Sir Poopalot is @ it again!

You would have thought that when “filmmaker” Michael Moore made a fool out of himself a few months ago calling “American Sniper” hero Chris Kyle a coward, he had pegged the stupidity meter so mightily that he would never been heard from again saying something completely stupid. By now we are all used to audacious statements from the portly slob: remember the gem about Cuba having better medical care than the U.S.?

Well, in a story this morning in the Detroit Free Press and just in time as our nation gathers to pay tribute to our service men and women, Moore has outdone himself again. In the span of about an hour late last month, Moore filled the Twittersphere with inane comments blasting police and calling for prisons to open their doors and let the criminals, especially African-American prisoners, to be set free immediately.

What follows are Moore’s tweets and my commentary on his stupidity, his cop bashing, his race baiting, and his cowardice.

Moore: Imprison u, shoot u, sever your spine, crush your larynx, send u to war, keep u poor, call u a thug, not let you vote. But u can sing for us.

My take: Obviously speaking on behalf of African-Americans, right? Not let you vote? In the last election, President Obama got 95 percent of the black vote. African-Americans as a group had a higher voting percentage than whites. Oh, forgot, psychopaths like Moore never let the facts get in the way of their BS. And boy, allowing anyone to spew that “thug” is a termed reserved for blacks in this country is just downright tiring. A thug is a thug – white, black, brown or green.

Of course, Moore was just getting started and floored the stupidity pedal.

Moore: Here’s my demand: I want every African-American currently incarcerated for drug “crimes” or non-violent offenses released from prison today!

My take: Do you want a crack dealer or a heroin dealer or an identity thief released today? But hey Mikey, is your “demand” a get-out-of-jail card for black criminals only? Doesn’t that sound kinda, what’s the term, ah, racist? Tubby must have choked on his Big Mac when he re-read his tweet and seconds later scurried to fix his error, yet in doing so put his head further up his abundant ass.

Moore: And the rest who r imprisoned – I don’t believe 50% of them did what they’re accused of. Lies. Greed. A modern day slave system. Poor whites.

My take: Whoa! Where do you start? Where did Moore find the statistic that 50 percent of those incarcerated never did what they are being punished for? Oh yeah, I forgot where his head was residing when he wrote that dandy. But Mike, good catch on including non-black prisoners in your stupid “demand.” Of course, Moore is probably too stupid to realize that his equating incarcerating criminals to slavery demeans how awful the institution of slavery was in this country. Slaves had few, if any rights and absolutely no choice while criminals can decide if they want to do the crime to do the time and have all the rights of this country when charged, even a free public defender.

By this point, Moore’s head was inching ever so close to his ginormous stomach, when he unleashed this beauty:

Moore: Next demand: Disarm the police. We have a ¼ billion 2^nd amendment guns in our homes 4 protection. We’ll survive til the right cops r hired.

My take: Again, where to start. Sure, disarm the police, but do so first in Mikey’s home town and see how that works for him. “We’ll survive” until we get the right cops? Do you think anybody would want to be a cop in Moore’s nirvana of a world? Oh, and I assume the criminals will disarm too, right? Sir Poopalot, if you are having trouble visioning what your demand means, look no further than Baltimore where the cops have, for all practical purposes, voluntarily dis-armed for fear of being charged for upholding the law and this month – the month after Freddy Gray’s “killers” were charged in his death – the murder rate and shootings by its citizens have soared to ALL-TIME highs. Finally, Moore was through. Well, not quite.

Moore: Local cops now militarized. Founding Fathers said NO army policing on our soil. Why do cops have tanks? Oh right – the Enemy: The Black Man.

My take: Some, repeat, some police departments are getting surplus military DEFENSE equipment. If I was a cop in say, Baltimore, I would rather be in an armored vehicle than just holding a plastic shield to defend myself against thugs (oops, there I go) throwing slabs of concrete at me and my fellow officers. And dear Michael, if you don’t like our “police state,” get your fat ass on a plane to your beloved Cuba and enjoy the Castro brothers’ tranquility as they don’t have any armed forces pestering the masses. Not! Well, at least you won’t get a hassle for going there anymore thanks to the actions of our fearless leader. And p.s., do me and all of Spartan Nation a favor, please don’t wear a MSU baseball hat anymore; I almost cry every time I see you squeezing your fat melon into Spartan green.

