End of Cuba's Communist Economy: Global Implications

'Checkpoint Bravo' up for sale
AFP A piece of Cold War history was due to go on sale in Germany on Thursday as Checkpoint Bravo, a major former crossing point between Communist East Germany and West Berlin, goes under the hammer. Although less famous than Checkpoint Charlie in central Berlin, the site at Dreilinden on the southwest edge of the city was one of the busiest transit points in and out of the Communist German Democratic Republic (GDR). Between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, West...

Troops re-enact Inchon Landing on 60th anniversary
INCHEON, South Korea — At a site where U.S. forces stormed the beaches 60 years ago and turned the tide of the Korean War, current U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Walter Sharp had some terse words Wednesday for North Korea. Straying from his prepared remarks to a gathering of about 2,000 people to watch and participate in a re-enactment of the landing at Inchon, Sharp called on the nation that nearly overran South Korea in 1950 and still threatens it today “to immediately stop all...

The ACLU Never Forgets Its Pro-Communist Roots
Just as a leopard cannot change its spots, nor a zebra its stripes, an organization whose founder admired the ideals of the hammer and sickle can never really abandon those destructive beginnings. More than a quarter-century after his death, the legacy of American Civil Liberties Union founder Roger Baldwin a self-professed fan of Soviet Communism and of Joseph Stalin is still going strong. With the collapse of the Soviet empire, current ACLU leaders have thrown more of their...

A less noteworthy back-to-school message
A LESS NOTEWORTHY BACK-TO-SCHOOL MESSAGE.... About a year ago, we got our first unmistakable sign that the political discourse would border on farcical for much of the Obama era. The White House had announced the president would deliver a Speech to Children, broadcast nationwide, encouraging them to do well in school. It was the start of a new school year, and it seemed like a reasonable thing for a president to do. (In fact, other presidents had done the same thing without controversy.) The...

What Conservatives Were Made Of
It was a fear of Communism that nicely unified all of these groups in the Cold War years. The Soviet Union and its satellites were Marxist in their Economic Outlook, expansionist in their Foreign Policy and defiantly godless in their culture. Stan Lee could not have dreamed up a more perfect nemesis around which Republicans could coalesce. For most of the last 20 years, however, Republicans have struggled to keep these groups equally engaged. George W. Bush juggled an agenda of interventionist...

Washington Rules - America's Path to Permanent War
All the Presidents After these introductory comments, Bacevich takes the reader on a tour through the highlight events of U.S. Foreign Policy as dealt with by successive presidents. Starting with Eisenhower, the base line was set for a paradigm of global dominance via covert activities from the CIA under the tutelage of Allen Dulles, and overt activities with the start up of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), under the tutelage of General Curtis Lemay. The CIA's "successes' included the...

The Velvet Surrender
V áclav Klaus , the president of the Czech Republic, is legendary for his lack of manners. When his country assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union in 2009, Klaus—a stocky and vigorous man with close-cropped white hair and a fastidiously trimmed moustache—got into a scrap with a group of European politicians because he had refused to fly the EU flag above his office in Prague Castle. Nicolas Sarkozy pronounced the snub “hurtful,” yet Klaus was...

George Lopez Cracks Sarah Palin is 'Evil Egomaniac That Might Destroy the World'
On Thursdays Lopez Tonight on TBS, during a segment featuring photographs of public figures wearing similar clothing called "Who Wore it Better?" comedian George Lopez cracked that Sarah Palin was "an evil egomaniac that might destroy the world" as an image of her was shown next to a picture of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. Guest and fashion guru Tim Gunn took part in the segment as the two poked fun at Palins outfit supposedly resembling that of the Communist...

George Lopez's Mejicano Moron Moment " Trying to Diss Sarah
g One more reason to hate this ugly mofo.. (Newsbusters) Guest and fashion guru Tim Gunn [and pendejo George Lopez] took part in the segment as the two poked fun at Palins outfit supposedly resembling that of the Communist despot. Lopez joked, “For people who dont know, one is an evil egomaniac that might destroy the world, and the other one is Kim Jong Il,” inspiring Gunn to respond, “I love you for that.” Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of...

We Are Living Through an Exceptional Moment in Human History
In referring to such danger I was not looking for publicity or sensationalism. I just wanted to warn the world Public Opinion hoping that, being advised of such grave danger it could contribute to avoid it. At least we have managed to draw attention to a problem that was hardly mentioned by the big world media. This has made me use part of the time scheduled for the launching of this book, on which we worked diligently. I did not want this to coincide with the dates of September 7 and 9....

Castro says he was misinterpreted on Cuban economy
Fidel Castro says his comments about Cuba's Communist economic model were misinterpreted by a visiting American Journalist.

Will There Be Post-Kim Perestroika in Korea?
Amid reports of a major political gathering in North Korea, Communist history suggests post-Kim moderation is possible.

RE: True Friends of Israel
Jeffrey Goldberg attended the Friends of Israel Initiative dinner. Good for him. However, his comments at the dinner and his posting afterward leave something to be desired. First, he writes: In my brief remarks at the dinner, I mentioned a prime strategy of the Israel-denial movement, which is to convince self-defined Liberals and leftists that Zionism is incompatible with their understanding of the world. I hope Aznar’s group does a more vigorous job of recruiting pro-Israel leftists...

