Things that make you say huh?

[SheriffJoe]

So when Bush took us into economic disaster , all the usual suspects told us it was the fault of "dem controlled congress". Are the latest sluggish numbers due to republican controlled congress or did you hypocrites flip positions on that?

Name a single Bush policy responsible for this "economic disaster"

The so-called "disaster" you keep harping on was YEARS in the making, courtesy of the social justice warriors on the left who think exactly like you do: owning a home is a civil right, especially for minorities. face)(*^%

Bad POLICIES crash economies, not presidents. Constitutionally, the president has very little authority and power over the economy. At least that's how it was until the 'progressive' era: the era of executive overreach from which we have yet to recover.

If social security collapsed tomorrow would you blame the current POTUS in office or the people who created it? If the president happened to be Republican, liberal lemmings like you would play politics.

The economic collapse under Bush's watch had nothing to do with Bush. In fact, Bush and other Republicans repeatedly warned of the danger of extending loans and mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, but like good little socialists, Democrats resisted and kept to the party line.

Democrat POLICIES (years in the making) crashed the economy. Bush had nothing to do with it.

 

[russ1945]

Russ, that's horrible. If he picks Romney after roasting him on the grill that many times it makes Trump look like a circus clown. He cannot possibly pick Romney.

It would be a move to unify the party. Let bygones be bygones and move on.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

“We do not need a deal-maker in Washington.”


“Stop electing the village idiot.”


“We need to stop playing from inside these four walls and take it out into the marketplace.” “Stand for righteousness.”


“If you vote according to the word of God, there’s only one candidate you can vote for; it’s that clear.”


“Make sure that instead of voting tradition, you vote conviction,” “That instead of being swayed by emotionalism, or hot air, or empty words, you look at the record and you vote for the candidates that stand on the principles of the word of God, on the principles of the Constitution.”


“The Constitution is based heavily on the Bible.”


Rafael Cruz

 

[Dave007inVegas]

On the Friday broadcast of his radio show, Glenn Beck revealed that he has lost $500,000 campaigning with Ted Cruz.


WTF is wrong with this guy? 

 

[ScottL]

It would be a move to unify the party. Let bygones be bygones and move on.

Russ, it would be like me telling Bookie #1 you are a stiff and not to take your action. And then a month later telling Bookie #2 you are solid pay, forgetting Bookie #1 and Bookie #2 are good friends.

I guess we'll disagree on this one but Trump picking Mitt would make him look like a huge putz.

 

[ScottL]

I think Kasich would have been his VP choice before he made the alliance with Cruz. Would be the smart pick to draw in moderates and swing the most important state in the election. But that might have been blown up.

Ps....my teeth shattering knockouts are saved for the true loons......I pretty much just tap you on the shoulder.

Yeah sure. That's why I got a $6,000 dental bill after you said Bush sent tons of wind and water to New Orleans.

 

[vitterd]

Yeah sure. That's why I got a $6,000 dental bill after you said Bush sent tons of wind and water to New Orleans.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone blame bush for Katrina itself. His admin handling of it was horrific. The flyover and " heckuva job Brownie" was just awful. At least Bush admitted in his book that he regretted the way he handled it.

 

[Michelangelo]

I'd like to see an all outsider ticket. Dr Ben Carson would be my VP choice. Trump has been effective stealing some Democrats. Carson would steal more. He could soften the ticket.

Like Dave said earlier, the Republican establishment now needs Trump. He doesn't need them. They will step in line for the general election.

Keep taking the Independents and Dems from Hillary. Nobody likes or trusts the bitch. It's only the hard core that is supporting her.

 

[superbeets]

 

[Dave007inVegas]

White House Correspondents’ Dinner host Larry Wilmore closed his speech on Saturday by telling President Obama, “Yo Barry, you did it, my nigga.”


Wilmore then thumped his chest, to which Obama replied with a chest thump of his own.


I think the more appropriate action should have been this…

 

[Dave007inVegas]

“A convention’s sovereign duty is to choose a plausible nominee who has a reasonable chance to win, not to passively affirm the will of a mere plurality of voters recorded episodically in a protracted process.”


