5-12-2023

Immigration 101 Confusing Apples and Oranges

There is a lot of “fluff” over President Trump’s use of Title 42 as a public health rule during the COVID-19 pandemic and President Biden’s fight to end the emergency health declaration that enabled Title 42.

It would appear that all the illegal migration coming from both the Southern and Northern Borders with Mexico and Canada are being classified by the media and government officials as “Asylum” seekers coming primarily from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Let me tell you nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact there are two types of migration – legal and illegal.

There are several classes of migrants those seeking to relocate into the United States, those coming as tourists, those with work permits and those who leave their country who are or fear persecution on ethnic or religious grounds or gang warfare being conducted in their home countries.

U.S. Immigration Code provides consideration for entry in every case. Not everyone who wants to come into the U.S. is required to be admitted. Admission is a privilege, not a right of passage.

What has been happening is not being shown for what it really is – a purposeful invasion of citizens from nations around the globe who have not sought refuge for purpose of asylum in the first country they have entered leaving their home country.

I call it a purposeful invasion because every country has their own immigration laws and violating those laws normally leads to refusal of entry, imprisonment or deportation. So how do they get through so many countries in order to get to the US border without being stopped and turned around or given refuge?

What about safeguards are in place to prevent persecutors from entering the U.S. to continue bringing terror to those who fled to get away?

It has been estimated that roughly 10,000+ migrants PER DAY are ending up coming into the US illegally prior to the end of Title 42?

Title 8 of U.S. Code will allow for the speedy removal of those who do not have legal standing to remain in the U.S., but when they come illegally and/or under false pretenses they do not have any legal recourse under the Constitution which was written to protect U.S. citizens.

Now before you get all hot and bothered about me being a racist or anything else, let me tell you that my family member came to this country after following US Immigration Laws and spent many years applying and following the rules and laws of the US before finally getting US citizenship the right way.

There is no right way to get here the wrong way.

Immigration has been a political can of worms for quite some time, at least since the end of World War II. Congress has known the problems associated with immigration, yet has willfully chosen NOT to take corrective action, even when asked by the public or the President.

Since Congress is the law making body of our government and the President signs bills into law, it should be very easy for a president who has spent his adult life in Congress to accomplish a comprehensive immigration reform bill that corrects the injustices, loopholes and inequities that make the citizens of the United States less safe by simply being ignored over time.

I remember one president who asked congress to do exactly that – reform immigration and instead congress chose to do nothing, except to ride him like a wild and uncontrollable bronco.

Where are they now? – RTM

5-12-2023

Who Controls Your Power Grid?

There is an awful lot of pressure on Americans, through advertisements, to buy all sorts “smart” devices, like microwaves, telephones, computers and a host of power tools and eVehicles all guaranteed to make our lives easier, simpler while saving the planet from ourselves yet giving us more time for the important things in life. There are eRobots that will vacuum your house, mow your lawn, and in select environments deliver your food to your table and process your credit card.

Flashy cars and trucks that do everything except think for you and somebody’s working on that and it’s called Artificial Intelligence (AI), now isn’t that a real slap in the face of even the most dimwitted homo-sapien.

Artificial is used for describing a number of things – turf, insemination, milk, meats made out of plants, but intelligence? Nobody buys for a second that Military Intelligence is actually intelligent, unless of course you’ve been assigned to it, and then it’s questionable.

AI that learns from itself should be seen as a very scary thing. Remember that 0 X 100 still equals 0.

Self-driving cars, trucks, airplanes or any other mode of transportation sets the stage for mass casualties galore and I don’t want to be anywhere around it, especially as a passenger. If I’m waiting to get on an airplane and the pilot is R2D2 or in a bus with a driver who resembles a Cyborg or a smart watch – I’m hitting the exit and fast.

Did I tell you my little corner of the world was without power for 3 1/2 hours the first time this morning due to rain and trees being blown into power lines (and our lines are underground). We’ve had multiple power outages and who’s to say the real culprit is the guy in our neighborhood plugging his Tesla or other eVehicle in that causes our power grid to shut off?

