More evidence of our deterioration… totally ridiculous.

As goes Israel, so goes the World... on May 17, 2013 at 12:38 pm

Shared prosperity? WTF does that mean, we just send them money because we’re guilty imperialists? Boy it’s a good thing none of THESE people are getting furloughed. Because they are OBVIOUSLy too critical to our nation’s security. And something tells me this wasn’t just ONE ambassador coming up with this Cecil B. De “Nil” of video spoofs (featuring a cast of DOZENS!). This was probably a ROOM full of stupid State Dept people who started with something like “hey, don’t you think Andrea in the visa section kind of looks like that guy Psy from the Gangam Style videos? Wouldn’t it be funny to do something with her like that?” And the rest, as they say, is internet infamy. I don’t speak much Spanish so I don’t get the deal with the guy dressed as a horse and the little old lady. And is it my imagination or are there only SOME people in the groupe dances that are totally into it, and the rest are hoping their families back home don’t see it? It makes me want to find that clip of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack when he says “Hoo, the Dance of the Living Dead!” I can only imagine what the Marine Security Guards thought of this while it was being filmed. File this under “Your tax dollars at work”

Sean M on May 17, 2013 at 12:40 pm

This is a joke, a parody of a parody, right?

Celestial Time on May 17, 2013 at 12:42 pm

Is that what your embassies are doing?

If they were Canadian, the taxpayers would be furious.

I didn’t even bother watching that video because that song give me a frackin’ headache. (or a TIA – what’s the diff)

It could’ve been much, much, much worse: they could’ve been doing the “Harlem Shake”. (Google/YouTube it and regret it, if you dare. Or you can just click this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0tPD2K7pBQ)

The Reverend Jacques on May 17, 2013 at 1:00 pm

Just when you thought those in our own government makes us all look even more like morons……They actually get paid to be this lame?

Rudemeister on May 17, 2013 at 1:11 pm

You know, when I woke up this morning, I was thinking that we needed more Costa Ricans in America … ’cause dey an Obama be my peeps!

Pray Hard on May 17, 2013 at 1:13 pm

Last I heard, companies were fighting to drastically increase H-1B visas, and there are people using lotteries to get other kinds. Why are we *advertising* to get more visa seekers?

Also, the irony of them using PSY as a promotional tool — the man who rapped “Death to the American soldiers, death and burning to their wives and children.” Then he goes to the White House (correspondents’ dinner) and has his stupid dance used as a promotional tool. Then again, there are probably more people who share his views in the State Department than who are turned off by him.

Faye on May 17, 2013 at 1:39 pm

Debbie, I simply can’t bring myself to watch the video. Yours and Sean M’s descriptions were apt enough. As for “Gangnam” and “Harlem Shake,” I’ve only read about them. That’s because it’s IMPOSSIBLE to avoid, as these things appear as headlines on “news” web sites.

The Telepromter-In-Chief can put me on his list, because I am sitting here as one of those bitterly clinging to my machetes and my Bible, knowing that surely the end of the age is near.
This latest column of yours for sure is further evidence to me at least, that we are definitely in the prelude to The Great Tribulation.

All discipline and dignity has been forsaken, all is lost. Tomorrow the former United States of America will fall, and the entire world will be plunged in to darkness. The Day after that, Jesus will return, and thankfully, at long last, all such depravity outlined in Debbie’s blogs will cease forever. But in the meantime, I urge all here to prepare yourselves for the worst time of misery in the entire history of the human race.

Take heart, because Satan cannot win, his precepts cannot stand, because it is a house of cards, and they are all Jokers. But prepare, because until the Day breaks, only darkness is ahead, and it will make any darkness that has come before seem like light.

Debbie, don’t ever stop pointing up the depraved, dishonorable and disgusting, because you are educating us. And forewarned is forearmed, something we all need to be.

