Immigration, The New World Crisis

Immigration will likely be the paramount issue in the next Presidential Election. It is the rocket that Donald Trump is riding on toward the White House. It is the next chasm growing among Americans.

As Ann Coulter pointed out in her recent article, "When the Third World Attacks", ISIS isn't responsible for most of the bloodshed, carnage, and mayhem that is happening throughout the world. It is the unfettered access of criminals and misfits posing as refugees that has swept along with the flood of immigrants around the world.

Let me be clear that I am not against immigration. My family came to this country from all over northern Europe. By the beginning of the Revolutionary War, all but one of my family lines were already in America. The first, John Huntly, arrived in Massachusetts in the 1650's. Andreas Meffert, my paternal ancestor, arrived in Philadelphia in 1754. All of them were required to pledge allegiance to the King of England, the then current leader of this land. They helped fight the Revolutionary War and founded, what was to become the greatest nation on earth based on the principles of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. These rights were guaranteed by the Rule of Law. The posterity of these early Americans now reside in every State in the Union and are productive citizens.

Immigration was what made this country what it is. People with a strong belief in the Judeo-Christian values of hard work, the rule of law, honesty, integrity, independence, chastity, and fidelity created a nation that was willing to not only protect itself from aggressors, but generously give time, treasure, and lives if need be, to protect other people from aggressors within or without. Others who came later also embraced these standards in their lives and because prosperous and productive.

Now we are faced with the collapse of governments all across Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. These ruling parties are based on greed, corruption, and theft for personal aggrandizement. They achieve these nefarious goals with violence and coercion. Whether it is Cartels in Mexico and Central America, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, the PLO, ISIS in the Middle East, or Boko Haram or other warlords in Africa, the result of their political goals is all the same, the collapse of their economies and the abuse and enslavement of their people. This is the reason for the massive exodus from these countries to Europe and the United States.

Compassion from freedom loving people has tried to take in millions of these homeless refugees, but the sheer number of them is straining the reserves of the host countries. Most of these refugees do not want to come to France, Germany, England or the US because they want to become citizens and live peacefully in Western Civilization, they want to come to get away from the horrors of their homeland and rebuild their lives and culture in the midst of these strange countries. Most of them have no interest or desire to assimilate because their culture abhors the lifestyles and beliefs of the Western civilizations.

There are too many non-Muslims who are demanding bans any Muslims refugees into their countries. This is the continuation of a myth that started with the destruction of the World Trade Center. There is a big difference between Muslims blowing up the Towers and the Towers being destroyed by people who were Muslim.

There are hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees who do not want to annihilate the infidels, they just want a place to raise their families in peace. These travelers need help. And we can and should help. It would be better for their countries to become stable so they could stay there, but presently, that is a very unlikely proposition. There are too many people profiting from the unrest for a peaceful solution to emerge before people starve and freeze this winter.

Here are some suggestions that should be implemented for all refugees, regardless of their religion or country of origin.

1. All immigrants need to be properly vetted before they enter the country.
2. Criminals or political opponents of the host country would be denied entrance.
3. This would require the establishments of refugee camps, preferably in their country of origin.
4. All immigrants would be required to swear allegiance to the country they were entering and disavow the violence and corruption of the country they left.
5. Allegiance would include:
1. Adherence to the Rule of Law and the Constitution.
2. Willingness for their personal or religious convictions to be second to the law of the land.
3. A pledge to obey and uphold the laws of the land.
4. Recognition that any assistance they receive would be temporary and they would be required to become self-sustaining or they could forfeit their stay.
5. Violation would be grounds for immediate return to their country of origin.

These steps are not perfect, but without them, the flood of refugees will drown the culture, resources and good will of the hosts, creating a country just like the one the refugees left.

Paris Bombing photo courtesy of Human Events
World Trade Center photo courtesy of: www.conmilit.com

What Makes America Great?

I am sick and tired of listening to all the negative rhetoric blasting America and Americans for being what they are. Everyone, at home and abroad, has been trying for the last 40 years to make us feel guilty for being born, being independent, for raising the standard of living for the world, in short, for becoming what they all wish they were.

Other countries complain, criticize, and  caterwaul, and yet, if given the chance, they would almost to a person, trade places with us at the drop of a hat.

The problems the world are feeling, stem not from our oppressive foreign policy, (which has had it’s moments of weakness), not from the fact that we have colonized the world and bled resources from defenseless territories, (even though the principle of Manifest Destiny did needlessly trample and destroy many people and places.) No, the real reason for the disdain, is jealousy; unadulterated, green-eyed jealousy.

And so, like adolescent children, instead of trying to beat us at our own game, they belittle, condemn, and conspire to pull us down rather than try to lift themselves up. They tear away at the fabric that make us what we are, never dreaming that if these threads were woven into themselves, they would realize their own dreams.

So, what is it that makes America great? What are the components of our success? Listen as a Son of the Revolution, a product of the culture, explains the spirit of success. 

My family came to America from the Germany to Philadelphia in the 1750’s and fought in the Revolution, the Civil War, and all the wars since. They also moved west from Pennsylvania and settled Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, California, Oregon, and Idaho. But the spirit of success had never been limited to those who crossed the Appalachians or forded the Missouri. It lives in the hearts of the Irish, the English, the Russian, the Poles, the Asians, and Arabs who came to this country searching for opportunity. It is the spirit of responsibility. The responsibility for not only your actions, but more importantly, responsibility for your destiny. It is the force that pushes you out of bed each morning to try again. It is the motivation that compels you to do your best so your family and posterity may benefit.  It is the power that has made and keeps this country great.

