Dissidents Not Welcome at the Flag Raising Ceremony in Cuba

It's what's missing from this scene that's most disturbing, and the cartoonist captures it beautifully. Dissidents are not welcome. 

"In Cuba," writes Armando Valladares in his August 20 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "to ask for a man's basic rights is to ask for intimidation, incarceration, torture, and death." Vallardares would know. He says he spent eight years naked in solitary confinement (he refused to wear a prison uniform) as a conscientious objector to the Castro regime. He witnessed the torture and execution of those he knew, those who dared to protest. 

The American flag was raised at the American embassy in Cuba. But dissidents were not invited. And children of murdered dissidents were not allowed to speak. As was the case of Rosa Maria Payá, whose father Oswaldo Payá was murdered in 2012 by the regime ("official" version--it was a car accident). 

Rosa was at the flag raising. She even had a press pass. But here's the story you won't read in the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times or the Washington Post: Rosa wasn't allowed to ask questions. 

But this is Cuba, you say. Of course she wouldn't be permitted to speak. 

Ah, but it wasn't the Cuban authorities who silenced her. It was the Kerry people. The Kerry people. The American authorities. 

Because it's not about principle. It's not about human rights. It's not about freedom of expression. It's not about freedom at all. It's the show. It's the display. It's the stagecraft. Dissidents? Sorry, you're not welcome. Dissidents? Sorry, can't speak. Dissidents? Sorry, this isn't about you. It's about politicians and their egos, presidents and their legacies. The show must go on. Pictures must be taken for posterity. Dissidents must be silent, invisible, even at the American Embassy in Cuba.

(Mr. Kirby asked me not to ask questions today in John Kerry's press conference or [they would] use force to [remove] me.)

For Further Reading

"In Historic Cuba Visit, Kerry Presides Over Raising of U.S. Flag Over Embassy in Havana" (Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, August 15, 2015)

"To Embrace Cuba's Regime, State Department Doesn't Have ot Behave Like It" (Capitol Hill Cubans) 

More on Rosa Maria Payá's father, Oswaldo Payá here.  

Armando Valladares' article (in Capitol Hill Cubans blog) here.

Take That, Straw Man!

There he goes again, beating up Mr. Straw Man. One of these days, I hope someone writes a book analyzing the frequency of this fallacy in Obama's speeches. Working title: Take That, Straw Man!

Regarding the speech the president gave the other day at American University? I agree with Jonah Goldberg (copied below). Obama's comments were pretty abhorrent, particularly the one about Republicans who oppose the Iran deal as having "common cause" with those who chant "Death to America" in Iran. In my view, anyone who still supports this president is either willfully blind, woefully partisan, or profoundly deceived. 

Obama’s Iran Speech

(from The Goldberg File, by Jonah Goldberg, 8/7/15) 

For reasons I will get to in a moment, this was an absolutely terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. So I couldn’t get my normal Friday column done yesterday. That was particularly vexing because it was on Obama’s Iran speech, which I thought was not only bad, but outrageous. It was petulant, small, nasty, partisan, wildly hypocritical, and dishonorable in almost every regard. People who celebrated it should be ashamed of themselves. And the press’s ho-hum reporting on it as if it were just another presidential speech is a searing indictment of not just their news judgment but their partisanship. 

The president of the United States said critics of the Iran deal were finding common cause with a murderous Iranian regime -- a regime that he has coddled, accommodated, and apologized for time and again. He imputed to his domestic political opponents a none-too-vague whiff of cowardice, dual loyalty, and dishonor. In vintage Obama mode, he condemned the partisanship of his critics while delivering a searing partisan attack. He once again bragged about his opposition to the Iraq War while denigrating all those who supported it -- including both of his secretaries of state and his vice president -- as if that proves the rightness of everything he does. But this time he went further, basically suggesting that if you don’t support this deal, you are rewarding this evil fifth column in our midst. It was disgusting. 

Last, he threatened that if you don’t support his deal, it will mean war. 

This is a lie. First of all, if Congress votes down the deal tomorrow, who here believes that Obama will say, “Well, we have no choice now. We have to go to war.” 

Anyone? 

Who here believes that the people cheering his speech as powerful and impressive will apply its logic if it fails? Will David Axelrod -- who loved the speech, of course -- suddenly say, “Diplomacy has failed, alas. Now we have no choice but to bomb Iran.”? 

