The Kids Stay

For those of you reading this who are from outside South Florida, you may not have heard about the two Miami teen brothers who are being threatened to be sent back to Colombia with their parents because of their illegal status.

One of the kids, Juan Gomez, just graduated in the top 20 at the local high school down the road from here.

As the article linked above mentions, the family is being held in two locations, a "transitional center", and the Krome Detention Center where the father is being held.

This is a classic case of our inept immigration system in this country. The Gomez family's status has been in limbo for several years after an application for legal citizenship was rejected by the feds, who after all this time round up the family for deportation.

Besides faulting the feds, I have to blame the parents. Yes, I don't know what exactly transpired that caused them to have their application rejected, but they must have done something wrong. Other people I know who are not permanent legal residents but are here legally have to go through set procedures in order to renew their temporary legal status. My feeling is that the Gomez family failed in this respect, but that's just a hunch.

Nevertheless, the kids shouldn't be penalized for any errors their parents made. They ought to stay. Better yet, make them U.S. citizens.

Classical Airwaves

For those of you who are still bemoaning the loss of classical music on public radio airwaves in South Florida, I recently discovered that there is a station playing classical music from 4 AM to 10 AM daily.

It comes from an unlikely source - WRGP FM from Florida International University. It broadcasts on two frequencies; 88.1 FM covering South Dade and 95.3 FM covering Central Dade. The range of each transmitter pretty much sucks, but they're planning on adding another frequency at 96.9 FM originating from the North Miami campus which should reach North Dade and South Broward.

It's pretty decent from what I've heard. It's not as good as the old WTMI or what you would hear on Satellite Radio, but at least it's good that a college radio station which normally plays the standard college radio format dedicates a good chunk of the morning to playing classical music.

Making Excuses

Henry has the Oscar Corral interview covered well, so I'll refer you to here and here for his insightful analysis.

There a few things I dislike more than someone who makes excuses for not achieving a goal or failing at something. Corral is doing just that, blaming hard-line Cuban exiles for threatening him after his total disaster of a story on the Marti Moonlighters, and generally complaining about being a victim to the cigar-chomping, yelling and screaming viejitos out there.

I really want to like Oscar Corral. I mean, we come from the same city and have the same roots. It would be great if a local boy made it big in the Herald as a top notch journalist. However, Corral is nowhere near being in that league. Being a long-time Herald reader, I am familiar with Corral's work back in the days when he covered mundane local news stories. It was evident to me even back then that Oscar Corral was, on a good day, nothing more than a mediocre journalist. His stories have always slanted towards the negative, even when nothing negative is to be found.

I clearly remember listening to the last Miami-Dade mayoral debates online in which a panel of local journalists asked the candidates questions. It was a very non-controversial campaign, rare for South Florida, so the majority of the debate was pretty boring. Except when it was Oscar's turn to ask the questions. He tried his hardest to come up with something, anything remotely controversial just for the hell of it. It was obvious he was forcing it big time, so much so that one of the candidates (I don't remember which one) admonished Corral after receiving one of his questions. He was contriving controversy to make a name for himself.

This tendency of his carried over into his coverage of the Cuban community, where he rightly received some fair criticism.

So the bottom line here is that Oscar Corral needs to admit that perhaps he hasn't done that good of a job of covering Cuban issues. A little more sensitivity, a little less contrived controversy and a little more balance would go a long way towards making Corral a better journalist. He's only 32, so there's time for improvement.

Unfortunately, he works for the Miami Herald, so I won't hold my breath.

Letters To The Editor - Exile Bashing Edition

Some good ones in today's Herald concerning Barack Obama's statements about meeting with chavez and castro if he were to be Prez (emphasis mine).

First, from the city of Hollywood, F-L-A:

In Monday's Democratic presidential candidates' debate, Sen. Barack Obama's response to the question about meeting with leaders of countries that the United States does not get along with was straightforward and honest.

In contrast, Sen. Hillary Clinton's response smacked of hypocrisy. In the past she has criticized President Bush for refusing to talk to such leaders. Could the mention of Cuba have motivated Clinton to take a new stance on this issue?

It is refreshing to see a politician who is unafraid to state his views on an issue regardless of the damage it may cause his campaign. The opinion of a handful of people should not be allowed to shape the foreign policy of our nation.