Jesus can’t come soon enough for me. I’ve been sick of our culture for at least a decade. God bless Debbie, God help us all.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on May 17, 2013 at 1:47 pm

Sean, the horse is supposed to be a coyote. You know, the venerable person Mexicans sing fancy ballads to for heroicly leading them into the land of the free milk and honey. Just be glad that you don’t understand Spanish, because, if you did, it would probably chap your backside as much as it did mine. You were right on one thing, though – these people should not have to worry about being furloughed. They are WAY more important than the “migra” whom they mocked in this horrid video. And to think that just a few weeks ago when the “migra” was facing a forty percent reduction in pay through loss of AUO, and furloughs, these fine people from DoS were pissing this money away to entice Costa Ricans to obtain a virtually guranteed opportunity for a visa and a chance to avoid the evil “migra”. Since ICE, or HSI, or whatever gay name they’re using this week has been neutered State didn’t have to warn the Costa Ricans to even worry themselves of them in the video. Too many people working to subvert the immigration laws here; I’m not sure why they’re even trying to redact the INA in Congress, unless somebody has totally hedged their bets

nadie on May 17, 2013 at 1:54 pm

Isn’t Costa Rica one of the preferred destinations of American retirees?

They must be trying to depopulate Costa Rica to make room for more yanks…j/k

And in other news the WH has announced ANOTHER concert to be held in the east room later this month.

ebayer on May 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm

What is the goal, to have 1 billion people in the US and then stop? Or to keep going to 2 billion? Is there any plan whatsoever, or is to just see how many people we can cram in here?? Don’t they know the Colorado river is almost dried up? That there are bigger and bigger algae blooms in the Gulf every summer now? These people are CRAZY.

David Lanham on May 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm

7 billion, Mr. Lanham, all the world’s people. When I used to ask that question of the folks on “the other side,” I would get shrugged shoulders, and no real cogent response. As for Costa Rica, yes, a favorite of American retirees. It seems that Costa Rica presents a cornucopia of attractions for disenchanted Americans. My cousin the horse farmer, who lives out on the entrance to the gate of the farm here, almost wound up there. He still talks of living there after he finishes building his plans here. He may then leave a nephew in charge and go live there, returning to check on things from time to time.

What a shame, that one’s own country of origin, especially our beautiful Isle of Enchantment, seems so odious to those who thought they’d spend their entire lives here. The phrase Isle of Enchantment has become a standing joke down here, and young Puerto Ricans leave for Texas, Ohio, Florida and other parts as soon as they get their degrees. I have often referred to Puerto Rico as a very interesting mix of 21st Century America and Third World Dysfunctionality.

Sadly, it is that last part, much like mainland U.S., which is engulfing that which was wonderful.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on May 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

Good thing all the smart peeps with degrees are in charge of the rest of us.
I couldn’t help notice they didn’t show any large mobs of “youths” kicking the stuffing out of stupid libs trying to spend money in the hoods. Whoop, whoop!

samurai on May 17, 2013 at 2:16 pm

If we’re going to do this kind of stuff, let’s make these countries American states and shut down our embassies. We’ll save money on fake promotions and these countries will thrive off our generosity, at least most of them would be happy with it. There would no need to issue them visas to move here. Hey, it works with Puerto Rico! And it should work with the rest of the world.

NormanF on May 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

You’re not too familiar with the actual life of Puerto Ricans here on the island, NormanF. Not looking to contend with you for contentions sake, and this is not the forum to get in to a large scale discussion/argument, but you are making broad assumptions based on a one-sided U.S. media slanted view of things down here. Come down, live here for a couple weeks, make the rounds, talk to people, or listen to Radio NotiUno on the internet, if you speak Spanish. Life is no bed of roses for the average citizen, especially those of us who don’t want government handouts, and are willing to be industrious. The same cultural decay that plagues the states, and all for the same reasons, exists here.

In case you didn’t know it, the latest plebiscite went in favor of statehood, but the administration blocked it (not so fast down there!!!), and now we are mired in bureaucratic bullshit. As well, the old folks here are of a vastly different view and set of values than the young. The young are much to our chagrin, content to give the finger to the U.S on the one hand, and yet beckon gimme, gimme, gimme for the welfare state dollars on the other. We abhor that, and are continually strangled by the constant tug of war between political parties and factions here, much like up there.

