Readers, it’s a complete mystery why some words in the previous
posting appeared in blue and underlined—I did not do that intentionally and
have no idea what it was supposed to signify, but it seemed best to leave well
enough alone. Has a gremlin gotten into my blog?
A gremlin definitely kept invading
my computer system, messing everything up.
My daughter Melanie got rid of it one Sunday, but the very next day, it popped right
up again. After thoroughly blocking everything and making my life miserable, it
boldly asked for a credit card number (are they crazy?), warning of a dangerous
invading virus that could destroy all my files, then offering to sell me an
anti-virus program to get rid of the very virus it had provoked. It was driving
me crazy! How much we depend on our computers and internet access! My sister,
who refuses to have e-mail or a computer, may have the right idea. An IT-savvy
friend was able to enter my computer remotely via something called Team Viewer
and eject the unwelcome intruder. I suspect that the virus sneaked in through a
Yahoo news item on whose title I had carelessly clicked.
While sending a Moneygram to the guy who helped me vanquish the computer
virus, a gentleman waiting in line insisted
on taking a photo with me. He said he was 72, a little younger than me. Photo appears above.
Another photo shows my great-grandson,
De’Andre, with his mom, granddaughter Natasha, on his 7th birthday.
How is that a Texas hospital
examined an ill man who mentioned that he just returned from Liberia and failed
to imagine he might have Ebola, instead, in a glaring breech, sending him
home to endanger others and allowing his own illness to worsen? Apparently
there was some glitch in the hospital’s record-keeping system (since remedied)
and the patient also lied, saying he had not been in contact with Ebola victims
in Liberia, which was untrue. He apparently didn’t want to miss his flight to
the US. Now we have 2 possible cases in the DC area. With air travel from the affected countries,
some contagion is inevitable.
Incredibly, a Delaware State U. professor, Dr. Cyril Broderick, has apparently speculated that Ebola and AIDS
are both conspiracies of the US Dept. of Defense unleased to harm helpless
Africans, just for the heck of it—allegations quoted in a Liberian newspaper.
Efforts
to bring Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier
to justice have ended with his death, so, like many other dictators, he won't
pay the price for his misdeeds. He had said he wanted to die in Haiti and now
he has.
President Cristina de K. of
Argentina speculates that the United States is trying to kill her, on a par
with Hugo Chavez saying that the US gave him cancer. Some people may actually believe
that the US is so all-powerful that it could do such things. A woman from
Argentina tells me that Argentines are posting humorous responses on Twitter
#SiMePasaAlgo.
Not that political assassinations are beyond the pale for
the American government. Witness the killing of Osama Bin Landen, not to mention targeted drone strikes against
other militants. And the apparent paranoia and present-day vigilance of the
Cuban government is not without historic foundation, as recently released details
of the early hostilities between the US and Castro’s Cuba have revealed.
“I think we are going to have to
smash Castro”; Ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made plans to attack Cuba, AP, Oct. 1, 2014
Kissinger was incensed over Cuba
deploying troops to Angola, so he advocated for strong action to stop Fidel
Castro, according to declassified government records posted online Wednesday.
He created a contingency plan that outlined military options from blocking
outgoing Cuban ships carrying troops and war material to airstrikes against
Cuban bases.
Another recently declassified
top-secret memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense
Robert S. McNamara, dated March 13, 1962
and titled “Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba,” recommended
an invasion. Of course, we all know how an invasion the previous year went, the
ill-fated Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba,
ill-fated not only in its abject failure, but also in providing the Castro
regime with a perpetual grievance against the United States and an excuse to
crack down on its own citizens ad
infinitum. Yet relations among former enemies can change after more than half a century, provided both sides are
willing; witness the US today with Germany and Japan.
In confronting the unrest in Hong
Kong, Chinese authorities don’t dare risk another Tiananmen Square, but it’s hard to imagine them meeting any of the
protestors’ demands. The government’s likely tactic is to just outwait the
demonstrators until they get tired and finally go home. The rest of China is
not likely to learn much about the actions and grievances of Hong Kong
residents because of strict media controls, thus avoiding any contagion,
especially since there is no regular movement between the two sectors. China is
many times bigger and much more open to the world than Cuba, but I’ve always
marveled at how well the Cuban government, assisted by its secluded island status,
manages to control the news reaching its citizens. Most Cubans have never heard
of the Ladies in White’s silent Sunday marches, never heard of world-famous
blogger Yoani Sanchez, don’t know about dissidents dying on hunger strikes or
under mysterious circumstances, and, now, are probably unaware of the protests
and demands of Hong Kong citizens, reminiscent in a perverse way of the massive
gatherings in support of Fidel Castro after his 1959 victory.
Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN: The people of Israel are not occupiers in
the land of Israel. History, archaeology and common sense all make clear that
we have had a singular attachment to this land for over 3,000 years. Now waters
of that conflict have been stirred up even more by Sweden’s recent unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
It’s very troubling that American
air strikes in Iraq against ISIS are hitting civilians, considered
unavoidable collateral damage. Logistically, of course, civilian casualties are
hard to prevent, as Israel found when striking back at Hamas. However, it is
regrettable and obviously should be avoided as much as possible. Gone are the
days, as in World War II, when carpet bombing and even nuclear strikes in
cities, such as the US visited upon Japan, were considered acceptable (though,
even as child, I never acceptable H-bombs hitting cities). In ancient wars,
although weapons were less lethal, the rules of war were wide open and killing,
pillage, and rape were routine—rewards of the victors. Fortunately, as weapons
have become more deadly, more restraint is being used, but not enough to avoid
harm to innocents.
If Jeb Bush should become the Republicans’
presidential choice for 2016, he would have to overcome the tarnished legacy of
his brother, not to mention wariness of dynastic succession (something Hillary
also faces). However, I suspect he would attract Hispanic voters, since his wife
is Hispanic and he speaks quite credible Spanish himself, at least from what
little I’ve heard, certainly much better than his brother’s efforts.
Readers of my Cuba book may recall my mention of Canadian investors arrested in part because of giving their Cuban
employees direct supplementary payments beyond the meager salaries passed
through to them by the Cuban government. Now, negotiations are underway for the
investors’ release. I wonder if the jailed Canadian entrepreneur mentioned below is allowed any contact with
American Alan Gross?
Cuba asked for $55 mln, assets to release Canadian CEO
-company
Reuters, September 29, 2014 [excerpts]
TORONTO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Cuba had offered a deal to
release a Canadian executive sentenced to 15 years in prison last week in
return for C$55 million and company assets, the Canadian firm's officials said
on Monday.
Cy Tokmakjian, 74, was convicted of bribery and other
economic charges. Two of his aides from the Tokmakjian Group, an Ontario-based
transportation firm, received sentences of 12 and 8 years. Fourteen Cubans were
also charged. The Tokmakjian Group, which did an estimated $80 million in business
annually with Cuba until it was shuttered in September 2011, filed claims worth
more than $200 million through the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris
and an Ontario court.
The case has strained Cuba's relationship with Canada, one
of its biggest trading partners. Western diplomats have said it would dissuade
foreign investors at a time Cuba is actively seeking partners from abroad to do
business on the communist-ruled island.
After Tokmakjian was detained in 2011, company lawyers met
with Cuban officials about the case. "They were ... told 'We're taking all
your assets and in addition you're going to have to send another $55 million
down before Cy will be released,'" Lee Hacker, Tokmakjian Group's finance
vice-president, told reporters at the company's Ontario headquarters. He did
not say why the deal fell through…A call on Monday to the Cuban embassy in
Ottawa for comment was not returned…The bribery charges included salary
top-up payments to employees in joint venture
operations, the company said. Tokmakjian is the distributor for Hyundai vehicles and
construction equipment in Cuba, as well as other mining equipment…
"We would pay incentives to everybody, from the lowest
person to the highest person, and it was clear that there was no link between
any incentive payments versus any advantage that was given to Tokmakjian
whatsoever."
Tokmakjian, the company's founder and president, has been
transferred to a military hospital, his son said on Monday.
Someone
who formerly worked in the Cuban bureaucracy and is now exile, has commented on
the Canadian affair: It's very difficult
to understand how the Cuban government would be interested in fostering
foreign investment in Cuba and at the same time following such a policy with
the Canadian businessman. I suspect that what is really involved was a desire
on the part of the ruling clique to kill two birds with one stone. First to get
him out of the way because he was interfering with some money making scheme of
their own and to do it in a profitable way by taking over his business. They
simply prioritized their private interests over the country's.
A recent terrible gun accident in Pennsylvania stays in my mind. A father
was holding his newborn son when a hunter’s stray bullet came through the
window, leaving the child blind and brain damaged and perhaps unable to survive.
Of course, it was not intentional, but has devastated a life and a family
nonetheless. My readers know that I’m not a fan of private gun use and
ownership for any purpose, either for personal protection or hunting. While
there may be cases where a gun has been protective, the odds of harm far
outweigh them, according to statistics—and odds are all we have for anything. Here
in Washington, DC, voters have repeatedly expressed approval of strict gun
control, especially given all the sensitive areas in this city—the White House,
Congress, embassies, military bases, and federal offices. However,
second-amendment advocates have forced us to have less restrictive gun laws
than most residents really want, putting us all at risk.
Here in Washington, DC, several young teenage boys were playing with a loaded
handgun when it went off, fatally shooting a 13-year-old in the chest, a chilling reminder of a similar incident years ago when
my then 11-year-old son Jonathan was shot in the foot by boys playing with a
loaded handgun found in a parents’ bedroom.
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