So, in Leno’s absence and Conan’s presence on the 11:30pm time-slot, I started searching for other comedians who could tickle my brain. Then I came across Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert.

I barely remember how I got hooked. Perhaps it was a segment, but I started watching. I will confess that initially, when I saw him in that suit, and all the “republican iconography” in his set, I was a little suspicious. He usually starts off by seemingly picking on the progressives, but upon hearing him deliver, I realized the brilliance of his lines. He puts a funny twist on the Fox News network tone, stressing its antithesis of the Fox “fair and balanced” take on events and politics.

Last March, walking from The Armory Show on Pier 92, west side on 54th street, looking for a cab, I came across the Colbert Show studios, and the long line outside its doors. I approached the young people with the clipboard at the door, and they told me I could sign up for tickets on the website. When I had a free moment in the late Spring, I went online looking for tickets. To my disappointment they were not available. So I signed up to be advised by email.

The Colbert Report team is very good at advising you when tickets are available via email. The trick is to jump on the email VERY QUICKLY. If you wait even an hour to do it, by the time you get there, chances are there will be none. The tickets are free, but they do go fast. So after a few failed attempts to rush to get tickets after being emailed, in late June I was successful getting them. I invited a friend who was as excited as I.

August seemed a long way, but completely a worthy wait. The Colbert Report team is diligent enough to remind you on the day of the show of your reservation, asking if you must cancel to click on a link, I suppose to open up seats for the standby line. Yes, there is a brave and daring standby line.

The show taping begins at around 7pm or so, but they advise that you get in line and meet your friends no later than 5:30pm. When I spoke to the young clipboard-holding staffer earlier in that cold March day, she advised it was best to show up at around 4pm or so. So my guest and I showed up at 3:30pm, imagining we’d be the first in line. What were we thinking? LOL! There were already about 20 people ahead of us.

The team is also very diligent in checking your government-issued ID and recording it. You must bring a printed copy of the confirmation email when they check you in at the line. The staff is really nice and really courteous. Given it was a very very hot day, they gave us water bottles, enough to keep us hydrated, but not large enough to have us running to the bathroom and losing our place on line.

I will confess that the wait from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm or so –when the line finally started moving– was a long one.

Recommendations here: bring something portable to sit on. You can also sit on the floor. So, don’t dress up, unless you’re a VIP and have quick access to the show. There was a couple in front of us. The poor girl was wearing heels and a dress. At one point she kept taking turns lifting her feet. Standing two hours on heels must have been painful. I was wearing comfortable sandals, and ended up sitting for a bit, but even on comfortable shoes, it hurts to stand online that long. Also, it’s best if you go with someone, this way you can hold each other’s place in the line in case you want to run across the street for a bite of food or a bathroom break. If it’s on an extreme weather day, make sure to bring the right clothing. You’ll certainly be standing out there for at about two hours or so. The Colbert Show has ensured that the waiting area outside is covered and the audience is not exposed to inclement weather. In the end, the wait is long, but worth it.

The Colbert Report audience waiting in line

Between 5:30pm and 6pm, when they are finally about to let us in, a young, handsome security guy came out to greet us and tell us the rules.

The rules for the live audience of the Colbert show are:

1. No cameras, no video taping while inside the show.
2. No weapons of any kind.
3. Everyone attending must have a government issued photo I.D.
4. Everyone attending must be at least 18 years old.
5. The person whose name appears on the ticket must be present.
6. Past 5:30 pm no one will be allowed to join the line.
7. No tickets are issued. Proof of reservation is a printed copy of the email. Make sure to bring it.
8. No yelling out and screaming obscenities during the taping of the show.

Basically, the expectation is for members of the audience to behave themselves. It makes sense.

Shortly after that introduction, we were given numbered admission passes. These are returned upon entry on to the studio. I took a snapshot of mine as a souvenir. Even the admission pass is funny.

Even the entrance passes are funny at The Colbert Report

I was very appreciative of the bottles of water they passed around as we waited patiently in the line. As I began to move forward I read on the wall along the line, a ton of great entries worth sharing here. So, given that I could not take pictures while inside the studio, I decided to photograph the mementos left on the wall by other Colbert fans. I photographed the ones that caught my eye the most. Check out the pictures below. It certainly tells of his fan base. And one important point here. The Colbert audience is VERY diverse. There were people of all ages, backgrounds, etc. So, any of Colbert critics who claim otherwise, are completely wrong.

Yes, it does say, "Stephen, be my baby Daddy." Funny!!

Colbert for President 2016. Why not?

I second that sentiment! Go Colbert Nation!

Hofstra Salutes Stephen - Do you think the Dean will approve? LOL!

Long Island Loves Stephen - Well, so do the rest of us.

Yes, it does say, "Len n Stephen" Well, Stephen. I had no idea! LOL!

Once inside, everyone goes through a metal detector and bags are checked by security. There is a picture of Stephen on the wall, where you can pose next to it and be photographed, “with Stephen”. The headliner picture here is from that wall.  After the excitement of photographing ourselves with Stephen’s friendly wall pic, we all continued to stand around and wait to be called into the studio itself. At least this time we were inside an air conditioned room. The Colbert team is very good at keeping us entertained and updated.  At certain intervals, a member of the staff would tell us what was going on inside and what to expect. There is a water cooler and bathrooms.  It is highly recommended you go before entering the studio. Why disrupt the show just because you have to go to the bathroom while they tape?

