Catching The Real Extremists

Remember the Dept of Homeland Security's report on rightwing extremism released earlier this year? It detailed many "sources" of this type of extremism, including returning military veterans and your typical white racist types. DHS's report on leftwing extremism, on the other hand, focused on more "passive" expressions of extremism.

Too bad that DHS had to pigeon-hole, because I would love to see where they're going to categorize Nadil Hasan and those like him.

Janet Napolitano has responded, however. By warning us to not backlash against American Muslims. Perhaps she and her agency need to worry a little less about our reaction to law-abiding Muslims and a little more about preventing the tragic Ft. Hood indicent from happening again somewhere else.

Bob Parks has more on this here.

Professional Violence

Wonder what Juanes and Olga Tañon have to say about this:

Famed Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez said Friday she and another blogger were punched and thrown violently into a car by presumed state security agents as they walked to participate in a peaceful march in downtown Havana.

``No blood, but black and blues, punches, pulled hairs, blows to the head, kidneys, knee and chest,'' Sánchez told El Nuevo Herald shortly after she and Orlando Luis Pardo were freed. ``In sum, professional violence.''

``I, being a person of verbal pacifism, am shaken by this violence, because violence silences anyone,'' the blogger declared in a telephone interview.

Sánchez, the best-known Cuban blogger on the island and off, said she and bloggers Pardo and Claudia Cadelo and a woman friend were walking to join a ``march against violence'' organized by several young musicians when they were intercepted by three men in civilian clothes. Cuba's state security service agents frequently operate out of uniform.

Read the rest here.

Mayor Regalado and Health Care

Two odds and ends stories:

- A nod to Miami's former "just say no" commissioner:

Tomas Regalado did NOT lose the Miami mayoral election held yesterday. NO word on what he did NOT say in his victory speech last night.

- The AP finally learns of a GOP health care bill.

After months spent criticizing Democrats' health overhaul plans, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own. It's much shorter and focuses on bringing down costs rather than extending coverage to nearly all Americans.

To the AP, it's apparently like magic that the GOP comes up with a proposal. Then again, it's not like the GOP hasn't already come up with several proposed bills, but I'm not complaining.

Political Correctness: "Is This What It Feels Like To Die?"

I'm not a huge Dan LeBatard fan. But I have to admit, when he's on, he's on. His piece published today on Bob Griese's absolutely ridiculous suspension is top shelf stuff. It's also heartbreaking in its depiction of a decent man (Griese) being raked over the coals over a silly and non-offensive remark.

This is what our politically-correct culture has produced. Take a good look at Griese's comments:

"It has been a very tough week. I want to be known for something else. I don't want to continue this. I just want to put this behind me. I've gotten a lot of support -- calls from Keith Jackson, Don Shula. Is this what it feels like to die?''

And this gem from LeBatard pretty much lays it out here:

You know what gets lost there, right? An honest, open conversation -- one in which people, you know, learn and, you know, understand. You can't have those when scared. I wanted to know specifics. How and why, exactly, did he apologize? Because of the action, the reaction or because his bosses simply said he should? Had he heard from anyone in Miami who was offended? How does it feel to be at this storm center, knowing that this whiff of racism is the only thing some people will know of him as they come into sports from outside to see what all this noise is about? I wanted to make him human, not just four words.

But I understand his fear. If I didn't understand all this as the allegedly injured party, how could he? I can say what I want about this, too. I've got minority carte blanche. That dynamic can create resentment among white people, that I get more of a free-speech America than they do when discussing this stuff. I get it. I find myself dancing around land mines any time I want to discuss black issues on the radio or TV. Any sentence can end my career, which doesn't exactly foster healthy communication or confident discussion.

You can read the entire column here.

Foolishly bringing down a good man like Bob Griese just because of the cultural insecurities of a select few elite is just plain unfair and downright disgusting. Thank you very much, Political Correctness and those who support it.

Sunrise on Biscayne Bay

(Click the photo for a larger view.)

Bob Griese's Politically Incorrect Taco Incident

Poor Bob Griese. The Hall-of-Famer, former Miami Dolphins QB and long-time ABC college football announcer gets a one-game suspension for stating that Colombian NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya was "out having a taco" during a college football broadcast this past weekend.