Osama bin Laden: A Message Home to the Kiddies

The U.S. Government today released a tiny portion of the “treasure trove” of info, files, etc. snared by Navy Seals Team Six when they smoked Osama bin Laden in his compost, er, compound in Pakistan. The most interesting document, according to the main street media, was Osama’s job application he was using to recruit future terrorists. “Willing to do a suicide bombing? If so, please list your closest contact so that we may inform them when you become a martyr.” Don’t remember that question when I applied in high school at Dutch Oven Pizza in my home town or Pella, Iowa, or when I took jobs at Chrysler, Nissan and Ford.

What I found most interesting in the “treasure trove” was a passing reference to bin Laden’s correspondences with his family not living with him while ensconced in his “palace” in Pakistan. I can only imagine how they read:

Dear Osama Jr. One, Osama Jr. Two, Osama Jr. Three – oh Hell, one through 16 – and my four of five wives not suffering here with us in Pakistan (especially Karen XXOOXXOO):

Allahu Akbar. Merry Jihad and hows yous doing (learned that last phrase from a couple of jihadists in “Jersey” I Facebooked a couple of months ago.) Sorry I have not written in some time, but I cannot totally trust the UPPS – the Unreliable Pakistani Postal Service – and I have not tried to email you do to the shenanigans at the NSA. (Oh, shenanigans is an Irish term that I became aware of and just find it fun and fitting; therefore al Qaeda will never bomb Ireland. They are safe. For me, it is good to be green.)

Sorry, I got waylaid. (Waylaid is not a reference to the considerable Western porn I have been viewing, ah, er, in order to reinforce my hatred for the sickness of the United States of America and its former President George W. Bush and that Dick, Cheney.)

I hope you are all safe and look forward to the day we are a family again, sitting in the “No American Living Room” (I just cracked myself up) and watching videos of the 9/11 triumph against the Satans, my strike on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen, and previous greatest “hits” like the original World Trade Center bombing and the killings of U.S. Marines in Beirut back when that sick man Reagan was Satan Number One. They are truly America’s “Funniest Home Videos.” I, seriously, have to grab my sides when I watch them; they are a laugh riot, kind of like Caddyshack and Stripes with Bill Murray. One of my five wives will make a really big batch of popcorn – yes, organic, don’t worry — and I promise to import some of those real-sugar Coca-Colas from Mexico if you promise to behave yourselves.

Attached is a check for 30 million dollars. Try to make it last as I am getting short on funds. The Accounts Payable buttheads in the Iranian government are very slow to pay and Kim Jong Ill, the Castros and Chavez are asking for very detailed expense reports and I, unfortunately, lost my receipts earlier tonight when a couple of errant helicopters flew over the house just seconds ago and blew them out the window, only to be eaten by goats.

Love to talk more, but someone is now knocking on the door. Probably Domino’s Pizza. Don’t tell anyone but I ordered a pie with Canadian Bacon and ham. Hey, living large.

All the best,

Your Papa Osama

Starbucks Liars and “Happy” Idiots at the United Nations

Liars and Celebs speaking out on subjects they apparently know nothing about capped the news as we entered a new week of chaos in the world. Let’s start with the Liars and, unfortunately, they are people in my craft – PR people thrown to the wolves by an incredibly shallow, self-absorbed and overly-caffeinated CEO.

I am talking about, of course, the debacle at Starbucks created by CEO Howard “I know nothing other than lattes” Schultz. The kazillionaire thought it would be moving, inspirational and just-plain-enlightened if he convinced his “partners” to engage in discussions with customers about “race relations in America” as they prepared the overpriced coffee drinks. Starbucks printed “Race Together” on cups in hopes that customers eager to throw away four or five bucks on a beverage would happily wish to engage in race relations discussions with a minimum wage barrister whom undoubtedly spent much of their higher education studying the issues of the past 300 years.

I went to a Starbucks, hoping for the engagement. I wanted to find out if the coffee technician knew that the fight for slavery, the Jim Crow shame and the fight against the civil rights revolution of the 1960s was led by Democrats, not Republicans. I was ready to point out that Jews in America stood by Black America to give them equal rights over the objection of Democrats in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, state legislatures and racist Democratic governors, only to have our first black President, twice elected, recently show nothing but disdain and contempt for the Jewish state of Israel and its leaders. I wanted to find out if these newly-called-to-action-race-relations-discussers, working on my cappuccino (venti of course), knew that the former hallowed Democratic dean of the Senate, the late Robert Byrd, was a former KKK grand wizard?

