Tag: immigration

Opinion

Climate Crash and our politics

We live in important times that will either inspire our progeny or seal their doom. The Republicans deny elections, the climate crisis, the January 6 insurrection, Women’s rights to choose, and the truth; but they still have enough support to perhaps win the house and/or the senate. Americans seem to be confused or avoiding the horrible truth of our times. The desire for, and belief in strongmen signals a cowardice or child-like desire for a protector from thinking about the issues. Vladimir Putin has proven that giving power to one person is not a solution but creates more problems and disaster. I am hopeful that our country has enough people of character to make the best decisions about our leaders and our future. The eternal battle that continues today remains: It is a battle between those who want something for nothing versus those willing to work together for success. Between those who believe in themselves versus those who don’t. Insecurity can appear as racism, anti-semitism, nativism, or sexism, etc. but it is really about true confidence. Don’t let the cowardly Republicans fool you; desiring a strong man is not about strength. Research, communicate, and vote for a better future.

Opinion

Joe Biden is doing a good job

President Joe Biden is doing a good job (not great yet) in leading America to it’s traditional world leadership roles in economic, military, cultural, and geo-political affairs. Donald Trump and the Republicans root against America and democracy in their craven lust for power. President Biden looks out for average Americans in areas from healthcare, to student loans, to baby formula. Republicans talk about inflation and invaders from south of the border; real problems that require thoughtful solutions not victimization. Our problem is that we have a party that is good at attacking others, but has no solutions for anyone but themselves and their rich donors. American are at a sink or swim series of elections in 2022 and 2024. Voting for Republican talking points and anger will mean autocracy and rapid decline as climate change accelerates negative pressure on our civilization. We can approach existential challenges as the best version of ourselves, or a rats blindly eating one another alive. From all appearances President Biden believes in America, while Trump and the Republicans believe in controlling and fleecing the public. Research and vote like your life depended on it; it likely does.

Opinion

Can America handle the truth?

America has not been dealing with the truth for years. Seeing a buffoonish, hateful conman like Trump as a leader was a manifestation of internal division, broken media, and power lusting politicians. The Republican Party practices the big lie with relish. Their mantra is to lie and keep lying without apology. Weak media combined with Americans not wanting to believe anything that doesn’t match pre-conceived notions foretell a devastating future. Lying has paid off so far for Republicans; if they ride it to victory in 2022 the path forward will reveal an America in steep decline. The January 6 commission will hopefully get the truth out about an attempted coup assisted by numerous Republicans in leadership positions. Hopefully the truth will cause Americans to exact a price for threatening the power of the people. The odds are reportedly favoring the Republicans right now despite clear evidence of ongoing corruption and lies. Americans who support Republicans want to believe immigrants, the truth, science, and minorities are a threat, America’s choice in 2022 and 24 will have monstrous consequences.

Opinion

Haiti in crisis gives us a chance to be good neighbors.

The Haitian president was assassinated last night and we don’t know what that will mean for the USA and our interests. An unstable Haiti usually means desperate people trying to reach the United States rather than face imminent death for themselves or family. Haiti has been victimized by a racist western world from the beginning of it’s nationhood when soon after a successful slave revolt they began to pay reparations to the French. We don’t know if the Haitian negotiator who accepted reparations was paid under the table by the French, but Haiti has been an impoverished nation from it’s beginning. The United States should send resources to Haiti including advisors and security forces with orders to help Haiti reach specific goals in set timelines. Any Americans sent to assist should have a specific agreed mission and leave upon completion. We should go there to help the Haitian people and leave when we are done with our stated objectives. America should use this opportunity to help Haiti and other nations in our hemisphere as a way to help neighbors help themselves. If we are good neighbors we will occupy a nice home in a good neighborhood.

Opinion

Looking for root causes

It is refreshing to see Vice President Kamala Harris traveling to Central America to discuss root causes of desperate immigration trying to reach the United States. We often receive emotional appeals from Republicans to appeal to our fears, but rarely hear empowering ways America can use it’s power to create win-win solutions. Our future as humans on planet Earth is in jeopardy, as is our republic. Every adult American has an opportunity to help good to triumph over evil; but we will have to think and act to do it.

Opinion

Will immigration destabilize America?