George Will


Fuck you George and the horse you rode in on.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

On the same day that he delivered an impassioned video “farewell address” to the 40 employees he laid off from his troubled media empire, Glenn Beck donned swim goggles and rubbed his face in a bowl of crushed Cheetos to mock GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.

Mission accomplished? Whatever it was.

 

[ScottL]

 

[ScottL]

 

[ScottL]

 

[superbeets]

'We work very long hours': The moment juvenile NFL Network panelists collapse into hysterics after players called Beavers and Bush get drafted one after the other

The hosts of the NFL Network's draft coverage were left paralyzed by laughter Saturday after a chance innuendo caught them off guard. Lead anchor Rich Elsen (pictured far left) and former New York Giants safety Mike Maycock (far right) were among the four panelists who found themselves cracking up. And it was all thanks to a one-in-a-million coincidence.



[h=1]'We work very long hours': The moment juvenile NFL Network panelists collapse into hysterics and have to go to commercial after players called Beavers and Bush get drafted one after the other[/h]

• Mike Maycock said he was 'a Beavers guy' during the draft pick Saturday
• The Vikings had just made Willie Beavers their 23rd pick in fourth round
• Immediately afterwards the Bears announced they'd taken on Deon Bush
• The innuendo was too much for the hosts, who were left speechless
• Rich Elsen pulled himself together enough to throw to commercials
• 'We work very long hours!' he apologized

By JAMES WILKINSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:07, 1 May 2016 | UPDATED: 16:30, 1 May 2016


The hosts of the NFL Network's draft coverage were left paralyzed by laughter Saturday after a chance innuendo caught them off guard.
Lead anchor Rich Elsen and former New York Giants safety Mike Maycock were among the four panelists who found themselves cracking up.
And it was all thanks to a one-in-a-million coincidence, reported Busted Coverage.



.

+3


Accidental innuendo: The Bears announced they were picking up Deon Bush just after the Vikings said they wanted Willie Beavers - the result was a hilarious meltdown in the NFL Network studio



The clip opens on excited Bears fans cheering on their team, which is about to make its selection, as NFL Network draft expert Maycock declares: 'Rich, I'm very much a Beavers guy.'
Moments before, the Vikings had chosen Willie Beavers as their 23rd pick in the fourth round of selection.
There's a noticeable gap in the commentary - and perhaps a little bit of snickering - as the camera pans over the cheering fans and then cuts to the Bears announcing their pick.
Had the Bears gone with someone else, maybe things would have gone smoothly.
But the announcement comes through loud and clear: 'The Chicago Bears select Deon Bush, defensive back, Miami.'

.


Almost immediately spluttering and laughter can be heard from the studio.
The analysis attempts to continue over more footage of Bears fans but breaks down pretty quickly.
Back in the studio, three of the four presenters are cracking up, with Maycock just about holding on to a veneer of professionalism.
'I can't help you out, man!' cries Elsen, before indicating his earpiece to the panel and explaining: 'It's the producer. Help us out.'
'Let's go back to the East-West Gate - Deon Bush,' one of them ribs.
'Please, let's talk about Jerald Hawkins right now,' Elsen tries, but seeing that even Maycock is grinning, he gives up: 'We'll throw to break.'
'We work very long hours here,' he implores the camera as Maycock holds his head in his hand. 'We've got a lot more hours to go!'
The four continue to crack up as the footage cuts to a commercial break.
Still, after countless hours analyzing football players at the lower end of the tier, it's hard to blame them for a little schoolboy humor.

+3


Giving up: Elsen eventually told the director to cut to commercials as the team was incapable of going on. 'We work very long hours here,' he implored the viewers, 'We've got a lot more hours to go!'


Read more:

• NFL Network Cuts To Commercial After "Beavers" And "Bush" Leave Panelists Incapacitated
• NFL Network Crew Can¿t Stop Laughing After Guys Named ¿Beaver¿ And ¿Bush¿ Get Drafted

.

 

[superbeets]

[h=2]Kentucky to remove controversial Confederate monument from University of Louisville after 120 years[/h]

The stone monument, honoring Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy,, will be relocated to 'a more appropriate place' Louisville University President James Ramsey said.










