Arizona Immigration Reform

There has been a lot of angst as of late over the recent Immigration Laws that went into effect in Arizona. The State of Arizona has taken a lot of abuse by lawmakers, the President and the media over the adoption of the strictest immigration laws in the Country. There have been calls for boycotts of Arizona, including their baseball team. All because a sovereign State has decided that enough is enough.

We are a land of laws, and it is be obedience to those laws that society is protected. I have heard commentators say that the law is centered on hate and bigotry. I would ask a simple question, how? As a Hispanic I see nothing to fear in the Arizona law. That is true, I don’t live in Arizona, but even if I did I would not think that the Gestapo was going to kick in my door and drag me out into the streets in a public display of racism. While I lived in Spain, I was approach repeatedly by the Guardia Civil and the Police requesting to see my papers. The Police and the Guardia Civil roam the train stations and bus stations asking to see everyone’s papers that don’t look like they are from Spain. I didn’t hold up a sign saying that the Police were racist and that it was unfair. I didn’t go to a Government Building and smear a Swastika in refried beans on the wall in defiant opposition to a social wrong. Spain had laws, and they expected them to be adhered to, and I respected that. Why then are we hearing so much opposition to the enforcement of our Immigration Laws in the United States?

It is interesting though that the President would say that the Law in Arizona is ill-conceived and wrong because it is requiring people living in their State to be Legal Immigrants, but at the same time requiring that all U.S. Citizens purchase health insurance or be fined or face imprisonment is justified. Since when do we as a Nation extend greater courtesy to non-citizens than to those who are Citizens of this great Nation? The Police can’t ask to see documentation, but the IRS can demand to see proof of insurance, it boggles the mind in its absurdity.

The same people who deride the Tea Party demonstrators as bigots and hate mongers, and out of control are those who say that the Latino demonstrators are within their full rights as, well I was going to say Citizens, but they aren’t so I will say Central Americans or South Americans wherever they originally called home. I’ve seen more hate and vitriol come out of the Arizona protests than I recall seeing in the Tea Party protests. They’ve made piñatas with the picture of the Gov. of Arizona, and that isn’t violent according to the media, wait, it’s not that the media doesn’t say that it isn’t violent they just ignore it and then it is ok. The double standard used by the Democrats and the media is sickening. We as Patriotic Americans are told that we are committing insurrection and treason for coming out against Healthcare reform, but you can protest immigration reform and that is ok.

It makes me ashamed to be Hispanic as I see these people taking to the streets in angry protest around the Country. I for one support the law, and if it were to be adopted here in Utah, I would not feel threatened by it. I don’t think that I would be stopped any more frequently than I already do. As a brown person you get used to certain attention paid to you when out and about. I recently heard a comment by Obama in which he indicated that Hispanics, or as he put it, Latino Males can’t leave their homes without facing danger every day. I was unaware that I was in danger so often, thank goodness that I always have a police detail on me when I am driving around town. I am being facetious of course; I don’t always have a police detail, only some of the time.

What I am trying to say is that I support Arizona in defending and protecting its Citizens; it is doing more to do so than the Federal Government. I will wear my Arizona Diamondbacks hat and jersey in support of Arizona, and I will pray for cool heads and even tempers as the debate goes on.

What America Means To Me

What does America mean to me? I've taken the opportunity over the last few months to really reflect upon this question, and the intensity of my thoughts have deepened over the past weeks. Today I was listening to a soliloquy called I am the American Flag, and I began reflecting upon what it means to be an American as we approach the 4th of July holiday. I fear that patriotism has been reserved as a 4th of July expression to be suppressed until the following 4th. It's like giving and goodwill during the Christmas season, or expressions of love during Valentines day. We hastily hang a flag outside our homes for the 4th, we sing the National Anthem and we shed a tear for our fighting men and women who are currently or who have served to preserve our Freedoms and then the next morning we take down our Flags and our patriotic bunting and we gear up for the next holiday in the good ol' American fashion.