We began to enter the recording studio at about 7:30pm. Apparently going in this late was an exception. They usually start at about 7:00pm. They were running a bit behind schedule that day. In the meantime, to keep us entertained, there were videos of Colbert’s greatest hits being played in screens around the room as we stood around chatting and impatiently looking at our watches. Every half hour or so, a member of the staff would update us and continue to stress how appreciative they were of our presence and patience while they got ready for the show. It made the waiting more bearable.

There is this segment they show at the waiting room, where Jane Fonda flirts with him and even kisses him. I found that hilarious and endearing. I can also tell he likes having the super cool and legendary Gloria Steinem on his show. I liked him even more after watching those clips.

By the time we got into the recording studio and were in our seats, it was almost four hours of standing around waiting to see “the man” live: about two in the hot weather outside, and under two at the waiting room inside. My feet hurt. So, when you go, either bring a good book, good music in your mp3 player, or make sure you have an entertaining friend around, in addition to comfortable clothes and shoes.

As a member of the audience, I have a few suggestions to the great and diligent Colbert production team.

1. Providing seats is very important. I know you want to make sure people’s energy remains up, so seating gives people a break and renews them.
2. I think in the summer, besides the water, an electrolyte-rich beverage (gatorade-types) will certainly keep us energized and pumped. In the cold days of winter, I’d imagine coffee or hot chocolate can do the trick. You may already be doing that.
3. I understand you may have a budget for the show, so you may not have the funding for beverages besides water, so if we’re going to stand around that long, how about putting a snack and drink machine inside the waiting room?  Some of us wouldn’t mind having the option of paying for a snack or beverage. Truth is, after all that standing in the heat, I was exhausted and my energy was low by the time I finally sat in the studio. The wait is too long, but no doubt truly worth it.
4. My last suggestion, please have a souvenir shop. Perhaps inside the waiting room, you could sell Colbert stuff. It’d make the waiting experience that much better, the time would go faster, and I bet it would add some revenue to your show. I’m sure the staff wouldn’t mind the raise, especially those interns.

Other than that, once we were allowed in (and you’re allowed in by numerical order, according to your spot in the initial line– so it pays to be early), we were assigned our seating areas. Members of the production team shared with us how important we are to Stephen’s taping. I have no doubt about that, because a comedian feeds off the energy of the audience.  With Colbert is easy to laugh at anything he says. He’s just hilarious.

Once we’re seated, there is additional waiting time, but this time around there is a comedian doing an “opening routine” before Stephen comes out. The comedian is pretty good. Most of his routine involves speaking with the audience and keeping us engaged and laughing.

The best treat of the night is that Stephen comes out and spends some personal time with the audience and answers questions!!

They just requested that the questions be polite, not to ask for “things” or favors, you know, keep them clean and smart. When Steven finally comes out, we’re all pumped. He is so worth the wait. He takes the microphone and thanks us for being there, then begins to answer questions from the audience. I find that endearing. They warned us this portion would be “Stephen off character”. Truth is, Stephen is the character! I saw very little difference between the witty Colbert and Stephen with the mike taking questions from the audience. So many questions came to mind. I waited too long and the session ended without asking one of my many questions, to my regret. But I hope to return soon and get to ask him a question the next time.

Sadly I found out he rarely tweets himself, but he did credit his wonderful and witty staff for tweeting for him. It’s understandable. Most famous people rarely tweet themselves. The good news is that his staff does. So, our tweets to him are not wasted.

Watching the taping of the show, and participating as part of the audience was an exciting experience, as I expected. Colbert does not disappoint.  The wait was a bit much for me, but worth it. Perhaps this is coming from someone who avoids crowded places and long lines. So, keep this in mind when reading my feedback. Some people don’t mind standing in line. I noticed inside the waiting room, that aside from the general admission tickets, there were two other types of ticket holders: VIP ticket holders and red ticket holders. I imagine these are people who know someone in the show. They are usually the first to go in and get to sit on the front rows. I guess these people don’t go through the long wait in line.

One of the most endearing aspects of watching Colbert tape his show was watching him lose it at times as he starts laughing as he reads his own lines. Twice we had to cut and restart. Even those re-dos were perfect. The fact that he flubbered his lines, showed the guy is human and truly enjoys his job. I also learned that the audience is very important to him. We are his cue in many aspects. After every segment, his writers go up to the desk and they go over the script. He is not shy about taking the pen and crossing out lines and adding lines as they review the next segment. Also on the famous Stephen Colbert red bracelets bands, he randomly shoots them out to the audience throughout the taping. I missed one by an inch. But of course, I wasn’t throwing myself to catch it. I was hoping for a store of Colbert souvenirs where I would have gladly spent my money, but there isn’t one.

Colbert is impeccable in his manner, his style and his behavior. I was very impressed at the professionalism displayed by Stephen and his staff. They were all very enthusiastic and showed much appreciation of us, the audience. He’s lucky he’s that good that he got this New York City girl to wait. I think the last time I stood in a line that long I was in high school on a trip to Great Adventure. Not even for my i-gadgets!

So,  Stephen Colbert, you must be a very special guy to get me standing in line that long just to see you.

Despite the “Republican” facade, Stephen’s show and his type of comedy, appeals to the independent-minded. You don’t have to have party affiliations to enjoy him. Republican strategist Mary Matalin said not long ago that she enjoyed Jon Stewart but preferred Colbert. I hoped that she liked him for the same reasons I do, and not for the fact that he comes across as Republican, because he truly shows his independent colors. And if I were a fanatical follower of either party, or one of those people who took my politics a bit too seriously, I’d be afraid to watch Colbert because he makes the politicians and the parties look far from smart, especially the republican party and Fox News.

By the time the taping was over, it was a bit after 9pm.  I was thirsty and hungry. I think we all were. I saw a few cars outside the studio, but among them stood a long black limo. I wondered if it was Stephen’s or perhaps belonged to a special guest.

