, warming up at the airport, to whisk him and his family to safety when the revolution takes hold? Of course not. Obama pretends that pressure on Putin exists when in fact, it doesn't. The Russians will put up with much more before they take to the streets. Putin knows this, and he also understands international economics a bit more than President Obama. Oil will rebound, as will the Ruble, regardless of the Sanctions regime. Crimea is an integral part of Russia, and Putin continues to call the shots in eastern Ukraine. The point being: Vladimir Putin is in no danger and sleeps well at night. He can ride out this economic crisis because he understands the long-term value of oil.
The first link implies that the Obama Administration is looking for ways to discreetly reach out to Russia. Even after six years, this administration still doesn't understand the basics of diplomacy and negotiation. WE HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER PUTIN. So why would he want to "mend fences"? He has Crimea and eastern Ukraine, which I don't believe he really wants (but will keep for the time being as a bargaining chip). Putin understands his adversary. He has seen six years of Obama's international diplomacy, which, when boiled down, is basically about giving away the store. Would you like an example? Take a look at the recent Cuban rapprochement. The United States is prepared to remove trade restrictions, work around the Congressionally mandated sanctions to re-establish banking ties, remove restrictions on travel, etc. And what about Cuba? Alan Gross was released, but no mention of any other steps to be taken. The United States announced that Cuba would be releasing 53 political prisoners. But it hasn't happened, and the Cuban press has not mentioned any agreed upon release of political prisoners. To cut to the chase, we will give all, and Cuba will give nothing.
I'm actually a bit angry because writing this post has reminded me of some of the comments made over the last week or so. Lets talk about Alan Gross. Most Americans don't realize that this new agenda with Cuba included the release of three Cuban spies that were incarcerated in the United States. Cuba has treated the release of Alan Gross as a trade-off. The U.S. releases three Cuban spies, and Cuba releases one American spy. Only Alan Gross was not a spy. The implication in Europe and Latin America will always be that he was engaged in espionage, because the Cubans were allowed to spin this as they pleased. During his announcement, Obama continued his habit of blaming the United States and the American people for the suffering of others. This is the one reason why I personally despise the man. Obama announced that our policy of fifty years of isolating Cuba was misguided, and responsible for the collapse of the Cuban economy (ergo, the suffering of the Cuban people). I have grown weary of being the guilty party, Mr. President. I am a 48 year-old white male and an American citizen. According you to, I am responsible for racism in America (which flourishes, according to the speech you gave at the United Nations), I am responsible for the sad state of relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world, I am responsible for the poverty in Mexico, I am responsible for illegal immigration (I hire them to work in my factories and to water my lawn), I am responsible for people not having health insurance, I am responsible for Global Warming, I am responsible for all the failures of your administration (we've been out to get you since you took office), and now I'm responsible for the suffering of the Cuban people. Its quite a burden to carry, but I have no choice in the matter. I'm just trying to lay low until we get a new perspective in the White House. One that doesn't believe that there is something inherently unfair and wrong with the American Dream. A perspective that announces loud and clear that the United States and its economy can choose with whom, when and where it wants to do business. Interestingly enough, Sanctions on Russia work fine for President Obama, but caused misery and suffering for the Cuban people. Sometimes I wonder if one mouth knows what the other mouth is saying.
Showing posts with label Alan Gross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Gross. Show all posts
Friday, January 2, 2015
Saturday, December 20, 2014
In One Fell Swoop, Rand Paul Has Lost Me
Link: Rand Paul Supports Relations With Cuba
Politics can be very unpredictable. This morning I woke up, believing that Senator Rand Paul would most likely be my choice for the GOP nomination for President in 2016. President Obama normalizes relations with Cuba, Rand Paul supports Obama's actions, and I'm through with Senator Paul. It wasn't just Paul's announcement that he supported President Obama. What really changed my mind were Paul's comments regarding the issue.
The link that I have included provides all of the comments from Senator Paul which have caused me to rethink my support. Rand Paul claims that sanctions on Cuba have failed. What, exactly, did Paul expect the sanctions to achieve? Our diplomatic and economic non-involvement with Cuba has to do with the foreign and domestic policies of the government in Havana, not some effort to create a democracy. The United States has the same sovereign right to chose its trade partners as does every other member of the United Nations. If we chose not to trade with Cuba, then that is our business, and Cuba is free to find other, more sympathetic regimes with which to carry on trade. Rand Paul also claimed that U.S. sanctions on Cuba hurt the Cuban people. Absolute HORSE SHIT. Its crap like that which makes me question how I could have ever supported this man for political office. Cuba is what it is because of the repressive, leftist/fascist rule of Fidel Castro, not because of the United States. Not surprisingly, Havana has an expensive, elite neighborhood, with mansions and all the trappings of wealth. Who lives there? the cronies and sycophants of Castro, that's who. Socialism in the best circumstances will eventually collapse upon itself, and in a poor, underdeveloped nation with very little industry or infrastructure? People are never really given the opportunity to better their lives. It's impossible to generate wealth when what little the government receives is stolen or spent on military escapades in South America and Angola. Tell me, Senator Paul, as an American, is it my fault that Castro chose to pay for Cuban Mig fighters and tanks in Angola instead of food on the tables of Cuban families? I have grown to expect President Obama to blame the American people for the ills of foreigners, but hearing it from Rand Paul was really disappointing. Newsflash: endemic poverty in Cuba is not the fault, or the responsibility of the United States.
