by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump returned to the White House this morning following a four-day European vacation in which he and his family dined with the British royals at Buckingham Palace, visited the beaches in Normandy, France, for a commemoration of D-Day, and managed to even squeeze in some time at one of his golf properties in Ireland.
Trump had invited Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to meet with him at "Trump International Golf Links and Hotel" near Doonbeg, Ireland, but the prime minister felt that meeting with the American president at one of Trump's own properties would be "unseemly," as well as a free plug for a Trump business. The prime minister suggested meeting at a local castle instead, but the miffed Trump declined on that. The pair ended up holding their mini-summit in an airport lounge.
The Irish prime minister had put a crimp in the Trump family's taxpayer-funded joyride across Europe, and the pettiest president in the history of the United States is certain to eventually get his revenge. Tariff's on Irish whiskey, anyone?
But the trip was not wasted. A local funeral home was paid an exorbitant fee - by U.S. taxpayers - to provide a couple of limousines to cart the Trump family riffraff around Ireland, and Junior and Eric made an appearance in the local pubs - though the pair of privileged pricks apparently failed to pay for any of their drinks on the pub crawl because they don't carry cash. Daddy didn't join them, no doubt preferring instead to stay in his swank hotel and watch cable news while tweeting insults at Bette Midler and threatening Mexico.
But other Americans were on vacations as well, though theirs were not paid for by U.S. taxpayers. A family that I know in the Kansas City area had saved and scrimped for more than a year to visit Cuba aboard an American cruise ship. This past weekend the father and mother (both school teachers) and their three children drove to Miami, Florida, where they stayed in a hotel until their Carnival cruise ship sailed on Monday. Sunday they were joined by the woman's mother and step-father who flew into Miami to accompany them on the trip.
In addition to the normal price of the cruise, they also had to pay a special fee to qualify for the "people-to-people" program which allowed the visit under current U.S. law. All in all, it was a very expensive undertaking.
The family wanted to give their children an adventure that they would always remember - the opportunity to see Cuba and experience the sights and sounds - and antique cars - of Old Havana. It was going to be a trip of a lifetime.
Sometime Tuesday the Trump administration announced that it was ending the "people-to-people" excursions to Cuba via cruise ships. The initial announcement indicated that those who already had their travel plans in-hand would be "grandfathered-in" and allowed to complete their trips. But on Wednesday morning, the day the ship carrying my friends was scheduled to dock in Havana, each guest awakened to a notice slipped under their cabin doors which stated the Cuba experience had been cancelled and the ship was instead headed to the Mexican tourist hellhole of Cozumel. A one hundred dollar refund (or credit) was being issued for the inconvenience.
The Trump administration, through Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, justified the sudden change in policy as a way of tightening down on U.S. dollars flowing into Cuba and ultimately helping the Cuban military. That, like most of what emanates form the Trump White House, is pure horseshit. The Cuban people have had a rough existence, thanks in large part to half a century of embargoes from the United States, and the influx of tourist dollars onto the island over the last few years has done much to strengthen their economy and relations between the two countries.
The truth of the matter is this: President Obama opened access to Cuba and the Cuban markets while he was in office, and in the spring of 2016 he and his family even went to Cuba on a visit which helped to normalize relations between the Cuban people and U.S. citizens. Throughout Trump's erratic presidency, one of his constants has been to undo all of the good that the Obama administration accomplished - and this week he directed his petulance toward cruise ships, American families, and the people of Cuba.
Trump's pettiness wrecked an American family's vacation - and undoubtedly the planned vacations of thousands of others as well - all so he could feel a bit of unearned superiority over Barack Obama.
But Trump's own vacation was great - and it didn't cost him a dime - and he even made money off of it by renting rooms in his Irish hotel to secret service agents and White House staff.
Thanks, suckers!
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump returned to the White House this morning following a four-day European vacation in which he and his family dined with the British royals at Buckingham Palace, visited the beaches in Normandy, France, for a commemoration of D-Day, and managed to even squeeze in some time at one of his golf properties in Ireland.