I got squat. Just my four dollar drink. No discussion, just a “Jason” when my beverage was complete. Deflated, I left, got in my car and drove away. This morning I found that the $40 million a year or so CEO Schultz abandoned his pathetic attempt at “civil discourse.” He, apparently, was not ready for the pushback for his silly stunt and he tucked his tail between his, ahem, and mercifully ended his stupidity.

Then, the worst thing happened. A spokesperson for Starbucks stated that the program had not been discontinued — nay, nay, nay — but was merely “concluded, as planned.” After a week. Shut up liar. You disgraced yourself, your company and the craft of PR. Nobody bought it. Nobody. If you wish to stop covering your bosses’ moronic behavior and want to continue lying for a living, quickly send your resume to the State Department, Hillary Clinton’s campaign or Team Obama. You have gained the necessary “spin doctor” credentials to fit in any of these places quite nicely and perhaps thrive. But don’t buy a mirror for your apartment as you may have a hard time looking yourself in it. But, then again, maybe you won’t have a problem after all considering your recent track record.

Finally, onto celebs speaking out of their paper a—holes. Pharrell Williams brought his “Happy” message to 1,300 kids at the United Nations saying the “happiness was birthright” and that “happy” people will focus on Climate Change. Williams, of course, is “happy” that his annoying song has made him millions. I just wonder: would he be “happy” to know that the United Nations Human Rights Council includes such stellar “happy” places for the “little guys and gals” as China, Cuba, Russia and Venezuela.

I guess “happiness” is “bliss.” And blind. Happy now Pharrell? Grow up, get informed and maybe your next cute song will be called “Pissed.”

“Sources”: Bubba and Hillary talk “Yoga” and “Toga”

This morning one of my incredibly unreliable sources gave me the transcript of a telephone conversation last night between former President Bill “Bubba” Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. My source – let’s call him Wang – said he snagged the conversation when his colleagues in Beijing were hastily removing their remote monitoring equipment from the Clinton’s private e-mail server and phone lines in their New York home.

(Caution: the following conversation is very graphic in nature.)

Bubba: Hello Honey.

Hillary: Who is this?

Bubba: It’s the big guy with the great hair, even at my age.

Hillary: So, how are negotiations with the Iranians going Secretary Kerry?

Bubba: Hill, it’s me, your boy, Bubba.

Hillary: What do YOU want?

Bubba: I watched your press conference at the U.N. this afternoon.

Hillary: What difference, at this point, does it make?

Bubba: Hill, Hill, I told you to lose that line, didn’t I?

Hillary: I know. So, how did I do?

Bubba: For the most part, it was great honey, but…

Hillary: But WHAT, Bill?

Bubba: Well, uh, um, why did you have to mention the Toga Party I threw at the house when you were travelling to Russia to push that “Reset Button” back in 2009?

Hillary: What Toga Party!!!!!!??????

Bubba: It wasn’t that big – only a couple hundred co-eds from the local community college. They only broke a couple a lamps and only three of the young gals puked on the carpet. And trust me honey, I did not have sexual relations with any of those young women. So, back to my question if I may: why did you have to bring up the Toga Party yesterday?

Hillary: I didn’t say “Toga” numb nuts. I said there were private emails discussing Chelsea’s wedding, Mom’s funeral and “YOGA.” ya putz.

Bubba: Oh, my bad. I love Yoga, especially when you load it up with those chocolate sprinkle thingies, Reese’s Pieces and some nacho cheese sauce. But why talk about ice cream in a press conference where you are on the hot seat?

Hillary: I did it to throw people off. I did learn at least something from you. I mean, who can question Yoga, the ancient exercise routine that keeps you in great physical shape?

Bubba: Oh, I get it. So when you gonna start this Yoga thing Hill?

Hillary: Go to hell Bill. Go to hell. (Click)

A Look Back at the Most Lawless Week of the Obama Adminstration

I wanted to reflect over the weekend before I commented on the shear lawlessness that took place in our country last week courtesy of the Obama Administration. As they say, let’s go to the video tape.

