Losing America

Arizona is shining a spotlight on our souls as Americans.  The immigration debate is healthy, Arizona's law a tragedy.  We stand at the precipice of principles.

Immigration is the foundation of this country. As every school child knows, the Pilgrims arrived on this land to escape persecution. Throughout the following centuries, an eclectic mix of peoples set foot upon America from every corner of the planet, for myriad reasons. Yet, there has been one constant over the last almost 400 years that defines our country.  America is the land of opportunity, be it for economic, religious, or social motives.  We owe our lives to the tenet inscribed long ago on the Statue of Liberty.

America has a unique place in human history. Only something so powerful as equality, freedom and opportunity can draw a man here. Starvation, insecurity, or a wretched economy are factors that drive a man from his home. Both have combined for centuries to make America the shining beacon upon a hill.

Today, 70% of Arizona supports a law which gives police the right to determine a person’s immigration status. It is understandable why it passed. For years Arizona has had to deal with an influx of immigrants for which its economy, schools and hospitals cannot cope. It is not fair that those here legally, residents and citizens alike, must pay higher costs and taxes to cover illegal immigrants. Also, there have been crimes attributed to those here illegally. The Arizona/Mexico border is a porous transit point for drugs, guns and coyotes. The Federal Government tried building a fence that did not help.  Then, Arizona took the matter of illegal immigration into its own hands.

We know there is a problem with illegal immigration that is not limited to Arizona. California and Texas face similar challenges.  Surely, in other areas such as New York City, Atlanta, and Boston, social services are stressed as well due to illegal immigrants. But, there seems to be no backlash nor any pending law allowing local police to determine one’s immigration status based solely on looks and an officer’s impression.

There are murders, rapes and robberies committed in this country every day. Some acts are committed by Blacks, some by Whites, some by Asians, some by illegal immigrants. We do not lower the crime rate by asking every Black man to prove they did not committ a crime.  We will not lower the risk of terrorism if we ask each Arab to prove their innocence.  Is it acceptable, therefore, to ask someone for documentation proving residency, so as to limit the crime of illegal immigration? 

As America dives deeper into this polarizing debate, we cannot lose sight of our principles. If we were disgusted by the Nazis in Germany forcing Jews to carry identification; if we are shamed by how we rounded up the Japanese and forced them into our own concentration camps; if we love America and all that she stands for, then remember what the Statue of Liberty has been telling the world for 125 years:

“Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

America is not about presuming guilt; it is not about ignoring due process; it is not about associating color and ethnicity with a crime; it is not about repeating the mistakes of our past. America is about hope, opportunity, equality and the rule of law.  Arizona’s law is inconsistent with America and it is not the solution to illegal immigration. It pushes us over the precipice and we will plummet to a future without our principles.  E Pluribus Unum.

You Can't Keep Hiding in the Closet

Not all of America went gaga over the Revolution of 2009. The swearing in of a mixed race President was groundbreaking. Yet, his Socialist tendencies, the crux of this reform, were met with general ignorance typical of so many Americans. In some corners of the land warning flags went up, as the foreshadowing was ominous.


When early on in his Presidency, Barack Obama smiled and shook hands with Hugo Chavez and received happily the Venezuelan’s gift, no great concern came over America. After all, he had promised in his election campaign that the world would see a new America.  Obama the Quixotic would attempt to repair the purported damage done by his predecessor over his eight year reign as the most powerful man in the world.

That moment of utter glee was truly the most foreboding image for America.  Today, it is difficult to differentiate between Chavez and Obama. Chavez is a declared Socialist who rallies the downtrodden by attacking the well-off with threats, taxes and the government takeover of industries. By increasing the size of his government and making people either reliant on or fearful of his government, Chavez guarantees his power.

President Obama, in the span of one year, has rallied the less fortunate of America to his side under the guise of healthcare. He has given special consideration to unions. Obama has taken over the General Motors, student loans and has made no secret of his desire to strangle the financial sector with greater regulation. He is rapdily growing the breadth and reach of government and the people's reliance on it. This is a powergrab to ensure his party's power.  Barack Obama's villains are those that he defines as rich.  There are known and soon to be known taxes that will continue the choke hold on anyone who makes over $150,000 per year. Obama’s Health and Human Services Secretary has threatened the insurance agencies to not find loopholes in the new law. Just yesterday, Obama warned his critics to lay off.

Hugo Chavez has consistently ignored his country’s constitution.  In passing the healthcare bill and relying on parliamentary procedures, President Obama has disregarded America's Constitution. Nowhere in our Constitution is healthcare mentioned. Every school child learns in civics classes that whatever is not enumerated in the Constitution is left to the states. Constitutional scholars should have a field day with the disregard for freedom of speech, government not being able to force something upon the people which they do not want, unreasonable search and seizure, and giving preferential monetary treatment to any state in the act of regulating commerce. In addition, we have lately seen President Obama approve new laws without the consent of Congress (automobile fuel efficiency, lead paint, ships in ports).

From a distance, President Obama’s blatant ignorance of the Constitution may be taken by some as acceptable for a greater, socialistic good. His passage of these new laws may seem innocuous. But, it is the underlying current driving these changes that is of grave concern. This second American Revolution was not the election of a mixed race President; it was the beginning of the deconstruction of 233 years of the greatest country and society created by man and the quick alignment with one of the world's flagbearer for socialism.

