Cuban government allows cell phone ownership

Does anyone find it ironic that a country that does not allow freedom of speech "grants' Cubans the right to own a cell phone?? Or is it just me?? Its probably just me.

It is telling about Americans when the most you hear out of us is the materialistic argument that Cubans cannot afford cell-phones so the "right" is meaningless. The cell-phones are meaningless without the freedom to say what one wants on them. Is it any surprise that we have forgotten that in this country given the arguments about the Patriot Act and the like??

We have forgotten that the root of our freedoms and our Constitution is not "Capitalism" but political liberty, not greed but virtue. Capitalism, some form of it, is often a consequence of political liberty, not the vice-versa.

I believe some of our economic problems are also caused by this moral and ethical lapse into economic hedonism.

John.

Don't blame the prez...but why not??

My conservative friends often say you cannot blame the President for the current housing crisis. However, 9/11 was partly due to his administration's negligence. Interest rates were lowered to 1% basically because of 9/11 to keep the economy from collapsing. Sustained 1% rates led to a system awash in easy money. That led to the current crisis.

I know that is simplistic but I think it has some truth and I'm a simple guy anyway. Maybe this is common knowledge but I've never heard this argument made.

John.

Tibet

The situation in Tibet is terrible. Tibetans are rightly protesting Chinese oppression even outside of Tibet in the majority Tibetan cities of Szechuan Province and in other parts of the south. Of course we all have to treat the Chinese Communists with kid-gloves....we wouldn't want to offend them or interfere in their internal affairs!!! :(

John

Been too long

Hope any and all who read this are well and happy. Its been a long time since my last post. I've been depressed and exhausted but still doing quite well. I have no energy to think at the moment. I hate to turn this into one of those personality blogs that I despise that simply talk about the writer so I'll stop here.

More on topics historical and political soon. Obama's speech was brilliant and expressed the dichotomous and conundrum-laden nature of our wonderful country. I still can't vote for him, but I respect him, and in the long run that is far, far more important. And given his seemingly generous spirit I think he would understand that.

Hope you are OK Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

John.