[h=1]Kentucky to remove controversial Confederate monument from University of Louisville after 120 years[/h]

• The stone monument, honoring Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy in the Civil War, has stood near the University of Louisville since 1895
• University President James Ramsey and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced it would be relocated to 'a more appropriate place'
• Fischer said the 'stain of slavery & racism that this monument represents... has no place in a compassionate, forward leaning city'
• The giant 70ft monument features Confederate soldiers made of bronze
• It was gifted by the Kentucky Woman's Monument Association in 1895
• Campaigners who compared statue to 'flying the Confederate flag over the university' have welcomed the move

By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 19:05, 29 April 2016 | UPDATED: 18:45, 1 May 2016


A controversial Confederate monument is being removed from near the University of Louisville campus where it has stood since 1895.
The stone monument, honoring Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy in the Civil War, will be relocated to 'a more appropriate place', University President James Ramsey and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced on Friday.
Governments and universities across the country have been removing or relocating Confederate flags and monuments following the racially motivated slayings last summer of nine black parishioners at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina.

+6


A controversial Confederate monument is to be removed from near the University of Louisville campus where it has stood since 1895 (pictured is Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer speaking in front of the monument)

Ramsey said on Twitter: 'It is time for UofL to step forward in partnership with the city of Louisville to remove the monument…in respect of all people.'
'It's time for us to move this monument to a more appropriate place,' he added.



.


Fischer tweeted that the statue would be carefully dissembled and stored.
'The stain of slavery & racism that this monument represents for many, many people has no place in a compassionate, forward leaning city,' he said.
Diggers were already on site as the Mayor and University President made their joint announcement on Friday.
A new location has not yet been chosen for the tall, obelisk-style monument, which features Confederate soldiers.

+6



The stone monument, honoring Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy in the Civil War, will soon be relocated to 'a more appropriate place'

+6


A new location has not yet been chosen for the tall, obelisk-style monument, which features Confederate soldiers

+6

+6




The Confederate Monument in Louisville is the largest Civil War monument in Kentucky and features three German Ferdinand von Miller-designed Confederate soldiers; an artillerist, a cavalryman, and an infantryman made of bronze

For some campaigners, the announcement could not come soon enough.
Ricky Jones, a professor of Pan-African studies at the university, said he has been pushing for removal of the statue since he arrived at the university in the late 1990s.
'I can't tell you how happy I am,' Jones said after the announcement Friday. 'I think this statue being on the campus is somewhat akin to flying the Confederate flag over the (university's) administration building.'
Jones wrote in a newspaper opinion piece last week that the statue is a 'towering granite and bronze eyesore glorifying the nadir of America's past.'
Jones and Mayor Fischer noted that the university was much smaller when the statue was put up at the turn of the century, and the campus has developed around it.
University and city officials have been working on the removal for several weeks and there was even construction equipment parked alongside the base of the monument on Friday during the announcement.
Following the Charleston church shootings, leaders from both political parties called for the removal of the Confederate statue. But a state commission voted 7-2 not to remove it.
The Confederate Monument in Louisville is the largest Civil War monument in Kentucky and features three German Ferdinand von Miller-designed Confederate soldiers; an artillerist and an infantryman made of bronze.
It was originally a gift from the Kentucky Woman's Monument Association to commemorate the Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

+6


University President James Ramsey (pictured) said it was time to remove the monument 'in respect of all people'



.The towering 70ft tall monument, now owned by the city of Louisville, had cost $12,000 in 1985. The dedication ceremony took place later that same year in May to coincide with the 29th Grand Army of the Republic annual reunion.The removal of the monument is part of a wider battle over displaying the Confederate flag which Democrats argue celebrates a murderous, racist past in the nation's history.
Last month, House Republicans sidestepped the divisive fight over the controversial flag a the U.S. Capitol with plans to put up state coins instead.
The walls previously displayed state flags, and Mississippi's includes an image of the Confederate battle flag.
The Republican-controlled House was forced to scrap a vote on permitting the Confederate flag at Park Service-run cemeteries in a fierce fight over the issue.
Last July, South Carolina removed the confederate flag from statehouse grounds after 54 years, a move that came weeks after nine people at an historic black church in Charleston had been shot and killed.
The Confederate battle emblem has been on the Mississippi flag since 1894 and voters chose to keep the design in 2001.
Since the Charleston slayings, several Mississippi cities, counties and colleges have stopped flying the banner.
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., welcomed the decision, saying the 'symbols of hatred and bigotry' will no longer be displayed in the esteemed halls of the U.S. House.


