Ripping Children From The Arms Of Their Mothers

It's a bit of hyperbole, but it's more than a little true.  Mothers with children that make it across the U.S./Mexican border are indeed separated from their children.  And, this does offend one's social conscience.  But, let's look at this matter a bit more closely.

Only now, during the Trump administration, have NBC, CNN and liked minded networks decided to highlight this situation.  During earlier administrations, this matter was hardly ever talked about.  Now, during Trump's administration this cruelty is being highlighted.

And, it is indeed cruel and heartless.  But, how did we get to this point.  Wasn't it these mothers who in the first instance decided to find a way to get into the U.S. even if it violated our laws.  Weren't the mothers fully aware of the consequences of their reckless and unlawful actions?  These procedures for dealing with the mothers and their children had clearly been established some time ago.

Okay, so how do we get ourselves out of this situation?  The obvious answer is to create a barrier on our border than can not be breached.  But, here we have a problem.  The Democrats won't support border security and without border security foreign mothers will continue to enter the U.S. illegally.  Their children become their get-out-of-jail card.  With this card, illegal entry to the U.S. becomes unstoppable.

But, why do these people vote against their own homelands to make a fairly perilous trip to the Mexican-American border?  Several possible answers have been cited.  They include the following:
The poor economic condition in places like Guatemala, Honduras, etc.  In the U.S., poor people are entitled to welfare. Not in these places. Then there's the real risk of physical harm back home.  A risk stemming from criminal gangs preying on their their fellow nationals.  In some cases, there's a desire to escape family violence.  Americans can sympathize with people who find themselves in these situations.  Whether seeking to escape danger or simply seeking better opportunities have always been the reasons that people want to come here.  It's the reason most of our forefathers came here.

But, when a nation grows and matures, and especially in a time of relatively easy transportation, nations have to begin to consider the situation of the people who already made it and the generations of Americans that followed them.  We're a pretty good nation because mostly we pay our taxes.  We're a pretty good nation because we have relatively good laws and generally enforce those laws.  We're a pretty good nation because we've come a long way toward eliminating ethnic, social and racial discrimination.  We're not perfect, but we've come a long way and we've reached a pretty high level of fairness and equality.  The question is can we do this for the world?  Can we take in everyone who seeks to escape a corrupt and lawless nation?  Can we do this for everyone everywhere in the world who seeks to escape poverty?  Do we have that capability?

We see what is happening to European countries that have allowed unfettered immigration from the middle east.  (They don't like to talk about it, but the stories are getting out.)  We'd dearly love to help the whole world, but we simply don't have the ability.

Liberals often ask wasn't it immigrants who built this country?  And, they're right.  It was.  But, they neglect to mention that we insisted that these early immigrants have sponsors who would keep their immigrant friends and family from becoming wards of the state.  We also insisted that they be healthy.  Illness was considered a valid reason for sending them back to wherever they came from.  If you were from Europe and poor, chances were your first stop would be Ellis Island, the place where it was decided whether  you'd be admitted.

The world's a tough place.  We've got to do whatever we can to make it better for our citizens.  Other countries have this same obligation.

Will Trump's Meeting With Kim Jong Un Improve Our Position On The Korean Peninsula?

I have heard so much discussion on the meeting between Kim and Trump on MSNBC, CNN, PBS, and Fox News.  And, none said the obvious; namely, that the meeting will be found to have been successful because it meets the needs of America and China.  For reason's incomprehensible to me, no one mentions China.  Correction: I did see a newspaper that said China seems to have gained from the Kim/Trump meeting, as though that had been accidental.

"Seems to have gained" ?   That's what the meeting was all about.  Without China there would be no North Korea.  By the same token, without the U.S. there would be no South Korea.  With Kim and Trump threatening one another with fingers "on the button," China was getting increasingly uncomfortable.  For their puppet in the north, to act in a barbaric fashion is of little concern to the Chinese.  But to create a situation that leads to war on their door step was found by the Chinese to be unacceptable.

North Korea will not revert to its old, overly hostile  behavior towards the U.S. because that's not to China's advantage.  North Korea will stick to its charm campaign because that's what China wants.

Look at it this way:  China needs no wall; they have North Korea.

The Republican Lilliputians and ZTE

The giant telecommunications company, ZTE, violated the conditions under which it purchased components from American manufacturers.  How should we best impress on them our displeasure?
Should we put them out of business?  Should we fine them $1 billion?  Should we place enforcement officers in their offices to monitor their activities?  Should we call for the replacement of ZTE's board members?

If we refuse to allow American companies to sell to ZTE, we put ZTE out of business.  That's what the Republicans want to do -- put them out of business.  Donald Trump wants to do everything mentioned above except putting them out of business.

What would be gained by putting them out of business?  What's been done has been done.  You can't undo it.  You can only hope to change future behavior.  Clearly, if ZTE were to do it again, ending our sales to ZTE would necessarily become our only possible course of action.

If this is such a complicated decision, why not just put ZTE out of business now?

Consider this:  ZTE is huge and being huge in China means you are a part of the Chinese government.  Companies like ZTE fall within the purview of China.  The measures suggested by Donald Trump do inflict pain on ZTE.  In addition, they set significant precedents for dealing with such situation should they reoccur.  Putting them out of business and inflicting dire pain on a Chinese entity seems excessive.

Why Democrats would act in this way is clear.  Let's do everything, they say among themselves, to screw up Trump's chances of doing anything positive.

But, why do the Republicans act in this pernicious manner?  Is it to exercise their power as members of the third branch of government?  If so, they're cutting off the nose of Uncle Sam to spite Donald Trump.

I'm back.

I haven't posted anything since Jan.  Let me assure my friends that I haven't been ill.  I've been relocating.  My good wife and I were residents of New York State until we decided to become Floridians.  Let me tell you, relocating isn't easy.  But, we've done it, and slowly our old routines are are beginning to return.  Chuckling Over The Here And Now is back.