We are also beset with imported from the U.S. left wing style politics, which aid greatly in the strangulation of true progress. Many of the same left wing types who thwart viable solutions actually come from up there to deliberately muck things up here, and leave us hanging in the wind.

Come on down, Norman, just a two week vacation will help convince you that things are not as simple as you make them out to be. I will be glad to meet with you and help you along in that process, introduce you to people who can help in that education. As well, I will be glad to supply you with as much of whatever is in season from my farm as I can muster. Unfortunately, I am as yet unable to host people here in my home until some more money is spent on household necessities. Otherwise, I would also offer you a place to stay.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on May 17, 2013 at 3:10 pm

Mexico, Porto Rico, Cuba, South America, it is all the same
S!@T

AR on May 17, 2013 at 3:58 pm

They will stop at nothing to continue to destroy what was once a great nation. Rome continues to burn and all of these dumb-ass government workers, with the aid of the politicians, just throw gas on the fire. Little do these quislings realize it that their job will be in jeopardy once the sham of legalizing 50 million illegals comes to fruition. They will never stop illegal or legal immigration.

This whole notion of social engineering, to eliminate the Anglo-Saxon heterosexual man, with Judeo Christian values, is appalling. This country has surpassed China and India in terms of population growth. California’s population alone had increased 330,000 in ’12. There is no end in sight. They do not want to end the sham of political asylum, terrorist student visas, tourist visas, anchor babies, or any other legal means where virtually no one is ever denied.

You also never hear about how almost every group that comes here, also hates Americans–blacks, Asians, Indians, Mexicans, and on and on and on….

AR on May 17, 2013 at 4:14 pm

Is it just me or is the fact that they filmed this video in direct opposition to standard U.S. embassy security protocol? You’re not even allowed to bring a cell phone or laptop into the secure areas of a U.S. Embassy, it even says so all over their website. This video showed interior and exterior of a secure area. I’ve worked in secure supposibly “Sterile” areas of Govt facilities, and it was always very clear that the No Photography signs did not just apply to visitors.

MarySJ on May 17, 2013 at 4:31 pm

what you say?

pcells on May 17, 2013 at 4:42 pm

Looks like they had fun making the video but destroying the country is serious business.

pcells on May 17, 2013 at 4:44 pm

If we admit any more states, they should be states that do not sponge off the taxpayers.

Little Al on May 17, 2013 at 5:08 pm

Sweet Babbling Buddha … the State Department has lost its motherfarking mind …

Jack on May 17, 2013 at 5:56 pm

How come our ambassadors don’t encourage educated (i.e., scientists) white Europeans to come to this country?

Jonathan E. Grant on May 17, 2013 at 5:58 pm

Well, I thought Only costarrican public employes where wasting public money. By the way, Chinese diplomatics are very professional here in CR

Fabio on May 17, 2013 at 7:34 pm

The libs get more votes,
the capitalists get cheaper labor,
and Americans get screwed.
Yeah…same old story.

theShadow on May 17, 2013 at 8:54 pm

correction: the libs get more VOTERS. After all, the Dem party is the preferred party of minorities,
…like the KKK for instance.

theShadow on May 17, 2013 at 9:04 pm

I’m going to take a chance that since this thread seems to have run its course, a teeny, tiny education may be in order of what the situation in Puerto Rico really is. It’s nowhere near a bed of roses. If Debbie wants to smack me for threadjacking, I’ll sit here and take it like a man. The reason I am taking this approach is because this web site does not have a personal messaging feature, otherwise I would have sent this to NormanF off-site.

I do not do social networking, and if we had a way to give out e-mail addresses confidentially, I would have done that. I’m not interested in and have no use for Fuckbook, MyFace, Your Thighs, My Fries or any of that other crap, which I believe it mostly is. I understand that some actually have a professional need for these web sites.