Is that what America is? Is that what it means to be an American? I would hope that more people would think not. Patriotism is not something that we put up for a day in the form of a flag, Patriotism is something which surges through the human soul which causes one to be in awe when they see the American Flag waving in the blue sky. It's a feeling of pride that one feels as they sing the National Anthem, as they stand at the beginning of a baseball game or other daily event. I often get a lump in my throat as I sing the National Anthem or listen to it sung by those who have a gift for singing. Patriotism is a feeling of duty towards one's Country and a desire to see Constitutional Law preserved. Patriotism is the feeling of disgust as you witness the engorgement of the government at the expense of the Citizen. Patriotism is the call to action that you feel when faced with a decision which effects the Nation. Patriotism is going to the poll booth on election day, even though it may not be convenient to your daily schedule. Patriotism is the desire that fairness be extended to all men regardless of who they are, a pure belief that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.

What does America mean to me? It means Freedom. Freedom to choose whether or not I want to succeed or fail. Freedom to choose the path which I feel is right for myself and my family. Freedom to decline carrying health care coverage without the fear of being fined up to $1,000 by my government. Freedom to listen to the radio to whomever or whatever I want without being told that I am uninformed and of a lower intelligence than the governing body. Freedom to determine for myself my salary if I own a company that is successful. Freedom to own a gun and ammunition for that gun without being penalized by the government. Freedom to think or act in the way I feel most comfortable in accordance with my own conscience without being told that my ideas and feelings are extreme and unacceptable within the halls of government.

America is justice for all, not the few. Recently the Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder was asked if the broadening of the hate crimes statute would extend to the protection of a priest who was attacked for not supporting gay rights, and his answer was no. The recent overturning of Judge Sotomayor's ruling against the New Haven Fire Fighters who believed that their test scores should have been sufficient for promotion, with a 5-4 ruling in favor of the firefighters should cause all to question the absence of justice for ALL Americans. White, black, Hispanic, Asian, Indian,or whatever other race or creed, all should be viewed with equality under the law. There should be no enhancements of one demographic group over another. The symbol for the justice system is the blindfolded lady with the balance of justice in her hand, but this is no longer true. The so called justice system has ripped off the blindfold and has been issuing racist judgements for decades trying to placate special interest groups. The result has been the deepening of racial segregation and the tipping of the balance of justice against those who are being accused of the very acts which are being perpetrated upon them.

That's not America, that is not what our Founding Father's envisioned for this great Nation. There is no reason why we should be embarrassed for being great! America is great! If it were not so why would so many people want to come here to live? Do you see people risking life and limb to sneak into Cuba, Russia, China, or any other nation on this earth? No! They are coming here to America, and that is why this Nation was established to be a place where the citizens of the various nations of the earth could resort to to experience Freedom and then take those things which they've learned back to their own nations. This Nation was set up as an example to the world, and now we are a joke. Whereas the nations of this earth are moving away from socialism we are falling all over ourselves to establish socialist programs here in America.

America is freedom and liberty. America is peace and strength. America is opportunity. America is great because it's people are great, but it's people are changing, and not for the better. My prayer is that more Americans will rise up and awaken to the great sense of responsibility which is ours. It is not the government's place to take care of us, it is our solemn duty and responsibility to ensure that America remains strong and a beacon of Liberty and Freedom for the world. May this 4th of July, our Independence day be a day of joyful reflection upon those freedoms which we all enjoy by virtue of the existence of this Great Nation. May we celebrate our freedoms on the 4th and cherish them every day of our lives. May God grant unto us the privilege of ever remaining a Nation United.

The "New" GM

It's been awhile since I've written on the state of our great Nation. Believe me it has not been due to a lack of topics, but rather out of frustration with the way things are going and a desire not to sound like a hate filled hot head spewing anger through his keyboard. But I've reached my saturation point, my boiling point, my apex, whatever you want to call it and now it's time to sit down and say what I feel.