Castro to Ahmadinejad: Stop denying the Holocaust
Israel and the Jewish people found an unlikely defender in Fidel Castro, the retired dictator of Cuba, on Tuesday,  when he came out strongly against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust and supported Israel's right to exist. In a rare interview with Jewish-American reporter Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic , the ailing 84-year-old leader said he sympathized with the Jews who have suffered from repeated persecution over the course of history. RELATED: US...

The world according to Castro
THERE ARE two possibilities. Either Fidel Castro has completely lost his marbles or Cuba’s 84-year-old jefe has sailed serenely into a psychic harbor where a self-critical lucidity suddenly comes easy. In recent interviews with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, the titular leader of Cuba’s Communist Party appears not only to have all his wits about him but to be intent on teaching political lessons to various national leaders. Among Castro’s intended pupils are his brother...

Hinchey uses Fidel Castro for fundraiser
Capitol Hill Cubans has the invitation, which read, Benefit for Congressman Hinchey “Maurice goes to Cuba” Opening reception with Maurice June 24, 3- As you can read above, the invitation also lists the menu, foods that Cubans living in the island-prison don’t have the means to enjoy due to their oppressive government’s disastrous economic policies. The average Cuban makes $20/ month . Bryan Preston : By now Castros history is well known to anyone with a clue....

Socialist or Communist: Which One Are You?
Don't even try denying it, because everybody knows a denial is just another form of confession. We've been watching you. We've seen the news sites you visit, and we have records of the stories you read. We have tape of you watching a Rachel Maddow clip. We know you. You're obviously either a Socialist or a Communist. If not both. This will all be easier for you and your family if you just cooperate. Of course, it's always possible that you're not fully aware of...

Bravo as bidder buys a Berlin icon
A MYSTERY telephone bidder bought a piece of history in the form of "Checkpoint Bravo" - once one of the busiest crossing points between East and West Berlin - in an auction yesterday. The sole bidder secured the site - which includes a derelict bridge and a crumbling cafe covered in graffiti, for 37,000 - the minimum asking price. Less famous than its counterpart "Checkpoint Charlie", which lies in central Berlin, Checkpoint Bravo was built along a motorway in the city's south-west to...

Communist Insurgency In Malaya-The Documentary is A Farce Without Even Mentioning The Roles Of Sarawak Ranger
watched several times the screening of National Geographic Documentary " The Emergency in Malaya" specially filmed in conjunction with the National Day celebration recently. The Documentary detailed the "undeclared war" where the Communist Terrorists (termed by the British) tried to capture Malaya and rule her in accordance with the Communist ideology, doctrine and principles. The British colonists, at all cost, must stop this spread of Communism, resulting in a series of bloody battles, mainly...

Kerplunk - Common sense from Down Under
Being a major piece of work doesn't make it right, though. Marx was an intelligent man but still manage to bring to life The Communist Manifesto, which brought so much suffering to, especially, people in the 20th century. Like Tolkein, Marx and Keynes invented their own reality and then proceeded to solve all of the problems within it. However, Keynes's reputation suffered a severe blow in the 1970s when major economies around the world went through a period of Stagflation - the combination of...

How North Korea Was Lost to China
North Korea today is like some rotten little fruit. Over the years, Japan, the Soviet Union (then Russia) and South Korea have avoided - intentionally or not - having this rancid plum drop into their lap. This treat has now gone to China, and rival powers might be relieved to have been spared the responsibility of the Windfall. Reunification can wait.

North Korea wants to revive nuclear talks, says Jimmy Carter
Former US president brings back news of apparent softening after negotiating release of American who entered illegally Jimmy Carter speaking after his return from North Korea, where he says officials made overtures about abandoning Nuclear Weapons. Photograph: Erik S. Lesser/AP North Korea has sent "strong and clear signals" that it is prepared to abandon its Nuclear Weapons programme if the US guarantees it will not attack the Communist state, according to Jimmy Carter . The former US...

N.Korea a 'black box' US can't crack
AP US officials on Thursday said they still are not sure what motivated North Korea to attack a South Korean warship last March or who might succeed leader Kim Jong Il, calling Pyongyang a "black box" that US intelligence has failed to crack. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, senior officials from the Defence and State Departments said the attack was an "act of war" that may have been Pyongyang's attempt to goad the US into making concessions in future Nuclear talks. The...

Book lifts lid on East German doping regime
A FORMER senior East German sports official has acknowledged that there was widespread state-sponsored Doping in the Communist country, including that of Children. Thomas Koehler made the admission in his book Two Sides of the Medal, which is being published later this week. "The sports leadership decided to use selected anabolic substances in a series of sports (in the 1970s]," Mr Koehler wrote. "If East Germany wanted to remain competitive in international sport, there was no choice but to...

Has Obama Been Paying Attention to Reforms in Cuba?
Raul Castro, the leader of Communist Cuba, just announced that Cuba is laying off 500,000 government employees. Bravo! It’s about time. Cuba is finally reforming their economy and headed in the direction of Capitalism. Like China and the Soviet Union before it, Cuba has finally figured out that everyone cannot work for government — at least not if you want your people to prosper, or your economy to avoid insolvency and Bankruptcy. I only wish we could say the same for America....