Those are heavy subjects.  Politics.  Immigration.  Wars.

Faced with the mere words themselves, I realize what a lightweight I am.

Nevertheless I will weigh in. 

Politics stink.  Most politicians reek.  Recently I commented to a blog by Sandra Lea Wise ("A Word to the Wise") wherein Sandra stated it seemed America was now leaning left. 

A dilemma arises when one leans neither right nor left and is left standing alone with little support. 

The reason for my standing alone, sensing no support, is that the choices among the presidential hopefuls are in my opinion nonexistent.  Not one appears to have the intensity or fire or desire or a proper philosophy to go for it.  And until that happens I shall continue to stand alone, leaning neither right nor left. 

Politicians have in large part left me with the feeling they're all slopping at the trough with others of their kind.  This is not exacerbated in the least by the realization that I personally have little slop to add to the trough, while lobbyists for corporate interests seemingly have endless supplies of it.  Slop, that is. 

That is where I am on the subject of politics. 

Immigration is an issue that is, I believe, enraging most Americans, one leaving us with a profound sense of impotence.  It seems that all we can do is rage.  And rage.  And rage.  While politicians (oops -- the subjects are overlapping) in Washington are doing the equivalent of fiddling while we burn in rage. 

For 20 years the illegal alien problem has grown and festered to the point of eruption, and still our government does nothing creative or realistic about  it. 

Known alien criminals repeat offenses against our laws, and there is little if anything being done to allay our belief that justice will be served, either now or in the foreseeable future. 

Drunk alien drivers kill hundreds of Americans each year; yet that problem continues. 

Convicted alien pedophiles and child molesters and rapists continue to lurk, molest and rape; yet that problem continues. 

For 20 years illegal aliens have been allowed to slither, crawl, swim, climb around or over any of our ineffectual barriers on our southern border.  Yet that problem continues. 

Our U.S. Border Patrol has been prevented from doing the job it has been instructed to do:  protect our borders.  In fact, it seems to be just the ticket to catch Border Patrol members, accuse them of doing their jobs, try them, convict them, and throw them in prison with the types of criminals they were charged with apprehending.  All this while the U.S. (that's you and me) pays off the criminal to testify against our people, and then allows the criminal to continue to ply his trade unimpeded, back and forth across the border. 

There is something terribly wrong with this picture. 

Three to seven miles of 700 miles of promised fencing have been built.  There has been no news that anyone is working feverishly to complete the remaining approximately 693 miles.  All the average American can do is to keep up the repetitive "Where is the fence?"  Just where is the fence? 

Who is it that is charged with enforcing our immigration laws?  Here's my opinion:  they are falling down on the job. 

On the subject of war:  we are in it.  Using the politicians' war cry, are we in it to win it? 

Have we become such paper tigers that we arm our enemies to the teeth, hoping, apparently, that doing so will prevent their ganging up on us and flattening us -- so descriptively suggested as "wiping us off the face of the earth"? 

I could perhaps be called a hawk, suggesting, as I have to my U.S. lawmakers, that we show "those people" -- and everyone knows what people are meant here -- who has the biggest gun. 

Or shall we wait until we no longer have the biggest gun?  Do we have a death wish?  Rather, does our esteemed executive branch have a death wish for us?  Do our politicians (there they are again) have a death wish for us? 

Are we forsaking one of our best allies and friends, Israel, for a farthing?  Are we selling them out?  Are we selling ourselves out? 

Let's ask the politicians. 

So now we're at a point where we need to consult other countries, such as Mexico, before we pass any laws. 

That's one of the items picked out of the transcript of an exchange between Glenn Beck and the beseiged mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania after a judge had ruled against his town in an immigration matter. 

It would seem that even though the federal government will not enforce its laws against illegal aliens, it will not allow city governments to create and enforce their own such laws. 

My understanding is that Hazleton has grown like Topsy with its influx of illegal aliens, that crime has increased, and that the city deemed it proper to draw up a few rules to keep the problems in check.  One of the proposed new laws was that landlords could not rent to illegal aliens.  Another one of the laws was that employers could not hire such aliens.  My understanding may perhaps be somewhat fuzzy as to the details, but those are roughly the facts as I perceive them. 

My gorge rises with the thought that our federal government, which is presumably made up of a bunch of individuals known as "we, the people," will not, absolutely will not, I tell you, enforce immigration laws.  It has come to the point where political correctness must win out over all, and that we must not call these aliens what they are:  lawbreakers. 

The aliens are lawbreakers when they first slither around, jump over, crawl under, swim over, dig under, or do any other thing to enter our country illegally.  Anything that happens after that fact is second to the first broken law. 

