While Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, it became policy to charge rape victims for the use of rape kits - in essence discouraging victims from stepping forward and reporting crimes - calling into question Palin's judgment on matters of law and order.

How Diplomacy Not Denial Can Make Cuba Our New Saudi Arabia

ePluribus Media ParisNews Bureau

PARIS, FRANCE: Cuban cigars, which can be purchased in Paris but not in Columbus, provides another small but telling sign of what a travesty our foreign policy with the island nation in the Caribbean has been over the last half century and how engaging its new leaders could turn into a win-win situation for both nations.

While living for a time in Miami, Florida during my young years, I soon learned that while Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale were Sunshine State Meccas made possible by retirees from New York and other east coast metro areas, the real rhythm and beat of the new Miami was reflected the culture and movement of Cubans, many of whom had fled the harsh socialist regime of Fidel Castro for the freedom and opportunities that were little more than ninety miles away.

Over the decades since Castro came to power in 1959 when he overthrew yet another dictator, Fulgencio Batista, each US president had worshipped at the anti-Castro alter of the Cuban exiles who have come to dominate the many facets that make Miami the vibrant city it is today.

But now that Fidel is watching the sun set on his life and the style of government that was indistinguishable from his own flamboyant life, a new dawn is rising on an opportunity for America and Cuba to be friends and trading partners again, but this time using an old staple to create a new life and lifestyle for each country.