Overall, my first time experience with Colbert live, was just as I expected, minus the long, long wait and lack of electrolytes. I hope the Colbert team reads some of my suggestions and takes them into consideration. It would make the Stephen experience that much better, and the audience would be that much more energized. Not that we weren’t, but imagine the audience on a sweet snack after a long wait, and souvenirs in hand! We’d be very appreciative and happily demonstrate it.

Overall, it was a great job done by the staff. They were professional, friendly, energized and energizing. Stephen was even more awesome in person, especially when he showed his human side such as laughing or missing his lines. We the audience missed our cue once too. It was funny. Stephen looked at us with that look of his. We laughed and got it.

If you’re considering participating in the live Colbert experience as part of the studio audience, I highly recommend it. If you don’t like standing in lines for hours –like me– I highly recommend trying to get those VIP or red passes. I don’t know where they come from or who is the conduit, but I’m sure there is a way.  Overall, Colbert is worth the wait. I am sorry I don’t have more pictures of the experience inside the studio, but, I think the ones I collected and I’m sharing here with you will take you closer to what it was like being there.

If you have attended, I’d love to hear your comments. Please post them and share with the rest of us here.

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JOIN families and community leaders from Arizona as they deliver messages and stories about SB 1070 to President Obama and Congress.

For more than 76 consecutive days at the State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, community leaders have been holding a continuous vigil to protest Arizona’s SB 1070 law. They have shared their stories and have stood their ground firmly against this divisive law. Now thirteen representatives have traveled from Arizona to Washington, DC – holding prayer vigils along the way – to bring their message to President Obama and our Congress. On Wednesday, July 7th at 11:30am this delegation from Arizona will explain why we must stop SB 1070 and push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform now. They will bring stories from Arizona families, written on paper doves and deliver them to the President and Congress after holding a vigil in Washington DC.

When: Wednesday, July 7th at 11:30 am eastern time

Who: Families and community leaders who have been maintaining vigil for the past 75 days.

Where: Lafayette Park, immediately north of the White House

Contact: Shu Ohno, Reform Immigration For America Campaign / National Immigration Forum,sohno@immigrationforum.org , cell 202-309-5645

For updates, you can also follow @PromiseArizona on Twitter.

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To brief you on what the Honduras situation last year was about, and its significance in the defense of democracy in Latin America, it was basically the dethronement of a Chavez ally, also known as President Zelaya, by the two other branches of the Honduras government, for breaking constitutional laws, in his quest to perpetuate himself in power, following the example of his buddy Chavez, and friends of the ALBA gang in Latin America. Honduras, as small as it is in size and GNP, it’s a key conduit right south of Mexico and Guatemala, and a valuable stop-over for drugs, weapons and people, as they are smuggled into Mexico and eventually the United States. For enemies of the U.S., Honduras is a valuable rest stop on their way up north. After all, it is small, it is classified as the second poorest country of the Western Hemisphere, and therefore it could be assumed that its government and citizens are corruptible. It was an assumption Honduras citizens proved wrong to the entire world.

Until June 28th of 2009, Mel Zelaya was the president of Honduras. And he exemplified the corruptible assumption. He, after all, had aligned himself with Chavez and his ALBA gang, and it was no secret that Venezuela-registered private planes would land in various clandestine spots in Honduras, with drugs, weapons and people. But boy was the world mistaken about Honduras and its people. The country may be small, there may be a high degree of poverty, and even corruption, but when it comes to democracy and Chavez, people know the difference well and they stood their ground when the time came and president Zelaya pressed them politically so he could imitate the example of Chavez and his ALBA buddies. On June 28th of 2009 we saw the Honduras’ spirit arise, and they legally fired their corrupt president.

Despite the international condemnation of this brave move, and despite the infiltration of Cuban, Venezuelan, Nicaraguan and FARC operatives into this little country, all financed by Hugo Chavez, to lead a so called “opposition” in support of reinstating deposed Zelaya, Honduras stood strong. Its citizens, led by their congress, supreme court and military forces, went to the streets by the thousands, as peaceful demonstrators, all dressed in white, carrying their country blue and white flag, and stood strong, despite freezing of sorely needed international aid, despite the chaos and thuggery set off by the Chavez-financed operatives that had infiltrated the country. Honduras citizens would prefer to go hungry than to bow to Chavez and Zelaya. They knew the implications of the situation if they gave in. They knew it better than the rest of the world, which simply comdemned their brave move as a “military coupe” without looking into the facts and Honduran law. Hondurans instead, would rather go without the international aid than be subjugated by Chavez and his strong international influence.

Aside from the language barrier, which hurt Honduras’ ability to tell their story to the world, Chavez and his influential ring, orchestrated an international media campaign to depict Zelaya’s dethronement as a military coupe, in order to gain international support and pressure little Honduras into putting their corrupt president back. It was important to Chavez to win this one. So he deployed his propaganda campaign that reached deep into credible institutions such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the New York Times, CNN en Español, and certainly El Diario, the highest circulation Spanish newspaper in New York.

While the above-named respectable institutions stepped back on their attacks on Honduras once the real story got out, there was one writer in El Diario who did not relent. In fact, her columns were harsh, attacking the Hondurans as well as the United States government supposed involvement, even though president Obama and Hillary Clinton were also denouncing the “military coupe”. This writer, Vicky Pelaez, of Peruvian origin, stood out as one of the harshest critics of Honduras’ defense of its democracy against Chavez. Reading her columns raised many red flags in my head and it made me wonder why was she even allowed to write such lies and communist propaganda, praising Castro and Chavez, under the banner of the well-read and respected El Diario.