The first item of business upon finding any illegal alien is this:  deport them. 

My regrettable conclusion with respect to our esteemed president is that he has no intention, had no intention, never will have an intention, to enforce immigration laws.  For that I am angry.  

We managed to kill the "immigration reform bill" recently, and for that I am grateful.  My understanding is that we tied up Senate telephone lines, and that e-mail messages were pouring in like rain in a thunderstorm.  Fax machines were overworked as well. 

However, that does not mean that we must sit back and say everything is okay now.  It means that our lawmakers in Washington need to get on track first of all to have the promised fence built, and to see to it that our existing laws are enforced. 

We cannot let our lawmakers off the hook without these actions.  I say that with their increased salary, they show their gratitude by working through the month of August, rather than taking the month off (what are they, psychiatrists?).  They are supposed to be working for us, rather than the other way around. 

And one other thing:  if the federal government will not enforce its own immigration laws, then allow cities and states to create and enforce their own -- without the permission of any other country.  Without the permission of the federal government.  Without the permission of anyone or anything except a majority of the voters of that city or state. 

Recently a two-page tightly written letter was addressed to my State Senator and State Representative giving them the invaluable benefit of my opinion concerning the parole and sentencing of sexual predators. 

The gist of this message was roughly this:  there should not be parole for these creatures.  One-strike-and-you're-out convictions should make sentencing an easy matter.  Send the Beelzebub students to prison for the rest of their unnatural lives. 

There was a case not so long ago where the judge, in her inimitable (one hopes) style, gave a child rapist parole, and no prison, for the simple reason the rapist was short and that his life might be in danger if he were sent to prison.  Really?  How many people give a rat's hindquarters? 

How short was his victim? 

Is there a minimum size for monsters before they can be sentenced to interminable prison? 

That case is being reviewed, thank goodness.  Maybe there will be a judge who can recognize evil for what it is and not have any qualms about meting out whatever the maximum sentence is.  And fast. 

This writer happens to be supremely indifferent as to the life span of perverts.

There was also a recent case where a convicted child rapist was given, I believe, 30, 60 or 90 days in prison, rehabilitation counseling, and parole for four years. 

Rehabilitation counseling is the concoction of sleazy psychologists who simply want to guarantee themselves employment.  There would be no dearth of "patients," thus providing at least a living wage for the rest of their miserable, worthless lives.  As anyone with a grain of sense knows beyond any reasonable doubt, rehabilitation is a pipedream. 

My state was considering providing psychological counseling to youngsters who abuse animals.  In my opinion, for youngsters who have already begun to abuse animals and derive pleasure or enjoyment in that act, there is no longer any hope.  They are exactly like the perverted savage beasts who prey upon children. 

Does this opinion need to be expanded?  I think not. 

Yes, that about sums it up rather neatly. 

These barbarians have no hope.  They see no future for themselves or for those like them:  other ignorant, pitiful creatures.  In their warped and unsalvageable minds it appears that it would build them up to destroy the lives, accoutrements and mere possessions of people who have more than they. 

They are true barbarians.  They do not know how to create; therefore they destroy.  None but barbarians would behave this way. 

So many lives wasted because of nothing but pure hate and, dare I say it, jealousy. 

This blog post is in response to the AP news column of May 29, 2007, entitled "Obama  Offers Universal Health Care Plan."  This column can be found at: 

http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ContentGuid=a2df01da-e49e-4376-8a1c-7135bdbb101b

We might ask Obama if his calculations include the 20 million estimated illegal aliens now among us, and if they include the estimated 500,000 immigrants to be swarming into the country yearly after this bogus proposed immigration bill passes.

Actually, thought of in that way, it may as well be "universal" health care.   

Here's my question to Obama and any other nonthinking presidential hopeful who "offers" health care to all:  Who pays for this?  I know, Obama said that, more or less, everybody pays.  Specifically, he mentioned the following groups as being responsible for paying for this offering of his:

The government, which, incidentally, comprises we, the people, will pay;

Businesses, many of which are strapped already, will pay; and

"Consumers" will pay. 

May I please remind Obama that "consumers" are already included in the above three categories. 

When nobody has any money, and this includes businesses, most of which cannot afford their own, let alone anyone else's insurance, how do doctors function?  How do hospitals function?  How do nurses function? 

What is "health care"?  Who actually provides this service?  I guarantee you it's not going to be Obama. 

Has Obama (or any half-wits talking about "universal" health coverage) forgotten the source of health care? 

Besides doctors, hospitals, nurses, and laboratories, how will we pay for the FDA and all its minions? 