This week General Motors declared that it is filing for bankruptcy protection. The plan is to essentially kill the "old" GM and split the company in two sections the "old" and the "new". The "new" GM will have the government as a controlling shareholder, isn't that wonderful! Because we all know that government has always been successful at every business venture or as a matter of fact they are successful with every venture it undertakes. If you doubt me just take a look at government housing projects, Medicare, Social Security, or even the Bay of Pigs for examples of the success of the government in its undertakings. I assume that with the government taking over General Motors the new meaning for GM will be Government Motors. They will be the new Yugo. For those of you who aren't familiar with a Yugo, it was a car that was imported from Yugoslavia from factories which were government owned (by the Yugoslavian government) and they were pretty much a joke. My father had one for a short period of time and I hated that car, it was uncomfortable and I felt like I was riding in a tin box.

The recent government takeover of banks and private corporations has been done with blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America. In the past I've said we need Presidents like Grover Cleveland, who although a Democrat believed in putting America before party politics. He believed in small government and when faced with issues trying to pull the nations monies into private enterprises and or "help" the needy he routinely vetoed those bills declaring that the Constitution gave no authority to the government. He declared, ""Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character. . . . ". He consistently said that the charities should take care of it. In the case of the Federal Corn-feed Act the charities came to the rescue and gave more support to the embattled farmers than the federal government had set aside with the Corn-feed Act. His declaration that such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care is true. Now that the government has declared that any business or industry considered too big or important to fail must be bailed out by the federal government more and more industries are standing in line for the government dole. Now we have the Nation's newspapers saying that they want to be bailed out. There is no longer a need to restructure and re-evaluate business operations, you get your money and continue with those business practices which caused the company to fail initially.

John F. Kennedy, another Democrat president declared, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country..". This declaration today would be derided and declared to be out of touch with today's American. We no longer want to do anything, but have our government do everything for us. Not too long ago I heard a news broadcast where a lady was coming out of a town-hall meeting with Obama and she was so excited. She said that she never believed that she would see the day when she no longer had to worry how she was going to pay her mortgage, or how she was going to buy groceries, or put gas in her car. She went on to say that all she needs to do is follow this guy and he will take care of everything for her. That sentiment is a sad one indeed, and it is indicative of the attitude with many Americans today. We've become week and have been made to rely upon the government too much. With this attitude socialism is knocking at the doors and the shackles of oppression are being forged in the fires of one sided political debate.

The federal government has been proposing more and more laws which would essentially remove our rights as Citizens and place us in a subservient role to the government. The founders of this Nation never intended that relationship to exist between us and our government. It is evident by reading the Constitution that this is the case. There is a current movement within the States to return States Rights to the States and the People in accordance with the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. Here in Utah the movement has taken upon itself the name of The Patrick Henry Caucus. The interesting thing about it is that on one hand you have States declaring their sovereignty as individual States and on the other you have California wanting a "bailout" because of their failed political policies which have essentially bankrupted the State. For the first time California has shown a decrease in the State's population. Where does it stop? Is it going to continue to spiral out of control until we've completely ruined our National economy and we reach a point where we can not as Obama declared ever recover from the damage which we create with our National policies. May God forgive us if this is the case.

Speaking of God, recently Obama declared that we are not a Christian Nation, but rather a Muslim nation. I would like to take a moment to refute this claim and openly call Mr. Obama a liar and a deceiver. The Muslim population in America is roughly 5,000,000 which is about 1.6% of America's population, these numbers cannot be proved with empirical numbers, but it is commonly agreed that this is the case. On the other hand 82% of Americans identify themselves with Christianity. So just these numbers reveal the deceitfulness of Obama's statement that America is essentially a Muslim nation and not a Christian one. Why would he make such a bold face lie? One can only speculate and postulate on his statement, and that is not my duty. I will allow the reader to come to their own conclusions as to his motives behind his statements.

My desire is to save this Nation, I stand in good company as well. The movement to preserve America as a free country will continue to grow in the hearts of freedom loving Americans everywhere. With men like my good friend Paris Street out there we will win this fight for our independence. May God bless us, and may He ever preserve us a Nation United!

An American Democrat: by Paris Van Street

Typically I will write an article on a subject which is currently facing America and its Citizens. I recently received this from a good friend of mine. I thought it well written and put in a manner that I wanted to share it. I received his permission to share it with whomever I wanted so here it is in its entirety.