EVAN JULIEN, Hollywood

Ah yes, the old and tired line about a handful of geriatric exiles controlling U.S. policy towards poor little Cuba. Would you like me to tell you where the Miami Mafia holds Senators and Congressmen hostage every time a vote comes up regarding Cuba policy? Or perhaps these people are able to come up with their own conclusions? You decide.

Next, from good ol' Miamuh:

I'm switching my vote from Clinton to Obama. I don't think that other nations are hostile toward the United States. Our policies are hostile toward those nations, especially Cuba.

It's time to stop this nonsense.

BERNARDO GUTIERREZ, Miami

Mr. Gutierrez: OK, we'll stop the nonsense now. As soon as you get off the phone with your buddies hugo and fidel. BTW, Obama may not totally agree with your allegation that the U.S. is hostile towards Cuba.

And I do appreciate the fact that you're not voting for Hillary.

And finally, not to be denied from the ciudad bella of Coral Gables:

As a Cuban American, I was appalled to read about the controversy brewing between Sens. Clinton and Obama over meeting with Fidel Castro. Honestly, why should we care about meeting with a man who, for all we know, might already be dead?

If you want to bring some relief to this state, then discuss the issues that affect us: insurance rates, property taxes, crime, pollution, illegal immigration. I want all the presidential candidates to stop pandering to a few Cuban exiles who live in the past. They should discuss the issues that will decide if we can continue to live in this state.

ELSIE M. McCLAIN, Coral Gables

Can't argue with your concerns regarding insurance, taxes, crime, etc., Elsie. But you really need to stop taking advise vis a vis your fellow Cuban exiles from Ana Menendez and poor Oscar Corral. Then again, your suggestion that fidel might already be dead means you could really be one of us intransigent, insufferable and intolerant Cuban exiles.

And where in the heck do these people get the idea that it's just a "handful" or a "few" Cuban exiles who "live in the past"?

Where do they live, Montana or something?

Victimizing Hispanics

Looks like the recent South Florida convention hosted by La Raza and attended by leading Democratic Presidential candidates has brought out the demagogues. Actually, this whole mess started last month when the immigration bill flopped, with many Democrats, Hispanics and Hispanic Democrats decrying that the U.S. is hostile to Hispanics. For this, look no further than Hialeah's own Raul Martinez (a Cuban American Dem), who made some despicable statements on Polos Opuestos last month basically alleging that Americans are generally racist against Hispanics.

Then you have Barack Obama and his statement at the La Raza convention which is covered in the post below this one.

It appears that the Miami Herald's Latin American issues columnist, Andres Oppenheimer, took Obama's words to heart, because he responded with a column in Sunday's paper urging that "It's Time to Hit Back Against Anti-Latino Bigotry".

His column bothered me enough to leave a lengthy comment on his blog - in Spanish. Spanish so that those who think like Oppenheimer, Obama and La Raza can understand exactly what I'm saying.

I'll paraphrase what I wrote to Mr. Oppenheimer. I basically wrote that as a Cuban American fortunate enough to have been born in this country and proud of his roots, I disagree totally with your column. There isn't an anti-Hispanic attitude in the U.S., but more of an anti-illegal immigrant attitude. There's a big difference between the two. Oppenheimer's comparison to the African-American and Jewish-American struggle shows a lack of understanding of U.S. history on his part.

How can one explain the presence of TWO Spanish-language TV networks, countless Spanish-language radio stations nationwide, all of the Hispanics serving in Congress and the Senate as well as in local and state offices across the nation, and allege that there is racism or bigotry towards Hispanics in the United States? No one can give me a good explanation to counter that.

I believe it's more than a lack of understanding. I think it's a fact that Mr. Oppenheimer is demagoguing the issue. Doing so does nothing more than make all Hispanics look like a bunch of malcontents and ingrates to all Americans and LEGAL immigrants.

All Oppenheimer has to do is to look out his Miami window and see an example of what Hispanics can do when they apply themselves to improving themselves and their communities. They enjoy the same fruits that all other Americans enjoy.

It doesn't surprise me that groups such as La Raza takes advantage of these false sentiments to pander to Democratic politicians who are more than willing to buy into it in exchange for votes.

I closed by stating that La Raza President Janet Murguia hasn't focused on fighting Hispanic bigotry in this country because, quite simply, it doesn't exist, at least in a systematic sense.