.

 

[superbeets]

Havana blast! More than 600,000 march in May Day Parade presided over by Raul Castro as Cuba pledges to keep its 'revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals'

The island traditionally holds huge festive demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day, which this year comes at a turbulent time for the communist government that has dominated Cuba for decades. More than 600,000 people participated in the march on Havana's Plaza de la Revolution, many waving socialist flags and posters of Fidel Castro, as President Raul Castro presided over the event.


[h=1]Havana blast! More than 600,000 march in May Day Parade presided over by Raul Castro as Cuba pledges to keep its 'revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals'[/h]

• Hundreds of thousands marched through Havana's Plaza de la Revolution on Sunday for the annual May Day rally
• Cubans waved flags and marched with posters of Fidel Castro, President Raul Castro or revolutionary Che Guevara
• Cuba's leaders used march to condemn a 'campaign to destabilize leftist governments around Latin America'
• Central Union of Cuba general secretary Ulises Guilarte told the crowd that Cuba will maintain its 'unwavering adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals ... (and its) foreign policy committed to just causes'
• Speech was made despite a recent thawing in relations between the communist island and the United States

By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 21:38, 1 May 2016 | UPDATED: 23:35, 1 May 2016


Hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched Sunday in the country's annual May Day rally, which condemned a campaign to 'destabilize' leftist governments around Latin America.
The island traditionally holds huge festive demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day, which this year comes at a turbulent time for the communist government that has dominated Cuba for decades.
More than 600,000 people participated in the march on Havana's Plaza de la Revolution, many waving socialist flags and posters of Fidel Castro, as President Raul Castro presided over the event.

+50


Hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched Sunday in the country's annual May Day rally, which condemned a campaign to 'destabilize' leftist governments around Latin America

+50


More than 600,000 Cubans arrived to take part in the annual May Day parade in Cuba (pictured, youths perform in front of a Cuban flag beamed on a giant screen ahead of the march)

+50





+50




President Raul Castro presided over the proceedings as more than 600,000 people participated in the march on Havana's Plaza de la Revolution



.

+50


The Cuban leader, wearing a white shirt and straw hat, appeared to give the crowd a wave from the stage as he watched the parade

+50


More than 600,000 people participated in the march on Havana's Plaza de la Revolution, many waving socialist flags and posters of Fidel and Raul Castro

Cuban Communist Party (PCC) Second Secretary Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Workers' Central Union of Cuba general secretary Ulises Guilarte joined Castro at the annual march, while some 1,600 foreign guests from 209 organizations in 68 countries were invited to attend.
Guilarte used his address to the assembled masses to insist that Cuba will maintain its 'unwavering adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals ... (and its) foreign policy committed to just causes,' despite a recent thawing in relations between the island and the United States.


.
'This May 1 is also a day to condemn the maneuvers aimed at... reversing the gains achieved in social policy in our America and destabilizing the leftist and progressive governments in power,' he told the massive crowd on Revolution Square in Havana.
He claimed that proof of this was the fact that many leftist Latin American governments and leaders were facing power struggles.
In Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff is facing impeachment proceedings in what she condemned as a 'coup'.
Bolivian President Evo Morales recently lost a referendum to allow him a fourth term amid a scandal over whether he fathered a love child, while in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro's opponents are seeking to oust him in a recall referendum.