I guess we won’t have more problems like these after everyone is pressured to voluntarily give up the family car and buy these eVehicles by a date determined by legislators in our state and National Assemblies, and nobody sees this coming?

So tell me one more thing. How is banning mining, production and development of fossil fuels going to make anything better? It will take us all back to the stone age where rock tires and foot power are our modes of transportation and we will be sitting in our darkened structures (until they deteriorate around us) while mom is cooking over a coal fire once again.

Don’t worry about having a phone, TV, microwave, most shoes, lots of clothes or certain foods or anything made of plastic or rubber because like it or not – their components are almost exclusively from fossil fuels.

Remember we’ll be back to the primitive state where it really will be “IN GOD WE TRUST” because man will continue to fail us EVERYTIME! – RTM

6-7-2023

Single White Light

I recently received a package via Fed Ex. It had an address from Home Depot in Phoenix. I opened it up and there was no document, invoice or letter explaining the content – a white single light switch.

I pondered this for several minutes as I sought to determine why I had received this $0.97 product which I did not order or request.

I looked up the store online and found that it was a legitimate store that was permanently closed.

So what do I do? Should I go to a local Home Depot store and try to return it without proof that I purchased it? At best I would obtain store credit, at worst I could just leave it there – Irregardless of whether they’d accept it.

Or do I look for and purchase a white single light switch cover just in case I need one?

Oh the dilemma I find myself contemplating………..RTM

5-3-2023

Lemons or Lemonade

In the movie Forest Gump he said, “Life is like a box of chocolates” and Lynn Anderson’s song, “I never promised you a rose garden”. The Bible tells us that everything we need has already been provided to us by the God who created us.

So what are we to do in this crazy mixed up, woke-world we live in?

We are told patriotism (pride in our country) is bad, but taking “free money” from our government is bad. Being a citizen of the United States is being downplayed while claiming everyone is a citizen of the world. When is the last time you received a benefit for being a citizen of the global community?

We are told that global warming causes the earth to become unstable, causing multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and flooding in various places around the globe, yet we have intense famines where food and water are either scarce or non-existent.

Masses of the world are poor and getting poorer while the elite become richer and richer. We live in a world where you either have or have not. It’s easy to spend all your time working or working to not work, so long as you get what you want and it has to be right now.

I surmise that life is not so much as what you experience or what happens to you, but how you relate or handle what comes your way in life. When you come to an obstacle, is it a doorway to/or a barrier keeping you from something new and exciting?

Is the glass half full or half empty? Is it even your glass?

There are no unimportant people. Everyone is born with a purpose.

How do we find OUR purpose?

Some people are born with a calling, while others receive their calling early on and many must ask the Creator – God. When you know what you were created for and you are obedient to the leading of the one who created you, it becomes a labor of love. Otherwise you could spend your entire life searching or wondering – what is the purpose of MY life?

So when it seems that life hands you lemons – make lemonade! – RTM

4-27-2023

The Least of These

Living a Christian life isn’t always easy. We’ve never been promised that life will be a bed of roses. But life in general isn’t easy either. What are the life triggers that have you looking with distain on those around you?

What makes you say under your breath, “You’ve got to be kidding me”?  

Is it a public figure saying or doing something so stupid that you think they must have missed out on the brain pool or were asleep when smarts was being handed out?

I can’t speak for anyone other than myself. What I can say is I’ve been there and didn’t even get a t-shirt.

We as humans are not basically “good” people. We want what we want and we want it now, without interference from or consideration of anyone else. We are the creators of our own universe, the masters of our kingdom and on our throne is where we create our own mess (quite literally).

We have a tendency to look down on custodians, janitors, waitresses and servers or anybody who is engaged in public service. It’s as if we are better than them. We do the same with lawyers and politicians (quite often the same thing). We see beggars and homeless as people who’ve chosen to be that way, without knowing anything about the circumstances that brought them there.

In our own cynical way we view doctors and nurses as money grabbers, overcharging for their services, living in mansions, driving expensive cars, sailing on yachts or globetrotting around the world. Look around, they live next door or on our block, drive the same cars we do and their mansion is the hospital or office setting where they spend way too much of their days just trying to help people and pay their bills – just like us.

