Latin America

“Patriotic Germans are Proud to Show How They Vote”

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I’ve read that the above slogan was prominently displayed at polling places during the “elections” held during the early years of the Nazi regime. While the only definitive links on I can find on this poster are at the search summary screen here, it is clear that these elections (in 1933, 1936, and 1938) were marked by a climate of extreme intimidation, as well as the banning of opposition parties. This link suggests that to the extent people were still able to choose to vote by secret ballot, surreptitious means were used to identify those who had voted “incorrectly.”

In Venezuela, in 2003, dictator-in-waiting Hugo Chavez asserted that “those who sign against Chavez are signing against their country and against the future”, and added, “whoever signs against Chavez, there will remain his name recorded for history.

And in the United States in 2012, a tweet sent out under the name of and with the evident approval of Barack Obama said:

Add your name to demand that the Koch brothers make their donors public: http://OFA.BO/mfLtZX

(The reference is to the organization Americans for Prosperity, to which the Kochs have contributed but of which they are not officers or directors.)

Pressuring a political organization to make the names of its donors public is intimidation, pure and simple. Should Obama win a second term, you can expect the level of intimidation directed against American citizens not in his camp to rise to levels which are now almost unimaginable.

via Ricochet

Also see PowerLine: Why can’t the Obama administration make its case without disseminating hate?

File Under the Heading W-T-F

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As I was working over a hot computer this afternoon, with the local classical music station on, I heard a reader for this little excursion. Oh, my – I wondered if Texas Public Radio just wants us to get a good look at what happens when a prosperous state undergoes a revolution of the proletariat, and have received a full ration of social justice, as well as management by the modern version of the philosopher kings … yep, get a good long hard look at the itinerary. It includes a stop at the Bay of Pigs Museum. Lots of lovely pre-revolution buildings at least, that is what the TPR website page about the tour displays.
Gee, I guess they couldn’t wrangle a tour to Syria I gather that it’s lovely, this time of year. Or maybe to another civil-rights hellhole like Burma, or Iran; so many lovely historic buildings and pleasing vistas, for the delectation of the culturally-sensitive and well-heeled visitors. I am just gob-smacked by this and the timing for this particular tour offering, as well as the community that it has been offered to. San Antonio is a fairly conservative town, full of former military and many of whom are sponsors and contributors to public radio or at least, we were, back in the day.
I used to work at this place, as a part-time announcer; until they decided to let all the local part-timers go, and manage the station with a combination of full-time professionals and automation. I used to think that TPR was one of those intersections where a lot of different circles in San Antonio intersected. Now, my daughter is wondering Did Sean Penn and Michael Moore go halfsies on corporate-sponsoring Texas Public Radio?

Humanitarian Intervention in the Mesozoic Era

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Lukewarm:

Whatever may be the traditional sympathy of our countrymen as individuals with a people who seem to be struggling for larger autonomy and greater freedom, deepened, as such sympathy naturally must be, in behalf of our neighbors, yet the plain duty of their Government is to observe in good faith the recognized obligations of international relationship. The performance of this duty should not be made more difficult by a disregard on the part of our citizens of the obligations growing out of their allegiance to their country, which should restrain them from violating as individuals the neutrality which the nation of which they are members is bound to observe in its relations to friendly sovereign states. Though neither the warmth of our people’s sympathy with the Cuban insurgents, nor our loss and material damage consequent upon the futile endeavors thus far made to restore peace and order, nor any shock our humane sensibilities may have received from the cruelties which appear to especially characterize this sanguinary and fiercely conducted war, have in the least shaken the determination of the Government to honestly fulfill every international obligation, yet it is to be earnestly hoped on every ground that the devastation of armed conflict may speedily be stayed and order and quiet restored to the distracted island, bringing in their train the activity and thrift of peaceful pursuits.

Warm:

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Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, Pretty World

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ud9I4ttQ1w&feature=related

Also this. And this. And, OK, one more.

(Those were the days. God bless YouTube. Sergio Mendes was a genius. At some point he said to himself: “OK, I am a great musician, and I know what the world wants to hear, what it’s hungry for, which is cool, jazz-tinged, Brazilian-flavored pop. I can already see those hit records and hear the cheering crowds … . But this is the age of TV, and I’m kind of homely.” (Smacks forehead) “I know, I will get two really cute girl singers with really great voices, put them in miniskirts, and put ’em out front.” The rest is history. Thanks, Sergio. Love ya, babe.)

UPDATE: Whoa. Cool. Tom Jones — of course! — ends up dancing with the two babes and sipping champagne with them. Some guys have all the luck.

UPDATE II: Can’t … stop … this one (which has great photos of the young and utterly perfect Lani Hall — the brunette, and the lead singer on most of the songs).

Humanity among Monsters: The Descent of Mexico

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[Cross-posted at zenpundit.com]

From Boing Boing:

A kindergarten teacher in Mexico seeks to protect her students and calm their fears as narco-cartel fighters conduct a raging gun battle outside the window of her school. The woman has nerves of iron.

 

But hey…..Mexico can’t have an “insurgency” because the narcos don’t have “political” goals. Or a unified political goal. Or because there are still good vacation deals there at all-inclusive resorts. Or….Or…Or…. whatever flimsy rationale helps policy makers continue to punt the war next door.