Because this Administration knows it cannot completely whip out the Second Amendment and take all guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens, it decided to do an end-run and unilaterally ban the sale of one of the one popular bullets used by hunters. This immediately led to a “run” on the bank of this ammo and will necessarily result in a flourishing black market for the bullets, which by definition is a criminal enterprise. Most likely criminals will not be fearful of buying on the black market, while law-abiding citizens will have second thoughts. Good job Mr. President.

Next up in our lowlight reel is the FCC, unlawfully high-jacking the Internet in a scheme called “Net Neutrality.” These are the same clowns that previously thought about putting “monitors” in news stations to make sure they were being “fair and balanced.” It was a blatant attempt to bottle neck and perhaps shut down FOX News and conservative talk radio. The Net Neutrality regulations were written in the dark of the night with no sharing with Congress. Obama’s FCC merely said trust us. Previous supporters (the big broadband providers) are now crying foul and are threatening lawsuits. Good luck with that suckers. Already, the FCC’s still-undisclosed kidnapping of the Internet has been deemed ObamaNet. Good grief. Lie to us once; shame on you. Lie to us all the time; shame on all the people that gave this president a second term. I will say, you were promised “change.”

Rounding out the lowlights was an Obama town hall, sponsored by MSNBC and Telemundo, attended by a host of illegal aliens. Oh, my bad, er, Illegal immigrants. Snap, I meant undocumented workers. What’s that you say? We don’t call them that anymore either. Oh, that’s right, the President is now referring to people who illegally gained entrance to this country and its services as “future Americans.”

Whatever you call them, I remember the good ‘ol days when law enforcement carried out very clever sting operations to catch dead-beat dads and other law breakers by arranging a bogus job fair or some other made-up event in which the participants would get something for free, only to find that they were being busted. Never been to one of these, but it’s got to be a hoot. Smile criminal, you’re on Candid Camera.

For a moment I thought what an opportunity this Obama town hall would be: we could suck in all these “Future Americans” and bust them for violating the laws of our land. Better yet, we’d have the evidence on tape as the two TV networks were there to record it. But NOOOOOOOOO! They were there to hear what the President of the United States, by his lonesome, was going to GIVE to them – if not now, very soon. And he made sure he let the illegal aliens (there, I said it) know that if Congress tried to make him enforce our laws, he just wasn’t going to do it. That wasn’t his job dammit!

Obama and his team topped off the week by awkwardly trying to bitch-slap the prime minister of Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, by sending out his pathetic attack dog, the serial-lying Susan Rice and his incoherent Secretary of State John Kerry.

It was a week to behold. Actually, cry.

We Need a T-Day Invasion: Operation OverLOAD, No Caliphate Left Behind

Seventy-one years ago, thousands of brave American, British and Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy on D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord. Notice I didn’t say “Germany-occupied Normandy.” Germany, itself, was being occupied by fascists led by Hitler. American and Russian soldiers later freed the German people with victory.

Well, it’s time to pay back the IOU, Germany: Join the U.S., France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Britain, Canada, and Australia (oh hell, maybe even the Russians) and others to stop the terror of the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL or whatever these barbarians call themselves).

Shock and Awe on Steroids.

But, some question, whom is the enemy in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, etc.? Answer: It’s the “random folks” firing at you or running away. Pretty simple, especially with our intelligence capabilities. Think about it, our Smartphones and Smart TVs monitor us now.

At D-Day, we had no satellites in space or the incredible intelligence capabilities we have today. But, we had one thing: balls. Let’s find the former (balls, and yes, ovaries) and use the latter (intelligence) to find these scum and wipe them off the map. If the free nations of our world get together, we can do this in months, not years. Zero tolerance. Zero prisoners.

Let’s call it the T-Day Invasion. The “T” of course stands for Terrorism and let’s codename it Operation OverLOAD…No Caliphate Left Behind.

Mitt and Putin ONE; Obama and Hillary ZERO

Every PR person worth their salt knows that timing is not just everything; sometimes it’s the only thing. Consider what happened today on opposite sides of Mother Earth. In the U.S., Mitt Romney rocked the political world by abandoning what seemed like a sure run for the White House in which he was leading in every major poll of Republican hopefuls. Thousands of miles away, Russian-supported troops took over a town in Eastern Ukraine.