Comparing Illegals to MLK (UPDATED)

Hillary and Obama were in South Florida yesterday to rally the Hispanic troops, so to speak. As this Sun-Sentinel article indicates, the two Democratic front-runners were at a La Raza convention on Miami Beach, prime territory to talk pander to a prime voting bloc about immigration issues.

"C'mon Robert, they're politicians. They're supposed to pander", you might be saying to yourself. Of course, you would be correct. We especially expect this from Hillary Clinton.

However, Obama may be a different story. Believe it or not (and please be gentle), I bought and read Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. I would not vote for him unless the circumstances were VERY extraordinary, but in the book Obama comes across as a likeable guy who worked hard to get to where he's at, as well as giving the impression of being capable of having some common sense answers to many of our problems.

It's in that context that the following passage from the article surprised me (emphasis mine):

Obama took a more rousing approach (than Clinton) with a stump speech, punctuated by cheering supporters and music, in which he likened the recent massive rallies of undocumented immigrants and their supporters to the civil rights movement.

"Our separate struggles are really one," Obama said, quoting a telegram Martin Luther King Jr. sent in 1968 to farmworker activist César Chávez. "The civil rights movement wasn't just for African Americans."

He said the struggle for equality is unfinished.

"It doesn't matter if that struggle involves a brown man who is badgered again and again to prove his citizenship or a black man who's pulled over because his car is too nice," Obama said.

Give me a Barack-eak, Barack (sorry I couldn't help myself with the pun)! I don't think I have to explain why your correlation between black civil rights and illegal immigrants is so wrong. You try to come across as a nice guys trying to be moderate on many issues, despite your voting record in the Senate. But the above proves that, at least to pander to potential voters, you'll say anything even if it's totally out of perspective and ridiculous. Coming from someone of your background, that's very disappointing.

For everyone reading this, Democrats, Republicans and Indies, I guess it's just another example of modern-day politics and a glaring reason why nothing concrete seems to get accomplished these days by either party.

UPDATE - 6:30 PM: Forgot to throw in this related nugget from the Sun-Sentinel. A poll shows that the vast majority of Hispanics in the U.S. care more about education than immigration. Perhaps Hillary and Obama need to pander, I mean focus, more on Hispanic education issues.

Where's the Money?

The Miami Herald has a feature spread today on Florida Presidential campaign fundraising. Based on Herald stats, three-quarters of leading Democratic donors in 2004 have pledged their hard-earned money to a Democratic candidate. Republicans are much less enthusiastic, with only a third of 2004 donors contributing this go-around.

As the article indicates, the reasons for this are fairly obvious. You have BDS and the Democrats' zeal to take over the White House. You also have the muddy field of Republican candidates, none of which inspire much confidence among die-hard Reps.

I think the primary reason was only mentioned in passing by the article.

It's called "Waiting For Fred".

Great. Now What?

FHP's recent crackdown on aggressive drivers in Miami-Dade County was pretty remarkable: 582 arrests in 3 days.

Great. How come we don't see this more often? I know highway trooper staffing levels are low, but this crackdown shows that when they commit to stopping jerks from messing up driving conditions for the rest of us, results follow.

A once-a-month sweep would be nice, for starters.

Atrocity at Sea

The Miami Herald deserves to be criticized, and criticized frequently, for its sub-par coverage of local news (which should be where they stand out. They do, but for the wrong reason), almost daily mistakes with sports box scores and other things that should be caught by an attentive and competent staff, as well as for making us endure the likes of Ana Menendez.

Still (and yes you knew it was coming), when it comes to the Cuba issue, the editorial staff almost always comes down on the right side. The Herald may be barely good enough to line bird feeders all across Miami and its environs, but every once in a while, we need to pull the editorial page out of the cage floor for articles such as the one below which is a verbatim account of the Cuban Tugboat Massacre of July 13, 1994 by Maria Werlau of the Cuba Archive project.

It never fails to boggle my mind that there are educated people out there willing to give castro a pass while he gets away, quite literally, with murder.

One day...one day, I keep on telling myself.

Full article below.

In 1994, popular dissatisfaction with the Castro regime had deepened as Cuba endured a severe economic crisis amid continued repression. Although the country's laws forbid citizens from leaving without government authorization and punishes violations with years of prison, attempts to escape by any means had been growing exponentially. . . .

On the designated date, the group quietly boarded the 13 de Marzo tugboat in the middle of the night and the motors were started. Unexpectedly, people who were not on the list showed up, a few others who were to come did not. . . .

