Daily Archives: June 10, 2014

06/10/14

Well, Isn’t That Special…

I just received a notice from the Bureau of Census and the US Government that I have to fill out a mandatory survey since I filed on my taxes in 2012 as a small business. The notice went to my old address in another state and is from the United States Department of Commerce.

On that survey, they are going to ask me interesting questions concerning income and expenditures which I will be allowed to estimate. God knows what else they will ask.

Anyone else sense entrapment here? Targeted? Please feel free to leave input — especially if you have had to fill out said ‘questionnaire.’ Anyone know if this is legally required?

06/10/14

Rays of Light

Arlene from Israel

More and more it seems, the nations of the world are arrayed against us: Israel is criticized for not accepting a Fatah-Hamas unity government, for building in Judea and Samaria, etc. etc. But there is one turn-around that, while modest, is significant.

The government of Australian Prime Minister “Tony” Abbott (pictured) “has ruled out using the term ‘occupied’ when describing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, prompting suggestions about a shift in Australia’s foreign policy.”


Credit: Getty

“The government on Thursday delivered a statement to clarify its stand on the controversial question of the legality of settlements after the issued flared up at a [Australian] Senate hearing the night before.

“’The description of East Jerusalem (sic) as “occupied” East Jerusalem is a term freighted with pejorative implications which is neither appropriate nor useful,’ [Attorney General George] Brandis told a Senate estimates hearing [speaking for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop].

“’It should not and will not be the practice of the Australian government to describe areas of negotiation in such judgmental language.’”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/05/australia-drops-occupied-israeli-settlements

~~~~~~~~~~

This does not mean that Australian policy now considers Judea and Samaria irrefutably Israeli, but, rather, that it acknowledges that Israel may have a legitimate claim, which must be resolved in negotiations. And it’s a giant step in terms of fairness.

The shift in attitude began with Julie Bishop, who on a visit here in January famously said:

“I would like to see which international law has declared them [the settlements] illegal.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/australia-fm-dont-call-settlements-illegal-under-international-law/

In light of this apparent shift in policy, the Australian foreign ministry has taken hits from a host of countries that are “shocked” that anyone could fail to see eastern Jerusalem (there is no such place as “East Jerusalem”) and Judea and Samaria as anything but “occupied.” This goes, by the way, for some members of Australia’s Senate as well.

And the Palestinian Arabs, who are considerably threatened by such a position? Saeb Erekat, the PLO chief negotiator, wrote that “diplomatic recognition of the situation created by the attempted annexation of our capital is a flagrant violation of international law.”

Sigh… they rarely make a statement without evoking a non-existent “international law.”

~~~~~~~~~~

What this shift does is provide a bit of hope. If only some other foreign ministries were to take note. Many, I recognize, are lost causes. But not all.

It provides a signal lesson as well: Where there is even a modicum of open-mindedness and willingness to learn on the part of diplomats, attitudes can be changed as facts are presented.

It is unlikely that it is a coincidence that in recent weeks there have been meetings between Israelis – presenting the case for Israel’s rights – and representatives of the Australian government. Most significant was a meeting between Minister of Housing Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi) and Australia’s ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma. This was held in – shock! – eastern Jerusalem, where Minister Ariel has his office. And there was also a meeting held in Tel Aviv between Australian Embassy political attaché Bill Rhee, and Ari Briggs, Director of International Affairs forh Regavim (and originally from Australia himself), Elie Pieprz from the Yesha Council foreign desk, and Jeff Daube, head of ZOA in Israel and my Legal Grounds co-chair.