Vicky Pelaez not only condemned the Honduras defense of its democracy, and attacked the United States government, but in her subsequent writings, continued attacking the U.S. government, while praising that of Hugo Chavez and his so called Bolivarian revolution, which is code name for 21st century communism.

I won’t bother translating her columns, full of the Chavez propaganda, an echo of lies coming from Venezuela and from Cuba. No one deserves to read that garbage and the typical resentful hate of chavistas who advocate extreme-left measures, to the point of supression of those freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the U.S. constitution. What’s really anger-provoking is watching these people, Castro/Chavez and their allies, who have perfected the communist style of silencing dissent, hide under our democratic values that protect the freedom of speech here, and use the same freedoms granted by our democracy, to fight the very democracy they advocate against.

Reading Vicky Pelaez columns often angered me as much as listening to Hugo Chavez. It is known that since Chavez is in power, the presence of Russia, Iran and China has increased dramatically throughout certain countries in Latin America, namely those that belong to the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance). It is no secret that Chavez has spent millions of dollars purchasing Russian military technology, weaponry, has signed hundreds of agreements, including nuclear ones, with Russia and Iran. It is also known that he has opened visa conduits for Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah and Chinese operatives to come to America via Venezuela and the ALBA countries. To give you a quick background on ALBA, it’s an alliance founded by Venezuela and Cuba. Other countries that joined later are: Antigua, Bolivia, Domenica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Honduras, which after Zelaya’s ouster, officially withdrew from the alliance. Note that these countries serve as stops along a path to the north, especially those in the Caribbean.

All that being said, when I read about Vicky Pelaez from El Diario, being arrested for spying, I had that ah-ha! moment. Of course! It all made sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is a Chavez operative, probably recruited to aid his cause here in the United States on behalf of his allies, Cuba and Russia. It doesn’t surprise me that she has been part of this spy ring. Her columns were so incendiary, so anti-American, that I found it alarming that a paper with such high circulation and so well read here in NYC, by millions of Spanish speakers, especially immigrants from Latin America, could be influenced by her words. Her columns concerned me greatly.

Of course, those columns themselves could serve as her cover. I won’t be surprised if she claims that because of her writings she and her husband have been detained. It’s the perfect cover. She will claim that her freedom of speech has been violated and she has been falsely accused in order to be silenced.

It is my understanding that for 10 years she has been tracked by the FBI, and the evidence is there. I find it outrageous when people who come to this country, and who benefit of its democracy, take advantage of it to destroy it. I’m relieved she has been removed. She was a dangerous echo of the Chavez Castro agenda here in the United States.

My concern is during the years she wrote her propaganda in El Diario, how many people were influenced by her? How many likely recruited among the Spanish speaking communities in NYC?

It is such a fine line to walk as a government in a democracy. The first amendment guarantees us all the right to freedom of expression, but Vicky Pelaez exemplifies the extreme dangers when that delicate balance is lost. She was not only advocating for enemies of the United States in a highly circulated paper, but is now suspected of spying for foreign countries.

To quote Bill Maher in Larry King last night, “We no longer have to fight them over there, so we don’t have to fight them here. They are already here.”

The time for Chavez and his ring of ominous influence around the world needs to come to an end. He has aligned with countries with an interest to see the United States fail and our democracy end. I am appalled at the fact that Latin American citizens are now involved in these spy rings from across the world. It sickens me. Chavez’ presence in the south of our continent is a severe threat to democracies across the American continent, from north to south. He’s the gaping hole letting in those interested in obliterating democracy.

I ask our brave opposition citizens in Venezuela, what does it take?  Imagine living in a world like Cuba, and that is what could happen if we allow this man and his malignant alignments prevail. Castro has prevailed. Can we afford to let Chavez do as well?

1. For more information from local NYC papers, check out:

From the NY Daily News: Suspected Russian spy Vicky Pelaez, a Spanish-language journalist, led many lives

NY Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/06/30/2010-06-30_suspected_spy_led_many_lives.html

2. A Cuban “dissident” wrote his comments on Pelaez here. This will give you insights on her writings and her Latin American influence and ties:

Castro regime scribe (Vicky Pelaez) among the 11 charged in Russia spy case

http://babalublog.com/2010/06/castro-regime-scribe-vicky-pelaez-among-the-11-charged-in-russia-spy-case/

3. From CBS News: FBI: 10 Russian Spies Arrested in U.S.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/28/world/main6627393.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;6

4. From MSNBC.com – Venezuela’s Chavez welcomes Russian warships

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27907501/

5. And how is our congress here in the United States handling the whole situation? Here is input from someone living in Honduras with wise observations.

Left Steps Up Attack on HONDURAS; Members of Congress Drink Kool Aid! – http://bit.ly/9HTF3v

While on that topic of “the left” here in the United States. I beg you all in the left, to really think hard before blindly backing the communist-left of Latin America. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS THE LEFT HERE IN THE USA!

By backing Zelaya in Honduras, without understanding Honduras politics, its constitution and its laws, you are wrong to assume that things run the same as here.  You would be considered centrists in Latin America, or moderate left. Zelaya and allies are not like you. They are aligned with Castro and Chavez et all. They are against basic human rights guaranteed by our constitution.What’s more. It was Zelaya’s own leftist party who took him out. What does that tell you? Know your facts, please.

Don’t make a mistake and back the wrong horse, lefties in the U.S.A. If you don’t know the facts, don’t meddle. Of course, this is why conservatives quickly assume I am a Republican. I’m not. I’m an independent and I know the facts about Latin American politics.