On Thursday, during a radio interview, Rand Paul commented that, “When we first opened up trade with China we were thinking it was a bad idea. But you know over time I’ve come to believe — and many conservatives have come to believe — that trading with China is actually the best way to ultimately defeat communism, and it makes us less likely to fight.” Lets take a look at this picture, shall we? Since President Richard Nixon went to Beijing in 1972 (and threw Taiwan right under a speeding bus), and we have become progressively more economically involved with China, communism has somehow suffered? Not according to reality, Senator Paul. The Chinese economy, with our assistance, has become an international monster that has a special taste for all things American. The Chinese have made an art form out of buying up our debt, not to mention millions of acres of real estate all over the United States. Since relations with the United States improved, the Chinese military has greatly improved its offensive capacity and its missile delivery systems. Much of that missile technology came from the United States. And a quick look around the current Chinese political environment, the Communist Party is just as much an immoveable object as it always was, and the Red Army has become much more active in espionage and international banking. As for the Chinese government's dedication to the basic principles of Communism, I only have to look at Tibet and the more western provinces to remind myself what the Chinese government really thinks about open, political dialogue. Basically, the Chinese still do not enjoy the freedom to worship as they please. The education system is tightly controlled by the government, textbooks are total propaganda, and teachers are almost as left-wing as they are in American schools. Also, it is highly discouraged (some would say illegal), to have more than a certain, approved number of children. The political system does not allow for dissent, nor does the average Chinese citizen get to participate in a representative electoral process. The government controls the media and all aspects of the internet. So how, exactly, have we been "defeating" Communism with our economic and diplomatic embrace? I don't see it. No doubt a growing middle-class exists in China, but it is a segment of the population that does not question authority. The truth is, Senator Paul, that we have enabled the Chinese Communist Party to become even more entrenched and powerful by forgoing economic and political isolation. The mouthpiece of the Party continues to look for opportunities to threaten and insult the United States. This China that Senator Rand brags about is Kim Jong-Un and North Korea's lifeline. China could shut down Kim Jong-Un and free the people of North Korea in a heartbeat. But they won't. Let me tell you what China WILL do. The Chinese government will export nuclear technology to terrorist states, and also create an elaborate system of spying using Chinese citizens studying at U.S. Universities who just happen to have contracts for research projects with the U.S. Department of Defense. And spying at the laboratories in New Mexico is another example of Communist China's love for Democracy.
Lets move away from the criticism of Rand Paul and continue the discussion of Cuba. Today, President Obama gave away the kitchen sink without getting anything in return. Just last month, the Cuban regime was denounced for continuing to illegally jail Alan Gross, a U.S. Aid worker who was in Cuba to assist the poor. That government, which jails protesters, refuses to reform, controls all aspects of the lives of the Cuban people, and embraces any political movement that expresses anti-American sentiment, shouldn't exist in our sphere of national security, let alone gain diplomatic recognition. Cuba has not had a real election in over 60 years, and the government that has been squatting in Havana all that time, has been recognized by the Obama Administration. Would Obama have recognized apartheid South Africa? To be honest, if this decision had been debated in Congress and vetted through our tried and trusted legislative system of checks and balances, and passed a vote, I wouldn't complain. I might express my disagreement, but I would continue to be proud that our system was still functioning as intended. Instead we have one man making a decision that used to be important enough for full Congressional consideration. How far is this going to go? First immigration Amnesty, now normalizing relations with Cuba. What's next? Returning Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico?
Politics can be very unpredictable. This morning I woke up, believing that Senator Rand Paul would most likely be my choice for the GOP nomination for President in 2016. President Obama normalizes relations with Cuba, Rand Paul supports Obama's actions, and I'm through with Senator Paul. It wasn't just Paul's announcement that he supported President Obama. What really changed my mind were Paul's comments regarding the issue.