We – all of us! – have to continue to make the case for Israel.

~~~~~~~~~~

Another ray of light: Ruby (Reuven) Rivlin of Likud has just been elected by the Knesset to be the 10th president of Israel.


Credit: The Guardian

He won in a run-off vote against Meir Sheetrit of Hatenua, 63-53, after neither candidate, in a crowded field of would-be presidents, secured a majority the first time around. I had scrupulously avoided reporting on the presidential campaign, as it was hardly one to do Israel proud. The accompanying scandals and accusations, and political jockeying were not the sort of issues I choose to write about in the limited space of my postings.

From where I sit, Rivlin – who leans right and is opposed to a Palestinian state – is by far the best of the candidates. A lawyer and member of a family whose roots in Jerusalem go back for several generations, he has served twice as speaker of the Knesset. He wrote, before being elected, that:

’’”…the position [of president] is shaped primarily by the character of its incumbent and his cultural, historical, personal, and human identity. The president’s agenda is determined mainly by the goals he sets for himself.

“…I believe that the president, as Israel’s representative to the world at large, must also give thought to Israel’s role on the international stage. Against the background of the criticism of Israel, it sometimes seems that we are neglecting our aspiration to be a ‘light to the nations’ in favor of the vital and unavoidable task of trying to explain ourselves and to fend off the efforts to eat away at the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Israel’s strength lies in its human capital. It can and must serve as a key player that contributes some of its cumulative experience and capacities to the rest of the world…

”The presidency is a sort of social compass whose nonpartisan character is its raison d’être. The ability of the president to be perceived as someone with whom all Israelis can identify depends on his ability to avoid being a party to debate…”

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-additional-soul-of-israeli-democracy/

~~~~~~~~~~

I say amen to this last: may he honor it throughout his presidency. He began with the right tone, immediately after his election, by saying he was going to be a “man of the nation.” The disparate elements of our nation badly need a figure who can tie us together. We shall see…

It is with no regret that I bid goodbye to outgoing president Shimon Peres who maddeningly overstepped the bounds of his office time and again by making highly politicized and inappropriate statements that reflected a position far to the left of that of the government. Although I will mention an enormous unease that exists in some quarters that Peres, out of office, will utilize his prestige to undermine the government and do even more damage.

Should Rivlin step out of his “man of the nation” role and espouse a public political position as president, at least we know he won’t go in the direction that Peres went. And we won’t hear him refer to Abbas as a “man of peace.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Also semi-encouraging is the announcement last week by Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi) that tenders have been published for building 1,500 new units in eastern Jerusalem, with 400 units in Ramat Shlomo, and in Judea and Samaria, with 700 units in the Gush Etzion towns of Efrat and Beitar Ilit, and smaller numbers of apartments in Ariel, Alfei Menashe, and Givat Ze’ev.

Building is good. Why this is only semi-encouraging is because the announcement was said to be a response to the PA involvement in the unity government. What should be our right, and declared as such, is demeaned what it is presented as “retaliation.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays-1500-west-bank-homes-in-response-to-palestinian-unity/

Needless to say, US Ambassador to Israel wasted no time in condemning this announcement of building.

~~~~~~~~~~

With the items above, I think we’ve covered the major “rays of light” at present. It would be foolish to expect too much at one time.

I alluded above to tensions within disparate parts of our nation, and we are seeing this in particular right now with the disputes within the governing coalition as to what should come next, now that the “negotiations” have fallen apart. Some of the statements we’ve been exposed to are patently ridiculous.

I refer in particular to what Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) has now proposed: “Israel should halt settlement construction deep inside the West Bank and in any case withdraw from areas that it does not expect to keep under a peace agreement. He said such moves would clear the way for a final agreement and negotiated borders with the Palestinians.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/failure-of-peace-talks-leaves-israel-divided/

How far removed from reality can he be? A final agreement with Fatah, which is in a unity arrangement with Hamas? Does he not realize how quickly Hamas would move into areas we withdrew from?

Netanyahu, for his part, responded that Lapid is demonstrating lack of experience – that proposing concessions without the promise of a return is foolish. He’s correct of course. Not that our prime minister, for his part, has seriously grappled with the current situation or avoided statements that are troubling.

~~~~~~~~~~

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (Habayit Hayehudi) is probably only a bit more realistic than Lapid at this point in suggesting that annexation of Area C begin.

I go on record here, as I have in the past, as totally supporting Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. But I recognize that – unfortunately – neither the nation nor the government is ready to stand behind this move. Not yet. Which is why I co-chair the Legal Grounds Campaign: to promote the concept of Israel’s legal rights, and to continue to promote it until there has been a shift in the paradigm of thinking.