I support progressives here in the States, but I know the difference between the Chavez left movement and the progressive movement here. I hope once you learn the difference, you will stand with the people of Honduras, and not with Hugo Chavez, Castro, Zelaya and all their anti-American alliances.

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1. President-elect Pofirio Lobo asks that president Micheletti step down before his inauguration on January 27th. What is Pepe Lobo thinking? Who’s going to run the country in the meantime? Zelaya? Chavez? Who? Interim president Micheletti has stood strong in the face of unfair condemnation, protecting the peace-loving citizens of Honduras, from the red thugs that have invaded it, sent and financed by Chavez, to keep stirring trouble, kill with impunity, and later blame the military and the Honduras interim leadership. (For facts and link backs on these statements, please read my previous posts about Honduras.)

2. Soon after that, it was announced that interim president Micheletti will NOT be present at Porfirio Lobo’s inauguration.

3. Porfirio Lobo extended instead, an invitation to his inauguration to Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega, yes the Sandinista president of Nicaragua, who rose to office under questionable circumstances! What is wrong with Lobo? Is he also inviting Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Ill of North Korea, Kadafi, the FARC, Hezbollah and all the other dictators around the world? Is president Obama going to be invited too? Will he stand among the enemies of the United States?

4. Yesterday it was all over the Twitter Honduras feed, that the brave military general, Romeo Vasquez, who executed the orders of the Supreme Court to remove Zelaya, is now under indictment and will be prosecuted. For what? For following an order of the judiciary? Apparently the courts are going after him, the very courts that issued the order to have Zelaya removed from power!!

And where is president-elect Porfirio Lobo in all this? Why is this coincidentially happening soon after the visit of the United States envoy? As much as I am a staunch supporter of my home country, the United States, of its president and current administration, I am in total disagreement with the way the Honduras situation is being handled.

It is clear by the actions mentioned above, that someone is trying to reverse the discontent that the ALBA club has expressed lately against the United States, accusing them of supporting the so called, “coupe.” Why are, our president, the U.S., the U.N., the O.A.S., the new Honduras president, all bowing down to the will of Hugo Chavez and his dictator friends, his narco friends? Don’t they know the truth behind the Miraflores Cartel? Don’t they have intelligence on what is really happening?

A dear Honduran expatriate in Europe shared with me the possible connection between Chavez’ Citgo, Citizen’s Energy led by one of the Kennedys, which gives free oil to poor Americans, and president Obama. I would find it appalling and very disappointing to even begin to concede that this is one of the reasons why our president is bowing down to the Miraflores Cartel out of Caracas. While it was understandable George Bush’s attachment to the oil connection, it is NOT understandable, it is not even conceivable, to think that our president is bowing down to Hugo Chavez because of the Kennedy/free-cheap oil connection. I would be outraged, majorly disappointed and I would find the new administration no different than the previous one.

As a result, below is my open letter, to our current leadership, to Mr. Obama, to Secretary Clinton, regarding Honduras:

Dear Mr. Obama:

You came in under the premise of change. You charged into the White House, full of energy, hope, optimism, promise. And now, why do so many of us see you fold under secrecy, under so much hesitance. What are you not telling us??

The Honduras situation, where so many of us Latin Americans, not only in Latin America and here in the US, but also around the world, are closely following, has proven to be a test where you and my dear Secretary Clinton, seem to be well on the path to losing credibility. Why all of the sudden did you send someone, this week, only a few weeks away from the inauguration of Pepe Lobo, to scratch and dig up the wounds that had begun to heal after the successful November election in Honduras? Please help us understand.  Why the need to please the Miraflores Cartel?

I still believe in you, Mr. Obama and in Mrs. Clinton. I’d still like to believe that you’re being ill-advised, that someone is manipulating the facts and presenting you the wrong information. Perhaps there is something that you both know and see, something that millions of us are not seeing.

Let me tell you what we see. We see a dangerous anti-democratic alliance growing south of the border. Many of the United States enemies, who will do anything to obliterate us, are dangerously uniting, taking advantage of our internal challenges, or our internal division, to gather force right south of our border. Why don’t you see what we see?

1. Iran’s Ahmadinejad is visiting Latin America more than Bush or you ever have, signing hundreds of agreements, including nuclear ones, exchanging money and God only knows what else.

2. Dangerous alliances between Hugo Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah, Castro

3. A rise of oppressive regimes, who after being democratically elected to office, change the constitution, via a rigged, referendum to extend indefinitely their terms in office, dissolve congress and do away with the checks and balances of power.

4. Dangerous alliance between Chavez, Correa, Morales and the FARC, where it makes sense that Morales from Bolivia would be a key piece. After all, it is known all over South America that in Bolivia is where most of the coca is grown. Why has Iran committed so many millions of dollars to Bolivia?

5. The suppression of freedom of the press in Ecuador and Venezuela, persecution of anyone who opposes Chavez and Correa, rampant crime, impune deaths, coincidentially, of many political opponents of these dangerous men, usually by way of drive-by shootings or motor-rides, a-la-Iran style.

6. People who always have treasured their freedoms all over Latin America, are now nervous, looking over their shoulders, since now “neighborhood committees” have been set up for neighbors and family members to snitch on each other, communist style.

Why can’t you see what millions of us see? Why can’t you see what Honduras pulled itself from?

When you give into Chavez and his dictator ALBA friends, who have bought control of the O.A.S.’ Insulza and the U.N., you lose credibility, each day a little more with millions of us here at home and around the world. My heart breaks in disappointment. My heart sinks when I read of your alignments with these men. Don’t you realize that the left here in the States is NOT the same as the left in Latin America? Those men want the end of democracy as we know it. They mock it by creating “constitutions” that legalize their dictatorships and extend indefinitely their term in power.

