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Friendlier Obama Tune on Cuba Brings Musical Detente
ABC News ^ | December 4, 2009 | By Esteban Israel

Posted on 12/06/2009 2:30:52 PM PST by mgist

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban musicians are returning to perform in the United States after a long freeze on such visits, seizing the opportunity of friendlier overtures toward Havana from U.S. President Barack Obama.

Well-known Cuban musicians are being granted visas to perform at U.S. venues in a sign that Obama's administration is quietly promoting cultural contacts as part of a strategy of warmer "people to people" ties with the Communist-run island. The more relaxed atmosphere between the Cold War era enemies is perhaps most evident in the arts, which in the past has provided a bridge between the two neighbors which have not had formal diplomatic ties for close to half a century.

After taking office in January, Obama promised to "recast" U.S.-Cuban ties and softened some sanctions, although the 47-year U.S. trade embargo remains in place and Cuba is still on a U.S. list of "state sponsors of terrorism." Obama's easing included lifting restrictions on family visits by Cuban Americans to the island, and has now been followed by a string of U.S. visas for cultural exchanges. Portuondo's visit was soon followed by one by the Septeto Nacional, another legend of Cuban 'son' rhythm that has just returned from touring New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and even Miami, a stronghold of die-hard Cuban exiles that in the past has often been hostile to such appearances. Another well-known Cuban singer-songwriter,

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Cuba; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: bhocuba; communist; cuba; obama

1 posted on 12/06/2009 2:30:53 PM PST by mgist
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To: mgist

What a coincidence!


2 posted on 12/06/2009 2:31:19 PM PST by mgist
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To: mgist

Of course they will all be trailed by Cuban Security and prevented from defecting. Or maybe Obama made a deal to return any defectors. We will see.


3 posted on 12/06/2009 2:32:32 PM PST by Oldexpat
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To: mgist
I hate the Cuban regime.

I absolutely love Cuban music — son, guajira, gauguanco — the most subtle music on the planet.

The women are hot too!

4 posted on 12/06/2009 2:34:01 PM PST by Beckwith (A "natural born citizen" -- two American citizen parents and born in the USA.)
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To: mgist

Do they call him “Cuban Pete”?


5 posted on 12/06/2009 2:35:50 PM PST by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
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To: mgist

If one tries to defect while in the US, their family will
be sent to prison and tortured.


6 posted on 12/06/2009 2:47:56 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer; All; Spunky; ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1035rep; 2ndDivisionVet; 4woodenboats; 5Madman2; ...

If those who know what Communist countries do, sending spies along with such “cultural” people to people exchanges will be the first effect of this new “make nice with Communism” that is an integral part of Obaman policy and mind set.

Our agencies are not quite so intensly good at it. And surveillance of anyone we send there will be much stricter and invasive than our new Oba-Hussein sissy-washy regulations, mostly preventing any decided oversight.


7 posted on 12/06/2009 3:13:04 PM PST by FARS ( Be happy, be well and Thrive)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer; All; Spunky; ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1035rep; 2ndDivisionVet; 4woodenboats; 5Madman2; ...

If those who know what Communist countries do, sending spies along with such “cultural” people to people exchanges will be the first effect of this new “make nice with Communism” that is an integral part of Obaman policy and mind set.

Our agencies are not quite so intensly good at it. And surveillance of anyone we send there will be much stricter and invasive than our new Oba-Hussein sissy-washy regulations, mostly preventing any decided oversight.


8 posted on 12/06/2009 3:13:13 PM PST by FARS ( Be happy, be well and Thrive)
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To: mgist

“seizing the opportunity of friendlier overtures toward Havana from U.S. President Barack Obama. “

Naw!


9 posted on 12/06/2009 3:20:30 PM PST by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops, and vote out the RINO's!)
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To: FARS

The saying in Silicon Valley is:

Half the Chinese here are spying on us.
The other half are spying on them!


