American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
All year long the Left has been fostering a climate of hate, from college professors asking that Republicans be “lined up and shot,” antifa rioters, BLM demonstrators chanting “pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon,” to Kathy Griffin jihadist photo-ops, while fake blood pours as Shakespeare in the Park stabs Donald Trump.
Read my post, A shootout in Alexandria.
[UPDATE: Doug Ross graphically illustrates the mainstreaming of political violence by Democrat extremists]
U.S. Takes Cuba off Terror List, Paving the Way for Normal Ties
Removal from the list, announced by the department on Friday in an e-mailed statement, came as a matter of course because Congress made no move to block the action within 45 days after President Barack Obama announced plans to do so on April 14.
Related: Cuba and terrorism.
UPDATE
Linked to by The Universal Spectator. Thank you!
Amnesty by executive order is right around the corner.
Don’t fall for the trap: Why Obama should not be impeached when he grants executive amnesty.
UPDATE:
Linked to by Pirate’s Cove. Thank you!
On the one hand, Obama Seeks More Than $2 Billion in Border Control Funds
White House Wants Authority to Return Children to Their Native Countries Faster
President Barack Obama is seeking more than $2 billion to respond to the surge in children and other migrants from Central America who are illegally crossing the U.S. border, and is asking for new authority to return them home more quickly, the White House said Sunday.
On the other hand, Rep. Luis [D-IL] Gutierrez said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has the power to “heal” undocumented immigrants, as Obama said Monday he would begin using his authority to bolster border security and consider taking other steps on his own to change the nation’s immigration policy.
Neoneocon translated all of the above into plain English: Obama announces he has to crown himself king because Congress won’t, and the $2billion comes from our hard-earned dollars:
the border element will mysteriously fall by the wayside, and the entire operation will end up only expediting the granting of asylum to most of the parents and children who have come here illegally, under the argument that they are fleeing in fear of their lives and also under our family reunification policy. He’ll try to keep the statistics on all of this hush-hush. But it will accomplish his goal, and he will extend programs like his executive action of June 2012 that started the whole Cloward-Piven illegal immigration ball rolling.
“On my own, without Congress.”
In fact, Democrats had full control of both houses of Congress during the first two years of his administration and Obama did – 0 – on immigration.
It’s not about immigration: it’s about consolidating power.
Let’s say there are 20 million illegals here.
$2 billion divided by 20 million = $100,000 apiece
I can self-“heal” a lot on that.
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to penalize Venezuelan government officials found to violate human rights in that country’s crackdown on a protest movement, ratcheting up pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s beleaguered government.
The bill calls for President Barack Obama to draw up a list of Venezuelan officials who are alleged to have violated human rights, freeze any assets they might have in the U.S., and bar them from entering the country by either withdrawing or denying visas.
A similar bill has been approved by a Senate committee, and is headed for a vote on the Senate floor in coming days.
Passage of the bill also raises pressure on the Obama administration, which has been wary of passing any kind of sanctions for fear it could create a backlash by allowing Mr. Maduro to mobilize supporters against the U.S. and distract from Venezuela’s growing homemade troubles. The administration also fears that the sanctions could jeopardize attempts at reaching a negotiated solution between the government and the opposition.
What negotiated solution? The o-called “negotiations” fell apart already.
14 Dems opposed the sanctions:The
Democrats led by Michigan Rep. John Conyers wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on Tuesday backing his administration. They also urged an exchange of ambassadors with Venezuela after a four-year hiatus.
Does this sound like a government willing to exchange ambassadors?
Venezuela alleged on Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Colombia has plotted to destabilize President Nicolas Maduro’s rule, adding to tensions between the two countries as the U.S. House approved a measure calling for sanctions on officials in the South American nation over human rights abuses.
A couple of days earlier, Mind your own business, Venezuela foreign minister tells Kerry.
In Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro welcomed the Democratic lawmakers’ initiative, saying he hopes “there is a bit of wisdom” in Washington. This wisdom from the guy who talks to a bird he thinks is Hugo CHavez.
Never mind, the Russian Foreign Minister says all problems should be solved on the constitutional basis, without threats of sanctions. In theory, they should; in reality . . .
Yleem D.S. Poblete posits that, in addition to the human rights violations,
For the sake of U.S. national security interests, the United States needs to act swiftly and resolutely to hold the Chavez-Maduro apparatus accountable.
The bill is now headed for a vote on the Senate floor.
Silvio Canto and I talked about this and other LatAm topics in last night’s podcast:
Elections in Colombia PLUS other US-Latin America stories of the week
Earlier this week, former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe testified at the Subcommittee Hearing: Challenges to Democracy in the Western Hemisphere
His complete statement is available online. I found this section particularly interesting,
Triggers of Change
The potential for positive change in growth in the years ahead is not an accident; it is a consequence of the consistency, congruence and sense of urgency that a group of countries have adopted as their policy cornerstone. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay represent 70 per cent of the region’s population and 75% of the regional GDP.This group of countries has common characteristics that explain their outstanding performance:
The strengthening of Liberal Democracy.
The adoption of an institutional Framework in favor of foreign and national investment.
The construction of a sound and sustainable social safety net.
The expansion of export markets and the commercial integration with the world (through free trade agreements).
A public administration driven by results and the elimination of the byzantine ideological debate between left and right.
A sound macroeconomic administration driven by fiscal and monetary prudence.
Better regulatory environment.
Construction of strategic infrastructure.
The consolidation of an innovation agenda leaded by an improvement in education.
A well capitalized financial sector and the constant expansion of financial services.Today countries like Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, and Paraguay, as well as most of the Caribbean States, are following this line of behavior. Because of that, the IDB, with Luis Alberto Moreno as its leader, many analysts, statesmen and prestigious publications like The Economist, are optimistic and talk about “The Latin American Decade.”
Countries that opted for a sound evolution of policies have motivated sustainable positive change. Countries that have opted for a “Revolution” to accommodate the institutional order in favor of an ideology have been shown to be ones with instability, limitation of individual liberties, government intervention, lack of confidence from investors, and a growing social polarization with the risks of political turmoil’s [sic].
Read the whole thing.
From the Washington Free Beacon:
House Lawmakers Ask John Kerry to Reconsider Argentinian Aid
Bipartisan coalition criticizes Argentina for growing closer to Iran
U.S. officials and regional experts warned earlier this week that under the leadership of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina has helped Iran bring its terrorist activities to the Western hemisphere.
The lawmakers—including House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R., Texas), Reps. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.), Grace Meng (D., N.Y.), Michael Grimm (R., N.Y.), and Bill Posey (R., Fla.)—urged Kerry to immediately cut back U.S. support for Argentina.
…The matter has assumed “a new level of urgency” given Argentina’s increasing efforts to accommodate Iran, according to the letter.
U.S. officials and independent experts have cited Kirchner’s government for boosting trade with Iran by more than a billion dollars, as well as for allowing Iranian agents to move freely through the region, where they are suspected of smuggling weapons, money, and other goods.
I’ll be extremely surprised if Kerry agrees. At best, the current administration simply doesn’t care. Worse, the State Department comes up with two-page reports soft-pedaling Iran’s threat on Latin America.