Turmoil in Iraq Reminds Me of America's Own Internal Battles, Past & Present
It
is amazing how fast time flies. Already another week in the history
books; and decades from now, if the story is told accurately it will
be filled with opportunities for lessons learned. At the time of this
writing Iraq is on the brink of total government collapse with
ISIL/ISIS seizing territory on all sides, making a strong case for
why politicians should think long and hard before starting
'unwinnable wars.' It is a bit late, and probably will never happen
let the yarners spin it; but, Rand Paul suggests that the people
should vote for whether they want to invest in a war that requires
U.S. Troops. Unwinnable wars simply help fuel the fires of far too
many conspiracy theorists on the airwaves and in the local pubs
across America. My prayers are for the people of Iraq, who as most
people in the universe, simply want to live peaceably with their
fellow man. As I listened to the news, I could not help but ponder
U.S. history and how hundreds of years ago, our beautiful nation,
too, had internal fighting because one group of people wanted to
enslave another. And, I thought of the Civil Rights marches, rallies,
and killings of the 60s which reminded me of a non-militia-type war
of the races, and power of the people. And, as I listened with
relief as President Obama assured U.S. citizens that our war-weary
nation and military will not be returning to this battlefield, with a
reminder that our offer to keep reinforcement troops in Iraq was
declined, I could not help but think about the fact that our own
nation is under siege by immigrants illegally flooding the U.S.
border.
Border Crossings A Modern-Day Version of Mexican-American War of 1800s
I
was both amazed and dismally shaken at the sight of undocumented
people rising up from the Rio Grande River onto U.S. soil by the
thousands, and even more coming in by plane from countries that
extend far beyond Mexico. I was bewildered at what I was seeing, and
could not help but wonder if this crisis would be perceived as more
dire if the invaders were people of Haitian or African roots. Would
people coming in with wooly hair and dark as night skin be received
with far less patience than those currently coming in? I was taken
back to 9-11 and the trillions spent on two didn't-take-a-
rocket-scientist-to-know unwinnable wars; not to mention millions of
innocent lives lost of those in bombs' way, and soldiers in the
battle, both foreign and domestic. And, I thought of how we fight for
the welfare of other oil-rich countries, while our own country is
under an attack of its own. I am reminded of the Mexican-American War
of the 1800s; and, the undercurrent of people whose goal is to bring
America to her knees by having children that our government
(taxpayers) will have to provide for. Tsk! And, somehow I can not
help but wonder if this will be America's next war, Act Two. I can
imagine how quickly things will unravel should we start instant
deportation; once caught, a one-way ticket back home at the receiving
country's expense. Of course, something that decisive will never
happen because well,...I will leave the reasoning to the paid mike-jocks and
conspiracy theorists.
Unfinished Border-Fence A Clear Welcome Sign to All Who Boldly Enter In
Third
on the list of attention-getters for me this week, and linked
indirectly to the border issue, was seeing with most sincere
embarrassment that ginormous, incomplete, well-constructed fence that
was supposed to keep non-citizens out of the U.S. and serve as a
dividing line with Mexico. I am certain millions of taxpayer dollars
have been spent on some grand idea the previous administration
started and well...tsk! There is a saying where we live: Git 'er done.
And, I ask myself how someone who can not finish a fence, and secure
with great penalty who gets in and out of this country, really expect
my vote at the polls? It is clear that politicians are not really
worried about terrorists by the looks of the bold entrance into our
country via footpaths. I am flabbergasted! I genuinely do not know
who I will vote for in 2016. I thought I had a clue; but, of late, it
is clear, I do not. I only know that no one on the radar screen is a
genuine attention getter. Did I hear that Romney may run again? As of
today, I hope he does; possibly Rand Paul as V-P. Sadly, Perry's
gaffe on homosexuality and that embarrassingly, incomplete border
fence has me realizing it will take more than he is representing to
get the GOP nod. All things are possible; but, in this case, not
probable considering he will have to explain the border issue in
debates. Enough said; I will move on.
Best Hope For Self & Future Offspring: Just Say No to STUDENT LOANS!
Monday's
quiet announcement that the President's plan to help people drowning
in student-loan debt (SLD) was squashed comes as no real surprise. I
have to agree with the conspiracy theorists on this one. The dirty
little secret about SLD is for poor people to stay in debt, and
become increasingly poorer. Why else would tens of thousands of
dollars be given to young and old people with no credit, bad credit, and zero
collateral and zero job, all under the guise of attaining a better
life? It is head-shaking and disgusting. Let's face it: The gig is up
on the student-loan scheme and yet people, in a desperate attempt to
earn a decent education, to even get in the running for the handful of
jobs, are jumping into this cesspool abyss with nothing more to show
than a lifetime of misery attached to the goose that offered a golden
egg. I will advise anyone who is not in this pot to get a no-degree-required job for five years, stay home til you are 23, save money
like nobody's business, and decide at that time if you really need
college. Go on a part-time, pay as-you-go basis. Too many people,
self included, are walking around with a financial noose around their
neck, and no job prospects. Let me shout it from the rooftops: CHANGE
starts with JUST Saying NO to STUDENT LOANS!!!
Juneteenth Worth Remembering; But U.S. Citizens In More Bondage than Ever
And
lastly, this week African Americans celebrated Juneteenth; freedom
from slavery. And I could not help but observe how in so many ways,
not just blacks, but the American people in general are more in
bondage today than ever. They are as mentioned, trillions in
student-loan debt, and relying on the too-many people not working,
unemployment dime, unlike the '50s buy a home, car in
driveway, chicken in pot. I know that is over-glamorizing; but, I can
honestly say that when my parents were in their 20s they were
married, my dad bought a house with a zero down-payment on the GI
bill, we had a new car, and yes, the chicken was always in the pot.
Today, I see 20-something males and older PLAYING video games with no
hard-work ethics, no children, no desire for the responsibility of a
wife and family, and 20-something women realizing pickings are very
slim. A landowner made an offhand remark about blacks being better
off as slaves and got in a heap of trouble with people. No one wants
to be a slave. No one wants to be owned by another person, wealthier
than themselves; but, people want to eat. People want to make a
living, and at the end of the day be able to see what they have
labored hard for. That is not happening to the degree that it should
be today. The rich are clearly richer, contrary to the fact that they
boast of leaving the White House 'broke.' And the poor are clearly
poorer, or as poor as they were decades ago. Freedom does not come
without a fight to say no to things that can keep you in bondage for
life. For decades America has been fighting wars on drugs, AIDS,
No Child Left Behind, poverty, crime. Today, freedom is wearing the
mask of dom-free; receiving a whole lot of pseudo-free at a
back-end price. Poverty stories are not new. Capitalism still lives.
Ingenuity is key. A friend recently wrote a children's book. The link is listed below if you want to take a look. Will it make her rich? I don't
know; but, what I do know is she made the effort to rise from the ash
heap, and not wait for another job rejection email to arrive in her
inbox. Best wishes Val Arie!
That's
it! Another week.
