The Day Luis Tiant Met Fidel Castro - (As Told To Romans At The Legends Of The Diamond)

Fidel Castro's death brought back a memory that I will never forget that occurred at a local fundraiser. I learned personally about the oppression of Cubans from  the Yankee  great Luis Tiant. He was a guest of the Legends of The Diamond. (For those who do not know, Rome hosts the Legends Of The Diamonds Dinner each year for a former Yankee Great that benefits the Lions and Kiwanis Club)

At the event, Tiant was asked questions about his career. Most questions were about being a Yankee. Then, Rome's very own Greg Mattacola asked a great question, "What was it like growing up under Castro's influence as Castro was from Cuba." Tiant would  share a story of Fidel Castro that I will never forget about the oppression that existed during Castro's reign.

He shared a story similar to a New York Times article as follows: “Cuba was the country with the most Latin American players in the majors until the regime took over and set everything back,” Tiant said. “It’s incredible, all those players that were unable to succeed, so many good ones. When I played, when I left, there were 50 or 60 players as good as me or better than me. And they could never get out. They all stayed there.

“That’s a hard thing, because everyone in life must have an opportunity to be someone, to be able to do what you love, what you dreamed of as a child,” he continued. “That should not be taken away from anyone. That is what happened: They took away the freedom, the happiness, the dreams that one had as a boy, all you wanted to be and never could.”

At the time Castro took over power of Cuba, Tiant was in Mexico playing baseball professionally. Playing in Mexico gave him a better shot at coming to play professionally in the states. However, that did not stop Castro from trying to stop him. He told us about one night, when Castro personally visited his parents and gave them an offer. He told them their son can play baseball for Cuba, or he could play baseball for the United States. However, if he plays for the United States, they would never see their boy again. He was 17 years old at the time. His parents wanted their son to have the opportunity to escape oppression, and reap the benefits of his talents. They told Luis to go and play professionally in the states. This decision would cost Tiant personally. Tiant very rarely saw his parents. In fact, he saw them in 1968 in Mexico City and in 1975 through an arrangement with the U.S and Cuba. His last time with his parents was in 2007.

Tiant's story was a great example of the oppression that existed in Cuba during Castro's tenure. A story he shared with the great people of Rome. Children with their dads learning about living history. An experience this writer will never forget.

The Curious World Of Donald Trump and Income Inequality

Okay, take a deep breathe and open your mind to a new reality. Donald Trump may do more for income inequality than his predecessors. (Everyone Okay?) I recently read his first 100 day plan, and if he terminates the trans-pacific partnership, he will reverse decades of unfair trade practices. More importantly, he will reverse urban decay, and bring about fair trade policy.

This in my opinion was Trump's strongest card during the elections. He tapped into the Sander's crowd that wanted income equality through fair trade practice. For all his faults, he strongly advocated changing this practice from day one. I know we countered that his ties were made in Mexico, but come on, most textiles have shifted to 3rd world labor. This was a weak counter argument.

Donald Trump knows that the past 30 years of manufacturing decline were due to bad trade practices. We, along with other industrialized countries maximized profits by using cheap third world labor. This also allowed companies to avoid mandates by governing agencies like the EPA. (I spoke about this in my book back in 2006.) He and Bernie Sanders actually agree that global world trade practices have devastated our country, and the rest of the world.

Set your differences aside with Trump and pay particular attention to this issue. If he follows through on this promise, the Democrats and Republicans will have to answer to their empty promises of income inequality over the past 30 years. His plan will work. He believes a livable wage versus minimum wage will be impacted by a fair trade policy. This will raise incomes more than mandate guidelines from the government regarding a minimum wage.

We have been stagnant due to lobbyists handcuffing Washington with bribes on both sides of the aisle. Plant after Plant closing and going overseas. Eyesores in their place in many urban areas. Devastation left behind by the low paying jobs that replaced high paying jobs. It will be interesting to see if this happens, as Trump may make this a battle.

The NBA Leads Again For The Fight For Civil Rights

Read this very carefully. When it comes to quest for civil rights and corporate responsibility, the NBA has led the way. The league is a model of corporate decency that the rest of the United States needs to take notice. Here are some recent examples of how the NBA adheres to a strong policy of equity for all citizens.

The NBA moved the All Star game from Charlotte North Carolina to New Orleans in February 2017. This was in response to North Carolina's law that discriminates against the LGBTQ community. Recently, 3 NBA teams have boycotted the election of Donald Trump by eliminating any connection to Trump business ventures while on the road playing basketball. Gender equity: NBA expanded sports coverage by women broadcasters, refereeing games, and coaching and training opportunities. The NBA also has required stronger disciplinary practices for Domestic Violence. Police violence was also addressed. The NBA has played a pivotal role regarding Social Justice issues.

The recent moves by the NBA continues a policy of social responsibility that no other professional sports organizations have tried to aspire to be. Lost in discussion are the efforts by the owners and the league to fight injustices that exist in our country.

Okay Dems, Time To Learn From Trump.