How will we contribute to the National Institutes of Health? 

How will we contribute to the Center for Disease Control?

How will we continue to subsidize drug research?

How will we continue to subsidize drug advertising? 

How will we continue to subsidize what is generally called "Big Pharma"? 

How will we continue to subsidize those "drug detailers" who show up in doctors' offices, whose ubiquitousness is almost guaranteed each time you enter a doctor's office?   

Next time somebody "offers" "universal health care" to you and other residents of the United States, ask him or her the above questions.  It would be worth it just to see their jaws drop. 

While you're at it, ask him or her how much they and their offspring personally will be contributing in perpetuity to this "offering."

Sounds more like a "taking" to me. 

This blog was inspired by Phyllis Schlafly's column today entitled "Easy to see why U.S. jobs move overseas." The link is:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhyllisSchlafly/2007/04/30/easy_to_see_why_us_jobs_move_overseas

*     *     *     *

A while back Burt Prelutsky wrote a column entitled "Let's hear it for chocolate!" It may have been around Valentine's Day.

I wrote Burt a short email message describing how, when we were little, my sister and I would occasionally be given a nickel each (it was a long time ago) and permission to go to the little store a block away so we could buy Hershey bars.

I described in excruciatingly mouth-watering detail the joy my sister and I experienced eating those Hershey bars and making sure none of the melted chocolate on the inside wrapper had an opportunity to escape our thorough appreciation.

This Hershey bar love affair has lasted through the decades without any abatement in enjoyment and complete salutary satisfaction. 

Sometime after that Prelutsky column and my message to Burt, I learned that Hershey, PA will no longer be home to -- surprise!  the Hershey bar. Who knows what country or galaxy will have the pleasure of making those candy bars? But, then, who cares?

I have a stash of two Hershey bars in my house for emergency use only. When they're gone, they're gone. I'm not stupid enough to throw them away -- they were made here in the U.S.A. However, that's it. When Hershey bars are made in who-knows-where, who does care? I would rather give them up than give Hershey the satisfaction of future purchases.

I have not informed Hershey of this decision – and of course it won't make any difference to them – but I will so inform them. They can just keep their Hershey bars in the future.

Meanwhile -- now if I could just remember where I stashed those Hershey bars.

I haven't heard or seen or been written to by any politician who has any idea at all what the American people want. They are or do a good job of pretending to be as deaf as posts.

Politicians do not want to hear that Americans want all members of the U.S. National Guard to be armed and to be able to defend themselves against armed and dangerous illegal aliens. They were armed in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. Why, then, can't they all be armed at the border?

Politicians do not want to hear that Americans want no part of amnesty. It didn't work 20 years ago; it's not going to work now.

Politicians do not want to hear that Americans don't give a hoot in a "holler" what Mexican President Calderon wants.

Politicians do not want to hear that Americans want a real fence (I believe one with razor wire will do) – not a fence one may walk through at will.

Politicians do not want to hear that it is too expensive to dismantle the football-field-sized (and smaller) tunnels between Mexico and the U.S.  Did they (the politicians) ever hear of dynamite?

Here is a repetition: Politicians do not want to hear that Americans want to deport illegal aliens.

Politicians are deaf, do you hear?

When election time comes around, maybe they will wish they had cleaned their ears out.

It is my understanding that the government produces nothing.  The government makes nothing.  The only thing the government has is what it takes from those who work. 

If nobody works, the government is incapable of assessing taxes.  If the government is incapable of assessing taxes, who will take care of "life's losers"? 

Who will take care of all the minorities?  Who will take care of the elderly, the young, the unemployed, the illegal aliens?  In fact, who will be left to take care of us? 

I want my share of the spoils.  But who provides the "spoils"?

Where were all the frothings when what's-his-name, Clinton, fired, wholesale, a whole raft of U.S. prosecutors?  Did nobody foam at the mouth and start issuing subpoenas then? 

Maybe the Republicans just didn't have sense enough to get all worked up over it, knowing that the firings go with the territory. 

What are we talking about here -- eight attorneys? 

Let's put this in some perspective. 

Think of the thousands of Americans who have lost jobs because corporations can make more dough by having work done in China or India or Ireland or wherever. 

Think of the thousands of Americans who are losing jobs daily due to the influx of thousands upon thousands of illegal aliens. 

Then think about those eight lawyers.  Pardon me if I don't feel a lot of pathos about their firing.  In all likelihood there are law firms all over the country who would love, love, I tell you, to have one of those fired attorneys as one of their own. 