Reports of increased numbers of immigrants at the US border with Mexico are making waves in local and national news outlets. Immigrants are reportedly saying they are coming because they believe that the Biden Administration will allow them more humanity. Immigration issues helped to power Trump to the presidency with his rhetoric about the wall (that immigrants now climb over) and policy of cruelty toward immigrants. Biden wants to return America to it’s status as a defender of human rights and decency, but news reports about increased undocumented immigrants threaten this idea. The Republicans will say that cruelty worked and Democrat’s policies of decency encourage undocumented immigration. Morality, truth, science, and human dignity mean little to power hungry Republicans. If they can make you believe that evil works better than decency their program of degenerating Democracy and seizing power will be further along. Immigration is about more than Black and Brown people showing up at the southern border; Climate Change, unstable countries, corruption, and criminality are causing people to flee to the US. The Biden Administration faces another critical test, but the real people being tested are the American people. We are the deciders who must choose the harder dignified path of an immigration system, or the cruel degenerate short-term lie of border walls and brutality leading to success.

Opinion

Hoping for Unity

Americans need to be united and committed to a better future for the country. To achieve success we need to have an immigration system that makes sense to everyone and right now we don’t have one. Businesses do not want to accept the responsibility or cost of effectively verifying the citizenship status of employees, so they lobby Republicans to block it. Democrats want to extend citizenship to dreamers and others who have been in the country working for years to promote fairness and dignity. As our disunited country has done for several decades we create a situation that no one likes. We have done the same with healthcare, climate change, civil rights, voter rights, etc. Greed and selfishness have driven us to a dystopian reality in many ways. We have become very good at fighting to get our way while creating inequity, decay, and anger. We have moved beyond the point where we need to stop digging our national grave. It is within America’s ability to help our neighboring countries and create a just immigration system. Joe Biden has asked that we seek win-win solutions; I urge every citizen to contact their representatives about the issues to push for solutions that respect human dignity while promoting unity and justice.

Opinion

Go big, or go home

President Biden has plenty of work to do, and so far he has done the job of restoring faith in our republic and his leadership of it. The president has been clear in stating what he wants to do and how he will go about trying to achieve bipartisan support. The Republicans want to pretend that the insurrection, and their attempts to hobble the Obama administration before wasting money on a tax cut for the rich with Trump did not happen. President Biden saw all of it and knows that he cannot waste time negotiating with people who have only bad faith towards him achieving anything for the American people. The president knows that he has to play both the long and the short game to be successful and if anyone can do it, he can. The administration’s job right now is to help those who are in jeopardy from the pandemic before moving on to climate change, racial injustice, immigration, infrastructure, and healthcare for all Americans. Many of these issues are interrelated whether Republicans realize it or not. America’s enemies will attack us where we are weak, which right now is our societal divisions and lack of a strong healthcare system. If COVID was an attack it was successful, and the next attack could be stronger and more devastating. America needs a robust healthcare system that services every citizen. The next four years will require a lot of money to be focused on strengthening our society to compete for the future.

Opinion

A threat to our country

The largest threat to the vision and hope of the American republic is not White people or Black people, it is ignorant people who want others to think for them. Thomas Jefferson said “if a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be.”. America is under threat from liars and corrupt politicians who have no regard for their sheepish voters who continuously support them for vague reasons. The reasons people support liars and crooks are vague most likely because they do not want to state they are based on controlling and disrespecting others. The ignorant, lazy, and modestly entitled must learn that there is a better life possible when everyone can rise to their potential, and not be systematically repressed or terrorized. Freedom is not free, but it is cheaper than tyranny and injustice. Research and vote in every election!

Opinion

Climate crisis milestones

In the last few days we have seen the first extreme fire alert in California accompanied by dangerous fast moving fires, and the readjustment of the number of people threatened by worldwide coastal flooding in 2050 raised by 300%. Scientist are starting to speculate about migration patterns leading people to leave drought ravaged farm areas for coastal cities which are dealing with flooding. Video of the fires in California due to Santa Ana winds show the danger for fire fighters as wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour. An ember can be picked up by the wind and start a fire behind the fire fighting line while fires blaze like jet engines on dry brush and grass. As a society we face increasing threats that will multiply in force if we continue our current ways. Vote as if your future depends on addressing climate crisis; it does.