An American Democrat: by Paris Van Street
I am an American first and a Democrat second. As I look at my party, I realize that American patriotism is a distant memory for many democrats, while some look upon our great country with disdain, distrust, and even disgust.

My inspiration and foundational political views as a young American came from words spoken by an American Democrat who paid the ultimate price, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Where are the John F. Kennedy democrats today? I would like to be counted as one of that group. Everything that I have written here, is dedicated to the spirit of these words.

I grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting - slice of Americana. The sign, as you enter town, proudly proclaims this obvious fact, "Welcome to Bridgeville, Delaware. If you live here, you would be home now." As corny and quaint as the Bridgeville slogan is, it should be sprawled across every point of entry into United States of America. I can see it now...
I know that the idea is kind of silly and I am not ready to march on Washington or raise a grass roots movement, its just the idea that I am proud of being an American. It is a comfortable and a sobering thought. Every time I step foot on American soil after a foreign trip, I feel a great sense of relief, because I know I am at home.

America the Beacon
I see America as a diamond clad beacon of hope atop a mountain shining for the entire world to see and admire. Sure we have had our shortcomings and even outright failures from time-to-time, but America is that jeweled beacon, an example of what good can come from a truly free society where a government has limited power and where there are real checks and balances.

A Crowded Room
Sometimes I feel as though I stand alone in a crowded room of people. I hear the deafening roar in this rolling sea of voices. Recently, as I focused on an individual voice that managed to be just a little bit louder than the rest, I heard a call for change. “Any change is good, as long as it is change.” I hear the language of our democratic forefathers, but the words have a different meaning now. I hear talk of good things for the common worker, but I do not here solutions that will actually work. When our leaders talk all I can here is a collection discordant "anti-something" or "it is so-and-so's fault". It is all rhetorical blither reminiscent of a school yard brawl.
The other side is no better.

The Evil Rich
I hear words of hatred for the rich. I hear how we are going to raise taxes on those evil rich capitalistic dogs, but I do not hear a plan for how we are going to keep these people from leaving the country altogether, and taking their job producing billions with them. This reminds me of that luxury tax back in the 1990’s where my party pushed through a big feel good tax on luxury yachts. Rich people stopped buying these expensive boats in the United States. 120,000 middle-class Americans lost their boating industry jobs as two hundred year old companies went bankrupt. Have we learned any lessons from that abject failure? Will we repeat the same mistakes? Do we, as Democrats, value our political collateral more than the promotion of constitutional “General Welfare”?
Basic Human Rights
Voices in the crowd cry for rights of the individual, but human rights are ignored. We talk about a woman's right to her own body, but we don't address the rights of an unborn human. We rail against the young mother who puts her newborn baby in a dumpster to die and we put her in prison for murder. Meanwhile, we defend the work of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas who advertises, “We specialize in "late" abortion.“ (See drtiller.com/elect.html)
What is the difference between an eight and a half month old fetus and a one day old baby? Two weeks! My youngest son was three weeks early. Today a woman in trouble, in her third tri-mester, could show up in Kansas without proper counseling. In our haste to make abortion safe and legal in any circumstance, have we missed the most important point of all. The decision she makes will affect the rest of her life. It is a decision that is entered into in haste and encouraged by the facility where it is to be performed. People are encouraged to spend more thought on what car they are going to purchase than on this life altering decision. In fact, some of my Democrat friends ignore the emotional post abortion stress altogether. Why?


Equality
We celebrate and champion the cause of homosexual rights and talk about encouraging tolerance. If you express indifference you are judged as intolerant. If you express any form of incongruity in the smallest degree you are demonize and compared to advocates of the KKK or the Nazis. There are those in our party who live in the fringes of society that dominate political discussion and demand lockstep adherence to their far off center views and aspirations.

Criticizing America
If I don't care for a politician I criticize him or her. My criticism may become intense, sometimes insensitive, but I never criticize America just because I don't like one of her politicians. There are those in our party who belch out vitriolic criticism saying that America caused the tragedy we suffered one September morning in 2001. That Is like saying about a girl that was raped, “She asked for it.”