The bible tells us that we are to love God and if it is within our power to do so – love each other, as we love ourselves. Therein lays the problem. We don’t even like ourselves.

Yet we are a people who are so full of ourselves that we make others sick of being around us. We grumble and complain and constantly say “somebody ought to…….”

We forget that WE ARE SOMEBODY and yes WE OUGHT TO do something about whatever we see wrong in our sphere of influence (our neck of the woods).

We are part of God’s creation, and there is nobody who is unimportant or more important than anybody else. We are smart and dumb at the same time. We are rich and pour and know not what we have that makes us so.

As Christians we need to tune into God, so we can ride high on life (eternal life) and wait for God to tell us the “next” thing before we move forward, or fall back.

We need to rethink how look at or treat other people. Think of the nastiest, meanest, dirtiest, most despicable person and never forget that God created him or her. We are to treat everyone the way we want to be treated, not how we are treated by them. In Matthew 25: 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’.

Can we truly call ourselves Disciples of Christ, brothers in the faith and continue to badmouth what God has created? Do we praise God with that same mouth? Do we kiss our mothers with those same lips? Do we lift up holy hands that we used to beat another down? When we bring our requests before God, are we not to stop and square things with our brother, sister, neighbor first?

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…..

God loves you even now, just as you are, you don’t need to change a thing.

Jesus paid the price on the cross at Calvary and rose again on the third day for your sins, for my sins and for the sins of the entire world.

You need only to believe and accept what has already been bought – Salvation in the name of Jesus.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world……..” (look it up).

Like I said earlier, life is hard, yet it is much harder without God. – RTM

4-22-2023

Politicizing the 2^nd Amendment

Once again the media is reporting mass shootings of children, men and women of color at churches, malls and schools all across our nation. The trend is to incite fear into the hearts and minds of Americans who will gladly give up their second amendment rights to own and bear arms.

A secondary stab goes to holding gun manufacturers, legitimate sellers of arms and ammunition and even the National Rifle Association (NRA), conservative gun rights advocates, parents and basically everyone EXCEPT the shooter(s) responsible for these reprehensible actions of killing the innocent.

Members of Congress at state and federal level are urged to create new laws banning the sale of weapons and/or ammunition or at create a national database of legitimate purchases. President Biden (I use that title loosely) is urging more control over American’s with firearms.

Yet nobody in authority is the least bit concerned that violent offenders using guns and ammunition to kill others do not as a general rule abide by existing laws, or purchased their quantity of arms and supplies in stores.

When will local state and federal prosecutors stop beating around the bush and begin stringent enforcement of criminals violating existing laws while acting criminally with violence and death as a means of keeping Americans at bay?

Criminalizing American citizens who arm themselves for self-defense against demented individuals or gangs of criminals roaming our streets is not only UNCONSTITUTIONAL but a recipe for disaster and an invitation for CHAOS!

Absolutely nobody is concerned that the most basic law of Almighty God as spelled out in the 10 Commandments “Do not kill” is greater than any anti-gun legislation man can create.

It could be argued that murder is simply a form of extremely late term abortion which anti-gun fanatics as a rule are greatly in favor of.

More importantly when will American’s stand up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH already? Do not cast one vote for politicians who are against protecting their constituents and the general public from violence or in support of legalized abortion.

Actions have consequences!

If God said it, believe it! – RTM

4-22-2023

It’s Like a Marathon Nobody Wants to Run

Have you ever run a marathon or a distance race? Anybody can enter but only those who have been in training will finish. Usually there is a hefty registration fee to insure only serious athletes are go onto the track.

Once the race is about to start you can see the excitement and anticipation in the eyes of each runner. They have their assigned number pinned to their shirts. Because it’s a distance race of 10, 20 or more miles (or kilometers) there are no lanes to stay in. Everyone is chomping at the bit (as we used to say).

The Starter pistol fires and they’re off.

Immediately the eager beavers begin jockeying into position. A couple of early birds move out away from the crowd taking an early lead.

The route is clearly marked and this race will take more than 10 hours to complete. There are water stations along the way and checkers will mark off as runners come in or pass by. Medical first aid personnel are stationed at various points along the way, to render aid for sprained ankles and minor scrapes and bruises, more serious injuries may require transport to a local hospital.