I don’t know how else, in how many ways to tell you this. I urge you, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton, to reconsider your stance with Honduras. I truly believe you’re ill-advised. This is not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. Please do not look at it through that lens, for millions of us stand to lose, not only our freedoms but possibly our lives and those of the ones we love. Millions of Latin Americans support the United States, you, and have been loyal to the United States. Please don’t disappoint us.

Are you willing to also sacrifice the lives of thousands of us who are in danger for speaking up, just like you have allowed the butchery in Iran, so that you can be in good terms with the henchmen who illegitimately have remained in power?

I know you’re smarter than that.

All I ask is that you look at the facts, not only presented by your advisors, but look at what’s in the papers all over Latin America. You may not read Spanish but I’m willing to translate, just like I do for my fellow readers here. There is so much information out there, I don’t understand how can you miss it.

Please don’t sacrifice true democracy for the sake of keeping the bosses of the Miraflores Cartel happy (AKA ALBA). See my previous article for additional information on that reference. If you side with them, you won’t only lose credibility with the voters here in the States, but also with millions of people around the world, who filled with hope, celebrated your election.

Right now our hearts are sinking.

Still a believer, that yes we can.

MariaNYC

One last word, I’d like to link here a great article, written by Mark Klugmann, in BigJournalism.com. It is titled, “Storyboarding the News: How the MSM Turned the Honduran Crisis into A Comic Book”. A realistic look at the bill of goods sold to us by the Main Stream Media, likely the same bill of goods being sold to President Obama and Secretary Clinton. I hope this sheds some light on the real story in Honduras, and its meaning on the future peace in our continent.

Click here to go to Mark Klugman’s article.

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The decade that just ended less than 24 hours ago, surely marked a new era. The year 2000 began a period, here in the United States, marked with a strong political divisiveness that grew under the pretense of the so called “great uniter” message in George W. Bush’s mud-slinging campaign. I wonder if millions, like me, saw through that lie, one among the many, coming from a man who spoke in generalities and when pressed for details seemed at a loss for words and facts, and who often was.  Every time he claimed to be the “uniter”, to be “reaching out to the other side”,  I cannot comprehend why would people believe him. This, yes, the same man who played dirty in the primaries, just to get the nomination. George W’s ascendancy to the presidency of the United States, as decided by 5 robed men, ignoring the will of millions, over half of the country, marked an era that even back in November of 2000, as I watched the election being decided, gave me an awful feeling at the pit of my stomach.

From that time on, the political bickering, corruption, hypocrisy, hate, fear mongering has been rampant, and many agree, it has reached new heights. With the election of Mr. Obama in 2008 we were all filled with hope, not just here in the USA but around the world. We hoped that that the 8 prior years would be healed and a new era of peace and unity would begin. But who were we kidding? Obama may have the best of intentions, but he’s no magician. He needs to reverse an ugly trend that’s been growing for eight solid years, unchecked.

The repercussions of the selection of George W. Bush, by those 5 judges, against the will of the majority of the country, is one that continues to be felt at the global level, even nine years later. Not only did the disgrace of September 11 occurred under George Bush’s watch, but a “war against terror” theme was born. And under the concept of “chasing after terrorists”, so many things have happened and been allowed to happen, not just here in the United States, but around the world. Not only did the revered rights spelled out in the U.S. constitution –by our founding fathers who encountered similar evil and corruption– were trampled by the so called “Patriot Act,” but we invaded a country that had nothing to do with the people who were blamed for the attacks of 9/11,  prompting the worldwide increase of anti-U.S. rhetoric, starting in the Middle East, and spreading through Asia, Africa and now in our own continent, Latin America.

The self-serving fear mongering that came out of the Bush White House and the Republican congress majority helped all the wrong causes, here and abroad. There is now the issue of torture being investigated, secret documents, betrayals, all contributing to the rise of new anti-U.S. regimes around the world. These regimes are currently led by cunning men –no different than Dick Cheney– who took advantage of people’s fear, of their hopes and aspirations, to feed their own power-thirsty agenda and line their bloody pockets.  Unless you have CNN International, unfortunately you won’t hear much about the horrors in Africa, the genocide and other murders being committed in the name of “God”, a doctrine spread by terrorists who point their finger at mistakes of the U.S. foreign policies, especially during the Bush/Cheney era that exacerbated the fire of hate.

In Latin America, as Cuba’s Fidel Castro communist leadership was in its twilight, he managed to find a new, younger and richer ally, who is taking his dream, financing it, dressing it in a more palatable color and spreading it under the name of democracy, a new cunning sham of what is now known in Latin America, as 21st century socialism, or Bolivarian socialism. If this were some kind of real socialism, like there is in Canada, France, the UK, Spain, it’d be acceptable to many Latin Americans, but in truth, the new version of the oppressive Castro dream, now taken up by Chavez and allies, is really communism in disguise.  While socialist European countries have systems in place that help citizens thrive, the expected freedoms of a democracy are allowed. In Latin America, instead of that model of socialism, there is a bad smell of communism, where political persecutions and disappearances occur, freedoms are suppressed, and hateful, anti-U.S. political propaganda is on the increase.