Trump Trump Trump..... Yes I know you are angry. You should be, but for the right reasons. The best thing Democrats can do now is to acknowledge their mistakes. Rioting and protesting aside, we blew it. We lost our way without even realizing it. Stop blaming "uneducated white males" for the loss. Reflect and listen to what the nation is holding us accountable for during the past 30 years . Here are some thoughts:

Bernie Sanders - He was the Trump of the Democratic Party. People wanted real change this year. We dumped Bernie, which gave us Trump. It is that simple. We did it the old fashion way, Chicago Politics. Almost every primary had accusations of primary fraud. Our DNC chair colluded with the Clintons. It was dirty politics swept under the rug. Even in Bernie's boyhood home in Brooklyn, election fraud was brought to the attention of the State's Attorney General.

Correction Notice: Clean up our primary process to represent our values.

NAFTA - 30 years ago, Democrats rallied against NAFTA and free trade agreements. Today, we just go along with things. Our nation's economy was destroyed by Free Trade. Free Trade has impoverished 2 billion people to 2 dollars a day or less in income. That's not a democratic principle.

Correction: Reject Free Trade. Replace with a policy of Fair Trade.

Healthcare Reform - We had the house and senate 8 years ago similar to the Republicans have today. Yes the Republicans blocked Obamacare's landmark reforms. However, we accepted the blood money of healthcare corporations to go along with it. The House and Senate needs reform. They do not follow the Democratic Platform in regards to legislation. It's okay to filibuster folks!

Correction: Filibuster, Rally, and Be True Legislators in the House and Senate.

Hillary Clinton/Rural Support - She Blew It. Thought she won in a landslide until a week before the election. 260 days without a press conference. Democrats back in the day would campaign in rural and urban areas. In my hometown of Rome NY Donald Trump made an appearance. The first Presidential appearance since JFK. He could not win NYS, but he knew the value of campaigning everywhere. Hillary never even made an appearance in Wisconsin. Trump was laughed at for going into Democratic havens such as Detroit and Chicago. Who is laughing now?

Correction: Never take anything for granted.  Grassroots means just that.

Media Manipulation - When 97% of the media contributes to democrats, that's not good. People picked up on that and it played into Trump's favor. Even Fox News turned on Trump for many months only to play favor in the last few weeks. The Democrats used to be a proponent for fighting against media bias.

Correction: Advocate for Media Reform. Disavow cable news networks with a slant on both sides. Political consultants from campaigns should have a window before becoming journalists to avoid collusion between parties.  

Corruption - We talk the talk, however we sure do not walk the walk. We pay and play just like our counterparts. I understand we have to at times to get elected. However, Democrats over the past 30 years have not energized the movement to have publicly funded elections to take the money out of the system.

Correction: Advocate for Publicly Funded Elections.

The bottom line is Trump is going to address some of these issues and hold Democrats and Republicans accountable for inactiveness. We became a house of cards that needed to crumble on both sides. Just remember one things before you criticize the Republicans. 16 months ago, each party had a rogue candidate. The Republicans let the process work to their credit while the Democrats discredited Bernie. You reap what you sow sometimes. That's the lesson of 2016.

The History Of Water Rights In Rome NY

Water rights are something people take for granted. When we hear the term "water rights", we think of the west coast, whereas water is in short demand. However, water rights is a nationwide issue on many levels. Pollution is the most common problem outside of water shortages. In fact, clean water has been in the news this past year, reminding us that managing water is critical for communities. . The need for clean water is legislated by the Clean Water Act of 1972. Many communities back in the 1970s were in need of repair. Clean water was a problem.

Central New York was not immune from the water rights controversy of the 1970s. A great example of  how clean water impacted it's citizens happened in Rome New York back in the mid 1970s. Rome had the largest Giardiasis outbreak in the nation. Lost in the archives were the details that were documented by scientists. Here is what happened based on reports from the CDC.

Three hundred fifty residents of Rome, New York, had laboratory-confirmed cases of giardiasis between 1 November 1974 and 7 June 1975. A random household survey showed an overall attack rate for giardiasis (defined as a diarrheal illness of 5 days or more) of 10.6%. A significant association was discovered between having giardiasis and using city water and between having illness and drinking 1 or more glasses of water a day. The presence of human settlements in the Rome watershed area suggested that the water supply could have been contaminated by untreated human waste. The infectivity of municipal water was confirmed by producing giardiasis in specific pathogen-free dogs fed sediment samples of raw water obtained from an inlet of a city reservoir. A microscopic examination of the water sediments uncovered a Giardia lamblia cyst in one sample. This was the first time that a G. lamblia cyst has been found in municipal water in an epidemic and the first time that such water has been shown to infect laboratory animals. (source - CDC)

One has to travel back in time to understand what was gong on in the Rome area. Water governance was an issue. The area was transitioning to Water Authorities largely in part due to Federal Legislation by the Clean Water Act of 1972. The outbreak was largely due to failed policies of the past. The outbreak today is a lost part of Rome's history.  The good news is that reform came after the outbreak, and Rome has some one of the best water supplies in the United States.