What I want as an American Democrat
I want change, real change. I want a small central government. I want the states and individuals alike to make their own choices. I want government to do the things it was supposed to do according to the constitution and nothing else. I want to defund 90% of the Federal Government institutions and completely abolish ALL federal collection of taxes. I want the state governments to fund the federal government based on their population just like the original framers of the constitution intended.

Call me Idealistic
It is fine with me if you want to decry my positions and call me idealistically naïve or ephemerally simplistic in my approach. I support the great American experiment. I am in love with Lady Liberty and get a tear in my eyes every time I see her statue in the harbor. I extol America's virtues while I overlook her shortcomings, not because of ignorant idealism or fleeting simple thoughts of flag waving nationalism or chauvinism, but because like my forefathers I truly believe in the good that is America.

Patriot Not Terrorist

With the current declassification of the Department of Homeland Security's recent document on "Rightwing Extreemism" I feel it necessary to come forth and declare that in no uncertain terms I am an American and a Patriot of the United States of America. The Constitution of the United States of America declares that we have the right to freedom of speech, and we have been consistently reminded by the left that political descent is protected under the Constitution, but now they are in power and there can be no political descent.

I took the liberty of reading this report so that I could get the full information and not just part of it, and it is pretty sad and scary at the same time. It repeatedly states that those who oppose the government's power sieze are doing so because we are opposed to Obama being black and that is the only reason why we oppose him. I can't help it that I can't stand large government, socialism, and the dismantling of this country piece by piece.

Our Country doesn't need to fear me or those like me. Leftwing exteemist have been more dangerous to this country over the years. I am not an extreemist, I just believe that if we are to survive as a country we need to do something, like institute a change in government by electing true Americans, Patriots into government.

They are making the move to try and stop the current purchasing of ammunition because only terrorists are purchasing large amounts of ammunition and guns. They are poised to succeed in this their insidious efforts, but I can not stop declaring my beliefs, that America is great and they are ruining this Nation one day at a time.

We have to come together and not allow them to succeed. If we sit back and do nothing we will be destroyed as a Nation. May God bless us, and grant us the strength to press forward against the opposition caused my our government. May we ever remain a Nation United.

Yet Another Lie to the American People

Ever since Obama has taken office we've been informed of the tragedy which in their estimation is America's fault, which is the crime going on across the border from us in our neighbor Mexico. Even our illustrius Sec. of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton declared last week that we as a Nation accept responsibility for the crime going on there in Mexico.

Ever since this campaign against guns started, and we've been shown on television news the pictures of caches of weapons being seized by Mexican officials, I've have continuously said that more than half of the weapons being shown are not from the U.S. because we can't get them, legally that is. They show grenades and rockets and say that these weapons come from the U.S. Now being a gun enthusiast I spend a lot of time in gun shops, and I can honestly say that I've never seen a grenade in a gun shop, nor have I seen one at one of those evil gun shows. Now, Fox News has released an exclusive report declaring the figures used by the Obama administration as blatantly false. The figure that they have been using is 90% of weapons used in Mexico crimes come from the U.S., but the actual number is only around 17% at best. Why then would our own government lie to us? The answer is actually simple, they want to take guns from us. Americans as a whole won't readily give up their guns, at least those who own them. Therefore to advance the anti-gun agenda espoused by the Obama administration, now remember Atty. General Holder wrote in his brief to the Supreme Court during the case involving the Second Amendment last year, that the Constitution doesn't guarantee the individual right to own a fully operational weapon in their homes or otherwise. We know the Clintons are anti-gun and Obama has consistently taken an anti-gun position until early last year. If they can succeed in demonizing guns they will be able to more readily eliminate guns from the American people and thereby enslave us as a people.

Throughout history every oppressive government prior to becoming so have taken away gun rights from its citizenry. Therefore the only reaon why our government would want to take away our guns is not to protect us, but to oppress us. Thomas Jefferson made the same declaration in defense of the individual right to keep and bear arms while speaking of the Second Amendment.

