Thursday, May 17, 2007

Right Simply Because It’s Right

Everyday I hear things that make me wonder what we, as Americans, hold dear. It seems that most of the time there isn’t a nickel's worth of difference between the way Republicans act and the actions taken by the Democrats. One party would take everything away from us and the other would give everything that is ours away. And, there isn’t any consistency as to which party is which. I happen to be a pro-choice Republican. Not that I think abortion is right, I don’t, but I believe in the sanctity of a person's body and the decision making process belongs to the individual. I must answer to my God for my actions, not yours. That is your responsibility. Pregnancy occurs in this day only for four reasons; force, stupidity, want or God's will. In only force or mother’s health, do I support abortion as a solution. Society offers too many alternatives. Still, it remains the woman’s right to choose her course of action. Some things are right simply because they are right.

I am also very pro 2nd Amendment. I believe, as did the founders, that it is my right to defend my family and myself if necessary from my enemies and my government. The founders felt the same way. (Am I smart or what?) An individual's right to self-defense is not to be tampered with in any fashion. Some things are right simply because they are right.

The same truth can be applied to our border situation. Closing it to unwanted or undocumented is right simply because it’s right. No country with an open border policy ever held its sovereignty for long. Furthermore, dangerous people are coming across our borders by the hordes and the current administration is doing nothing about it but talk. But alas, both sides of the isle are leery of touching such a hot button issue for fear of offending someone. I can only surmise that popularity in the polls and desire to win their next election, trumps doing what is good and right for our country. Just once I would like to hear a politician of either party stand and support the closing of the border because it is the right thing to do and if Canada and Mexico are offended, oh well. Maybe they should control their people and offer them a reason to stay in their own country. How long would you put up with me if I moved into your house, spread my political rhetoric, religion and ill will about your property? How long would you put up with me if I complained about the way you treated me, if I demanded that you share your income with me, give health care to me and my extended family, educate me, cloth me and tolerate the way in which I attack the standard of living you provide for me. If you would do that for me or anyone else, then open the door, here I come.

Recently I spoke with some southern California Republicans about supporting the idea of a resolution demanding that our leaders close the border. Most did not return my calls, a few wanted to see the Resolution and a couple wanted nothing to do with it. The reasons given were without a doubt the lamest I have heard in a while. "Closing the border at this time will hurt business in my county. We hire a lot of Hispanics to fill our labor force. Such a resolution would offend our Hispanic workers", and the most absurd of all, "we are trying to build the Republican Party here in this county and that Resolution would hurt our efforts." Where did love and loyalty to country go? What happened to intestinal fortitude? Spine? Backbone? Grit? If this had been the attitude during the Second World War, we currently would be speaking a different tongue. Oh, excuse me, we already provide for that.

Close the Border Now. Demand this of your politicians. Join others who love this country, across party lines. Write letters, insist on a response, and insist on action. It is our country. We are the people. Make this an issue and hold feet to the fire. Let’s take back this country. Let me know what you think while you still have free speech.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Mayday-May Day

Fact: There was a May Day event at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.

Fact: The Police are responsible to keep the peace and have a presence at any major event that includes patrolling the event with uniformed police officers.

Fact: A large portion of the crowd this day was of Mexican decent, anti-police, anti-America and illegally in this country.

Fact: Los Angeles is a sanctuary City.

Fact: The crowd instigated an incident by throwing rocks, bottles and debris at the patrolling police officers.

Fact: The police responded as they were trained to do; gain control, clear the area and make arrests.

Fact: To accomplish these goals they used tear gas, rubber bullets, batons and a show of force.

Fact: No deaths, few injuries and some arrests.

Opinion: Police do not start incidents, they respond and keep the peace. That’s their job. They do this to so that the social fabric of our society is maintained. If it weren’t for the police, no law abiding citizen could have an outing anywhere. The police are trained to deal with the unlawful in a manner determined not by the police but by the criminal. When you are asked to disperse by a police officer, you have two choices. First, disperse as a person wanting not to be involved in the incident would and should do; second, defy the order and confront the police, in which case you buy into the results of your actions.

There are numerous civil remedies if you believe your civil rights have been violated. These can be executed either singularly or in a group after the fact. Resisting arrest or resisting the lawful order of the police is fool hardy and unnecessary given the previously mentioned civil remedies.

Society demands of its police that they keep the peace, catch bad guys, keep our streets safe from the criminal element, protect our women and children from rape, pillage and plunder and do all this without making it look messy or hurting anyone. Unless you have been there you have no idea what an impossible task this is. It is not and never has been the police officers' decision whether someone gets hurt and/or things get messy. The person who is the recipient of the police presence always makes that decision.

Given the current situation with terrorism, immigration and gangs, just what would you have the police do in the future? At MacArthur Park one person with a heavy Hispanic accent said to the police, “We have a right to be here,”. That is untrue, particularly after the police have given you a legal order to leave. Furthermore, if this person was illegal as I personally suspect was the case, she had no right to be in the country, let alone MacArthur Park.

So what would you have the police do: leave and go back to the station, take it, stand by and let innocent people get hurt, set a perimeter and contain the violence inside that perimeter? What if it spills over, what then? Talk to the bad guys, yup, that’s a winner. Who determines the level of escalation of force? Not the police; they react to the level of insurrection confronting them. When they react, the people involved can reduce the response simply by doing as they are instructed. What a novel concept, doing as a lawful protector of society instructs us.

The people involved in the incident at MacArthur Park wanted not reason and lawfulness. They wanted insurrection for the sole purpose of making the police look bad and gaining our sympathy and a free ride in the press. It is time all lawful and law abiding Americans step up to the plate and tell our elected representatives that we are tired of this nonsense by activists and they’re anti-American attorneys. It is time that we impeach activist judges who go afoul of the law and that we recall our legislators who condone this riotous activity. Let’s send a message that our country is not for sale to the highest bidder and that this is not a partisan issue. If our representatives can’t do the job or don’t have the stomach for it we will replace him/her with someone who will.