Let's just see how long it takes for those lawyers to get themselves hired.  Let's take note of their names so we can track their progress. 

This blog was inspired by the 2/8/07 Victor Davis Hanson column "America the Blameworthy."  It angers me to believe there are actually Americans who blame Americans for the events of September 11, 2001, and certain events following that.  Such beliefs are in my opinion perilously close to treasonous.  It does not surprise me that such beliefs are being taught to ignorant Muslims by less ignorant Muslims throughout the world, but it angers me no less.  So here is that blog:

No, Radical Muslim.  I will not blame the U.S. for being the U.S. 

There is a U.S. that Informed Radical Muslim knows exists, but he is not about to share this information with all the Uninformed Radical Muslims (which latter comprise most of the world's Muslims). 

There is a U.S. with a sense of decency.  There is a U.S. with no desire for degrading practices involving children or animals.  There is a U.S. with a sense of fairness.  There is a U.S. with a love of our country that can hardly be described. 

There is a U.S. where illegal drugs are not taken at any cost, including robbery or murder.

There is a U.S. where gentlemen's clubs do not exist on every corner.  There is a U.S. where children love and respect and obey their parents.  There is a U.S. where parents cherish their children.  There is a U.S. where attendance at places of worship is a regular occurrence. 

There is a U.S. where members of one religion do not gun down or behead members of other religions. 

There is a U.S. where members of one religion do not gun down or behead members of no religion at all. 

There is a U.S. where soldiers willingly sign up for duty anywhere in the world -- knowing now that that place may be Iraq, where they may lay down their lives for the freedom of others. 

There is a U.S. where there is a Declaration of Independence declaring that all men are equal and are endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

But you, Radical Muslim, know this already.  You know it, but you are afraid, deathly afraid of allowing Uninformed Radical Muslim to stumble upon this information.  Why? 

The answer is simple, Radical Muslim.  You do not care one whit about the U.S. described above.  You do not care one whit about the Americans living in that U.S. 

What you really want, Radical Muslim, is the land of America.  We know that.  You truly, deep down in your so-called heart, know that the beliefs of America do not stand in your way.  Rather, it is the very existence of Americans that stands in you way. 

Americans have been known to have been pushed too far.  History has shown you, in plain terms, Radical Muslim, what happened to those who pushed too far.  You have no idea of the depth of dedication and determination of an American to keep what is his -- to keep that for which he has on so many occasions fought and died. 

I pity you, Radical Muslim.  You have no idea what you are getting into. 

This family's problems -- and the problems of too many families like them -- began many years ago when the U.S. refused -- refused -- to do anything to stop the influx of illegal aliens into this country. 

The problem is multiplying daily by who knows how many hundreds.  Why?  Because the U.S. government refuses -- absolutely refuses -- to do anything about the problem of millions of illegal aliens already here or the ones attempting to get here. 

We have thrown U.S. Border Patrol Agents in prison for attempting to do what?  Patrol our borders and keep this country safe from illegal aliens who may be carrying anything from handguns to bedbugs to explosives to illegal drugs or to children in utero. 

I certainly do not know the answer to the Thorsteds' problems. 

However, I do know one thing:  the two U.S. Border Patrol Agents who were just flung into the slammer for doing not much more than the jobs they were being paid to do should be pardoned and released immediately.  This is not a process that should take months or years.  It is a process that could and should be undertaken today. 

Today is January 19, 2007. 

George W. Bush could hardly have asked for a more loyal "subject" than I have been for the past six years. 

However, the Border Patrol Agents fiasco takes the cake.  It takes the wind out of my sails (to say nothing of what it must be doing to the now-imprisoned Border Patrol Agents), and it makes my loyalty fade like jeans dried in the sun too many times. 

On many occasions I have believed, very reluctantly, that mistakes were being made in certain political areas, but I never voiced my opinion stridently, as so many thousands are now doing.  I wrote quiet, respectful letters to my U.S. lawmakers voicing my opinions, including my opinion about the instant Border Patrol Agent matter. 

Quiet and respectful, I see, will get me nowhere in a hurry. 

I now wonder who should be in the slammer.  Hint:  it is not the Border Agents. 

I want to know what in the name of time it takes for some people to see the light.  There is this, however:  it is not writing quiet, respectful letters to my lawmakers.  It would seem my future letters and e-mail messages will have to be somewhat more strident, strongly voicing my disquiet. 

Those Border Patrol Agents no more belong in prison than my cat (now deceased).  Someone has made a terrible mistake here, and I am ashamed to have been a part of it, no matter how intangentially (by the simple fact, I should explain, of being an American citizen). 

A pardon is not too late, Mr. President. 