We do not believe in the Divine Right of Kings nor the natural right of anyone else to lead. The right to leadership is based on your ability, not your lineage. It explains our passion for winners. We are drawn to those who accomplish although we too often worship those who succeed. We follow our leaders when they lead the direction we are going, and when they deviate, we replace them.

We believe that families are important, that they are the building blocks of any nation. But when families lie, steal, cheat, or expect us to do the same to protect them, it is imperative that the laws of the land are honored.All people, even our family members, must pay the consequences for their unlawful actions or the rule of law dissolves and anarchy ensues.

We make mistakes. But we try to learn from them. At times it seems we learn very slow, but it’s hard to turn 300 million people on a dime. Some changes have taken generations, and others will take several more. But we live in a country of people who not only chose to come here, but few ever choose to leave. We have border patrols to keep people out, not to keep our population in.  How many other countries can say that. Eldrege Cleaver, an outspoken critic and terrorist of the US in the 1960’s, left for twenty years to live abroad among the communistic countries he idolized, but chose to return to the land of his birth and face prison for his mistakes, because incarceration in this free land was better than citizenship in a dictatorship.

The voices of condemnation and dissent, whether at home or abroad, those who espouse Socialism, Communism, Maoism, or any other brand of Totalitarianism, have missed the mark. Those who want government or Big Brother to watch over and take care of us do not understand the nature of our success. The success and continued existence of the United States of America is based on the constant and vigilant maintenance of responsibility for self, for family, for country, and for those in need. Fortunately most of our citizens still harbor this flame of self-reliance as evidenced by the overwhelming outpouring of compassion, labor, and cash that poured into New York from across the country since the World Trade Center Collapse as well as in the aftermath of other recent calamities.

We have our failings, but we are blessed with greater strengths. Our faith in God and in ourselves will continue to preserve and sustain us. We are faced with a deadly, faceless foe bent on our annihilation. They not only want to topple us from our place of leadership in the world, but they want to destroy our way of life, convert us to their theology and enslave us for their prosperity. The threat is not new. It is the same challenge we faced from King George to Bismarck to Hitler to Kruchev. Their goal is to empower themselves by enslaving others. Abraham Lincoln stated, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master”. We as free people, need to reach out, to teach, expound, and exhort others to accept that there is a reason for every man’s condition, but there is no excuse for them to remain that way.

Image courtesy: Joshua Hardin http://www.viewfindermedia.com/images/rockies/slides/rockies77.htm

Immigration: a mutilated concept

There are three basic groups of people that come to America:

1. Those who want to become a part of this country and enjoy the benefits of living here.
2. Those who want to learn and earn as much can they can and take it back to their native land.
3. Those who sneak into the country for one of the first two reasons.

The first group is always welcome here. They are the immigrants that wade through bureaucracy and red tape to eventually earn the right to move here, find work and become productive citizens. They leave a legacy and posterity that are proud to promote the concepts of self-government, private ownership and personal responsibility. I have friends from all over the world, Argentina, Brazil, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mexico and the Philippines to name just a few. They came, worked and realized the American Dream of owning their own home, providing for their families and controlling their own destiny. Some of their descendents have even married my children and are now part of my immigration legacy.

The second group is also welcome. They typically come from underdeveloped countries to attend college and work for 5 to 10 years. Then, when they have mastered their professions, they return to their mother land and bless the lives of countless brothers and sisters with the knowledge they gained. They become pillars in their communities and teach the principles of hard work and self-government.

The third group is creating a lot of controversy today. I know and have worked with many of them and agree with those who say that most of them are a contributing part of our economy and that life would be different with out them. But as true as these statements are, everyone seems to overlook the fact that they have broken laws that were implemented to protect they very people they want to become. I worry when left leaning activists want to grand amnesty or absolution to 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 illegal aliens who broke the law to come here. What part of illegal alien do they not understand? Do these supporters have the same flagrant disregard for law and order?

A recent report cited that 10% of the population of Mexico lives in the United States. These are not Mexicans that have become American Citizens, these are Mexican Citizens that intend to stay and vote for the changes needed to keep them here. This is no different than allowing Guatemala or Argentina to vote on a referendum as to whether or not they can immigrate to this country and not be prosecuted once they do.

I worked with a man who embezzled $150,000 from the small business we work for over a two year period. When he was caught, his father-in-law offered to pay back the entire amount if no charges were pressed. His reasoning was thus: What would be accomplished if the man was sent to prison and his family had no one to support them? The answer is simple: He would learn that actions have consequences, his children would learn that actions have consequences and his next employer would probably not loose hundreds of thousands of dollars. The father-in-law could use that same $150,000 to support his daughter’s family until her derelict husband had paid his debt to society and hopefully learned his lesson.

What happened? The charges were dropped, the money was paid and an unrepentant felon was released back into society to prey on some other unknowing business owner. (I hope he gets a job with the ACLU, Barbara Streisand or Michael Moore.)

Most of my ancestors came to America between 1640 and 1750. They came from England, Scotland, France and Germany to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Georgia to start a new life in a new land. They held no allegiance to their old country, the lands that had abused and mistreated them. They had to swear allegiance to the King of England as they disembarked from the boat, but when the tyranny of the King and his disregard for law became intolerable, my relatives rose up in revolt and helped to start this country where the rule of law would prevail and the American Dream was available to all who would work for it.

Our borders should be open to all who would embrace this philosophy and closed to those who want to make this country just like the one they left.