If any part of Bennett’s proposal possibly makes sense right now, it is the annexation of Gush Etzion, as a starting point. This bloc just south east of Jerusalem that is home to 20 Jewish communities has a long history of Jewish settlement and sacrifice that pre-dates the State. See: http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/history.asp

To make the case for the Gush as intrinsically part of Israel is not difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~

The prediction here at the moment is for continuing tensions amongst various factions of the coalition.

~~~~~~~~~~

And what of the unity government?

At the Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said:

“Whoever hoped that the Palestinian unity between Fatah and Hamas would moderate Hamas is mistaken. Instead of the Palestinian Authority taking over Gaza, the signs are being more and more seen that the complete opposite is taking place, i.e., that Hamas is increasing its control in the Palestinian Authority areas in Judea and Samaria.”

http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/06/08/netayahu-says-hamas-increasing-control-in-pa-areas-due-to-unity-deal/

This was entirely predictable. It is what I’ve observed over the years: in shared ventures, Hamas always gains the upper hand over Fatah and further radicalizes Fatah.

~~~~~~~~~~

The prime minister also noted that Hamas is reiterating its intention to destroy Israel. This is clearly the case, with Hamas retaining its “resistance” policy and its separate “resistance” forces in Gaza.

He then called upon the international community to “apply pressure” on Abbas to break with Hamas. And here is where he also departed from reality. For the international community has already done their “hear no evil, see no evil” routine and agreed to support that unity government. At this point, his calls constitute no more than “blowing in the wind.” They will change nothing.

Netanyahu condemned support for the unity government at the beginning.

Would that he had simply said now that it is greatly regrettable that the international community will not apply pressure upon Abbas, that failing to do so is a moral as well as diplomatic error, and that the community cannot expect Israel to adopt similar policies in this matter. Period.

06/10/14

The sinister connections that tie together John Brennan, Michael Hastings and Bowe Bergdahl.

By: Nelson Abdullah
Conscience of a Conservative

The synopsis of the events that led up to the trade of Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl, who reportedly converted to Islam while living with the Taliban, for five top Muslim Taliban commanders that had been held in Guantanamo Bay, has connections with the life and death of Michael Hastings, investigative reporter for Rolling Stone and to CIA Director John Brennan, a Muslim who secretly converted to Islam while stationed in Saudi Arabia.

The story begins in 2009 when Army Private Bowe Bergdahl decided to abandon his outpost in Afghanistan and desert. Bergdahl’s anti-American sentiments and published emails to his father that so shocked America had been discovered by Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings in 2012: “I am ashamed to be an American…The horror that is America is disgusting.” Bergdahl wrote. Bergdahl went looking for members of the Taliban after expressing his resentment for the Army and their mission in the war. He also told his father in emails that he was disgusted with America and wanted to renounce his citizenship. After making contact with the enemy, Bergdahl reportedly began instructing them on building more effective IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices, which resulted in increased attacks on American troops. During the months long search for Bergdahl at least six or seven Army soldiers were killed by the enemy while looking for him. The fallout of casualties was even greater when resources were transferred from other outposts to help in the search leaving them open to increased attack.

Then in 2012, Rolling Stone magazine published a very lengthy and detailed report on Bowe Bergdahl written by investigative reporter Michael Hastings. The website Western Journalism takes up the story by recounting what happened to Michael Hastings.

This Journalist Died After Exposing Bowe Bergdahl’s Anti-Americanism

Was it an inside job?
Kris Zane — June 9, 2014

At the time Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings was killed under suspicious circumstances, he had recently written a huge exposé on Bowe Bergdahl, revealing that he had deserted his unit and actively sought out the Taliban. Hastings had also revealed Bergdahl’s anti-American sentiments, publishing the emails to his father that so shocked America: “I am ashamed to be an American…The horror that is America is disgusting.”

This revelation actually came in July of 2012, when Hastings published a ten-thousand word article on Bergdahl, in which he had traveled to Afghanistan to speak to his former platoon mates, the soldiers violating their gag order to speak to Hastings anonymously. Hastings had also visited Bergdahl’s parents in Idaho, where he presumably obtained the emails. When we saw Obama pawing Bowe Bergdahl’s mother and hugging his father last week in the White House Rose Garden, this wasn’t how he was treating them in 2012. The Obama administration in 2012 had “encouraged” his parents to keep their mouths shut. The father, Robert Bergdahl, had gone on a very public crusade, criticizing the Obama administration for killing Afghanistan civilians, and had even said that one of the Taliban captors of his son had had his child murdered by a CIA drone—mirroring events in the popular Showtime series “Homeland”. This was stated at a very public GOP fundraising event in 2010 hosted by former RNC head Michael Steele. Robert Bergdahl had also just posted a video on YouTube, where he appealed directly to this son’s captors, stating: “…We must also thank those who have cared for our son for almost two years…We have wept that God may show his beneficence, his mercy and that his peace may come upon the people of Pakistan. As-salamu alaykum [peace be upon you].”