I won't bore my readers with all the reasons Griese's suspension is ridiculous. I'll just say that I wish it was me, not Montoya, Griese referenced as the taco-consumer. My public reply would then have been:

"Excuse me, Mr. Griese, but on my time off I choose to eat what any self-respecting Cuban-American would, a big, hearty plate of Cuban black beans and rice".

John Paul II Film Festival

Starting this weekend, the John Paul II Film Festival will be running in theaters all across Miami-Dade County.

Why I am bringing this up? Aside from the concept, which I think is fantastic, what makes me proud is the fact that the event organizers attend the same church I do. We've been following the progress of the festival since its creation early this year, and their faith, motivation and drive in putting this together has been nothing short of inspirational to me and my fellow parishoners.

The Miami Herald did a nice story on the festival which is included below in its entirety (thanks Herald). Further proof that faith, sacrifice and spirituality is alive and well in Miami:

There's no shortage of film festivals in Miami: Colombian, Black, Brazilian, and Gay and Lesbian, to name a few.

This week, a trio of young Miamians will bring something different to the region's big-screen scene: a religious, interfaith film festival modeled after the life of a popular pope. The John Paul II International Film Festival, which kicks off Thursday and runs through Nov. 7, includes films varying from God in the Streets of NYC, a short on Jesus on the streets of New York City, and God in China, a documentary on religion and politics among the Chinese, to The 13th Day, a feature on the memoirs of a 20th-century Portuguese nun.

``There seemed to be a hunger for films with meaning rather than just sex drugs and rock 'n' roll,'' said Laura Alvarado, a 25-year-old actress who teaches at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove. Alvarado and two friends from a youth group at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Kendall brainstormed the festival nine months ago and were able to raise $40,000 in donations.

``At first, we thought, `Oh man, our name is John Paul II, people are going to get turned off,' '' Alvarado said.

Instead, dozens of people, including rabbis and Protestant ministers, have been promoting the event around South Florida houses of worship. More than 100 films were submitted this summer by directors from Miami to the United Kingdom. Thirty were chosen to be shown at theaters across Miami-Dade, including a Jewish community center in Kendall. Organizers said they came together through their interest in the former pope, who was an actor and playwright as a young Polish man and was known for his interfaith accomplishments.

REACHING OUT

``It didn't matter what your background was for John Paul II. He was the first pope to really try to cross that bridge and reach out to all the faiths,'' said organizer Rafael Anrrich, a 39-year-old therapist from Kendall. ``We're trying to do the same.''

As a pope, John Paul II made strides by improving the Catholic church's relations with the Jewish community -- including his historical visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem -- and was the first pope to visit a mosque. He also met with Buddhist and Anglican leaders.

Festival submissions were not required to be about specific religions but did need to have a spiritual element. Many are about crossing boundaries, faith-related or otherwise. As We Forgive is about Rwandan women who attempt to confront and forgive the men who killed their families during a brutal genocide, while The Boy in the Striped Pajamas portrays a friendship that develops between a Jewish boy in a concentration camp and the son of a Nazi commander.

``People can get into theological arguments, but at the end, we're all human beings. We want to bring that idea to film and show how much love and passion there is in art,'' said Frank Brennan, a 24-year-old English major at Florida International University and an independent filmmaker. Brennan said he grew up in a nominally Catholic family and didn't begin to embrace his faith until three years ago when he attended a religious retreat on a whim. Now, he regularly attends Our Lady of Lourdes and helps organize monthly prayer sessions at the church for the film festival.

`DIFFERENT FAITHS'

``If I had something like this sort of festival when I was younger, I think I would feel more comfortable with learning about different faiths,'' he said.

In 1987, John Paul II made a historical visit to South Florida and spoke to tens of thousands of locals and pilgrims at Tamiami Park near Florida International University, where a handful of the film festival screenings will take place.

``Now,'' said Anrrich, ``he's coming back.''

Obscene Profits Not So Obscene After All

I'm glad to see this fact-check report come out from AP indicating that the bluster being raised by Democrats regarding the profits cashed in by health insurance companies is much to do about not so much.

Don't believe that the average profit margin for health plans is less than obscene? Check it out here. Of course, this implies that people critical of health insurance company profits actually understand what a profit margin is. When it comes to the Obama administration, they understand perfectly.

I don't have any personal vested interest in any money insurance companies make or don't make, but facts are facts and in the endless health care debate, too many fabrications on both sides have been put out. It's nice for once to see the MSM challenge the administration's rhetoric and falsehoods.