10 posted on 12/06/2009 3:21:58 PM PST by null and void (We are now in day 319 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: mgist
Teleprompter Jones to the tune and words of ( Basketball Jones from Cheech and Chong )


TELEPROMPTER JONES

Teleprompter Jones,
I got a Teleprompter Jones
Got a Teleprompter Jones, Obama, oh baby, oo-oo-oo

Yes, I am the victim of a Teleprompter . Ever since I was a little baby, I always be lying'
In fac', I was de baddest lier in the whole neighborhood
Then one day, my mama bought me a Teleprompter
And I loved that Teleprompter
I took that Teleprompter with me everywhere I went
That Teleprompter was like a Teleprompter to me

I even put that Teleprompter underneath my pillow
Maybe that's why I can't sleep at night
I need help, ladies and gentlemens
I need someone to stand beside me
I need, I need someone to set a prompt for me at the free-throw line of life
Someone I can pass a lie to
Someone to hit the common man on the shuck-and-Jive
And not end up in the right wing propaganda smear machine
So MSM cheerleaders, help me out

{MSM cheerleaders sing repeatedly...}
(Teleprompter Jones, we got a Teleprompter Jones)
(We got a Teleprompter Jones, OBAMA O baby, oo-oo-ooo)

{while Tyrone Rev. Wright Shoelaces sings/speaks...}
Oh, that sounds so sweet
Sing it out
C'mon Coach Booty, Red Blazer, sing along with me That be bad, the honky
Yeah
I want everybody in the whole Roman Colosseum to stand up and sing with us
Oh yeah, sing it out like you're proud
All right, everybody watchin' coast-to-coast, sing along with us
David ( the rod ) Axselrod, sing along with us Chick Heath , the Kieth, Olberman, sing along with us
Chris Mr. BO'tingles, don't sing nothin'

Oh, it feels so good
Gimme the prompter
I'll go one-on-one against the world, with the left-handed MSM
I could stuff it to the right and center court with my toes I could prompt on top of the worldstage, take off a quarter, leave fifteen cents for Hope & Change
I could, I could lie behind my back I got more moves than Ex-Lax I'm bad
I could lie with my tongue, Here I go down court,
Try to stop me
You can't stop me, 'cause I
Got a Teleprompter Jones Here I come That's my hook shot with my eyebrow Yeah, I could
dunk it with my nose I'm, I'm bad as King Kong, gimme the propmter I'm hot, I'm hot as...,
I'm hot as..., I'm hot as... uh Uh, uh, uh, uh
11 posted on 12/06/2009 3:40:15 PM PST by American Constitutionalist (There is no civility in the way the Communist/Marxist want to destroy the USA)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...
I'm impressed -- message 7 of 11 showed up after 8 of 11 (shouldn't, because the "My Comments" screen is newest first). Thanks FARS.
12 posted on 12/06/2009 4:05:27 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv; All; Spunky; ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1035rep; 2ndDivisionVet; 4woodenboats; 5Madman2; ...

For some reason this was a computer glitch on the FR server and two copies were posted. I sometimes make a mistake and refresh to get a comment to post and it shows up twice (stopped doing that) but here I was astonished, too.

BTW, the top article on http://antimullah.com about Copenhagen posted but when I wanted to add something it refused to let me get to the “compose” page.

The work arouind I used worked so the graphic of the idiotic people Obama has added to his administration is so clearly shown. Take a look. It is hilarious in its moronic stupidity and use of reflected Admninistration “messiah” power.


13 posted on 12/06/2009 4:43:36 PM PST by FARS ( Be happy, be well and Thrive)
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To: Oldexpat

“Of course they will all be trailed by Cuban Security and prevented from defecting. Or maybe Obama made a deal to return any defectors. We will see.”

I saw something similar firsthand. In 1986 I was at a track and field awards banquet, and was seated next to two Eastern Bloc athletes (will not name, but they got gold medals in the Olympics). Across the room was the KGB goon with a video camera on them the whole time. Thus they were not too talkative.


14 posted on 12/06/2009 5:54:12 PM PST by Fred Hayek (From this point forward the Democratic Party will be referred to as the Communist Party)
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