Read more at http://www.westernjournalism.com/traitor-bowe-bergdahl-linked-michael-hastings-murder/#lmFS3tY04gv37fki.99

Then, Western Journalism turns to CIA Director John Brennan whom Michael Hasting’s wife believed was the subject of her husband’s newest investigation just before he was killed. But for some unknown reason they failed to mention one little fact that puts the icing on the cake, John Brennan is a Muslim. In an exclusive report written by Drew Zahn on February 10, 2013, WND.com reported in their headline story: Shock claim: Obama picks Muslim for CIA chief Former FBI expert claims John Brennan converted to Islam.

The involvement of John Brennan takes on an even more bizarre twist with the official White House announcement of his swearing in ceremony. On March 8, 2013, Yahoo News reported in a story written by Olivier Knox, Brennan takes oath on draft Constitution—without Bill of Rights.

Oh, dear. This is probably not the symbolism the White House wanted.

Hours after CIA Director John Brennan took the oath of office—behind closed doors, far away from the press, perhaps befitting his status as America’s top spy—the White House took pains to emphasize the symbolism of the ceremony.

“There’s one piece of this that I wanted to note for you,” spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at their daily briefing. “Director Brennan was sworn in with his hand on an original draft of the Constitution that had George Washington’s personal handwriting and annotations on it, dating from 1787.”

As pointed out by Marcie Wheeler in the Yahoo News story, “1787 is also quite symbolic: The Bill of Rights, which did not officially go into effect until December 1791 after ratification by states. (Caution: Marcy’s post has some strong language.) That means: No freedom of speech and of the press, no right to bear arms, no Fourth Amendment ban on “unreasonable searches and seizures,” and no right to a jury trial.”

Western Journalism then wraps up the package with this:

Keep in mind, at the time of Hastings’ death, the FBI had denied they had ever investigated Hastings, despite Hastings sending out a frantic email hours before his death with the subject line: “FBI Investigation,” stating that he was being investigated. Also included in the body of the email was a reference to a “big story” he was working on. This “big story” turned out not to be about Bergdahl, but an investigation of then-terrorism czar—now CIA head—John Brennan, per Hastings’ widow. After Hastings’ death, all of his notes and documents on Brennan were suppressed—and this “big story” never appeared in Rolling Stone.

And finally, this:

According to the book Benghazi: The Definitive Report, John Brennan runs the secret black ops army JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command)—that operates with zero oversight—outside the purview of Congress, the Courts and even the Pentagon—essentially giving Brennan more power than the President of the United States! One of JSOC’s major functions is to make sure weapons are flowing unhindered to rebel groups worldwide that are on the side of the United States—including the al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Syria. At the time of the attack on the Benghazi consulate on September 11, 2012, JSOC and the CIA were housing a huge cache of weapons at the secret CIA base near the consulate, which also later came under attack. Per the book Benghazi: The Definitive Report, this is the reason why Barack Obama could not send help to Americans under attack in Benghazi and later blamed a “protest turned violent” over an obscure internet video. JSOC’s transfer of weapons to the rebels in Syria at the time was illegal, and sending in the cavalry to save Americans would have exposed Brennan’s illegal operation.

But funneling weapons to al-Qaeda-linked rebels is a secondary function of Brennan’s JSOC. Their primary mission is to kill and/or capture anyone—worldwide.

Whether that includes Americans is a guarded secret. And whether Michael Hastings was someone who needed to be killed because of bad press on Bergdahl, or for some other big story he was working on—i.e., exposing Brennan’s illegal activities—is also an unanswered question.

Perhaps when Congress investigates why Obama illegally freed five Taliban generals for a traitor, they can also investigate whether John Brennan had his secret black ops army murder Michael Hastings.