Just as the 13 de Marzo cleared the harbor, two other tugboats that had been waiting for them in the dark joined the chase. With their water cannons, they started spraying high-pressure jets at the escaping vessel. The wooden 13 de Marzo was now being hounded by three modern, larger and heavier tugboats made of steel. . . .

Although the 13 de Marzo had stopped and signaled its willingness to surrender and turn back, the relentless attack continued. The adults brought out the children on deck to see if this would deter the incessant jet streams and collisions. In desperation, parents held their children up in the air and pleaded for their lives, putting them in front of the powerful reflector lights. The attackers disregarded their cries and continued to bombard the powerless passengers with the high pressure water. The mighty streams scattered them all over deck, ripped clothing off and tore children from their parents' arms. Some were swept into the ocean.

It was around 4:50 a.m. when the tugboat sank seven miles northeast of Havana harbor. The three boats then began circling the survivors, creating wave turbulence and eddies for around 45 minutes. It was obvious they wanted to make sure no one would be left alive to bear witness to the horror. María Victoria García, who lost her 10-year-old son, husband and many other close family members, later related:

``After nearly an hour of battling in the open sea, the boat circled round the survivors, creating a whirlpool so that we would drown. Many disappeared into the seas . . . We asked them to save us, but they just laughed.''

Murder was planned

Over time, as more survivors and witnesses left the island and their accounts were pieced together, it became apparent that the Cuban government had planned the murder. It was evident that spies had been infiltrated and offered early and detailed knowledge of the preparations. Reportedly, once the plot was known, the decision had been made at the highest levels of government to not foil it by arresting the organizers or closing the entrance to Havana harbor. Instead, they would be allowed to steal the tugboat, so it could be sunk and an enduring lesson could be delivered to prevent further escapes from the island. . . .

On the island, the Cuban government continues to imprison, threaten and intimidate those who seek to peacefully protest the sinking and remember those who died, usually in small ceremonies on the anniversary of the attack. Government-organized mobs, the Rapid Response Brigades, habitually scream insults and hit participants.

Tanned, Rested and Ready

Well...tanned definitely, but I don't know about the other two.

I'm just back for my visit to Florida's fair Gulf Coast, enjoyed good weather and got to enjoy the beach for a full week despite problems with the AC at our rental condo unit which eventually forced us to check out 2 days early (no worries, we stayed in the area as scheduled).

Many thanks to Jonathan for holding down the fort and providing us with some nice posts, including a first for this blog, a food recipe post!

(Note to Jonathan: you could have posted pictures of naked women, taken them down 2 days later and I wouldn't have noticed a thing since I spent a full week without peeking once at a computer. Imagine what that would have done to our site stats?!)

I really haven't had time to sit down and check out in depth the activity elsewhere, but I did notice that the BUCL Invisible Ones campaign went very well. Outstanding and well deserved.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

And Jonathan, don't be such a stranger to posting here!

Miami Marine Stadium at Dusk

(Click the photo to display a larger version.)

Astounding Fish Recipe

First time I've been fishing since childhood, thanks to my friend Dan, and I was fortunate to reel in a substantial amberjack.

Now, to cook it, I knew from nothing. First attempt involved broiling -- not very good. Second attempt, I tried something new (to me) and it worked OK. On the third attempt I repeated the second attempt, but better. I liked the result so much that I want to share the recipe. The alternative was to start posting pictures of naked women on Robert's blog, which seemed impolite.


Ingredients:


1 big fillet


2 x


1 x (sweet)


1 entire bulb




(toasted)




(just kidding)


Directions:

-Cut peppers and onion into strips. Slice up garlic. Cube fish into stir-fry-sized bits.

-In a wok or frying pan, preferably non-stick, saute the vegetables in a modest amount of olive oil. Stir in about 8 drops of toasted sesame oil. Cook until the onions become clear. Put the sauteed vegetables aside.

-Stir-fry the fish in a bit of olive oil. As the fish cooks and dries out, squirt some salad dressing onto it as needed to keep it moist. When the fish is almost done, pour about half a bottle of teriyaki sauce onto it and stir until the fish is thoroughly coated and the teriyaki sauce has begun to carbonize. Remove from heat and serve with or over the vegetables.


This is what it looked like after my guests and I ate most of it:




I don't know how this recipe would work with a more delicate fish, but with the amberjack, which is pretty heavy, it's great.

