Cuban Missle Crisis Redux?

For those too young to remember, shortly after a young relatively inexperienced John F. Kennedy was sworn in as president, he was faced with a serious crisis. Russians had begun placing tactical missiles in Cuba that would be capable of delivering nuclear warheads the size of the Hiroshima bomb into the US. The existence of these missiles was verified by U-2 reconnaissance planes.

The missiles were there for two reasons. One was a response to the invasion of Cuba by the US CIA shortly after Kennedy became president, in an incident known as the "Bay of Pigs" invasion. This was an attempt to use Cuban ex-patriots to retake the island and depose president Fidel Castro. Exploiting the moment, the Russians had allied with Cuba and Cuba, which had been non-aligned, became a client state. The missiles arguably were there to protect Cuba from further invasion.

More importantly, however, the US had stationed its own nukes in Turkey on Russia's doorstep. Naturally nervous about this, Russia was looking for leverage. Cuba was a natural parking lot for their nuclear junk.

Kennedy took a hard line and adopted a naval blockade of Cuba. As a result of the the US naval blockade, Russia agreed to remove its missiles. What is not as well known, however, was that the US secretly agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey. Premiere Khrushchev demanded this after getting Kennedy to agree to drop the blockade by agreeing to remove the Russian missiles from Cuba.

Why is this relevant now? Today, the largest ship in Russia's navy, cruiser Peter the Great and its supporting squadron, docked in Venezuela to a 21-gun salute. Venezuela now is run by President Hugo Chavez, who is not friendly to the current US regime. Venezuela showed off two Sukhoi fighter jets recently bought from Russia, during joint exercises, after buying $4bn worth of Russian weapons.

How does this parallel the missile crisis? Looking to Europe, Russia sees a direct security threat from Bush neocon plan to install US missiles and radar in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russian president-for-life Putin has said he will deploy missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave that borders Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

Putin announced yesterday that he'll abandon this plan if the US changes course and does not go forward with the missile and radar installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. Medvedev has said that he thinks President-elect Obama will abandon the plan. The parallels are striking. Obama, the new kid on the block, will not want to look like he's being pushed around. He'll have to show that he's smarter, not just tough, if he wants to calm this shit down. I hope he's got the courage to stare down the hawks who like to stir up unnecessary and unproductive conflict.

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB! WWIII IS A BAD IDEA. YOU LIKE TO START SOMETHING? WHY NOT KICK ROBERT MUGABE IN THE ASS BEFORE HIS ENTIRE COUNTRY STARVES?"

Ry Cooder: Soundtrack for Working Life

Ry Cooder was recently profiled in the NYT Travel section. Writer Lawrence Downes had the great good fortune to spend some time with Cooder and Mister Jalopy of "Hooptyrides" fame, exploring past and present aspects of L.A. on a guided tour of back roads and faraway places. From the Mojave flats to the Saints and Sinners Bar to the Halfway House Cafe and to Chavez Ravine, they explore the seldom seen, neglected treasure trove of the L.A. no one thinks much about--the working class, shot-and-a-beer, thrift store, machine-head and Latino parts of town.

Cooder's songs express a deep appreciation for the hardship many SoCal folk who inhabited these parts of town faced, chasing their dreams in the sunny dry wasteland of L.A. Boozy, gritty, melancholy, narrative driven, Cooder's music reflects these pilgrims' experiences in ways that are profound, lonesome and often funny.

His knowledge of where he is in musical history guides Cooder when he taps the roots of other musical cultures, as well. From Gabby Pahihui to Flaco Jimenez to the Buena Vista Social Club Cooder has made connections with working class roots musicians throughout the world and has an undeniably sharp ear for what's good.

After reading the NYT piece, in which Cooder leads Downes to the desert and other forgotten corners of the area (wishing I had been there drinking beer and listening to music with them) it occurs to me that Cooder is more that just the curator of modern guitar music. Listen to Cooder's "My Name is Buddy" the musical story of a homeless tabby, Buddy Red Cat or any of his other records. You'll discover that Cooder is one of the last working men who make their living with popular music grounded in everyday experiences.

Like his stories of people who work hard and play harder (along with the occasional space alien), Cooder's music is both raw and sophisticated. Playing like John Steinbeck writes, with a calloused hand that knows the struggle of the working man, often living on the margin, filled with dreams that don't turn out, Cooder brings his songs to life. It's living music, not a marketing strategy, and satisfies like a cold beer and wet kiss after a day of hard work in the hot sun. It's beyond genres and categories, and it rocks deeply.

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB!" Check out Ry Cooder playing life's soundtrack for the working man (and woman).

Thanksgiving for Sarah Palin: You betcha!

As we move closer to the only truly American holiday, let us give thanks for the gift of Sarah Palin. She's back in Ted Stevens-Land now, continuing to prove (to anyone who can stomach watching innocent turkeys slaughtered) that the perky governor is a wonderful gift served up by the lunatic fringe of the right-wing. It wasn't just the al-qaeda element of the Repubs that vaulted Governor Palin to center stage, though. Sarah courted the East Coast neo-cons hosting them for prayer and dinner when they took expensive cruises on the inner passage of Alaska's southern coast.

Sarah's a gift keeps on giving. Americans of every persuasion can all be thankful for this holiday gift beyond measure--a political turkey that needs no basting. We should all breathe a sigh of relief, that election season is over and Sarah Will be doing her holiday shopping at the consignment stores again, not Neiman Marcus on the government dime. Of course the factory workers, miners and farmers who supported her in, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere will be getting layoff slips, not bonuses like the Wall Street crowd--who are the real Gucci-wearing, latte-swilling, caviar eating, hogs.

I'm just thakful she's here to keep those workers' minds off reality. Live, from Wassila, it's Sarah-The-Nut Live!


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Carl says, 'DON'T BE DUMB. SEND SARAH HOME FOR THANKSGIVING--AND KEEP HER THERE."