Soon the crowd favorites and more experienced runners come in and get their water or Gatorade and quickly move back among the runners.  It’s not long before the speed demons are being passed as they have stopped running or are walking along the side.

I once ran a 10 kilometer race and gave it my all. I was probably about the 2 kilometer mark and felt entirely spent as an older grandma and grandson duo ran past me as if I was standing still. That’s when I decided that distance running was not for me. I did finish the race, but well after most of the other runners had left the field.

As runners come into view and prepare to cross the finish line, it’s obvious that the winner will be a crowd favorite who has run and won many marathons before. The crowd cheers as the winner, followed by two more favorites cross the finish line after running more than 10 hours. They look exhausted, but proud of their accomplishments and watch as other runners cross the finish line. Running a marathon is not for the faint of heart, as shown on the faces of those who just didn’t have what it took to finish the race.

That’s why I say that politics is like running a marathon. Anybody can run, and almost everybody does, if not for the wrong reasons. Career politicians run because they can. Voters vote for them because they’re still running for reelection or for a higher office, but in many cases not because of the track record of the office they hold/held.

Those new to politics may look good on the outside, talk a good talk on the campaign trail, but not have a clue as to how they will execute the office they are running for. Some are obviously there for the publicity. They want their name linked to their main political opponent. Someone who win or lose ran against them. Still others run for political office for power and prestige and the opportunity to make a killing financially. They are in it for themselves and it shows.

Winning a political race isn’t always sunshine and roses afterwards. I’ve heard of politicians going into it with all good intentions, but finding out that it’s sit down and shut up and learn what it’s really all about. They are stifled politically and quite often are unable to do what they promised their constituents. They end up leaving at the end of their term and never running for political office again.

There are a few exceptions where non-politicians win their political race and go into what appears to be a minefield with booby traps, trip flares and ambushes in virtual kill zones. It’s either sink or swim

Only the very dedicated can navigate the political chaff while staying focused on honoring their campaign promises. They do not let the target on their back sway them to the left or to the right. They accomplish what they said they would and do it with a smile. They are despised by their political rivals who are very good at Sunday quarterbacking all of their decisions, but haven’t a clue how to do even simple tasks on their own.

Anybody can run for political office, providing they meet the requirements outlined in the US Constitution. However not everybody who meets those requirements should ever attempt to run for political office. There are those who are successful in the business world and those who are successful in politics, but few have ever been successful in both. Politics tends to taint the goods of a great many do gooders and provoke jealousy and resentment in an attempt to prevent political success.

A few years ago I submitted my resume for an at large county commissioner position. I met the qualifications and decided to give it a shot. The day of the scheduled interview I was the last one on the calendar. When I went in front of the board of commissioners I could sense that a decision had been made already and mine was just for protocol. Several of those on the board have gone on to seek higher level political offices. For me it wasn’t about politics, it was about patriotism.

There are patriots who love their country and there are politicians who love what they can get from their country.

JFK said it best “Do not ask what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country!”

DJT said “The best is yet to come. We will make America great again.”

What do you say? – RTM

4-16-2023

Remember When Trigger Was A Horse?

I don’t mean to date myself but as a child I grew up on The Roy Rogers Show. I remember that Bullet was his faithful companion, his dog and Trigger was his horse. Dale Evans was Roy’s wife and Nellie Bell was his sidekick’s jeep. Today Roy Rogers still rides the range in syndicated reruns.

Today’s climate in America is like a sickened nightmare where normalcy is turned upside down and sideways. Kindergarten kids are expelled for pointing their finger like a gun while playing with other kids. Parents are not allowed to speak their minds at school board meetings against the hateful and pornographic curriculum so prevalent in today’s classrooms. 

We’ve seen law enforcement officers accused of racial profiling, a necessary tool to target specific trends in lawlessness. With all the hate filled rhetoric of those “mostly peaceful” exercises of the Constitutional Amendment it’s no wonder that hatred and violence is increasing against law abiding citizens of our nation.

Do you know that only US citizens have constitutional rights?