The link that I have included provides all of the comments from Senator Paul which have caused me to rethink my support. Rand Paul claims that sanctions on Cuba have failed. What, exactly, did Paul expect the sanctions to achieve? Our diplomatic and economic non-involvement with Cuba has to do with the foreign and domestic policies of the government in Havana, not some effort to create a democracy. The United States has the same sovereign right to chose its trade partners as does every other member of the United Nations. If we chose not to trade with Cuba, then that is our business, and Cuba is free to find other, more sympathetic regimes with which to carry on trade. Rand Paul also claimed that U.S. sanctions on Cuba hurt the Cuban people. Absolute HORSE SHIT. Its crap like that which makes me question how I could have ever supported this man for political office. Cuba is what it is because of the repressive, leftist/fascist rule of Fidel Castro, not because of the United States. Not surprisingly, Havana has an expensive, elite neighborhood, with mansions and all the trappings of wealth. Who lives there? the cronies and sycophants of Castro, that's who. Socialism in the best circumstances will eventually collapse upon itself, and in a poor, underdeveloped nation with very little industry or infrastructure? People are never really given the opportunity to better their lives. It's impossible to generate wealth when what little the government receives is stolen or spent on military escapades in South America and Angola. Tell me, Senator Paul, as an American, is it my fault that Castro chose to pay for Cuban Mig fighters and tanks in Angola instead of food on the tables of Cuban families? I have grown to expect President Obama to blame the American people for the ills of foreigners, but hearing it from Rand Paul was really disappointing. Newsflash: endemic poverty in Cuba is not the fault, or the responsibility of the United States.
On Thursday, during a radio interview, Rand Paul commented that, “When we first opened up trade with China we were thinking it was a bad idea. But you know over time I’ve come to believe — and many conservatives have come to believe — that trading with China is actually the best way to ultimately defeat communism, and it makes us less likely to fight.” Lets take a look at this picture, shall we? Since President Richard Nixon went to Beijing in 1972 (and threw Taiwan right under a speeding bus), and we have become progressively more economically involved with China, communism has somehow suffered? Not according to reality, Senator Paul. The Chinese economy, with our assistance, has become an international monster that has a special taste for all things American. The Chinese have made an art form out of buying up our debt, not to mention millions of acres of real estate all over the United States. Since relations with the United States improved, the Chinese military has greatly improved its offensive capacity and its missile delivery systems. Much of that missile technology came from the United States. And a quick look around the current Chinese political environment, the Communist Party is just as much an immoveable object as it always was, and the Red Army has become much more active in espionage and international banking. As for the Chinese government's dedication to the basic principles of Communism, I only have to look at Tibet and the more western provinces to remind myself what the Chinese government really thinks about open, political dialogue. Basically, the Chinese still do not enjoy the freedom to worship as they please. The education system is tightly controlled by the government, textbooks are total propaganda, and teachers are almost as left-wing as they are in American schools. Also, it is highly discouraged (some would say illegal), to have more than a certain, approved number of children. The political system does not allow for dissent, nor does the average Chinese citizen get to participate in a representative electoral process. The government controls the media and all aspects of the internet. So how, exactly, have we been "defeating" Communism with our economic and diplomatic embrace? I don't see it. No doubt a growing middle-class exists in China, but it is a segment of the population that does not question authority. The truth is, Senator Paul, that we have enabled the Chinese Communist Party to become even more entrenched and powerful by forgoing economic and political isolation. The mouthpiece of the Party continues to look for opportunities to threaten and insult the United States. This China that Senator Rand brags about is Kim Jong-Un and North Korea's lifeline. China could shut down Kim Jong-Un and free the people of North Korea in a heartbeat. But they won't. Let me tell you what China WILL do. The Chinese government will export nuclear technology to terrorist states, and also create an elaborate system of spying using Chinese citizens studying at U.S. Universities who just happen to have contracts for research projects with the U.S. Department of Defense. And spying at the laboratories in New Mexico is another example of Communist China's love for Democracy.
Lets move away from the criticism of Rand Paul and continue the discussion of Cuba. Today, President Obama gave away the kitchen sink without getting anything in return. Just last month, the Cuban regime was denounced for continuing to illegally jail Alan Gross, a U.S. Aid worker who was in Cuba to assist the poor. That government, which jails protesters, refuses to reform, controls all aspects of the lives of the Cuban people, and embraces any political movement that expresses anti-American sentiment, shouldn't exist in our sphere of national security, let alone gain diplomatic recognition. Cuba has not had a real election in over 60 years, and the government that has been squatting in Havana all that time, has been recognized by the Obama Administration. Would Obama have recognized apartheid South Africa? To be honest, if this decision had been debated in Congress and vetted through our tried and trusted legislative system of checks and balances, and passed a vote, I wouldn't complain. I might express my disagreement, but I would continue to be proud that our system was still functioning as intended. Instead we have one man making a decision that used to be important enough for full Congressional consideration. How far is this going to go? First immigration Amnesty, now normalizing relations with Cuba. What's next? Returning Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)