+50


A boy, dressed in traditional Chinese clothes, carries a red and gold Chinese dragon during the May Day rally in Havana, Cuba

+50


Dancers perform with flags during the May Day rally which attracted hundreds and thousands of Cubans and visitors

+50


Dancers perform at the event on the island which traditionally holds huge festive demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day

+50


This year's May Day march comes at a turbulent time for the communist government that has dominated Cuba for decades

+50


People hold up flags and posters of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro march during May Day parade at Revolution Square, in Havana

+50


The son of Cuban President Raul Castro, Alejandro Castro (C), and his family participate in the May Day parade in Havana, on May 1

+50


Hundreds of thousands of people block the roads of the way to the square for the march on Sunday, held in support of the Castro government

+50


Some carried posters with the faces of Raul and Fidel Castro and revolutionary and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

+50


Thousands converged on the plaza for the traditional May Day march which was dedicated to Cuban teachers this year

+50


Labour Day, or May Day, is observed all over the world on the first day of May to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers and fight for labourers' rights

The leftist parties that have governed most of Latin America since the 2000s have stumbled lately as the region's economies have slowed.
Socialist parties also suffered recent election defeats in Argentina, where conservative President Mauricio Macri won office in November.
Unlike other International Workers' Day marches, which are often used to demonstrate the demands of workers, the parades in Cuba are to celebrate the Castro government and its policies.
This year's May Day parade was dedicated to Cuban teachers, who led the march with posters which read that: 'The Cuban people will triumph.'
Others carried posters with the faces of Raul and Fidel Castro and revolutionary and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Castro and key communist leaders watched the parade of more than half a million people from a stage at the foot of the Jose Martí Memorial.
Guilarte, who joined him, also repeated Castro's call for the United States to lift its more than half-century embargo on Cuba and return the 'illegally occupied territory' of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, major sticking points in the old Cold War foes' rapprochement.
Relations between Cuba and the United States has improved following an agreement between the countries more than a year ago to begin normalizing relations.

+50


(L-R) Revolution Commander Guillermo Garcia, Revolution Commander Ramiro Valdes, Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba's President Raul Castro and Cuba's Vice President Jose Ramon Machado attend a May Day rally

+50


Cuban President Raul Castro (L) and Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura attend the May Day parade at Revolution Square in Havana, on May 1

+50

+50




Castro and key communist leaders watched the parade of more than half a million people from a stage at the foot of the Jose Martí Memorial

+50


Castro waved at the hundreds of thousands of Cubans while some 1,600 foreign guests from 209 organizations in 68 countries were invited to attend.

+50


Cuban Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel (L) talks to Cuba's President Raul Castro during a May Day parade in Havana May 1, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa

+50


The Commanders of the Revolution Ramiro Valdes (R) and Guillermo Garcia gave a wave to the masses at the May Day parade in Havana

+50


Valdes right) then pulled out his binoculars to get a better look at the festivities while Garcia watched on at the parade

The thawing culminated in President Barack Obama becoming the first U.S. president to step foot in Cuba in 90 years when he visited with his family in March which 'signaled a new beginning' between the two countries, acting U.S. Ambassador to Cuba Jeffrey DeLaurentis told reporters at the time.
Obama had praised it as a 'historic visit' and was cheered as he passed through a square outside Havana Cathedral, with hundreds of people erupting in applause.
The president did not meet with ex-Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The 1950s era Cuban revolutionary turned over power to his brother in 2006 temporarily for health reasons and made the transition permanent in 2008.
The 89-year-old has rarely been seen in public since handing over power, prompting rumors that he is in failing health. His last observed outing was in February.
Obama is the only U.S. president aside from Calvin Coolidge to visit Cuba while in office. He and Castro had a formal meeting last April at the Summit of the Americas Conference but that was in Panama.
The Cuban government says that cannot happen until a U.S. embargo banning trade and tourism is lifted on the country and the foreign government returns Guantanamo Bay. U.S. officials have steadfastly said it cannot have the land occupied by naval base and prison back.