We are waiting.  So are those two Border Patrol Agents and their families. 

This blog was inspired by "Just Arnie" at http://asiseeitnow.townhall.com/ in a blog entitled "The mold is growing while the parties play on."

Yes, indeed, we have a growing mold problem, as discussed in depth in the above-referenced blog. We may need to don gas masks to eradicate it, but eradicate it we must.

We will need first to gang up, as we seem to be doing here on the "pages" of Townhall.com, and start yelling bloody murder. Start yelling that we're mad as [hades] and we're not going to take it anymore.

We will need to start writing letters to our Congressmen. We will need to start writing letters to the editor of our local papers. We will need to have lively discussions with our friends. We will need to resist every effort by such gangs as the ACLU to prohibit saying such things as "Merry Christmas" in a public building, or putting up Christmas decorations in public places (not necessarily governmental public places).

We will need to begin at home, in our towns, cities, with Congress, the President, then spread like wildfire. We may at times be discouraged because the ACLU-ers, etc. seemingly are so much louder than we are, thus creating the impression that there are many more of them than us. Not so. What we need to do in response to that is yell louder. There are more of us, and we will be heard.

We forget at times that we are in the majority. We forget that there is no requirement to be politically correct. It seems that only the majority are required to be politically correct; this is a fallacy that is happily perpetrated by the minority. We need to let them know in no uncertain terms that the majority rules.

If the majority does not start getting up off its duff and simply assuming that by virtue of the fact that we are the majority, our wishes will be upheld, we will begin growing mold ourselves.

I for one have no intention of growing any of it. I have been madder than [hades] for a long time, and I feel that I've just begun to fight. Silence will not get the job done.

The Weedpatch Gazette blog "Grandad and Santa Claus" brought back many memories of life during "the war." (Many of us to this day, when we refer to "the war," mean World War II. And World War II is not a subject to be covered here; it is simply a reference to the times to which you referred. As an aside, years before my time, when people of my geographical area referred to "the war," the war they meant was the Civil War!)

Many items were rationed; sugar was one. This was one commodity for which my mother must have traded ration stamps dearly. How do I know? Almost every Friday night in late fall, one of my sisters would have a friend over, and we would all sit around an old round oak table, newspapers spread on top, while we shelled pecans from the trees in our yard to go into the FUDGE that either my sister and her friend or my mother would make. As any cook knows, fudge requires lots of sugar. Somehow my mother made sure we had it.

Rubber for automobile tires was in short supply, as it was needed in the war effort. However, my father had a job with the Post Office delivering mail on a rural route. As a result of that great fortuity, our automobile never wanted for tires!

There was so much rationing that I cannot remember everything that was rationed. There may have been some grumbling going on, but deep down the citizens of this great country knew that the little hardships caused by shortages of such minor items were infinitesimal when looked at from the vantage point of the great war we were fighting, knowing we would win.

Where pecan trees grow almost wild, providing an abundance of their irresistible, fragrant, woody, wild, sweet taste, little girls also went barefoot, wearing shoes only on Sunday for Sunday School and church. Shoes were worn on other special occasions as well, but for the most part the wild little creatures ran about completely unshod, completely free to wiggle toes, completely free to run on rocks, sometimes making bleeding cuts and gouges that these days would require stitches. My mother fixed me up herself, pouring on rivulets of iodine causing me to scream in pain, with both of us blowing on the wound to put out the fire.

It would seem the little wild humans grew like the pecan trees. Our wounds healed, and we squeezed our feet once again into the dreaded shoes on Sunday.

My mother was a good seamstress. In those days, it was almost a requirement of a mother with children. Flour was purchased in great fabric sacks, and I have worn many a flour sack dress. Because I was the baby of the family, I may even have worn hand-me-down flour sack dresses!

I had no idea there was anything wrong with a four sack dress. I had no idea we were "poor." Besides, my wonderful mother usually made my doll dresses just like mine! For almost everything she made for me, she made my doll one of the same. I spent hours dressing my doll.

This is the same doll that had been brought by Santa Claus. In the geographical areas where pecan trees grow nearly wild, there were few chimneys. Santa came in through the keyhole, if you can imagine such a thing. However, if you can believe Santa slides down a chimney with a sack full of toys, you can also believe Santa can come in through a keyhole.

In fact, Santa can and does make appearances whenever and wherever and however he chooses. It helps, of course, if you've been good, not bad. You know -- you've heard it sung often enough, and you've sung it yourself often enough -- that he's making a list, and checking it twice! But you know Santa will be there.

That's the way it should always be. And that's the way it will always be.