What concerns me the most is that during the Bush/Cheney era, when they were sleep at the wheel in regards to anything that didn’t concern the Middle East, these communist-minded henchmen rose to power right in our Latin American neighborhood. While we hoped Cuba were the last bastion of the failed communist philosophy, Hugo Chavez came along, after a botched coupe attempt where he tried to overthrow the president of Venezuela. He learned the game and came back a few years later and  managed to appeal to enough people to “get elected”. His military coupe attempt should have been a red flag, no pun intended, since red is the color of the Chavez “Bolivarian movement”. Chavez took advantage of the fact that “the Americans” were distracted with the Middle East, and began to spread his doctrine, based on hate, pointing at the “gringos” and the “Yankee corporations” –which unfortunately did take advantage of little regulation to do as they pleased in Latin America– thus causing discontent and adding to the hate doctrine that served Chavez well to convince other Latin American leaders to join him in his anti-”Yankee Empire” cause.

Today, as I actively participate in Twitter conversations, and as I keep track of tweets on the topics of Honduras, Venezuela and Ecuador in the various Twitter-feeds, I am appalled at the hate that’s being spread there, by people in Latin America, who believe Chavez and their ALBA gang are the saviors from the “Yankee Empire.”

To clarify, I follow Venezuela because like Iran, the opposition which fights to regain true democracy is suffering major repression and are experiencing persecution. Unlike Iran, Venezuela is not getting the mainstream media attention. I follow Honduras because of the very interesting developments that occurred beginning in the summer of 2008, with the ousting of Chavez’ friend in Honduras, deposed president Zelaya, which in my opinion, is the very first step towards saying no to the Chavez  agenda. Ultimately, I follow Ecuador closely because there, president Rafael Correa is another Hugo Chavez in the making. He has already moved to suppress freedom of expression, and like his friend Chavez, his rhetoric is hateful against the United States. What’s interesting is that Ecuadorians are known for overthrowing their presidents when they do something that angers them enough to do so.  I watch tweets about Ecuador because knowing their political will and history, I wonder how long is it before Correa is overthrown by its own citizens. After all, in the last 7 years, Ecuador has had 10 presidents. And the nation survives. So far, during those 7 years, no international condemnation or meddling has occurred, and when the next president steps into power, they are simply acknowledged by the international community.

Things may be a little different for Ecuadorians this time around should they manage to get rid of their dictator in the making, Correa. For one, Chavez and his influenced allies are around. Second, there is the issue of Honduras. As you know, Honduras freed itself from Chavez-ally Zelaya and had him replaced, –not without some pain from the international community led by Chavez himself. So, it makes me wonder how the events would unfold this time, should the brave and tough Ecuadorian people manage to overthrow Rafael Correa. I fear he and his allies will make even more noise than when Zelaya was deposed. I can only hope the country of Ecuador will be as strong as Honduras to overcome the difficulties likely to follow a potential Correa overthrow.

So these three Latin American countries have captured my attention, for I believe if the “Bolivarian ideology” is erradicated there, the way it has been avoided so far in Honduras, there will be hope for some peace and less hate, at least in the Americas, and perhaps then we could face together, enemies further out.

But for now, I watch, feeling hopeless when I see so much hate rhetoric, so many lies, coming from the Chavez ideology supporters, utilizing a medium that would be banned if they were in charge (Twitter, Facebook, blogs). I also follow Iran, and I watch, appalled and at the edge of my seat, the bloody developments as the Green Movement there tries to rid itself of a suppressive dictatorship, which is not only feeding the hate fire in the Middle East, but is obviously building nuclear weapons and aligning itself with the new enemy regimes of the United States surging south of its border in Latin America.

If you have not connected the dots already, then I don’t know what to tell you. The more I look at the situation from the global point of view, the more I see the relation between Venezuela –and its allies in the Western Hemisphere– with their new alignments in the  Middle East such as Lybia and Iran dictatorships, with China, with North Korea, with Russia. And these alliances are indubitably ominous, for as I read the Twitter feeds on these topics, there is too much hate, based on lies and exxaggeration being spread around the world. I watch as the people in charge of these ideologies, in charge of these hateful, oppressive regimes, finance violent propaganda, finance militia, with our own money, money we spend in buying oil and yes, illegal drugs. In other words, we are financing the very people who want our demise. It is a very vicious and dangerous cycle indeed.

I would feel a bit more hopeful if at least here at home I’d perceive political good will on all sides, the commitment to unite, but it looks like our enemies abroad are taking advantage of our division, to feed their political agendas in their own regions. They are counting on our fear, on our hate for each other, on our political and ideological differences, on our careless spending on oil, on illegal drugs, for all of that feeds them and empowers them abroad to attack us. Over the holidays, the terrorist attempts, successful and unsuccessful, the threats, the hate doctrine, all that, emboldens those who will benefit from the demise of the light of liberty and hope around the world.  For with its imperfections, its virtues, vices, the United States is still a land that many around the world, seek as refuge, when their own countries are unable to provide for them, to fulfill the basic necessities that any human being deserves.

I see the levels of hate, of fear, of resentment over past mistakes, feed into new levels of violence and death, starting in our own turf.  My question is, how much more can we take? What will it take for this ominous trend to reverse itself? Can it reverse itself? What can each of us do to help this situation? Despite the seemingly hopeless state of things, I believe that perhaps each one of us in some small way can contribute to restoring a more peaceful, harmonious state of affairs around the world.

If perhaps each of us were to take a  moment to stop worrying about our own little world and our immediate personal needs and wants, and try to see the repercussions of our personal choices. Perhaps we could see a way to stop feeding the financing of our enemies abroad. Perhaps use alternative energies, help someone get off illegal drugs, perhaps try a way to bridge the political divide here at home and lower the divisive rhetoric. We could help somehow.  Perhaps by doing something for someone, starting a positive global trend of good will, while at the same time remaining alert. But how do you walk that fine line?

