Bonkers, Blather, Blunders, & Buffoons #15
Once a upon a time, there was a presidential candidate who campaigned for office, much of the time, reportedly ensconced within the sub-terranean depths of his Delaware basement. Interestingly, and surprisingly, as history’s very first mole-like candidate, he went on to win the presidency. From day one and thereafter, unpleasant decisions and policies would flow from his administration throughout the land. Among them, incessant attacks on America’s fossil fuel industry, the very historic backbone of the nation’s electric power needs. Before long, the Progressive-driven animosity and regulatory shackles place on oil & natural gas, in particular, resulted in sharply increased consumer prices at the pump. The errant political solution, rather than to increase industry production was, instead, to release millions of barrels of oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the stockpile of oil meant to protect the nation from a future, unexpected, genuine threat and crisis. So, this precious oil reserve was raided. Pump prices may, repeat, may have been reduced by several pennies. Insignificant compared with draining Americas’ reserves. Oh, but wait, there’s more. Not only did the president choose to drain our oil reserves for domestic pump relief, while he was at it, he decided to sell millions of barrels of those precious reserves to other nations, including, we’re told China! Millions of barrels actually sold to China, making the alleged motive to bring down pump prices for Americans more like a mirage.
So then, where are we now with our strategic reserves? According to the latest report, between millions of barrels drained to supposedly help reduce America’s price at the pump (with very minor impact), huge quantities were apparently also released and sold elsewhere. “Five million barrels of oil were shipped abroad” (Italy, France, Netherlands, India, China). The result as of the present: America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve “has now been reduced to its lowest level since 1985”! The basic fuel our great nation would need in a time of national crisis has now been knowingly squandered, for questionable reasons and destinations. And now, those resources must be replaced, if they are replaced at all, at much higher oil prices, an added cost to the nation’s debt load. In these times of international unrest and challenges, may heaven keep us from actually needing those reserves before they can be fully replaced. It’s one thing, and wrong, to thoroughly dislike, discredit, and attempt to destroy America’s long-term dependence on fossil fuels. Something else again to apparently dislike our nation and thereby leave it without sufficient fuel backup should a major crisis arise.
And speaking of Mr. Biden, his purposeful decision to leave our southern border wide open since the very start of his administration, and letting the world know it, has created financial, health, and security chaos, not only for the citizens and governments of our southern border states and cities, but also for the states and cities receiving un-asked-for shipments of illegal immigrants all over the nation. Perhaps assumed by some, but certainly unpublicized, is the fact that so many (perhaps the majority?) of illegals we’re admitting have little or no resources. In other words, we’re “attracting the most vulnerable and poorest foreign nationals.” “I don’t have a dollar to live on,” said one recent illegal to investigators.
In San Antonio, about 600 border-crossing illegal aliens are arriving in the city each day, “and more than 80% need accommodations like housing, food, shelter, clothing and other services.” Catholic Charities, a taxpayer-funded NGO organization, helping with illegal immigration, reports that “about half the border crossers they are encountering are single adults who have no ties to the U.S.” Thus, the need just stated for all manner of public assistance, both now and for the foreseeable future, meaning an increased drain on government funding at all levels (make that, taxpayer funding!). This year alone, to date, an estimated 1.7-million illegals have entered our country along the southern border. Worse, that total does not include the likely hundreds of thousands of “Got-Aways” who snuck in undetected! And some more bad news. The vast majority of these illegals now here do not have a valid claim for asylum, not that such seems to matter much to the administration. In keeping with the ‘attracting-the-world’s-poor’ theme of this story, poverty has never been a legally valid asylum claim!
Oh, and the status of our border? Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has stated: “Look, the border is secure.” One has to wonder, as does Pinocchio, whether his nose grew any when he said those words publicly. Clearly, as we all know, our southern border is anything but secure, with all manner of criminals, potential terrorists, disease carriers, human & drug smugglers, previously deported illegals, etc. either entering at CBP checkpoints or just sneaking in. Speaking to the “secure” claim, FBI Director Christopher Wray said recently in testimony: “I think the border presents significant security issues. There’s a wide array of criminal threats that we encounter down at the border.” And to that point, U.S. Customs & Border Protection reports that their agents “apprehended 10,763 ‘criminal noncitizens’ in fiscal 2021, which marks an increase of over 300% from previous years.” And you can bet that the criminal apprehensions at the southern border will be no fewer in fiscal 2022. Plus, again, the Got-Aways!
We have a huge problem at the border, dramatically impacting the future safety and security of our nation (not to mention our financial security, in terms of projected welfare costs, in some cases, forever!). Our southern border is not secure. To claim otherwise is a politically motivated untruth.
And speaking of illegals, Los Angeles County Government has just introduced an unusual policy. Believe it or not, their Board of Supervisors “voted unanimously to allow non-citizens to work in government positions provided the position does not conflict with state or federal law.” You’ll be somewhat relieved to know that working for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, without legal citizenship, is excluded! Said the County statement: “This motion seeks to make clear that the County, as one of the largest employers in the region, strives to be an inclusive and diverse workforce, and is committed to not excluding nor allowing citizenship to be a barrier to employment.” Once again, watering down the value, and the precious gift it is, of American citizenship. Granted that not all “noncitizens” are illegal migrants. Many immigrants throughout the nation have come to our country legally, which, of course, remains the much-preferred method. But we’re guessing that most noncitizens currently in Southern California are likely to be those who have illegally crossed our southern border. Just a guess.
And finally, a Cornell University professor reported that a Gettysburg Address plaque and a bust of President Abraham Lincoln were recently removed from the school library “after someone complained.” In 2020, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the student government voted to remove an actual statue of Abraham Lincoln on campus, reportedly because that statue was a “racist remnant” of “white supremacy.” On campus, and off, to an increasing extent, we continue to be under the regrettable spell of puffy-chest, self-gratifying, wokie elitists, whether students or ‘grown-ups.’ May November arrive soon!
(Strategic Reserve draining via dailywire.com, Hank Berrien, 8-4-22; Five million barrels shipped overseas via dailymail.com, Reuters, 7-5-22; “Attracting the world’s poor” via breitbart.com, John Binder, 8-1-22; “Border is secure” via dailymail.com, Katelyn Caralle, 7-20-22; Wray quote via foxnews.com, Adam Shaw, 8-4-22; Criminal illegals apprehended via foxnews.com, Andrew Mark Miller, 7-7-22; L.A. County quote via breitbart.com, Paul Bois, 8-1-22; Campus Lincoln removals via breitbart.com, Alana Mastrangelo, 6-28-22).