A Nation In Distress
Right now (and for the last eight-months and counting), America is engulfed in turmoil, disappointment, and despair. No, it’s not the prophesied ‘end days’ (yet). And, thankfully, nor have enemy missiles landed here (yet). The vast majority of the population isn’t sick and dying (perhaps sick and tired, however). The nation isn’t bankrupt (yet). Hurricane season is ever-closer to being over for the year. Those who chose to work for a living are still able and welcomed, as employment opportunities abound. And most of our children are now back in regular school, and they, like the rest of us, are adapting, perhaps grudgingly, to life with a mask.
Instead, the true distress comes from the string, since January, of mistakes or mismanagement, too much of it, seemingly, purposeful and political, and too often not discussed or collaborative, but simply imposed on us, by the current administration in Washington. It just seems to those of us paying attention that American is being run, not so much by a singular, Constitutionally-elected leader, but by a behind-the-curtain, unidentified advisory & steering (literally) committee (End of speech instruction: “I’m not to take questions, but turn, and walk from the room”). A powerful committee of advisors, with a selected leader, a front spokesperson, if you will, to deliver the self-determined dictates, and by so doing, mandating America’s moves and policies, as a largely-disengaged Congress and nation simply look on. To our displeasure and concern, too many of these dictates are undermining the traditional character, language, safety, security, reputation, economic stability, and the overall health and wellbeing of our country. And, while so doing, our very Constitution seems to be more and more at risk.
Let’s start with Afghanistan. This foolish, misguided disaster of an evacuation and military drawdown has managed to violate all of the underlying characteristics and protections, of and for America, just outlined in the sentence above. As everyone with any common sense knows, we should have evacuated American citizens, Afghan interpreters, and others who assisted us (designated SIV’s: special immigrant visas, along with their families), allied personnel, and perhaps even Afghan Defense Force soldiers first, before beginning to draw down our protective troops and removing our billions of dollars of invaluable, high-security military equipment. Bagram Air Base should have been held until the very last flight out for any number of reasons. But the secret advisory committee’s leader, apparently rejecting American face-saving and life-saving advice (e.g., 13 U.S. military members killed by a suicide bomber) of administration subordinates, chose the bull-in-the-China-shop (purposeful reference) route, which created the national and international disaster we are now living with, in sincere hopes that it does not dramatically or drastically change our nation’s safety and security future.
Now, rather than carefully selected and properly vetted Afghans deserving of evacuation to America, following the televised flood of Afghanis at the Kabul airport, we are apparently being inundated with tens of thousands of regular Afghan refugees who are not, and practically speaking, cannot be, adequately vetted (little identification and no visa), nor are they required, by administration dictate, to be vaccinated. It’s estimated that about 60,000+ brand new Afghan refugees are now in the U.S. (or soon on the way), and, reportedly, an estimated 100 of them “have been flagged for potential ties to terrorist organizations” (most, if not all, of the latter have been sent to Kosovo for enhanced screening).
Since the beginning of the twenty-year Afghanistan War, the Afghan population in the U.S. has “exploded,” approaching now (with new arrivals) two-hundred-thousand, with the largest segment of already established Afghans living in California, and with the majority of them, there and elsewhere, existing on at least one element of taxpayer-funded welfare. Between security, welfare funding, health, and language issues, we can all hope and pray that this unintended gift of evacuation to America, for routine Afghan citizens (vs. our citizens and designated allied friends) doesn’t come back one day to bite us in a terrorism way. The key challenge: inadequate or impossible, verifiable vetting.
To wrap-up the damaging and frustrating Afghanistan debacle for now, this from a U.S. Afghan War veteran friend of author Lee Smith: “You don’t spend two decades pumping trillions of dollars into a money pit and funding all manner of transparent fantasies, one year at a time with no real continuity or long-ranger planning, then all of a sudden develop the ability, as you’re running out the door at half past midnight, to make prudent decisions to secure your material interests.” And then this from columnist Grant Newsham: “Nobody knows exactly what’s coming, but something is. America and the free world’s enemies smell blood – or weakness – and will push. China, Russia, and other adversaries may reckon, however, that if they wait a while, it will get even easier as the Biden administration dismantles – intentionally or otherwise – America’s defenses, debases the currency, and turns Americans against Americans.” The latter feels like it’s already happening.
Turning, now, to another huge, lingering and maddening issue: the purposely and politically non-stop opening of the southern border. The estimate is that upwards of two-million south and central America migrants, plus others from around the world, will have entered the United States by year end. This from the current White House occupant whose overwhelming political desires for party dominance supersedes by a wide margin any concern he may yet have for our America. One could conclude that he doesn’t much care for either the present, or the future of his native land.
As a for-instance, as of this writing (9-18-21), an estimated 12,000 migrants, largely Haitians, are bunched together under the International Bridge at Del Rio, Texas. Beyond an immigration crisis, this has become now, even more, a humanitarian one, with food, shelter, hygiene, and health becoming pressing concerns. This surge was reportedly in response to the administration’s announcement that Haitian refugees would no longer be deported back to their nation. The numbers of migrants outside Del Rio continue to build by the hour. It is an unsustainable crisis, humanly and politically. With no solutions. Nor apparent concern demonstrated, to date, by the party in power. Texas is being overrun. The Republican governor there is attempted to shut the border check points into his state. Remains to be seen if that order, at the state level, will be allowed to stand.