Trump had invited Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to meet with him at "Trump International Golf Links and Hotel" near Doonbeg, Ireland, but the prime minister felt that meeting with the American president at one of Trump's own properties would be "unseemly," as well as a free plug for a Trump business. The prime minister suggested meeting at a local castle instead, but the miffed Trump declined on that. The pair ended up holding their mini-summit in an airport lounge.
The Irish prime minister had put a crimp in the Trump family's taxpayer-funded joyride across Europe, and the pettiest president in the history of the United States is certain to eventually get his revenge. Tariff's on Irish whiskey, anyone?
But the trip was not wasted. A local funeral home was paid an exorbitant fee - by U.S. taxpayers - to provide a couple of limousines to cart the Trump family riffraff around Ireland, and Junior and Eric made an appearance in the local pubs - though the pair of privileged pricks apparently failed to pay for any of their drinks on the pub crawl because they don't carry cash. Daddy didn't join them, no doubt preferring instead to stay in his swank hotel and watch cable news while tweeting insults at Bette Midler and threatening Mexico.
But other Americans were on vacations as well, though theirs were not paid for by U.S. taxpayers. A family that I know in the Kansas City area had saved and scrimped for more than a year to visit Cuba aboard an American cruise ship. This past weekend the father and mother (both school teachers) and their three children drove to Miami, Florida, where they stayed in a hotel until their Carnival cruise ship sailed on Monday. Sunday they were joined by the woman's mother and step-father who flew into Miami to accompany them on the trip.
In addition to the normal price of the cruise, they also had to pay a special fee to qualify for the "people-to-people" program which allowed the visit under current U.S. law. All in all, it was a very expensive undertaking.
The family wanted to give their children an adventure that they would always remember - the opportunity to see Cuba and experience the sights and sounds - and antique cars - of Old Havana. It was going to be a trip of a lifetime.
Sometime Tuesday the Trump administration announced that it was ending the "people-to-people" excursions to Cuba via cruise ships. The initial announcement indicated that those who already had their travel plans in-hand would be "grandfathered-in" and allowed to complete their trips. But on Wednesday morning, the day the ship carrying my friends was scheduled to dock in Havana, each guest awakened to a notice slipped under their cabin doors which stated the Cuba experience had been cancelled and the ship was instead headed to the Mexican tourist hellhole of Cozumel. A one hundred dollar refund (or credit) was being issued for the inconvenience.
The Trump administration, through Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, justified the sudden change in policy as a way of tightening down on U.S. dollars flowing into Cuba and ultimately helping the Cuban military. That, like most of what emanates form the Trump White House, is pure horseshit. The Cuban people have had a rough existence, thanks in large part to half a century of embargoes from the United States, and the influx of tourist dollars onto the island over the last few years has done much to strengthen their economy and relations between the two countries.
The truth of the matter is this: President Obama opened access to Cuba and the Cuban markets while he was in office, and in the spring of 2016 he and his family even went to Cuba on a visit which helped to normalize relations between the Cuban people and U.S. citizens. Throughout Trump's erratic presidency, one of his constants has been to undo all of the good that the Obama administration accomplished - and this week he directed his petulance toward cruise ships, American families, and the people of Cuba.
Trump's pettiness wrecked an American family's vacation - and undoubtedly the planned vacations of thousands of others as well - all so he could feel a bit of unearned superiority over Barack Obama.
But Trump's own vacation was great - and it didn't cost him a dime - and he even made money off of it by renting rooms in his Irish hotel to secret service agents and White House staff.
Thanks, suckers!
1 comment:
I am thinking that those who fork over $99.95 for Redbreast 15 Year Irish Whiskey in the 750 ml bottle won't be hurt by tariffs. Beer drinkers would be more displeased if there was a tariff on beers brewed and bottled in Mexico. But I am sure the governing brain trust thinks we gringos don't drink Mexican beer and so it only hurts the ones they hate. (For $10.00 you can get the whiskey gift wrapped!)
Havana certainly is a different destination than Cozumel. While the change in itinerary may not offend tourists seeking thrills. Those traveling to learn more about Cuba and those with family on that island were short changed.
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