+50


Soldiers carried a giant Cuban flag behind them as they marched during the May Day parade at Revolution Square

+50


A military soldier, surrounded by families and other Cubans on the march, looks under a Cuban flag during a May Day rally

+50


A man wearing a shirt with revolutionary heroes Simon Bolivar, left, late President Hugo Chavez, second left, Cuban revolutionary hero Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, second right, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro, which reads in Spanish 'The Fantastic Four of the Revolution'

+50


People carry pictures of Cuba's president Raul Castro (L) and his brother and Cuba's former President Fidel Castro during the May Day parade

+50


Soldiers with images of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The 1950s era Cuban revolutionary turned over power to his brother in 2006 temporarily for health reasons and made the transition permanent in 2008

+50


Castro (pictured in the posters) has rarely been seen in public since handing over power, prompting rumors that he is in failing health. His last observed outing was in February

+50


Cuban Communist Party (PCC) Second Secretary Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Workers' Central Union of Cuba general secretary Ulises Guilarte joined Castro at the annual march

+50


Cubans hold up signs of Cuba's president Raul Castro (L) and revolutionary fighter Ernesto 'Che' Guevara during the May Day parade

+50


Cubans were joined by some 1,600 foreign guests from 209 organizations in 68 countries who were invited to attend

+50


Guilarte used his address to the assembled masses to insist that Cuba will maintain its 'unwavering adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals'

+50


Guilarten said Cuba will maintain a foreign policy committed to just causes, despite a recent thawing in relations between the island and the United States

Ahead of Obama's visit the United States Treasury Department eased restrictions on travel to Cuba, ending a requirement that Americans visiting for educational purposes go in groups.
Tourist travel is still illegal - only Congress can lift that ban - but the government will now use the 'honor code' to regulate approved travel, making it much easier for Americans to travel to the country for any purpose.
The new rules will also allow Cubans to open accounts at U.S. banks and financial institutions to process American money coming out of Cuba.
It will further rescind a 10 percent charge on converting U.S. dollars to Cuban convertible pesos and allow mail, cargo and transportation companies to have direct presences in the communist country.
Obama's spokesman argued that by removing impediment to the relationship with Cuba and other countries in the Western Hemisphere that do trade with the country, 'we've actually shined a bright light on the human rights situation in Cuba that does, in some ways, actually put more pressure on them to implement the kinds of long-overdue political and economic reforms there.'
[h=3]HISTORY OF U.S. CUBA RELATIONS[/h]

+50


ABOVE: President Calvin Coolidge

The last and only U.S. president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
Obama becomes the first sitting president to set foot there in 88 years on Sunday.
The U.S. and Cuba were not on speaking terms for more than 50 years following the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara that overthrew Western-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.
They installed a communist government and nationalized private businesses, including ones owned and operated by U.S. citizens.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded with an embargo and cut off ties with the country a year later.
On April 17, 1961, President John F. Kennedy authorized a failed attempt to overthrow Castro, known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. The next year his administration expanded the embargo against Cuba to cover all areas of the economy.
Eight months later Cuba allowed the Soviets to build a missile base on the island as part of a secret accord, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis and near nuclear war.
The 13-day stand-off involved U.S. naval ships surrounding the country until the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came to an arrangement. The Soviets backed out of Cuba, America abandoned missile bases in Turkey and Italy.
Further sticking it to the Castro regime, President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 approved the Cuban Adjustment Act, which allowed citizens of the authoritarian country to apply for citizenship in the U.S. if they could escape. The legislation was amended years later to say that they must reach dry land in the U.S. to stay.
In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed legislation specifying that the embargo on the country could only be lifted when Fidel and his brother Raul were removed from power, and free and fair elections were held.
Free speech must also be honored and dissidents must be released for the embargo to be removed.
In 2006 Fidel temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul due to illness. His retirement became permanent in 2008.
Three years later, during his first term in office, President Obama began lifting restrictions on travel and remittances to the country.
The two countries resumed diplomatic relations at Obama's urging on Dec. 14, 2015.
Prior to that U.S. and Cuban officials met in secret at the Vatican just outside Rome, Italy, to discuss the terms of reengagement.
Critics of the move say the U.S. got almost nothing in return for the deal. Arrests of Castro's political opponents have risen and Cuba has not made the kids of economic reforms the U.S. is seeking.
In return for Cuba's cooperation, 53 political prisoners, including jailed USAID worker Alan Gross, who had been convicted of espionage charges, were released.
The United States likewise returned three captured Cuban intelligence operatives in the prisoner swap who were part of the Cuban Five, a group that was arrested for spying on the U.S. in 2001.
Cuba was later removed from the State Department's terrorist watch list in May of 2015.
The Obama administration believes the decades-old trade and travel ban on Cuba is fueling oppression in the island nation and wants Congress to throw it out.
Tourism to Cuba is banned but the executive branch has unilaterally relaxed many travel rules and Americans can now go there for educational purposes on their own using the honor code as of last week.
Soon commercial flights to Cuba from the United States will also be available, as well.
Congress says it will not lift the full embargo on Cuba until the conditions set during the Clinton administration are met