Residents who are non-citizens have the right to live and work in our country providing they do not break any of our laws or they then have the right to be deported.

In this upside down turmoil we are told is the “new normal” politicians would rather ignore and break laws which are deemed unfair or unjust, instead of correcting, changing or writing new statutes that could be signed into law by the president.

During a discussion of current events it occurred to me that by and large American’s have become complacent and gullible when it comes to politics. We vote for the people who promise us free stuff and can’t see the entrapment hanging over our heads.

Politicians are aiming at taking away every single right guaranteed by the US Constitution, and we jump right on their bandwagon.  It used to be called giving the farm, lock, stock and barrel. Today many don’t even know what a farm is? They think milk, eggs, meat and clothes all come from a store and stealing it is often totally acceptable.

We need to remember God’s instructions in the 10 commandments.

1. Have no other gods before God.
2. Do not worship things instead of God.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vein.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your mother and your father.
6. Do not kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not speak falsely against your neighbor.
9. Don not steal
10. Do not covet.

In Luke 10:27 – He (Jesus) answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus also said that if you are not for Him you are against Him.

So I ask who are you a fool for – the God who created you or the deceiver of this world we live in? – RTM

The Pentagon is seen from the air in Washington, March 3, 2022.© Joshua Roberts/Reuters, FILE

4-15-2023

On the FBI Arrest Over Leaked Classified Documents Case

(& A Closer Look)

Although I take national security very seriously what started off as a “Probable Cause Case” of a suspected Air National Guardsman leaking secret classified documents, has itself been a leak of information “by someone not authorized to discuss it” and would be laughable except for the fact that the person taken into custody has been named publicly.

This person has been called by the media as a “young, charismatic gun enthusiast” as a means of inferring that someone standing on the constitutional right to bear arms also is included. 

It is imperative that the investigation, takedown and arrest of suspects be kept out of the media until the facts are made known, charges have been made and after a trial has found the individual guilty beyond a shadow of doubt. Beings the individual is a member of a Massachusetts Air National Guard, possibly on active duty status (not made clear yet by leaked sources), subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and accorded a military trial.

It is ludicrous that the comments being made publicly are from our government officials who have also become the subject of mishandling classified document allegations but do not make the headlines, or have news media leaking their information in the same manner as they have for this non-political private citizen. Leaking is leaking – no matter who does it so ABC, WP or other news outlet get out ahead of this and keep politics out of reporting the fully substantiated facts.

A Closer Look

The news media was quick to name Massachusetts Guardsman Jack Teixeira as the “suspect” and televise his takedown and arrest. So what were the top secret documents he leaked? Were they US military battleplans? Could it have been the secret location of “the bunker” under the White House? Maybe it could have been the entire list of secret US spies working at Wal-Mart?

It was more devious than any of those. It appears what he leaked were documents showing that enemies of the United States and the free world are secretly aligning into an Axis Superpac to further enable a nuclear capability of Iran. But that seems to be only the tip of the iceberg. The US Government leaders either don’t see what is happening or have deliberately refused from taking action to protect the nation or our allies.

To make a public spectacle out of him, denying his right to a speedy and fair trial of his peers. Rather than prosecute Airman Jack Teixeira, someone should give that man a medal. – RTM

4-6-2023

It’s Not About the Eggs

Men are sporting their Sunday best while women are wearing that new Easter dress.. Churches are overflowing with a yearly flock eager to hear the pastor say “Amen!” Children are fussing over how many eggs they will find, hoping to find the “secret” egg with a grand prize. Eateries are prepped and ready for a hungry crowd. Shoppers are excited there’s a sale going on.

In this hustle and bustle of the world we live in many don’t know Easter isn’t about the bunny or the eggs, but about the redemption of man from his sins by a merciful God who loved us so much that he sent his only begotten Son – Jesus to die on a cross more than 2000 years ago so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven.

Do you know Jesus?

You can know him (he’s only a prayer away), acknowledge you have sinned and ask for his forgiveness (only he can provide), and then accept him as Lord and you shall be saved.

John 3:16-18

New International Version

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

You see it’s not about the eggs! – RTM