Cuba—to listen to, watch or read some of the media—is a place that has remained unbowed in the face of impoverishment by the U.S. embargo. Lately what you hear is that it is attempting to make bold reforms not just in the economy, but socially as well (it just allowed gays to marry!) The people still dance.

Only that the reality of Cuba bears little resemblance to the plucky little island narrative. Cuba’s penury has nothing to do with the U.S. decision not to trade with the communist island, but with the fact that the island is communist in the first place. If communism produced misery in Europe and Asia (where one half of Germany and Korea stagnated under repression while the capitalist halves of those countries thrived in economic and political freedom) why would the result be different in the Caribbean?

Communism is a human tragedy, enslaving the soul while failing to produce enough goods for the people trudging under it. Communist countries are large prisons; the borders must be closed lest the people escape. And within that hell there are smaller circles where the repression is intensified. It’s the Gulag, the re-education camp or, in Cuba’s case today, public beatings by government mobs for who speak up their minds.

One would think a journalist would want report on that, especially when—as is the case in Cuba today—the people have finally decided to risk it all and take to the streets to voice their opposition. Reality, however, is again otherwise.

In Cuba today there’s a growing and vibrant protestor movement, headed by a group of women called Las Damas de Blanco (The Ladies in White). Originally organized by the wives of political prisoners, it has now galvanized others to lose their fear and voice their anti-communist sentiments in public.

 Read More at The Foundry By Mike Gonzalez, The Foundry

On his radio program Tuesday, Mark Levin aired a clip of veteran journalist and CBS anchor Bill Kurtis on WLS saying that Herman Cain’s accuser, Sharon Bialek, is a former CBS employee with a “track record.” Given her checkered past, a chuckling Kurtis posited that Bialek‘s and Cain’s roles in the alleged car-incident could even have been reversed.

Some of Kurtis’ observations on Bialek were as follows:

“She has a history.”
“There is a lot more to this story.”
“I can assure you that there will be far more to this story.”
“Let’s put Herman or Sharon in the car and say their roles may even have been reversed, given her track record here.”
Bialek worked for CBS radio station WCKG from 2006-2007.

Listen to the clip below:

Levin brings up a point worth considering: Why is this story not making its rounds in the mainstream media, and why are voices like Kurtis’ being confined to select talk radio stations? Kurtis’ segment aired on Monday and thus far, precious few news outlets are delving into Bialek’s questionable history.

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

 Read More at The Blaze By Tiffany Gabbay, The Blaze

We are sitting in the eye of a hurricane. The media jackals, like a tornado, are destroying everything and everyone in their path who is a conservative and not a subscriber to European socialism and one world government.

Alphabet soup pundits dedicate hundreds of stories and airtime to Occupy Wall Street unemployable collegiate malcontents, filthy vagrants, druggies, and communist agitators who are getting more and more violent.

Occupiers with trust funds claim to be the 99 percent of the people who want the spoils of the one percent, the rich. They complain that the homeless are stealing their electronic gadgets and food. Apparently, “stealing is a problem when it happens to you, ‘social justice’ when it happens to someone else.” Lazy agitators abhor capitalism and banks, yet are hypocritically eager to deposit donated funds in the bank.

Goethe said, “Nothing is more terrible than to see ignorance in action.” And there is plenty of ignorance walking the streets and parks of Occupy Wall Street. One outraged group was flooded by job application flyers falling from offices above the street. Here is a novel idea, instead of complaining for weeks and laying in your own filth, get a job created by the government control you so crave.

A good suggestion to the anarchists would be to move to Cuba or Korea where most jobs are government issued and controlled. Workers have job security, no vacations, terrible medical care, must be silent, show up for work six days a week, and pretend to be happy on a salary of $20 a month.

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

 Read More at Canada Free Press By Dr. Ilena Johnson Paugh, Canada Free Press

The federal government has sent a collection notice to the family of a Border Patrol agent who was jailed and fined for pulling on the arms of a handcuffed suspect to get him to comply with orders, according to a charitable organization working on a defense for Jesus E. Diaz Jr.

WND reported earlier on a call for Congress to hold hearings to uncover why U.S. law enforcement officers are being charged, prosecuted and sent to prison for apparently doing what their jobs require.

That call came from President Andy Ramirez of the Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council, which is working on Diaz’ case. The officer was sentenced to 24 months in jail and fined nearly $7,000 for his conviction based on the testimony of a drug smuggler who was given immunity to testify.

WND reported earlier that U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder seeking an explanation for the federal government’s actions.

Now, Ramirez has confirmed that Diaz’ wife, also an agent with the U.S Border Patrol, got a “Notice of Intent to Offset” regarding the fine in her husband’s case. Her husband, in federal custody, was served with his termination papers in his cell. But Ramirez said the collection notice was sent to Diaz’ home, where his wife continues to live and care for their children.

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

 Read More at WND By Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily

Commenting on Supercommittee deliberations last month, I asked whether Republicans will choose the real budgetary savings of a sequester or surrender to a tax hike.

Well, it appears that the GOP likes being known as the Stupid Party and is seriously considering a plan to increase the net tax burden on the American people – even though some of us have warned from the beginning that the left would use the Supercommittee process as an opportunity to trick gullible Republicans into a tax increase.

Here’s the relevant section of an editorial by Steve Moore in this morning’s Wall Street Journal.

…raising rates and raising revenues are different. Eliminating loopholes in exchange for making the Bush tax cuts permanent after 2013 is on the table—and by broadening the tax base, this could bring in tens of billions of new revenues each year. Says Mr. Hensarling: “Republicans want more revenues. We want more revenues by growing the economy; we’re not happy with revenues at 14% of GDP, but we don’t want to do it by raising rates.” One positive development on taxes taking shape is a deal that could include limiting tax deductions, perhaps by capping write-offs on charities, state and local taxes, and mortgage interest payments as a percentage of each tax filer’s gross income.

I’m a bit disappointed that Steve thinks restricting deductions is a “positive development.” I’m a big fan of getting rid of all preferences and distortions in the tax code, but that should only happen if all the revenue is used to finance lower tax rates, not to finance big government.

But that’s a secondary issue.

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

 Read More at danieljmitchell.wordpress.com  By Dan Mitchell, danielmitchell.wordpress.com