Evil

This is quite a good Belmont Club thread. Be sure to read the comments too.

(One of the Belmont commenters mentions this video, which I liked, about evil and The Sopranos. I don't think I've watched the show more than once, in part because I don't watch much TV but also because I don't find criminals appealing as subjects of drama. Or maybe I don't want to find them appealing. Familiarity breeds contempt or at least nonchalance, and the phrases, "there but for the grace of God..." and "don't go there" come to mind. One way to avoid heroin addiction is to avoid lesser drugs, because once you try the lesser drug and find that you are not immediately disabled by addiction it becomes easier to try heroin. Wretchard and the narrator of the YouTube video apply a variant of this theory to evil behavior. I think they have a point.)

P.S. It's not all fun and games here. My next post is probably going to be a recipe.


(Cross posted at Chicago Boyz.)

R & R

I'll be away for a week while I dip my toes in the Gulf of Mexico, spend some quality time with the family, and perhaps read a book or three. Fear not, loyal readers. Jonathan will fill in capably in my shoes with a few posts and some photos like the one below.

One thing I will miss will be the candlelight vigil this Monday. Please help support BUCL's noble cause, and light a candle for me as well.

Biscayne Bay at Dusk

(Click the photo to display a larger version.)

Miami Nice (A Continuing Series)

Here's a case involving a Honduran family of 5 living in Texas who decides to leave home after receiving a letter from Immigration authorities stating that their work permit was not being renewed. Fearing deportation back to Honduras, the family decides to head to The Promised Land of Miami, home to a Honduran Univision TV host, as well as many Honduran residents. What happens to them shortly after arriving in this forsaken place?

Take a look for yourself.

A Honduran family celebrated the Fourth of July in Miami with new hopes and housing after an outpouring of community support.

By Casto Ocando
El Nuevo Herald

Sixteen years after arriving from Honduras, starting a family and working to get ahead, landscaper Rumualdo González never imagined he would be celebrating Independence Day in Miami after having survived the worst crisis of his life.

It started in March when González, 52, received a letter from immigration authorities stating the U.S. government would not renew his permit to stay and work. ''They didn't give any explanation. Our dreams evaporated,'' he told El Nuevo Herald Wednesday.

Faced with remaining in the country illegally or being deported, the Honduran said he decided to leave Alice, Texas, and head to Florida to seek help through Honduran Unity, an immigration advocacy group in Miami.

The two-month odyssey took González, 52, his wife Hilda and their three children on a quixotic quest to meet with television host Neida Sandoval at Univisión headquarters in Doral and, eventually, with Jose Lagos, president of Honduran Unity.

González, Hilda, 48, and children Carla, 15, Jeffrey, 11, and Carlos, 5, finally found support through various immigrant rights groups, charities and good Samaritans who stepped forward to help when the family took its plight to South Florida's Spanish-language airwaves.

On Wednesday the González family celebrated the Fourth of July in their new home in Miami, after having spent all their savings staying in hotels, part of the time in Tampa -- where their children finished school. When they got to Homestead last month, they were broke and for two days slept on the streets, until three weeks ago when they found a makeshift home in a Little Havana office.

''We're finally starting a new life, thank God,'' González said as his family sat down for lunch with supporters at an apartment they moved into Wednesday.

''It's what America is all about,'' said Lagos of Honduran Unity.

Carla González, who along with her siblings and mother are in the United States legally, said she had been anxious that her father ``could be deported at any moment.''

Sandoval connected the family to community groups.

''We went looking for Neida Sandoval,'' González said of the Despierta América (Wake up America) host and fellow Honduran, and she, in turn, put the family in contact with Nora Sándigo, director of American Nicaraguan Fraternity, and Lagos of the Honduran group. In a Channel 41 news program, immigration attorney Eduardo Soto offered to help González get his residency papers in order.

And on a radio show hosted by the local St. Vincent de Paul Society on Radio Paz, people started to offer money, jobs, even housing.

''We each put in our little grain of sand,'' said Gloria Palacios, who donated food and mattresses for the family.

Hugo Pazoli, an Argentinean who owns the property where the González family now lives, allowed them to move in without leaving a deposit or signing a contract. ''I'm doing this because I want to give back what this country has given to me as an immigrant,'' Pazoli said.

Miami Herald writer Noah Bierman contributed to this report.

Independence Day

Hope everyone has a wonderful day of celebration of our country's independence. Enjoy the barbeques, the pool, the fireworks...

but watch out for nature's fireworks!

