Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

Archives for December 2012

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It’s all about the O

It doesn’t matter that it’s a funeral, for a war hero, Medal of Honor recipient, and president pro tempore of the United States Senate; O has to blab on about himself,

In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word “my” 21 times, “me” 12 times, and “I” 30 times.

Because O is historic, you know.

UPDATE,
The ego has landed.


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John Kerry for Secretary of State


Obama taps Kerry as secretary of state

US president Barack Obama on Friday has announced the nomination of US Senator John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, calling him the “perfect choice” to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead.

“In a sense, John’s entire life has prepared him for this role. Having served with valour in Vietnam, he understands that we have a responsibility to use American power wisely,” he said.

Back in Sandinista Days . . .

Kerry has a record on Latin America — a substantial one. You will recall the 1980s, and that decade’s fierce debates over Central America policy. At the heart of these debates was Nicaragua: the Sandinistas, Castro, and the Soviet Union versus the Contras and the United States (or rather, not all of the United States: the Reagan administration, in particular). Kerry was an important player in all this. He was part of a group derided by Republicans as “‘Dear Comandante’ Democrats,” for they would address letters to Daniel Ortega, the Sandinista No. 1, “Dear Comandante.” (“But that’s his title,” they would plead, not unreasonably.) This group included such House members as Mike Barnes and Pete Kostmayer, and such senators as Chris Dodd and Tom Harkin — and John Kerry.

Go read the whole thing.

We’re in the best of hands…

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No country for old nuns

While a federal appeals court ruled that

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius cannot enforce the Obamacare contraception mandate as it is written, but must follow through on a promise to rewrite the rule to accommodate religious liberty,

the cost of Obamacare could drive the Little Sisters of the Poor out of the US before the regulation is rewritten,

They [the judges] ruled that the Obama administration must rewrite the regulation by August 2013 and provide updates to the court every 60 days. If the government fails to do so, the lawsuits may proceed.

Even then, it may not help.

The nuns employ people of many denominations, which makes them ineligible for the exemption being granted churches. They have 300 sisters who tend to the elderly in 30 U.S. cities.

That’s what you get when, in order to know what’s in it, you have to pass a mandate.

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