(i) Puerto Ricans obtained U.S. citizenship in 1918, but still CANNOT VOTE IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL elections. A primary vote during the presidential campaign is held to ‘take the temperature’ of Puerto Ricans. NO voting allowed, but Puerto Ricans can AND HAVE been DRAFTED since WWII. NormanF, c’mon down and meet all the WWII and Vietnam vets that live within spitting distance of me. Try that “privileged elite” remark on them.;

(ii) Agent Orange was TESTED ALL OVER PUERTO RICO, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE ON THIS FARM, prior to its use in Vietnam. When my grandmother went to a government office to inquire as to why all the trees suddenly turned a sick looking yellowish color, she was brushed off, and sent home.;

(iii) Ever hear of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques? Yes, Puerto Rico is really four islands, one uninhabited. I know that a lout like Al Sharpton is the one who brought the U.S. military presence and testing on Vieques to the fore, and I despise him, but the thrust of the effort was just. Know what the cancer rate is on Vieques, where Puerto Ricans do and have always lived? Higher than Keith Richards EVER was.;

(iv) The “welfare” that Puerto Ricans receive is nothing like what is doled out on the mainland. Food stamp allotments are less than half, and there is no such thing as a welfare check. There are specifics, like Section 8 and baby tax return credits, to be sure. A lot of people here get things paid for, their lack of a work ethic is a shame, and the subject of much discussion, especially among us old folks. But guess what, and y’all kin look dis one up. PR is the FIFTH largest consumer of U.S. goods, so in reality Puerto Ricans are already more than paying for themselves. When we buy Dutch cheese, Italian pasta or Japanese cars, it all came from the U.S. Truly free trade isn’t allowed, even though we’re called The Free Associated State of Puerto Rico.;

(v) U.S. pharmaceutical companies have had free reign here for decades. Know what they’ve spawned? Monkeys. Think it’s funny? Look it up. In several decades, there have been numerous incidents of diseased monkeys used for medical experiments who all somehow mysteriously escaped. They have multiplied tremendously, populated the entire island to the point where the government has thrown its hands up in defeat, claiming it no longer has the resources or finances to control the menace. In the meantime, these monkeys are a threat to livestock and changed farming practices in some parts of PR. It’s our problem now, and yes, I’ve seen them, including one huge male right here on this farm. Gangs of them have been seen by others on the farm and surrounding areas, DISEASED monkeys, some of which have mutated far beyond the size of the ancestors they were bred from.;

(vi) We have a water and electrical AUTHORITY, no free market here for either service, state controlled. And we do not get running water or electricity 24-7-365. Mother’s Day is a giant deal here, and while I don’t care for such holidays, they do down here. Mother’s Day is treated like Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and January 6th (Three Kings Day). The night before Mother’s Day, people were calling Radio NotiUno, hoping that someone in authority was listening, because there was no electricity in certain parts of PR, and it was disrupting Mother’s Day plans, including the Thanksgiving style meals that people prepare every year on that day. Water and electrical service go out as a matter of course, at any given time. It could last for a minute, hour, day or even a week. Who do you complain to when it’s government run, and believe me, there’s plenty of outcry. Puerto Ricans are plenty involved.;

(vii) Regarding the point above, there is a project down here that is referred to as Gasoducto. Currently, we have our electricity provided by plants that burn petroleum purchased at premium prices. Electric bills here are sky high, but when the bill comes, the breakdown reveals at least two thirds of it was for petroleum purchases. Gasoducto was a natural gas pipeline project which would have changed the way electricity is produced, and made it much cheaper. Know why Gasoducto wasn’t built? Because environmentalist leftists from the mainland U.S. put up a huge protest and politicians and business leaders down here with NO BALLS chose not to fight them. That’s rather simplistic, but a big part of what went down.

(viii) The only thing which even remotely smacks of a “privileged elite” status is that because of the U.S. umbrella, we have not been taken over by a South American dictatorship. Other than that, we are CAPTIVE CONSUMERS.