I wish to note that elements of this story were influenced by the initial post today on Bare Naked Islam. I did some back tracking to fill in the missing details about CIA Director John Brennan. Thus we have the total influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the White House, currently occupied by another secret Muslim, Barack Hussein Obama, who personally selected John Brennan another secret Muslim to head the CIA.

My name is Nelson Abdullah and I am Oldironsides.

06/10/14

Critics Concerned WH Release Of Detainees Will Endanger Our Troops – LT Col Peters

Hat Tip: BB

(AUDIO) “Former JAG Officer”: #Bergdahl Already Arrested! Will Likely Get 20 years in Leavenworth, “They Could Still Shoot Him”

Another Bergdahl shoe drops

Bob Bergdahl sent another ‘jihad message’

General: History calls for Bergdahl charges

Limbaugh: Obama Has Been ‘Chomping at the Bit’ to Release These 5 Taliban

Two-Thirds Of Americans Do Not Back Obama’s Decision On Bergdahl

State Dep’t Thanks Qatar’s Emir for ‘Firm Commitment to Securing’ Freed Taliban Leaders

RUSH: Have You Heard The Sound Of Chuck Hagel’s Body Being Run Over By A Bus?

06/10/14

Major Crisis At Southern Border Hundreds Of Children Detained

Hat Tip: BB

Is Obama’s Illegal Alien Release Program an Impeachable Offense?

Watch: Megyn Kelly’s jolted by under-reported, Obama-caused crisis that’s ‘going to transform this country’

RUSH: The Regime Is Trying To Repeat Fast And Furious With Illegal Immigrant Children

Flooding the Zone: Obama is Executing His Mission to Transform America

06/10/14

Major Rally At Mexican Embassy To Free Our Marine

Press Contact:
Chuck Floyd
[email protected]
Phone: (301) 273-5620

Major Coalition of Organizations Sponsor
Rally at U.S. Mexican Embassy in D.C. This Thursday
FreeOurMarine.com

WASHINGTON – Conservative Victory Political Action Committee and other prominent organizations and leaders are organizing a rally in front of the Mexican Embassy at 1911 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 10 AM to 1 PM.

Mexican authorities arrested U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi on March 31st, 2014, after he accidentally drove across the border with three legally owned guns. Tahmooressi immediately disclosed that he had his guns in his vehicle, and was cooperative with authorities at the border. Mexican prosecutors originally charged Tahmooressi with gun trafficking and he was taken to a Tijuana prison where he was stripped of his clothes and shackled to his bed. He was threatened to be raped and killed and was brutally beaten by prison guards to the point where he felt his jaw come out of place.

We as American citizens demand the release of Sgt Tahmooressi—now. We demand that the Mexican government release him by June 15. If not released, we will organize rallies at the San Diego border where he crossed and will stop all foot and vehicle traffic. If this does not result in his immediate release, then we will organize a rally at all border crossings from Texas to California.

We plan on sending press releases to banks, Wal-Mart and other companies that transfer money to Mexico and ask them to stop the billions of dollars going into Mexico until our Marine is released. We will ask the public not to travel to Mexico until our Marine is released.

Honored Guests and Speakers at the rally are (schedules permitting) Congressman Steve Stockman, Congressman Paul Broun, Silver Star Medal Recipient Dennis B. Haney Lt Col, USAF (Ret.), Ken Timmerman, Shak Hill, Bob Adams, Chuck Floyd, Larry Ward, Tom O’Connor and many others to be announced as the rally draws closer.

Organizations supporting this rally at the Mexican Embassy include Special Operations Speaks, Help Save Maryland, Political Media, 2 Million Bikers to DC, Constitutional Rights PAC, Grunt Style, Combat Vets for Congress, Revive America, Western PAC, AmeriPAC, Second Amendment Foundation, CCRKBA and others.

06/10/14

Obama May Free Cuban Spies and Terrorists

By: Cliff Kincaid
Accuracy in Media

Just a few blocks from the White House, in the basement of a black Baptist church, the chief of the Cuban Interests Section plotted with former terrorists and members of the communist Workers World Party this past week to convince President Obama to release communist spies and terrorists from American prisons.