+50


Unlike other International Workers' Day marches, which are often used to demonstrate the demands of workers, the parades in Cuba are to celebrate the Castro government and its policies

+50


Guilarte, who joined him, also repeated Castro's call for the United States to lift its more than half-century embargo on Cuba and return the 'illegally occupied territory' of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, major sticking points in the old Cold War foes' rapprochement

+50

+50




Relations between Cuba and the United States has improved following an agreement between the countries more than a year ago to begin normalizing relations

+50


People march through Havana's Revolution Square during the annual May Day parade in Havana on Sunday May 1,

+50

+50


Medical personnel hold a picture of Cuba's former President Fidel Castro during the May Day rally in Havana

+50


Members of the Navy wave flags and hold up a picture of Cuban former president Fidel Castro who turns 90 in August

+50


Cubans participate at the International Workers Day parade at Plaza de la Revolucion square in Havana, Cuba. Labour Day is observed all over the world on the first day of May to celebrate the achievements of workers

+50


A man carries a sign in the form of a heart that reads in Spanish 'Cuba - USA live the friendship' after the May Day parade at Revolution Square

+50


People carry pictures of Cuba's President Raul Castro during a May Day rally in Havana, Cuba, May 1

+50


Musicians dressed in T-shirts with the face of Venezuelan revolutionary hero Ernesto 'Che' Guevara play during the parade

+50


A man rides his custom made bicycle and waves a flag after the May Day parade at Revolution Square, in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, May 1

+50


A woman with an umbrella and holding a picture of revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara stands in the street after the parade

[h=3]WHO IS RAUL CASTRO? [/h]Raul Castro was a commander during his brother's revolution of Cuba and overthrow of Western backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.
As a result of the 1953 26th of July Movement, he spent 22 months in prison in Mexico.
He escaped from Mexico along with 81 other exiled revolutionaries and made it back to Cuba in 1956.
His kidnapping of 34 Americans and two Canadians in June of 1958 almost led to military intervention in the revolution by the United States.
The hostages were eventually released. On January 1, 1959, the Castros and Che Guevara successfully forced Batista out of Cuba and into exile.
Having wrangled control of the country, Fidel made his right-hand man and brother the head of the nation's army - a position Raul held until his brother formally passed on power to him in 2008.
Raul Castro modernized and liberalized the economy in Cuba, allowing the purchase of microwaves, cell phones computers, among other technologies.
He is pursuing an economic model based off of China, which permits for some foreign investment and private enterprise.
Castro says he will step down as president at the end of his current term in 2018. His likely successor is first vice president Miguel Díaz-Canel.





.

 

[superbeets]

Communism killed 120 million people in the 20th century - Happy May Day. The Leftist/Marxist/Democrat/Socialists love the Castro brothers. Socialism, communism's close cousin, is evil.





.The Castros are playing Obama like a violin...even his "legacy moment" is gonna be a bust.

.


Socialism always turns into communism. Look at Russia. Communist USA supports Bernie Sanders. And no article , but when a 'grand wizard' from the K K K supports Trump and he disavowed, its ignored and blown up

.


Cuba's pet Obama was not invited, I see.

.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

In a Sunday night Facebook post, Beck wrote: “I would like to ask that you, your family and friends join me for a day of prayers, fasting and humility. To beg the Lord to not remove His hand from us. To turn to Him and ask that He will heal our land. Beginning Monday night and running for 24 hours ending on Tuesday will you pray and if possible fast like you have never done before?”


After you may dine on crushed Cheetos and stale beer.