At 6:11 pm (ET) today in Butler, Pennsylvania during a MAGA rally while President Trump was speaking multiple shots rang out, striking Trump on the right side of his head near his right ear, it is also noted that 1 MAGA rally supporter was killed shielding his two daughters and two others were seriously wounded. Almost immediately secret service agents took out would be assassin 20 year old Matthew Thomas Crocks.
While President Biden was quick to publicly condemn this attempted assassination the media was still publicly treating Trump with contemptuous headlines “Trump say’s he was shot” and “Possible assassination attempt”. Social media posters falsely claim that “Trump set this whole thing up” even with Trump and 2 others wounded and 1 rally goer and the shooter dead.
It’s not surprising since over the past 8 years Congressional legislators and Hollywood “elites” have called for actions such as what happened today. After January 6th House Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have attempted to create a “disgraced presidents bill” and other actions that would strip secret service protection from Trump.
It has been reported that this is the first Presidential assassination attempt since Reagan in 1981, but is that even accurate? Remember when Obama feared Somali extremists in Milwaukee were going to launch an attack on him after he became the President-Elect in 2006? Have there been other under-reported presidential attacks that we have never been told about? Today’s secret service detail had both male and female agents and they responded rather quickly.
I was pretty ticked off when in 2017 a female secret service agents assigned to newly elected President Trump’s detail said she would not take a bullet for him. She was quietly moved to another secret service detail. Was she in the minority?
While world leaders weighing in on this “shocking” development, the left leaning media and left wing radicals still try playing off this shooting as a Trump stunt.
I’m trying to pin down a CNN story which suggests that “prior to shots being fired a sheriff’s deputy spotted a person on the rooftop armed with a rifle, but that person pointed his weapon at the officer.”
My questions, why wasn’t that person immediately engaged and what did the deputy do about it?
Prior to the start of the RNC Convention in Milwaukee, WI President Trump has re-written his opening speech to be more unifying and without the harshness of bashing President Biden, who on the other hand in his speech from the Oval Office has promised to “tone down” the rhetoric and bring the campaign back to the realities of his record and his policies, rather to the political mudslinging – at least until the RNC Convention gets underway.
It sounds like both sides are willing to bury the hatchet and not just a democratic figure of speech either.
I have just finished reading the book “Butler” by Salena Zito which gives a firsthand account on July 13, 2024, that is a very detailed and comprehensive look at the day that America changed and how the democrats and their left-leaning media continue to miss it big time.- RTM
The world is gearing up for the Summer Olympics 24 July – 11 August 2024 in Paris, France.
After the opening ceremonies athletes from many nations will be competing in many individual and team sports.
I stand behind Team USA as they do their very best, placing other competitor above themselves, stand on the pedestal under the US Flag, with pride as our National Anthem plays in their honor bringing national pride to the United States of America.
I urge them not to confuse personal political opinions with the solemn responsibility to stand in unity representing Team USA. – RTM
Publicity is the thing that gives politicians nightmares especially when it’s negative. Someone wrote an op-ed bashing the media for its coverage of President Biden’s obvious to everyone mental decline and more visible his gaffes. Oh it’s okay when Biden and his vocal congressional Democrats voice innuendos and outright lies about his political opponents, even of his own party.
Remember the 2020 debates where Biden and Harris called each other all sorts of unpleasantries and most despicable names even how unfit for the presidency they each were? We can see that now but was it okay then, right? Democrats have even jumped on the “never-RFK Jr” bandwagon fearing his candidacy would end up handing the election over to Trump. I’m sure there are some pretty smart people in the Democrat Party, but alas their voices are almost never to be heard unless it’s a fringe crackpot like AOC and the Squad.
What we’re seeing in Biden is a man fighting for his political life to retain the power he has grown accustomed to having as his name recognition precedes him. I have long felt and written about the Biden campaign and presidency having been a perfect textbook example of elder abuse. Why would anyone subject Uncle Joe, Grandpa Joe, former Senator, former Vice President and sitting President Joe Biden to such humiliation and disgrace when he should be enjoying his senior years in comfort and style? I seem to remember the age old saying about when the shoe being on the other foot?
Democratic politicians wonder why these “attacks” by the media have sunk Biden’s ship, but the complete opposite happens when they “attack” Trump, his following base increased and he seemed to thrive. Trump has been known to say something along the line – publicity is publicity so long as I’m not paying for it. It keeps his name on their minds and in the public square.
American’s deserve better than out of this world political spending that gives us a soaring national debt with an unreasonable economic future, higher gas prices, higher food prices, higher medical care expenses and a never before debt taking care of illegal immigrants, a non-existent southern border and a very weak national security and a foreign policy that can hardly be taken seriously by our nation’s sworn enemies.
We must come back to our dependency on Almighty God for peace, guidance and vision of a better day ahead and we must bring common sense back to the USA. – RTM
There’s a saying that if you find yourself digging a deep hole and you can’t get out the first thing you should do is put down the shovel (stop digging). – Unknown
Have you gone to the mountains or found yourself on a narrow dirt road or trail where it’s obvious that other drivers have created deep ruts as their vehicles have bogged down and at some point they have high centered (frame on dirt contact)? Suddenly you too have high centered.
What do you do? You try to back out and failing that you must think of the best way out. Calling AAA doesn’t work (no signal) and there are no other vehicles or people around. Do you pray? But will God hear you (remember no signal)?
There may be many options available, but one many choose is to abandon the vehicle and walk back the way you came in. An experienced driver will pull out a shovel and start digging dirt from under the frame, rocks to put behind the pulling wheels and/or gather branches to put under the wheels. Hardcore off roaders will look for a tree, boulder or object to anchor the winch cable and then pull their vehicle out of the rut.
