CARLOS SANTANA IS PLAYING A CONCERT IN ISRAEL (7/30/16)

Hey!  Thank you, Carlos!  Glad to see you made it back to Israel.

Israel is a good place for popular music.  In fact, Israel is one of the few countries in the region that will let a guy like you put on a large public rock concert.  There are some people who have a problem with that inconvenient fact.  I'm glad you got a handle on it all.

I've long said: the only popular music entertainers who need fear the BDS movement are the second and third stringers.  Anyone with a real fan following ignores BDS pressure because it doesn't have anything to do with the music people like or dislike. A concert is performed.  People have a good time.  Life moves on.  The musicians move on to the next venue. 

Your passion is music.  Put your shoulder into it and ignore things that have nothing to do with playing a guitar.  It's nice to know music comes first.  I appreciate your performing in Israel. 

Sincerely,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)

I still like Ted Cruz

Dear Sen. Cruz:

I liked your speech at the 2016 RNC.  You did good.

I took some time to consider who did NOT speak at the 2016 RNC:

Former President George H.W. Bush
Former President George W. Bush
Former Vice President Richard Cheney
Former Vice President Dan Quayle
Former Sec. of State Jim Baker
Former Sec. of State Colin Powell
Former Sec. of State Condoleza Rice
Former Gov. Jeb Bush
Sen. John McCain
Former Gov. Mitt Romney

You had the courage to speak.  You had the courage to re-state your values.  You had the courage to support Republican values without endorsing the nominee.  That's what conventions used to be like.

There are times to confront.  There are times to rally.  I would have liked you to have rallied a little more and support the nominee for President.  You didn't.  When asked why you didn't endorse Donald Trump, you gave a straightforward answer.  I respect that.

There are times when we all feel a bit lonely.  Winston Churchill certainly had those moments.  Abraham Lincoln definitely had those moments. 

Time and time again, our nation's leaders show themselves to be shameless.  They have no principles.  They refuse to fight for anyone; not even their own family.  Often times, they fail to fight even for themselves like a certain Democratic Candidate did tonight when after all the harsh talk of the primaries, he prostrated himself before  Hillary Clinton.  (What a surprise!  Eh?)

After debating against Hillary Rodham against her gun control policy proposals, this Democratic Candidate for President told the entire nation tonight that he trusts Hillary Rodham to nominate Supreme Court Justices that will uphold our civil liberties.  On CSPAN, the cameras quickly focused on Sen. Charles Schumer of New York standing and cheering loudly in response to the remark. 

Are we to really believe that this senile old man was REALLY against the "billionaire class"?

I know there are a lot of terrible compromises a political leader has to make in the course of working the job.  As far as I ever witnessed for myself, you stayed true to your values and principles. 

For that I thank you.  And just to pass along a little advice: don't worry too much about all those idiotic "political analysts" who say you're "through".  There's work for you to do no matter what title you hold or endeavor calls you. 

Best Regards,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)