We as a people must be informed of the truth, we can't expect to get it from the mainstream media or from our elected officials. We have to be dilligent or we will loose the battle for our freedoms, and we will perish as a Nation.

My Oath of Allegiance

I, Alvaro Garcia Ramirez III, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

On February 23, 1991 I stood before the Flag of my Country and in the presence of 12 other enlistees took the above oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and that I would bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I am not the only person to enter this oath since it was ratified by Congress in 1962 every enlisted man and woman who has entered the service of this Country has entered into the same oath of allegiance. I've never forgotten that oath and I take it seriously. My oath didn't mention until the day that my enlistment in the armed forces should terminate, or until I feel that I no longer wish to support such oath. I raised my hand and proclaimed my allegiance and willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice if so needed for this Country and it's Constitution.

Those who stood with me that day were willing to do the same. None of us were there for school money. We weren't there for anything other than to enlist to defend our Country. We enlisted in time of war, we jointed the hundreds of thousands who have answered their Country's call to arms and service in time of war. Americans have always come forth in defense of the down trodden and oppressed. There have always been those who have not desired to serve their Nation, and that has been OK. Our Constitution defends and protects them as well. The service to this Nation does not necessarily lie in the ranks of military service. Every American whether born in this Country or not has the ability and obligation to serve the Nation. This service can come via military service if chosen or by serving in the community where the individual lives. This service can and ought to be rendered with love for Nation and community. The service can be as easy as volunteering to spend time with local children at a community school as a mentor, or maybe even supporting local events. Your service to this Country should entail being familiar with the activities of politicians throughout all levels of government and holding them accountable for the dissemination of their duties under the Constitution. We as a people hold the keys of government. We as a people hold the power and we relegate it to our elected officials and we are to hold them accountable. I am sickened by the attitude which I have encountered as I've begun my crusade to try and save America. Now don't misunderstand me, I do not suppose myself more than a mere man with limited ability. Every American from the West coast to the East coast from the Southern border to the Northern border including Alaska and Hawaii need to each individually take up the crusade to save America.

My call to arms offended some and caused others to take a laissez-faire attitude and place the "burden" upon someone else. They don't want to make waves or disturb the status quo. That is fine, I respect your choices, although I don't agree with them I respect your choice because that is the beauty of America.

The indifference of others won't effect my determination to push forward, until I can find those people in whose hearts burn the spirit of freedom which is the Spirit of Christ. My call is the same, stand up America for your Country, for your Constitution, that divinely inspired document. The day will come, we know not when, when we will look upon our Nation and wonder where it went. We will no longer recognize our Republic, our Constitution will be but a distant memory, and we will be fettered by the shackles of oppression. Then there will be some who will try and change it, but it will be too late for us as a Nation. Whether that day comes in my lifetime or after I've gone the way of all the earth, I will not be counted with those who took no thought to defend the Nation when there was still time. The flag, that title of liberty is planted in my heart, I have written the oath upon my heart, I have taken the knee and prayed for this Nation, and I've gotten up girded upon myself the armour of liberty, which is the whole armour of God. I shall utter the truth, and there will be those who refuse to hear it, I shall proclaim liberty and there will be those who are offended. I will stand up for this Nation and its Constitution, and there will be those who sit idly by and wait for others to save them.

I will not despise that which was given to me by the Founding Fathers of this Great and Inspired Nation. I am grateful to have been born in this Country. I honor the Founding Fathers for their sacrifice and service. I honor every person who has worn the uniform of this Nation in service to their Country. I honor the families of those servicemen and women who have given a loved one for this Country. I honor those who serve in their communities across this Great Nation. I honor those who work hard to support their families and don't look to government for deliverance. Those who have sold their birthright, those who have despised their freedoms, those who have spit upon the face of those serving this Nation whether today or in times past, I pity you. And though you care not for this Country, my crusade to save America incorporates you. Because the beauty of America is our freedom to choose what we will do. Therefore, I utter the same proclamation uttered by Joshua in the Bible, choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, and our Country!