Whatever it is we can do, we need to do something immediately to reverse this dangerous trend. For I believe there are billions of us –who just want to live in peace, with opportunities to reach a decent lifestyle– against thousands who are making so much of the hate noise to take advantage and spread violence, chaos and death. The majority of us know instinctively what’s right, we know injustice when we see it. Perhaps it is time we stop looking the other way.

After all, as it is known, Friedrich Nietzche said, “Evil will prevail when good men do nothing”.

For how much longer can we afford to keep looking away and expecting the next person or institution to do something. Let’s make the beginning of this new decade be the mark of a movement that will reverse this dangerous trend of hate and violence. Each one of us can make a difference. I can only hope that. We just have to find our own personal way of making it happen. I believe that we are capable.

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A few things that I’ll begin with here:

1. We need more women and minorities in congress, representing us

2. We should request banning of ALL corporate contributions or restrict them to at most $500

3. We should have the media limit ads, and discount them greatly.

4. Campaign funds should have a requirement of at least 75% constituent donations of under $100.

5. Require and allow citizen lobby groups to have more leverage and restrict corporate lobbies.

Ok, that’s my initial feedback. Now, on to what some great tweeps in twitterverse had to say on the topic:

“@HBK112 – The 3 that come immediately to mind are shoe-ins, DeMint, Kyl and Coburn.”

1. DeMint

2. Kyl

3. Coburn- Seeking re-election in 2010.

I will ask what are the reasons and will list them here.

Her reply was hillarious:

“@HBK112 – DeMint because he’s an insane teabagger. Kyl because he’s a disrespectful asshole.Coburn bcz nobody that stupid s/b in congress.”

“@elgocho67 – I said let’s start with anyone with more then 8 years in either the house or senate”

I agree with elgocho67. When you’re in congress long enough, you make it a career and then all you care about is staying in power and forget about your constituents.

“@zoomarang – most of these senators are relics..old habits die hard..we need 55 n under politicians,period”

I could agree and disagree with that statement. I see both sides of the point. Zoomarang always has good insights, so I respect his opinion.

While more input comes from you, here is my personal list of men and women whom I have seen do a terrible job representing us, the people, and are certainly representing corporate interests instead.

Lieberman on the left, embracing McCain on the right.

1. Joe Lieberman (Ind). Senator from Connecticut – Also known as “Traitor Joe.” As a VP candidate in the Democrat ticket in 2000, I found him a yawner. He droned on and on and on.. No wonder Al Gore barely won by a few votes, enough for the election to be decided in favor of GW by the Supreme Court. Lieberman loves the sound of his own voice. When he did not get the support of Democrats in CT for his re-election in 2006, decided instead to run as an Independent, and won, he gained my respect. But soon after, it was clear he was out for revenge and to prove he has power. He supported the McCain Palin (Republican) ticket in 2008, turning his back on millions of constituents who felt otherwise. He did that for himself, not for his constituents. Connecticut is for the most part Democrat and Liberal. And now, aligning with the party of NO to keep healthcare reform from passing, clearly states it is time for this man to go away. Too bad he won’t be up for re-election until 2012, but let’s not forget this. That is why Joe Lieberman is at the top of my DON’T COME BACK list. Let’s see who his true constituents are, as per listing in OpenSecrets.org. His campaign coffers are well-stocked.

Here's who really owns Lieberman

2. Michelle Bachmann - (Repub) Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 6th district. She is like having Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck in a skirt. If any of those two outrage you, she should not be in congress. Unless the people in her district truly feel she represents them, she makes Republicans look like they belong in the psychiatric ward at the county hospital.

Let’s see, as per OpenSecrets.org, who funds her campaign and who owns her real allegiance:

3. Ben Nelson of Nebraska - (Dem) Not because he is a democrat, but because he stood in the way of passing health care reform, and his key issue was a woman’s right to choose.  He should be replaced by a woman Democrat.

As per OpenSecrets.org, let’s see where is his real allegiance. This guy has gotten quite a bit of money from the Insurance and healthcare lobby. Objecting on the base of abortion was just a decoy to derail Healthcare reform. Here is the real reason:

Look at all the money that the insurance, healthcare & lobbying interests in Nelson's pocket

4. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – (Repub) – Senate minority leader – Because he leads the party of No down a path of destruction. He comes across as a sore loser who because is now in the senate minority, will resort to any tactics to prevent important legislation from moving forward.  Let’s look at who does Mitch McConnell really represent. As of 12 noon, today, Saturday 12/19/09,  he went on CNN to state how outraged he is about possibility of the passage of the Healthcare bill. My question is, when you were in charge, what did you do to help Americans in this area? He has promised to pull every stop to keep this bill from passing. Everyone who supports healthcare reform, remember his outrage when he’s up for re-election in 2010, which by the way, his campaign seems to be well-funded.  Take a look, as reported by Open Secrets.org:

McConnell states he's outraged over the passing of Healthcare. We should be outraged at his financial alignments.

5. Eric Cantor - (Rep) Virginia – He also is part of the leadership of the party of No, aligning with the rude and negative attitudes and speeches coming from the Republican leadership. Again, do I ask, does he really represent the people of Virginia?

Here are some of the sources of his financial support, as per OpenSecrets.org. By the way, he’s up for re-election in 2010. Same as Boehner & McConnell!

Money from Cantor's constitutents make less than 50% of his funds and rank bottom

As more names come up, I will be updating this post. Feel free to add your comments, suggest names, and why. Share with the world why these people in the United States legislative branch need not to apply again.

On a last note:

There is a Republican list of Democrat members of congress whom they are targetting. I will address this list next. It’s actually a thorough and good list. Since I am an Independent with no party affiliation, I will take a look at it and post my feedback here.

More to come….

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