Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Hamilton would not approve of Lopez Rivera’s release

Joe Connor, whose father was murdered at the 1975 Fraunces Tavern bombing, writes,
Alexander Hamilton Wouldn’t Approve of a Terrorist’s Clemency. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s shameful performance for a man who helped murder my father. (emphasis added)

López Rivera was a longtime leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN, a group claiming support for Puerto Rican independence. It was actually a Marxist organization intent on subjugating Puerto Ricans and imposing a Castro-like communist regime. From 1974 to 1983, the group claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings and other violent crimes in U.S. cities, making it the most active domestic terrorist group in U.S. history.
. . .
López Rivera organized and personally led numerous FALN bombings, armed assaults and hostage takings in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. He also was a prime FALN recruiter; a crucial trainer in bombing, sabotage and other techniques of guerrilla warfare; and the mastermind behind the establishment of a series of FALN weaponry safe houses and bomb factories. When the FBI finally arrested him in 1981, it found in his residence a large quantity of dynamite, blasting caps and other bomb components.

Connor points out that in 1976 the FALN bombed a location near where Hamilton is playing in Chicago.

At least Obama did not pardon FALN chief William Morales, who has been living comfortably in Cuba where he sought political asylum – and whose extradition Obama did not seek while easing relations with Cuba.

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Setting free an unrepentant terrorist who used his own apartment as a bomb-making factory is a bad idea.

As mentioned yesterday, Obama commuted the prison sentence of Oscar López Rivera, an unrepentant FALN terrorist convicted of waging war against the United States.

I do not exaggerate when I say that López Rivera set his apartment as a bomb-making facility. I also do not exaggerate when I say that I’ve been hearing for decades López Rivera described as a political prisoner.

Which is pure propaganda:

López Rivera was NOT imprisoned for believing in independence for Puerto Rico, but for the violent means through which he and others sought to further that otherwise respectable cause. Having failed to persuade their fellow Puerto Ricans to support their particular brand of a Marxist-Leninist independence, López Rivera and others sought to advance independence through bombings and other violent acts, such as the ambush of a group of U.S. Navy personnel just outside the base at Sabana Seca, P.R., which resulted in the deaths of four sailors.

The public relations campaign for López Rivera is just getting started, though. Just wait for the photo-ops when he goes to Hamilton and the cast honors him on stage.

Jorge Bonilla translates an op-ed by Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) that was first published in El Nuevo Día, where Gutiérrez refers to López Rivera as a “great man” who “gave us a great example.” It opens with a meeting between Gutiérrez and Rafael Cancel Miranda, one of the 1954 U.S. Capitol Gallery shooters and a joke they shared:

An International Victory

Nearly 25 years ago, in the summer of ’92, in Philadelphia- interesting city that we chose for that meting-, I remember Rafael Cancel Miranda and I conversing at a table, as though it were yesterday. Jokingly, I told him to let me know when he was coming to Congress so that I could bring a water pistol. We spoke of many things, Oscar among them.

We have much for which to thank people like Don Cancel Miranda. There are many like him who, between jokes, have carried out the struggle for our Oscar López Rivera. That great man.

We will never be able to thank these people enough. Take Dr. Nieves Falcón, for example. We campaigned with him for Oscar’s freedom, both in and out of Puerto Rico.

The truth is that Oscar could have been with us years ago, but he is a great man. In 1999, President Bill Clinton offered him a prompt release but offered nothing to his comrade Carlos Torres. Oscar did not want to accept the deal.

Years later, now with President Obama, we would ask for his freedom every year. I still remember the president’s face as he said, “but that gentleman was already offered freedom”. One time I said no, that if we were combat soldiers this is the soldier we’d want to have, one who doesn’t leave his men behind, who doesn’t abandon the trenches.

In all this, I can only express my thanks to Puerto Rico, because (they) proved to be a family, a great family. To Dr. Fernando Cabanillas, for his incredible help. To (San Juan) Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a lioness, for her active campaign, her communication, and for being an incredible comrade in this struggle. To that great leader, Florencio Merced, who was also a comrade-in-arms, very admirable. To all the brethren at the (pro-independence) newspaper Claridad, who were very vocal for this cause and I can now say that we did it. To El Nuevo Día, its journalists, its owners and its Editorial Board. Their commitment and effort is admirable. They took this very seriously, and that speaks volumes about their people, who without a doubt are good and committed. I recall when we met in the summer and I assured them that this would not seem easy. Thanks to all for not giving up.

Oscar’s freedom is an international victory. Leaders and heads of state from all over joined the call for justice for him (Oscar). Letters and calls went out from the Vatican and its department of international diplomacy so that this could happen. Even former President Jimmy Carter said that his work was not done and joined in. We have to see this from that perspective. This is a victory for justice throughout the world.