 Two-plus years ago, President Obama cockily mocked then-candidate Mitt Romney in a debate because Romney had the “audacity” to suggest that Russia was our country’s biggest geo-political threat. Earlier, of course, Obama and Obama alone had “fixed” the problem with Russia when he whispered sweet nothings into the ear of Putin’s bag man, then President Dmitri “Can I buy a vowel” Medvedev: “I need space. This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Medvedev replied, “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.” Transmit? Wow, spoken as only a true Russian Commie can.

 Obama had every right to be confident in his ability to be the quintessential world leader. (Not!) After all, earlier he had sent his Secretary of State to Moscow where Hillary pushed a “Reset” button, ala Staples. Famously, the Russian word for reset is “perezagruzka,” but ‘ol Hill had a button with the word “peregruzka” on it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrow “playfully” told the Secretary her button meant “overcharged.” Mrs. Clinton then, infamously, started to cackle like a hyena on crack.

 Sadly, as we all know now, Romney was right all along, despite Obama’s smart-assed diss. And Putin now knows how weak we are as a global force under our President; so much so he can do what he pleases in his backyard and support all kinds of bad actors – from Iran, to Syria, to North Korea and now to Greece. And with each new day, the world gets a lot scarier because Hillary botched a “reset” and Obama has more “flexibility.” I suppose that bending over backwards to help the bad guys is a sign of flexibility…or, more likely, the lack of a spine.

 I hope that as a country, we don’t make the same mistake in 2016 that too many made in 2012, even after the hope-and-change-turned-folly of 2008 was staring voters in the face.

Uncle Joe and #FreeCommunityCollege: Stupid is as Stupid Does

Saw a tweet from my Uncle Joe today. My uncle is your uncle: Uncle Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States.

Our, and yes, my Vice President, tweeted to showcase three mega-millionaires that were alumni of community colleges. The Axis-of-Success are stellar: Tom ‘Forrest, Forrest Gump” Hanks, George “Star Wars” Lucas and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. Good message; no complaints.

Uncle Joe was tweeting with the tagline #FreeCommunityCollege, an initiative launched at his boss’s State of the Union speech earlier this month. It was a hollow pitch by President Obama, knowing Republicans would, rightfully trash it. After all, students of poor families, through the 50-year-old Pell Grant program, generally get community college free, anyway. It’s been a good thing for some time. President Obama’s “new idea” means that students that can afford community college, mostly from middle-class families, can get two years of “free” community college as well.

Well, we all know that nothing in life is truly “free”; somebody has to pay for it. And, of course, at its foundation, it is a continuing theme of this Administration: redistribution of wealth. Sadly, this time, the “redistribution” TO the middle class is FROM the same middle class.

The Obama Administration threw up a trial balloon filled with what I am certain was methane gas: they would tax the I.R.S. 529 Accounts in which families set aside money – pre-tax — for their kids to go to college. It has been and is a wondrous program for families – especially middle class families – to give their kids a leg up and avoid the iceberg of student loan hell this Administration has designated as a “problem.” So how did the Obama Administration propose to “fix” this fantastic “529 problem-avoidance?” Tax it. Duh.

Thankfully, the Administration quickly flushed this turd of an idea.

Uncle Joe. Mr. Vice President, who’s counseling your people? It appears the left hand on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

Or, perhaps, the Left Hand doesn’t know what the Left Hand is doing.

Uncle Joe, one of the community college grads you are spotlighting, Tom Hanks, said it best: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

The Donkey Whisperer Wins in Texas

A friend of mine, Al Vinikour, sent me the note below with the link to the video. Regardless of your politics, I think you’ll have to admit it is a great ad. The note read:

Roger Williams is the former Secretary of State in Texas under Governor Rick Perry. In that position he was the state’s director of elections.  He won the 25^th Congressional District in 2012 and was just re-elected.  The district is in South Central Texas and includes a portion of Austin, the citadel of Liberalism in Texas.  Those folks must be beyond themselves over his re- election, because he is a staunch conservative.

Here is one of his campaign ads – and is probably the best political ad I’ve ever seen.  It is soooo to the point and should have been shown nationwide.