Anyone who thinks they know anything about Puerto Rico, put that “privileged elite” bullet back in your gun and educate yourself. As for me, I’m a newbie, having only just begun transitioning my life down here when my father died three years ago. I currently live here eight months a year, returning to NYC where I was born, raised and lived most of my life, for work and chiropractic visits. I learn fast though, and I assure you all, what I’ve said here is only the tip of the iceberg.

Debbie, sorry again, but I explained my reasons for doing so at the start of my post. I know it may not be much of an excuse, but I had no other way to get my point across. I thoroughly enjoy this web site, seem to be in accord with most of the people here, but I also see certain generalizations that should not always be made. NormanF, nothing personal, and you seem to be one of the best folks here. I’m not emotional here, just pointing out a few things, and I meant what I said that if I had accommodations, I’d host you for a visit.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on May 17, 2013 at 10:21 pm

Alfredo,
I was not really paying much attention to your posts since the original topic that caught my eye interests me more. But since you’ve wandered so far off the path, I thought that I might share my memories from the land of the deceased Taino indian. My introduction to Puerto Rico came in the back of a taxi cab driving more than 90 miles per hour and darting into the emergency lane on the right of the road as if it were a normal lane of traffic. After escaping death on the freeway, I got to see a poor man’s car-radio being stolen from his wrecked car while paramedics tried to save his life as the onlookers cheered on the thief (he held up the radio while everyone who was stuck in a traffic jam caused by the wreck yelled and whistled in admiration of the thief, not the paramedics).
I like Puerto Rico even though boricuas seem to not like sailors. In fact, Los macheteros murdered serveral of my shipmates over the years and injured many more. I just thought that I’d add my perspective to your history lesson. Especially since talking about immigration to the U.S.A. is so passe. Comprehensive immigration reforn is a fait accompli as proven here on Debbie’s site many times before. I sure miss all those weasels from HSI stopping in to bloviate.

nadie on May 17, 2013 at 11:12 pm

I expect nobody here is taking Puerto Rico by Costa Rica, Would be a tipical fool gringo stupidity

Fabio on May 18, 2013 at 1:01 am

So another crappy video paid for with US tax dollars, kinda like the star trek rip off exposed just a few months ago. I wonder, do these videos cost less than the thousands of copies of obama’s biography they have been buying to give out as gifts at these embassies?

ender on May 18, 2013 at 2:14 am

I get a little tired of reading about how I can’t understand this or that because I’m not: gay, Black, a woman, Puerto Rican, Muslim, etc. etc.

Little Al on May 18, 2013 at 7:30 am

Hey, it’s party time in Obama’s politburo – government clerks and bureaucrats need to blow off some steam once in a while.

DS_ROCKS! on May 18, 2013 at 3:01 pm

God knows they’ve got the education for it …

Pray Hard on May 18, 2013 at 5:29 pm

Brings new dimensions to the term PSY-OP.

;\}

Nigel Waddington on May 18, 2013 at 8:15 pm

To paraphrase another SNL sketch, “Debbie, you ignorant slut!” As is obvious from your complete disconnection from factual reality and your comment section’s “BARF” inducing antebellum style calls for more white people in the USA, you are a desperate, damaged woman! Perhaps we should return to the era your blog invokes so you could be properly muzzled while you bring me my after-work cocktail.

Of COURSE mutual economic prosperity, environmental security, and advancement of our export-driven relationship are in our interests you bimbo! What is WRONG with you? Of COURSE we should encourage tourism to the USA… tourists spend MONEY, which supports our economy you racist MORON! You don’t argue against a policy because of the people who violate the law, that’s like arguing that no one should drive because drunk drivers kill people. Most Costa Ricans aren’t drunks you dumb bitch!

Thank you. PS I hope you enjoyed my intentional use of ad hominem attacks in emulation of your right-wing radical base.

Integritous on June 1, 2013 at 10:26 am