Ultimately, we have to emphasize that Oscar gave us a great example. And that example inspired all. The Dominican congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), citing Hostos, also joined the call within the first few days of (the 115th) Congress being in session. Upon swearing in, Darren Soto (D-FL) also pled for Oscar having been in Congress for two weeks. These are acts of courage.

Like them, we all follow –and are inspired by- Oscar’s example. And the example of this woman: Zoraida Arocho Díaz, from Moca (Puerto Rico), my wife. At every White House Christmas party, she would ask President Obama for her gift, which was Oscar’s freedom. And this Christmas, when she greeted the president and asked for her gift, the president smiled.

On December 15th, (NYC Council Speaker) Melissa Mark-Viverito, Mayor Carmen Yulín and I went to see Oscar, and when I asked him how he felt he said: “how long does it take you to run a mile?” I said, “I don’t know.” Laughing, he told me “I can run it faster than you can.” He’s never been a prisoner. Oscar has a free spirit.

Likewise, we should be very thankful to President Obama. Year after year, we pled to him for Oscar’s freedom. When someone is recalcitrant you argue and advocate, and if they give in at the end, you have to be thankful. He could’ve said no, but he listened to us, considered it and gave us that gift. I am very grateful.

In 120 days, we will go get him and preparations for his welcome are well under way. Puerto Rico, get ready because our Oscar is coming back. It is a time to celebrate, especially for his family. His daughter Clarisa and his granddaughter Karina, this is their time. Oscar is returning home.

Obama may yet surprise us with news on JoAnne Chesimard AKA Assata Shakur, William Morales and Charlie Hill within the next 24 hours.

For now, as Gutiérrez put it, “get ready because our Oscar is coming back.”

Related:
Why liberals love to set terrorists free

[López] Rivera, not that it seems to matter, was involved directly or otherwise in at least 146 bombings, leaving nine dead in Puerto Rico and on the mainland. Among the wounded were NYPD bomb squad officers, one of whom was blinded.

Pardon Parade

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

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Obama commutes unrepentant sociopath’s sentence UPDATED

Oscar López Rivera was offered clemency by Bill Clinton in August of 1999 (in a move that was engineered by then Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder) but refused to show remorse for his involvement in the FALN

Until its dissolution in the early 1980s, the F.A.L.N. would remain one of the most destructive terrorist groups in America. Throughout the rest of the decade numerous bombs were placed — mainly in New York and Chicago — causing millions of dollars in damages and a few injuries. The next fatality did not occur until August 1977, when Charles Steinberg was killed at the Mobil Building on 42nd Street. The F.A.L.N’s last bombing in New York was took place on December 31, 1982, when bombs were exploded at Federal Plaza, One Police Plaza, near Foley Square, and in Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn. Three NYPD officers were badly injured in the blasts.

López Rivera (emphasis added)

has been in federal prison since 1981, after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy and arms trafficking in connection with his leadership of the FALN, the notorious left-wing terrorist group that perpetrated more than 130 attacks on U.S. soil from the mid 1970s through the mid 1980s, killing six and wounding many more. Most members of the FALN, which purported to fight for Puerto Rican independence but maintained deep ties to Fidel Castro’s Cuba, were long ago captured and imprisoned, and many of them have already served their time and been released. But Lopez-Rivera remains unrepentant about his crimes, and he’s hardly been a model prisoner: In one of two failed attempts to escape, he conspired with others inside and outside his prison to kill his way to freedom, attempting to procure grenades, rifles, plastic explosives, bulletproof vests, blasting caps, and armor-piercing bullets. After the FBI thwarted this plan, another 15 years was added to Lopez’s original 55-year sentence

Three days before leaving office, Obama Commutes Sentence of F.A.L.N. Member Oscar Lopez Rivera

Mr. Lopez Rivera was not specifically charged in the Fraunces Tavern bombing but more broadly with, among other things, the interstate transportation of firearms with the intent to commit violent crimes, and transportation of explosives with intent to kill and injure people and to destroy government buildings and property.

The creator of the Broadway Hit Hamilton is jubilant,

So are NYC mayor Bill DeBlasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (the @MMViverito in the above tweet).

Chillingly,

In an earlier interview with El Nuevo Día, Mr. Lopez said: “I want to enjoy Puerto Rico, my family. But I like to work. I have some skills — organizing, helping young people — that I want to share with people.”

Says one of the founders of a group responsible for over 120 bombings throughout the U.S.

UPDATE
Steven Hayward reminds us of Bryan Burrough’s excellent book, Days of Rage: America’s Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence,

In his invaluable history of the maniacal leftist terrorism of the 1970s, Bryan Burrough frankly characterizes FALN leader Oscar López Rivera as “the man behind the deadliest bombing campaign of the era.” That’s quite a distinction.