They are fear-mongering and lying while denouncing their opponents as fear-mongerers and liars. 

They are dishonestly threatening war because war is the only option less preferable than this unbelievably bad deal. It’s a magic-beans deal, minus the magic. It’s the equivalent of giving the Clintons millions in exchange for Mrs. Clinton attending your wedding. 

It was the most shameful presidential speech on foreign policy in my lifetime. Shame on him and his fans.

For Further Reading

"Obama Blasts Opponents of Iran Deal" (Kevin Liptak, CNN Politics, August 5, 2015).

"Obama's Crass Cynicism Exposes the Iran Deal's Shaky Foundations" (Noah Rothman, Commentary Magazine, August 6, 2015). 

"Who is the One Actually Making Common CAuse with Iran's Hard-liners, Mr. President?" (Charles Krauthammer, National Review Online, August 6, 2015).

Full text of the speech can be found here.

"Society Will Be Judged by How it Treats its Weakest Members"

Stunning. Simply stunning. These are our "supposed" lawmakers. But to their great shame, they are derelict. Derelict in every way imaginable. They make their arrogant statements, vote "no" without even so much as deigning to watch the videos. Taking their marching orders from the powerful lobbyists because they don't have a mind of their own. Even the Los Angeles Times parrots their message. The so-called judge bangs his gavel, because, guess what? His wife is an anti-abortion activist! But of course! Who thinks for themselves anymore? 

 If our nation is being judged by a righteous God who cares for the weakest of our society, so be it. We deserve it. To paraphrase from another despicable woman (yes, Michelle Obama, I'm referring to you), never have I been so ashamed of my country as I am today. Where are the real women? Where are the REAL women (because men are cowards) who will defend the WEAKEST of our society?




 

Oh, and "ladies"? Of course babies feel pain in the womb. 

Insanity. 

I'm so disgusted. Who will speak out for the helpless in our society? Because surely it is not these heartless, imbecilic, insane, foolish, arrogant so-called "women." 

Click on image to go to link. 

Oh, and by the way...

And, for those who have forgotten or who never learned. . . 

"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). 

"A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization" (Samuel Johnson).

"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped" (Hubert H. Humphrey).

 "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members" (Mahatma Ghandi). 

 "Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members -- the last, the least, the littlest" (Cardinal Roger Mahony). 

"The greatness of America is in how it treats its weakest members: the elderly, the infirm, the handicapped, the underprivileged, the unborn" (Bill Federer). 

 "A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying" (Pope John Paul II).

FOR FURTHER READING

"Democrats Who Voted Against Defunding Planned Parenthood Never Even Watched the Expose Videos" (InfoWars.com)

"Wife of Judge Who Blocked Pro-Life Videos Exposing Planned Parenthood is a Pro-Abortion Activist" (LifeNews.com)

"Political Grandstanding on Planned Parenthood" (Los Angeles Times Editorial, August 4, 2015).

Trigger Alert! "Ragged Old Flag"

Ah, how lovely. God bless you, Mr. Cash. Artists like you don't come around too often. 

Johnny Cash: Ragged Old Flag

One wonders, however, if he could even get away with performing this song today (not to mention his comment about shooting someone who tried to burn his flag) without "triggering" cries of "micro-aggression." 

Remember the controversy at University of California, Irvine, where members of UCI's Associated Students tried to get the American flag banned from their building's lobby because it "triggered" people? 

Such idiocy can only emanate from the far left. 

For Further Reading

"The Microagression Farce" (Heather MacDonald, Autumn 2014, City Journal).

"A New Hampshire University's Language Guide Says Students Should Avoid Using the Word 'American'" (Ted Siefer, July 20, 2015, Business Insider).

"Don't Sweat the Microagressions" (Amitai Etzioni, April 8, 2014, The Atlantic).

"Microaggression: Desperately Seeking Discrimination" (Viv Regan, December 29, 2014, spiked).

"UC Irvine Student: US Flag Banned to Avoid Triggering Hurt Feelings Among Illegals" (Adelle Nazarian, March 8, 2015, Breitbart)

For Further Viewing

Here's The Factual Feminist (AKA Christina Hoff Sommers of the American Enterprise Institute) commenting on this issue.