Coming in the wake of freed U.S. Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl, in a trade for terrorists arranged by the Obama administration, these possible developments cannot be dismissed out of hand.

The conference dramatized how the far-left “progressives,” operating under the direction of Cuba, have calculated that Obama’s last two or so years in office represent the perfect opportunity for their comrades to leave prison with presidential pardons, clemencies, or commutations, and then return to the “struggle,” or “resistance,” in the streets.

The two-day event, the main focus of the “Five Days for the Cuban Five” campaign, was open to the press, enabling this columnist to attend and film the activities of the hard left as they operated under the watchful eyes of José Ramón Cabañas, Chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., and his agents. About 150 people attended the event.

The Cuban Interests Section functions as Castro’s embassy, in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, and operates as a front for the Cuban intelligence service, the DGI.

Even the Obama administration has conceded that the “Cuban Five” were members of a Castro spy network.

Before being appointed to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan was Obama’s solicitor general and submitted a legal brief in the case. She noted in the brief that members of the “Cuban five” were affiliated with the Cuban intelligence service and the “Wasp Network,” whose purpose included penetrating U.S. military facilities and transmitting information about the facilities’ operations and layout to Cuba, and infiltrating Cuban-American groups.

The brief noted that three Brothers to the Rescue (BTTR) planes made a scheduled flight over the Florida Straits to search for rafters, and that the flight plans were transmitted to Cuba. “When the planes passed the boundary between Miami and Havana air traffic control, which lies in international airspace, they identified themselves to Havana,” it said. “Within minutes, Cuban fighter jets pursued two of the BTTR planes. The Cuban fighters shot down both planes, killing all four men aboard, three of whom were U.S. citizens. Both planes were in international airspace, heading away from Cuba, when they were shot down. Neither plane had entered Cuban airspace.”

Featured speakers at the “Free the Cuban Five” conference included:

  • Linda Evans, a Weather Underground terrorist pardoned by President Clinton
  • Rafael Cancel Miranda, a Puerto Rican terrorist who opened fire on the House of Representatives in 1954, and was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1979
  • Cindy Sheehan, the former anti-Iraq War activist who just ran unsuccessfully for California governor on the “Peace and Freedom” party ticket

One “Justice for the Cuban Five” banner featured the logos of the Service Employees International Union, the United Steel Workers and the Teamsters.

Unrepentant terrorists Linda Evans and Rafael Cancel Miranda emphasized this opportunity to get their comrades released from prison—most notably Oscar Lopez Rivera, a member of the Cuban-supported Puerto Rican FALN.

Joe Connor, whose father was murdered in an FALN bomb blast in New York, has strongly opposed efforts to get parole for Lopez, and protested the decision by organizers of the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade to honor the convicted terrorist. New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito supports freedom for Lopez.

New York City Mayor “Red Bill” de Blasio and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) led the parade.

Interestingly, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder, a former “black power” activist, was deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration and was involved in pardons for members of the FALN and the Weather Underground. As Attorney General, he approved the early release from prison of communist terrorist Marilyn Buck, a member of the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army.

FALN terrorist leader William Morales and Black Liberation Army cop-killer Joanne Chesimard are currently living in Cuba, under the protection of the Cuban regime.

Members of the Workers World Party (WWP), a hard-core Marxist-Leninist group known for its devotion to North Korea, organized the Washington, D.C. event on behalf of the Cuban Interests Section. The WWP activists who appeared to be in charge were Cheryl LaBash and Paul Teitelbaum.

Teitelbaum works for the International Action Center, a WWP front, and is also conducting a “U.S. Hands Off Russia and the Ukraine” campaign, arguing against any effort to stop the Russian takeover of its former Soviet republic. He says, “…it’s important to gather and learn about the role of U.S. imperialism in creating the crisis in Ukraine and the relationship between the imperialists and the fascists.”

Washington Post reporter David Montgomery covered the conference in a superficial story hailed by conference organizers. He called it “Rapping and Rallying for the ‘Cuban Five.’”

The Post emphasized the appearance of actor Danny Glover, who “had tears in his eyes as he addressed the audience at Calvary Baptist Church,” and spoke of the need to release the last three of the “Cuban Five” who remain in U.S. prisons.