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“Obama’s $100,000-Plus Backers Were Able to Contribute to Several Entities”

The Donors Who Gave Big, and Often
Obama’s $100,000-Plus Backers Were Able to Contribute to Several Entities

Nearly 100 wealthy families and power couples contributed at least $100,000 each to help Barack Obama over the past two years, creating an elite set of donors to whom the president-elect repeatedly turned in financing his campaign, transition and inauguration, a Washington Post analysis shows.

John McCain, after pushing trough campaign finance reform and tying his hands behind his back by campaigning on public financing funds, lost big:

The ability to direct such large sums to a presidential candidate stems in part from the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation. The law banned unlimited “soft money” donations, but it increased the amount individuals can steer to presidential candidates by allowing them to donate directly to a campaign as well as to state and national political parties to help elect a candidate.

Under the law, the maximum amount an individual can give in a presidential election year has gone from $25,000 to $70,100 over the past five years. And by creating joint fundraising committees — allowing donors to give the maximum to all three funding pools at once — campaigns have become much more efficient in collecting the donations.

Not that the Obama campaign is giving up on small donors. People are still getting weekly or almost-weekly emails asking for $5 donations.

Let this be a lesson to you, Republicans.

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A few items of note:

Separatist? PBS Can’t Call a Terrorist a Terrorist

On taxpayer-funded PBS, reporters have a difficult time using words like “terrorist” to describe politically motivated bombers – even when Democratic officials have no problem using the term. On Thursday night’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, describing controversial Clinton administration pardons, PBS’s Ray Suarez identified the Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN as merely a “separatist organization,” even though in the soundbite that followed, Attorney General nominee Eric Holder clearly described the FALN as terrorists

130 bomb attacks during a period of nine years, six dead, and Suarez can’t get himself to call them terrorists. At least he didn’t refer to them as “political prisoners”, which is the meme among some.

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Jersey Bites continues the food drive:

foodbank

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Shiny happy dhimmi – #9 is up, for Sunday Carnival goodness, and don’t miss Doug’s latest Larwyn’s Link Kerplosion.

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Rich Ivory of Hip Hop Republican is blogging on the inauguration for the BBC

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Beth is auctioning her photo on Ebay.
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Via Maria, Lionel Bart’s sad life story

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Thanksgiving costumes, Venezuela’s Opposition Scores Key Victories, the bailouts, and friends’ roundup

Time for a roundup:

Via Rob Bluey, who was hosting the Heritage Foundation chat, their paper: Venezuela’s Opposition Scores Key Victories

Links from friends and bloggers I’ve met:
Palestinian Terrorists Found Guilty in Dallas: Justice At Last.

Washington State Regulators: “Is Blogging Lobbying?”

Bailouts posts, The Future of Detroit
Pot meet kettle
Dan Riehl’s Hank Paulson on a plane and Too ugly to watch,
and Borrow, spend, panic, repeat – Michelle has lots more interesting bailouts posts.

Biden replacement creates blowback. What I can’t figure out is, why didn’t they think of this earlier on? And who’s going to replace Hillary? Eliot Spitzer?

Update on Second Draft:
Counterattack! No More Lies! Will be doing a podcast on this subject next week.

Posts from bloggers I haven’t met yet:
Soccer Dad’s Shiny happy dhimmi – #2 carnival is up!

Via Larwyn, Eric Holder Defended the FALN Terrorist Pardons (Video)

Christina Romer: Obama’s Secret Tax Cutter?

Tne Random, Politically Incorrect Thoughts

More on the bailouts, The Change We Need – Not

Dan sent, Schumer: $500 billion to $700 billion stimulus. Dan comments,

Anyone who lives in New York, and travels to other parts of the country, knows that the billions of dollars D.C. spends each year on infrastructure sure isn’t finding its way to the Empire State. One good reason for that is our Congressmen and Senators. They’re lazy pigs. And once in office they quickly discover it’s easier to bloviate on camera about saving the country or the world than getting their hands dirty fighting for a new highway or a 21st century signal system for the subway. One of the laziest pigs of them all is our senior senator listening to himself talk above. Count on it. His “new New Deal” is going to include a massive public works program that would make FDR blush, but in five years’ time NYers will be stuck in the same traffic jams and standing in the same motionless subway cars waiting for the apocryphal “sick passenger” to get well.

No one to blame but ourselves.

The AP loves propaganda

Hell on earth, Zimbabwe.

Just say no: tell the EPA Carbon Dioxide ain’t a pollutant The luxury of environmentalism.

Tygrrr Express is optimistic this week, and explains why The stock market will be fine.

And for Thanksgiving,
I Am Thanksgiving Goddess, Hear Me Roar

The Anchoress Joyless prudes & panics, and Eric’s Activists win, because bureaucracy rules! on this beaut: Claremont parents clash over kindergarten Thanksgiving costumes; also at Yid with lid.

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