"Iran's Bitch," or, How We Got Our Butts Kicked in Vienna

Ten . . . No Eleven . . . Make That Thirteen Reasons to Hate this Deal 

1. Any time, anywhere inspections? Not.

2. The deal obligates us to defend Iran against...Israel? 

3. Left and right-wing Jews in Israel are united against the deal, as are Israel's neighbors in the Middle East.

4. This deal makes the region more, not less, dangerous, and will very likely jump-start a nuclear arms race. Way to go, Mr. "Nobel Laureate" Obama!

6. Contrary to the phony indignation of Obama, Clinton, et al, in response to Mike Huckabee's bluntly-worded critique of the deal, a nuclear-armed Iran does, indeed, portend another Holocaust.

7. By lifting sanctions off Iran, the leading sponsor or terror in the Middle East, we are essentially co-sponsoring terrorism. 

8. Iran will be able to inspect itself! What the heck?

9. Four Americans remain jailed in Iran, including journalists and a pastor, but these hostages were never included in the so-called negotiations, even though we let their terrorists off the hook for no apparent reason other than the fact that we're their bitch.  

10. Cliché alert: We not only gave away the farm, we sold the store. 

11. Trust Iran? You've got to be kidding. And even if we could trust them to stick to the terms of the agreement, those terms suggest that the deal will delay Iran from developing nuclear weapons for ten years. Ten years may as well be ten minutes. 

12. The deal also permits the selling of ICBM's to Iran. The "I" and the "C" are pretty significant, don't you think? 

13. "Snap back sanctions?" Already this feature of the deal is being dismissed by the experts. Once Iran has its billions, and once other countries resume trade relations with Iran, there will be no snapping of anything, except maybe our bra strap.

What am I missing? 

The phrase "Iran's Bitch" comes from the podcast I've linked below (listen to it!) and is not my own (anyone who knows me knows I don't use vulgarity very often. In fact, I admit I was a little shocked when the speaker used the phrase). But when he described the way the Iranian negotiators treated John Kerry in the negotiating room (at one point, members of the Secret Service rushed in the room, thinking Kerry was in danger), berating, belittling, shouting, I got the picture. Even after being kicked, Kerry kept crawling back, like a dog to its master. What was his motivation for taking the abuse? Was there pressure from Obama? A deal at any cost? Play your last card? Give them anything, just get me a deal? Was that what was going on? 

One expert I listened to (maybe it was Mr. Rubin in this podcast, or maybe it was another podcast, I can't remember) admitted he was baffled by Obama's motivation. He could only think of two metaphors that might explain the president's behavior: Obama the battered wife, or, Obama the besotted teenager. Ouch. Neither one speaks well of America. 

What's apparent is this president was hell-bent on getting something, anything, in writing. Why? Is this about Valerie Jarrett, our "shadow president," who by the way is Iranian-born? Is she the puppet master here? Or is this about the president's celebrated ego? Is Obama searching for something previous administrations were unable to achieve? If it's really all about his legacy, what if he's wrong and the naysayers are right? His legacy would be destroyed beyond all repair. 

It is this point, above all others, that makes this whole situation so disturbing. That the leader of the world's most powerful nation could be so blinded by his own ambitions that he is literally unable to see the catastrophe looming, like a giant tsunami wave building behind him, while he sits on a sun-drenched beach, blithely basking in a fantasy of his own making. Equally disturbing, to me, are the foolish people who defend, excuse, justify, idolize him. 

KickAss Politics Podcast with Michael Rubin

"The Iran Nuke Deal with Guest Michael Rubin" (KickAss Politics with Ben Mathis, podcast). 

According to the synopsis, Michael Rubin is "a former Pentagon official specializing in Iran and a Middle East scholar with the American Enterprise Institute [who] has written extensively on the subject of rogue regimes and Iran's nuclear ambitions." Here's a link to Rubin's bio, which also includes links to articles he's written.

For Further Reading

"Sixteen Reasons the Iranian Nuke Deal is an Iranian Victory and a Western Catastrophe," by David Horovitz, The Times of Israel (July 14, 2015). 

"The Second Holocaust," by Benny Morris, The New York Sun (January 22, 2007).  Note date of publication.

"Obama Agrees to be Bodyguard for Iran's Nuclear Program," IranTruth Staff, IranTruth (July 15, 2015). 

"Iran Bombshell: It Will Inspect Itself," by Fred Fleitz, IranTruth (July 24, 2015).

"The Obama Whisperer," by Noam Scheiber, The New Republic (November 9, 2014). 

"FBI Files Document Communism in Valerie Jarrett's Family," Judicial Watch (June 22, 2015).