(If the link doesn’t open when you click on it, right click and choose “Open Hyperlink.)

htttp://www.youtube.com/embed/F6etfJgZQ7A?feature=player_detailpage

The Cuban “Situation” from my Outraged Cuban Friend 52 Years “Off the Boat”

The day President Obama decided part of his “Hope and Change” agenda included him single-handedly “normalizing” relations with the brutal Castro regime in Cuba, I reached out to an old friend and business colleague who escaped Cuba for the U.S. as a teenager 52 years ago. When we had talked about his experience I had remembered he had come to this country with just a few bucks in his pocket. We had not talked in years, but we had recently connected on Facebook. My question for him was simple: what do you think about President Obama’s “re-start” (Ha! Sorry Hillary) efforts on U.S.-Cuban relations. I wanted to get the perspective of someone “who was there” instead of blowing a lot of smoke from this Iowa-born kid. Below is my Cuban friend’s response. (Note, to protect my friend, I have edited out some references that make it easier to identify him. Many of my former colleagues will know in seconds who he is.)

 Hi Jason,

 Great to hear from you.  We are in Paris at the moment, spending the holidays with friends.  Back in (Colorado) in late January.

 Your recollection of my arrival in the U.S. at the tender age of 16 was pretty accurate, except for the amount of money I had with me.  It was zero. I mean zero; not even loose change.  If you want the short story version I will send you a copy of an article I wrote for a (Colorado town) newspaper for their Thanksgiving Day issue in 2012 to mark the 50^th anniversary of my arrival.

 People always ask if I came from Cuba by myself, and my standard answer is: “No, it was worse than that; I came with my younger brother!”

 With respect to the recent White House announcement on Cuba, it is hard to know where to start.

I have been convinced for a long time that Obama is the worst, most inept president who ever resided in the White House, but I never expected something so moronic to come out of this administration.

 First, by our government’s actions today, we have announced to the world that if you want something out of us that you cannot get any other way, capture one of our citizens, put him in jail, treat him miserably and then, trade him for whatever you want.

 Second, we are dealing with a country which is on the list of states that support terrorism.  Just a few months ago, they were caught red-handed exporting MiGs and other weaponry to North Korean, hidden in a cargo of sugar cane.

 Third, Obama says that our policy of isolation has failed to accomplish the objective of empowering Cubans to build an open and democratic country.  That was never the objective of the policy.  The trade embargo imposed on Cuba in 1961 by President Kennedy was in protest over the illegal expropriation of American property in Cuba.  The Cuban government has always known what they had to do to get the embargo removed.  Moreover, the policy of engagement announced is what every other country has been using, and they too have been unable to accomplish the “objective.” 

 The reason?  Very simple answer: the Cuban constitution forbids any efforts to “build an open and democratic country.”  You go to jail for that.  You cannot publish a newspaper, you cannot run for office under any political party which is not the PCC (Partido Comunista de Cuba). You cannot stage a protest, you cannot say publicly anything contrary to government policy. 

 Alan Gross, the fellow that was released by the Cubans today, was incarcerated and almost killed for distributing devices to connect to the internet.  And yet, Obama has the gall to say today that Cuba has one of the lowest internet penetration rates (5 percent) in the world.  No kidding!  It is illegal to connect to the internet in Cuba.  Obama expects that “(U.S.) telecommunications providers will be allowed to set up the necessary mechanisms … to provide internet services.”  They already exist, set up by the Europeans.  The problem is that Cubans are not allowed to use them!  They are only for the government and for foreign residents.

 I see this announcement as a problem for the Democrats in 2016.  Hillary Clinton will lose Florida (and possibly New Jersey) while Jeb Bush’s candidacy may gain from it.  Already the Cuban-Americans in Congress have denounced the new policy, including my friend Senator Menendez (D-NJ) who is the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

 In 1961, the embargo was imposed though executive action.  In 1996, it was codified into law after the Cuban air force shot down two unarmed planes which were distributing leaflets over Havana.  The leaflets, by the way, were copies of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights which, ironically, Cuba signed in 1948 when it was adopted.  Because it is now the law of the land, the so-called Helms-Burton Act cannot be changed by Obama without first getting Congress to modify or repeal it; not very likely in a Republican-dominated Congress.

 Moreover, the Cuban government knows the conditions needed to suspend the application of the law: 1) No Castros in the government, 2) freedom of the press; 3) allow other political parties to exist with free elections.  No amount of “diplomatic relations” or tourist visits will get the Castro-led Cuban government to do any of those three things.

 I could go on but it is getting late.  Let me know if you want to see the story about the day I left Cuba.

 Your friend (I am withholding his name for privacy purposes.)