The reality is that Barack Obama’s gaga moment with Hugo Chavez foreshadowed what only a few people screamed about in 2009. The one main difference between the two is that Chavez is an avowed socialist and Obama is a closet socialist. Yet, their actions mirror each other and one cannot deny that today the parallels between the two are uncanny.

Mocking Domestic Violence

When Rhianna was beat up by her boyfriend, it was splashed all over the news. A spotlight was shed once again on the issue of domestic violence. Quickly, the media shut off the light and Rhianna’s problem seemed to have disappeared. But, not completely. It is back and more serious, only it is presented in a different way.

Rhianna has a new album and the cover sure is racy and sexy. In it, she is naked except for barbed wire covering her private parts. The media has come back to her once again yet instead of portraying her as a vicitm, she is called intelligent, daring, sexy. They say she is pushing the envelope and they're in awe.

So today, I looked it up to see what all the hulabaloo was about. Sexy, yes. Racy, absolutely. I can understand all the fuss and know there will be more. Show a pair of breasts to most men and they’ll call the woman anything! Intelligent? Sure, if it helps. But, the reality is that it’s not hard to market a naked woman to men.

Daring? Yes, how dare she. After becoming a media figure for the abuse she took from Chris Brown, Rhianna’s album cover makes a mockery of the seriousness of domestic violence. When a man beats a woman, it stems from insecurity and his needs to feel powerful and in control. The woman is not treated with respect nor as a human, but as an object.

When Rhianna arrogantly exposes her breasts on an album cover, most men will think of one thing. They are not going to study the picture and think of the beauty of a woman’s body, of how it compares to a Van Gogh painting. These men will certainly not consider her intelligence or her potential or her humaness. They will think of one thing: those two objects can satisfy these other needs. Leveraging a well known weakness in men is not that difficult.

With Rhianna’s ability to reach and influence so many people, one has to wonder if she thought this one through. It's not too smart of her. The reality is that there are many men that look at women as objects, not as art, not as equals, not as intelligent humans worthy of respect. This picture reinforces that women can be considred objects.

Recently, Nicole Kidman testified before Congress and stated that Hollywood can be considered at fault for perpetuating violence against women by portraying them as objects. This won't get much air time from the media. They are also at fault, as they are at fault for most of our ills. The media reinforces society's ills, as they have with Rhianna. By confirming that Rhianna is intelligent, daring, and pushing the envelope with this picture is deceitful. They forget her domestic violence while they applaud the picture of Rhianna’s breasts.

Rhianna has lost a great opportunity. Intelligence comes from the inside. The ability to communicate a thought clearly, string together an argument, be unique – that is the basis of intelligence. Rhianna just took a picture of herself, naked, and wrapped in barbed wire. That’s not intelligence; it is a mockery of the seriousness of domestic violence. Her brush with this faded yet in many streets and avenues in the United States, it continues for many other women. Some women in abusive relationships will undoubtedly, and sadly, end up buying Rhianna’s album.

Atticus and Linus

Now I realize that for years I had been peering out windows looking for flying pigs. But, I stopped, forever, as the days of hoping Atticus Finch would run for elected office are over.

I live in a country that I adore but where all politicians are actors, not just Reagan and the Terminator. Actors are also politicians, one is heads, the other tails. There has never been a time where I’ve been in a drug induced haze, legal or other, while hoping that a truly decent man or woman would stand up, in the act of representing the people, and simply lead this country through strength, values, and honor, not lies.

These people exist, if imperfect, in history books. They wrapped me for years in the blanket of idealism. They were called Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln. I have now learned that every Linus has to grow up at some point. This year, it was my turn.

I used to consider myself a Republican because of Ronald Reagan and my Conservative upbringing. Also, I have always worked hard and still today, hate to part with money. I registered as a Republican at 18 and through the years, donated money to the cause. That’s past tense as I can no longer do it in good conscience.

For most of my life, I demonized only democrats. Reality has now sunk in. Whether Democrat or Republican, they are all the same to me. Politicians are hypocrites, devoid of intelligent argument and genetic liars. Take a cue card or script away from them and they become incapable of orating. Values? Scratch the surface just a little and you'll hear the air escape. Honesty? That depends on what your meaning of truth is. Our government is run by the equivalent of baboons in three piece suits.

Why did I leave the Republican Party? Well, you simply cannot on the one hand preach less government and grow government at the same time. How can they scream family values but then run off to Argentina behind a wife’s back? A real moral compass does not lead you to solicit sex in a bathroom. You cannot hold the Bible in one hand while you steal money with the other. How can you say you are pro life but support the death penalty? Is it too much to ask that if you parade freedom and liberty on the campaign trail, you don't limit mine after being elected?

The Democrats are hypocrites and liars just like the Republicans. How can a President be a champion of woman’s rights while treating interns and secretaries like objects for his satisfaction? You have a representative from New York who fights for the poor yet he hides his millions of dollars of assets. Traditional Democratic states have the highest tax rates yet year after year they rank near the bottom as far as giving to charity. The current President says he doesn’t want to bicker, then in the next sentence he takes swipes at his opponents. He runs on a platform of openness yet we have no idea who received our money for the bailouts. I don’t understand if all men are created equal, why do the Democrats therefore demonize those that are rich?

I am no Arlen Specter or Benedict Arnold. I am just Conservative, except of course when expressing my opinions. There is so much to be said about the disenfranchising of Americans with their politicians. There is a growing gulf between those we elect and every day people. It continues to grow even faster than the icecaps are melting.

I know somewhere in this great country, there are Atticus Finch’s that could lead America as it should. But, they are terrible actors.