The Sun-Sentinel gives us a few nice examples of what it means to be an American. Even for those of us fortunate enough to have been born in the U.S., they serve as a good reminder.

A Plea For The OB

Recently, the University of Miami announced that it is considering moving from the Orange Bowl to Dolphins Stadium for its home games as early as 2008. I don't blame them.

Well, maybe a little.

The issue at hand here is what to do with the venerable Orange Bowl Stadium. Dan LeBatard says knock the thing down. Greg Cote says it deserves to be saved. The city of Miami, which owns the stadium, has acted year after year as if they don't know what to do with it.

The Orange Bowl is in sad shape. It's embarrassing, actually. Why the city of Miami has allowed the stadium to almost literally fall apart should be a source of shame for anyone involved with city government. UM, the primary tenants, deserves some of the blame too for not being willing to chip in their share.

However, I point my finger once again at the city for incompetence and neglect, and not just the current administration. This has been going on for a few decades now.

Let's talk about the OB's history. Located in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, it was built in 1937. The University of Miami football team has played every season since the beginning. It has hosted 5 Super Bowls, 11 NCAA National Championship Games, Olympic Soccer, World Cup Qualifying matches, etc.

It has also been a focal point for non-sports related activities. Rock concerts, civic gatherings have all been held at the Orange Bowl. JFK's post-Bay of Pigs speech in the Orange Bowl is a part of local and national history. Many a Cuban exile has shed a tear or two at the OB, either while attending emotional rallies or U.S. citizenship ceremonies.

My first game at the Orange Bowl was a meaningless University of Miami vs University of Florida game on a chilly night in the late 70s. Since then, my memories of the place are all good ones. I never saw the home team lose there, whether UM or the Miami Dolphins. The place literally rocks when full. The sight lines are awesome (unless you're stuck behind one of the upper deck support pillars), and the open end view of downtown is second to none.

It should then come as no surprise that I believe the Orange Bowl should be renovated and returned to its past glory. In a region where we too often neglect and tear down our history (yes, we DO have one), the typical knee-jerk reaction is to replace the old with the new. Have these led to improvements? Hardly. Anyone remember the Orange Bowl Parade in downtown on New Year's Eve? It was eliminated shortly after the Orange Bowl game moved up to Dolphins Stadium. Not the most spectacular parade, but it was part of growing up in Miami. What have we replaced it with? That's OK, you can now stop breaking your head thinking about it.

Greg Cote's column is spot on. Am I allowing my emotional attachment to the stadium to cloud my opinion? Yes. Am I wrong for doing so? No. If only more of us would act on our emotional attachment to our communities, perhaps they (and we) would be in better shape. Nothing motivates improvement more than personal attachment and interest. A little care and respect for our history and traditions would have solved the OB mess a long time ago.

The history of the Orange Bowl shouldn't be flushed down the toilet. Shouldn't history and tradition mean something? City of Miami politicians and administrators, many of them which grew up in the shadows of the old stadium and no doubt remember the noise from the crowds spilling through Little Havana on game days, should know the answer to that question. Unfortunately, they've been too busy throwing money away elsewhere.

In all fairness to the city, they have made an offer to UM. However, it could be a case of too little, too late. Here's hoping that's not the case.

Let The Fun Begin

Hillary Clinton's criticism of Fred Thompson's remark about Cubans entering the country and "suitcase bombs" can mean only one thing: Fred is most definitely a threat, and he hasn't even officially entered the campaign yet.

What do I think about Fred's comment? They were taken out of context. He was talking about terrorist threats coming from our "southern borders" and mentioned Cuba as a terrorist state. He then made the connection to Cubans entering the country. I will say this: Thompson could have chosen his words more carefully. When I first heard and read the comment, it did my raise my eyebrows a bit. It was only after considering the context in which the statement was mentioned, as well as Thompson's previous and subsequent comments regarding Cuba and Cubans, that I came to the conclusion that his comments weren't directed at Cubans fleeing castro but at the spies such as Ana Belen Montes that we've come to know so well.

Up to now, I can't help but be impressed by Fred Thompson's knowledge and interest in Cuba and Cuban freedom. He gives every impression of being a true advocate of Cuban freedom, not just another politician drinking a cafecito at Versailles twice a year and forgetting about Cuba thereafter.

We'll see...as they say. It should be a fun ride.