Baltimore, the Border and the Middle East

Violence and unrest seems to be blossoming in so many areas here in the States and elsewhere.  Whether it be in Baltimore, Ferguson, the southern border along Mexico or the Middle East it speaks of changes that are happening and not necessarily good ones.

I think some of this unrest stems from the fact that we have a weak president who chooses to either ignore what's happening (the border), appease those who would destroy us (Iran) or in some cases, who wants to further create unrest and possible civil wars (riots in Ferguson and Baltimore) in order to give the federal government the opportunity to take more control over our lives.

The above may sound a bit over the top but I believe it's what's happening in certain aspects.

In regards to Baltimore and Ferguson. President Obama sent surrogates to investigate things ie Al Sharpton and Eric Holder respectively,  as well as others. He also spoke a few words himself on the subject . Did his surrogates or Obama's own words improve matters or make them worse? The jury's still out, but I think he and his minions made things worse.

I think they want the unrest and riots to continue. This way they can begin to develop a federalized police force to control the masses. Here's a quote by the POTUS from 2008 in Colorado Springs: "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the National security objectives we set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong and, just as well funded." Crips and Bloods?  Scary stuff if you ask me.

Moving onto the Border. Having recently learned about the tunnel that had been built between Mexico and San Luis, AZ  for use by drug smugglers, I've become even more concerned. Why? Because this tunnel could be used by members of ISIS and other extremists from the Middle East and beyond. This tunnel and who knows, there may be more,  just gives another avenue for illegal and unknown entrance to our country by those who would do us harm. How come the DEA didn't know about this for so long???

And why oh why hasn't Mr. Obama, or even Mr. Bush back in his day, the Congress or the National Guard taken steps to secure our borders long ago? Wait, I think I know the reason. Illegals add voters to the roster and of course we don't want to scare them off.

But there's also another culprit. Businesses. Yep, that's what I said. Being a free market gal and a fan of capitalism, you would think I'd not place blame on the very engines of our economy that I love to celebrate. But they're involved also.

If you hire illegals, you may not have to pay benefits, or maybe you can pay off the books even or minimum wage or below and get away with it. They may take jobs U.S. citizens may not want. So why would businesses lobby on the side of a secure border when it benefits them not to? We all know lobbyists are one of the most powerful entities in D.C. and how much they influence our elected officials re: bills, laws, etc. Consequently,  we don't hear a peep out of them in regards to the border issue.  But that's a story for another time.

Bottom line. I have no problem with people wanting to come to our country LEGALLY. Our ancestors did,  as well as people I know personally who have recently emigrated here. Part of the reason I imagine the immigrants come across illegally is either because the process is slow and laborious or they have criminal records. It took well over 2  years for the people I know who came here legally.

With all the wonderful technology available,  coming to our country should be as fast and efficient as shopping on Amazon. You fill out the appropriate information online,  records are checked for any criminal incidents and if all is filled out correctly and your record is clean,  you're golden. Come right over. I have no problem with that. So why can't we use the technology and internet in this way to help those who want to come who are honest, hard working folks and just want a better life. That's what our country's all about ie land of opportunity for all.

Oops, I forgot. It doesn't benefit politicians or some businesses...

Moving on to the Middle East. Recently read a couple of articles, one of which was written by the NYT's. It was about negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. No doubt the NYT's article view the Congress as interfering because they want a say in these negotiations. There was a paragraph about how and I quote 'The GOP's infighting could impede passing a bill that would give Congress a voice in any nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran.' In other words, if the GOP doesn't compromise with what Obama or his fellow Democrats want, then it'll be the GOP's fault if an agreement isn't reached or goes wrong.

So how are we impeding the bill from getting passed?

Well there are three players who want to add amendments. Vitter from Lousiana wants one that would require an assessment of the international and verification systems in an Iran deal.  Cotton from Arkansas,  would like a procedural motion to require Iran to end it's nuclear program. And last,  there's Rubio from Florida who wants Iran to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

The only one I think that's viable is Vitter's amendment. Cotton's and Rubio's suggestions are unrealistic, though I don't blame them for trying. Iran would NEVER agree to end it's nuclear program. And though Israel has been a major ally of ours and we need to support them as much as we can, to even think Iran would acknowledge them is crazy. I respect Rubio. No doubt about it. But I'm surprised he included this as a requirement for an agreement. However, since this info came from an article by the NYT's, there could more to the story than what they're saying about both Rubio's and Cotton's suggestions.

Whatever the case, I'm glad the US/Iran talks are before congress.  We need a stop loss somewhere along the process in order to keep our POTUS in check. He loves executive actions, unilateral decision making and would be thrilled if no one in our country questioned or opposed any of his decisions.

At the end of the day, even with all the unrest and violence, political corruption and obsession with power, we still live in one of the best and safest country's in the world. And that's why so many want to come.  I just hope we can keep it that way...