The claim is that migrants coming through, not to mention the thousands gathered under the Del Rio bridge, are neither being tested for disease, nor being vaccinated to prevent such. Said a near-by Texas country sheriff: “Nobody is being tested for anything. We’re alone down here dealing with a national issue. We feel abandoned.” Visiting the scene at Del Rio bridge in person, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) observed that when the administration “made that decision eight days ago (cancelling deportation flights back to Haiti), the 700 to a thousand people who were here, discovered they could stay, (so) they pulled out their cell phones (and) called their friends and family, and eight days later, 700 people became 10,503, (creating) a manmade disaster, the result of political decisions.” As the Senator went on to say: “Joe Biden could end this tomorrow by simply following the law and reinstating deportation flights back to Haiti. This is wrong. This is not humane. This is not compassionate. This is lawless, and it is inviting suffering. This needs to end.” NOTE: Reportedly, the administration has now indicated that it will revert to mass deportation flights back to Haiti. This particular mini/mega migrant crisis could have been avoided had those flights remained in place to begin with!! Another self-inflicted wound.
While Afghanistan is the more recent disaster for America (our security and world standing, plus additional undocumented, unvetted, unvaccinated immigrants), the Mexican-U.S. border crisis remains the more lingering, damaging, and abusive one for our citizenry (security, cost, drug trafficking, health, safety, language, and culture).
Beyond the reneging on responsibilities to American citizens in Afghanistan, and promises made to equally-threatened and now-trapped Afghans who assisted us, along with the huge burden imposed on America by the seemingly unlimited number of illegals allowed to enter our nation thru our southern border, there seem to be almost endless additional major problems, or perhaps crises in the making, either now before us, or fast approaching, thanks to the see-no-evil vision of the current administration (and Congress, when it comes to proposed excessive spending).
Speaking of course of fast-moving/slow-removing inflation increases impacting prices of good and service, which in turn directly impacts the financial wellbeing of our employed citizens. Then, the confusing, and now federally-dictated orders (likely unconstitutional) with regard to covid vaccines and masking, with the newly mandated requirements for some political reason not impacting Congress, the Judiciary or, apparently the U.S. Postal Service. Additionally obtuse, now, with contradictory information released daily regarding the need and/or safety of the long-recommended booster injection. The latest seems to be saying that it’s neither needed nor safe for Americans under the age of 65, but, as of the moment, still recommended for those 65-years-of-age and older. If unsafe for “younger” Americans, why then would it be seemingly just fine for the nation’s senior citizens? Could this be a case of the valued and productive among us vs. the not-so-valued, no longer seen as productive, and thus expendable, seniors? This directive has yet to make comprehendible safety sense. And do remember that all of this about vaccine mandates and accompanying confusion is meant, purposefully, politically, and specifically to take America’s mind off the unspeakable, unbelievable, Afghanistan withdrawal disaster.
And still there remain other reasons for national concern and distress. There is that menacing $3.5-trillion spending bill which is clearly a grab-bag of goodies for Progressive friends that, when taken on an item-by-item basis, would never be approved on their own. Then, there’s the anti-fossil fuel craze that is crimping exploration/production, raising gasoline and fuel oil prices, while then raising consumer and business costs, since we’ve finally discovered that when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, there is reduced or no power, all the while purposely ignoring the all-weather, dependable, sane ‘green’ solution: nuclear.
And now, we all brace for some of the largest, unreasonable federal tax increases in decades, imposed specifically to pay for that Democrat-proposed lavish spending pool party, threatening to bankrupt the nation and future generations, sooner or later, which seems to be of little or no concern to today’s not-our-problem, heads buried we can’t politely say where, Progressives. And despite administration “fibs” regarding who pays what, when it comes to income taxes, the fact is that the bottom 50% of wage earners pay little or no federal income taxes. Upper and middle-class earners pay all of the rest.
At present and likely for many months ahead, for the reasons outlined, and more, we are a nation in distress. Most of it due to the fact that, under the current administration, we are suffering through a vacuum of positive, pro-America leadership, so very different from the President Trump years. We must hope that the 2022 election can bring what’s best for America, not for political party elitists, back to the forefront, for the wellbeing of our great nation and the American people.
(Afghan refugees in the U.S. stats via foxnews.com, Andrew Mark Miller, 9-10-21; Afghans on U.S. welfare stats via breitbart.com, John Binder, 9-14-21; Agfghan war vet quote via gatestoneinstitute.org, Peter Schweizer, 9-18-21; Newsham quote via The Epoch Times, Grant Newsham, 8-25-21; Texas sheriff quote via breitbart.com, Bob Price & Randy Clark, 9-16-21; Ted Cruz quotes via dailywire.com, Staff, 9-17-21; Taxpayer figures via foxnews.com, Staff, 9-16-21).