The rap group known as “Dead Prez” performed on Friday night for the participants, followed by a rally across from the White House on Saturday, and two days of lobbying Congress, concluding on Tuesday of this week.

They were also seeking “justice” for Zimbabwe, ruled by the racist black Marxist Robert Mugabe.

It appears that the Cuban regime believes that rap music is a means by which to reach young blacks in the U.S. with a revolutionary, pro-communist message.

Louis Wolf, a former associate of CIA defector Philip Agee, was on hand, wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt. Agee worked with the Cuban and Soviet intelligence services before his death in Havana.

Edward Snowden is now doing to the NSA—also with the help of the Russians—what Agee did to the CIA.

In response to the convictions and imprisonment of the “Cuban Five,” Castro’s dictatorship took American aid worker Alan Gross hostage in 2009 as leverage. and ransom. to force their release. Gross remains in a communist prison today, suffering health problems. A website devoted to his return says he has lost over 100 pounds, he suffers from chronic pain and his mental health is deteriorating.

The Obama administration claims it opposes trading the three remaining members of the “Cuban Five” in U.S. custody for Alan Gross. But the Miami Herald quotes Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) as saying she doesn’t think the administration is being honest. “I seriously believe the administration is considering a swap,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “The administration has shown itself not to be faithful to the law and is not to be trusted.”

The release of Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl, in exchange for five terrorists, gives the “progressives” great hope.

Indeed, Mary Ann Wright, a former United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official, attended the “Free the Cuban Five” event, along with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink. Wright just signed a Code Pink message to supporters expressing support for Bergdahl and opposing critical media coverage of the deal that released him.

On cue, one of the members of the “Cuban Five” spy apparatus, already released from a U.S. federal prison, cited the Bergdahl case in arguing that Alan Gross should be traded for his comrades.

But the Cuban-backed terrorists want even more than the three spies.

In a radio interview, Evans explained their strategy: “We have some opportunities coming up for our federal prisoners, I believe, because of Obama and the fact that it’s going to be his second and last term. And we need to create campaigns and participate in existing campaigns that can really take advantage of that. Some of our political prisoners are in federal custody.”

In addition to Oscar Lopez of the FALN, which has claimed responsibility for over 140 bombings in the U.S., members of the Weather Underground remain in prison. Members of the May 19th Communist Organization, a support apparatus for the Weather Underground, remain on the loose, along with animal rights and “earth rights” activists.

The Marxist Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) assisted the Workers World Party in organizing the conference and rally. The late Saul Landau, a longtime fellow at IPS, produced a film before his death, “Cuba Sexual Revolution,” which was played for conference participants.

The film claims that real freedom is coming to Cuba in the form of the regime allowing residents to choose to be homosexuals and get sex-change operations. This effort is being led by Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela, a star of the Landau film.

While Obama has left an American hostage, Alan Gross, imprisoned in Cuba, his administration granted a visa to Mariela Castro in 2012 to visit the United States to campaign for gay rights.

She used the occasion to endorse Obama for president. “As a citizen of the world, I would like him [Obama] to win,” she said in an interview with CNN during her U.S. tour. She added that Obama “wants to do much more than what he’s been able to do,” in terms of normalizing relations with Cuba. “I believe that Obama needs another opportunity and he needs greater support to move forward with his projects and with his ideas, which I believe come from the bottom of his heart.”

Despite the imprisonment of Alan Gross, Obama has lifted many restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba. However, he cannot lift the economic embargo without the acquiescence of Congress.

But pardons, clemencies, and commutations are within his presidential powers.

Danny Glover, one of the conference speakers, and Edward Asner are co-chairs of “Actors and Artists United for the Freedom of the Cuban 5,” and have already asked Obama to issue an Executive Clemency order on behalf of the spies.

Another signer, Oliver Stone, recently announced that he will direct a movie about NSA leaker Edward Snowden, now living in Russia.

Not surprisingly, there is also a movement to have Obama give Snowden “a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed…” Former President Carter, who pardoned the Puerto Rican terrorists who opened fire on Congress, says that he would consider a pardon for Snowden if it was up to him.

Cliff Kincaid is the Director of the AIM Center for Investigative Journalism and can be contacted at [email protected]. View the complete archives from Cliff Kincaid.