Politically speaking politicians haven’t learned those lessons. The deflect blame on their opponents, slander or smear them personally, professionally, politically and as a last or final resort they employ Lawfare against their enemies.
Just who are their enemies? Conservatives cite the Constitution as the Rule of Law and nobody is above the law. Liberals cite beating Trump at any price, while marginalizing their voter base and demonizing the voting base of their opponents.
It’s clear that unless you are a dutiful Democrat voter toting the party line, you aren’t qualified to be treated with respect and are or may soon be a threat to their Democracy (power), just as anyone of the MAGA persuasion. They call us deplorables, unpatriotic and even want to deplete potential voters by abortion (up and until after birth) – that’s called murder.
It must be disheartening for them to see that MAGA supporters are of every race and every political party coming together with Trump to undo what Biden has done to America in order to make our country great again.
What goes around comes around and from what I see coming around are the same labeling as 2016 & 2020.
From the Democrats come the allegations of Trump wrongdoing, followed by Russia election interference and then continued allegations of Trump lying about anything and everything while ignoring the Biden elephant in the room. Biden’s cognitive decline is apparent to everyone and after the disastrous “debate” his own performance let the cat out of the bag (so to speak).
Afterwards Biden said “I’m fine, it’s just my brain!”
Biden handlers in the White House said he was just tired and Biden said Trump yelled at him.
We are told that Biden is at the top of his game from 10AM to 4PM and his daily schedule for today begins at 11AM and runs until 8PM with leaders in the NATO summit Biden is “hosting”.
Also from the Democrats come threats and allegations of potential Russian Election Interference over the Swing States by a former CIA chief of Russian investigations? Sound familiar?
Nothing has been said about the Democratic Election Interference by state prosecutors and judges in the form of Lawfare trying to keep Trump out of the White House.
I remember when Pelosi and Schumer were among legislators pressuring VP Pence to call on the 25th Amendment because Trump wasn’t fit to execute his duties as president.
Yet when asked about Biden dropping out, Pelosi said “she wants Biden to do what he wants to do.” It has nothing to do with “for the good of the country” either. The Democratic Party is divided by Biden’s decline and a potential for a VP Harris takeover.
George H.W. Bush might have called these tactics “Smoke and Mirrors” to detract and confuse American voters. – RTM
Now that the patriotism of the 4th of July has gone out of the American consciousness what’s next? We have been told that what we see isn’t real and what is real is what we are told is real. Don’t believe your eyes just believe the media and social media.
I have some good friends who are bent on telling me that by extension I’m going to destroy America if my presidential candidate is elected because that’s what they’ve been told and strongly believe. These are my friends! But are they really?
I could go off on them and tell them to buzz off. I could tell them to open their eyes and see what their political party and it’s currently “elected” President has done to this country over the past 4 years and what his agenda will do if left unchecked, but will that be enough? I think not.
There are members of congress who have orchestrated the downfall of America by their ignorance of the Constitution and history. They are pushing us to believe that we are a Democracy. I doubt they even know what constitutes a Democracy. We constantly hear that America fights to bring Democracy to third world countries that are fighting for their national identity and the right of their people to be free.
Free from what?
Free to do what?
My friends think that when we make things better for others, that’s all we need to do. We can pat ourselves on our collective backs and feel good about ourselves. But they turn a blind eye to what their elected politicians are doing to destroy our country and turn it into one of those third world countries and it doesn’t even upset them in the least.
Why, because they have been told lies so long that they cannot even see the light of day. Democracy does not equal Freedom. Don’t believe me, then tell me how is it that every nation that has Democratic in their name is either Communist, Marxist or Socialist nations where the only prosperous people who free are at the top of their political food chain? Money talks and a people who have the means to defend themselves are a threat to those who have the money.
Look at North Korea, China, Russia, and many other Democratic countries and tell me how many people do you see are caravanning or walking hundreds of miles, through all sorts of danger, how many are climbing walls, swimming across water or scaling mountains to get into those nations? NADA
It’s especially disheartening to hear American Veterans “kitting up” against true American patriots who are standing up to defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies foreign and domestic, the same oath YOU took and you call us enemies of the state? You better wake up!
Standing for the flag, the National Anthem and against evil is NOT un-American. It is precisely what this nation was founded on. It’s why our country went through a Civil War to defend against government encroachment of our civil liberties and the rights given by our Creator God and enshrined by the Constitution.
Your party has circled the wagons around a president who has declining mental faculties and the ability to command NOTHING, yet you are so bent on preventing Trump from being elected that your party has clearly gone off its constitutional rocker an “at all cost” mindset, regardless of common sense or what is within the rule of law = Constitutional.
Clearly the United States of America is teetering on the very edge of the very freedom we strive to give to others. Unless this infighting stops and I mean right now there will be no turning back the hands of time or prevent the decline of life as we know it = The American Dream. – RTM
The last 8 years seem like yesterday and a thousand years ago at the same time as we’ve experiences anarchy, chaos and violence at the hands of our brethren, our fellow Americans and all because of political differences.
Remember in 2011 when tens of thousands of Democrats surged on the Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison and physically occupied it for more than two weeks? We were told, “This is what democracy looks like.”
Remember in 2016 when Obama was President and hundreds of BLM blocked interstate highways and violently accosted police (even killing several)? We were told, “To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible.”
Remember in 2018 during the Kavanaugh hearings when a mob of Democrats stormed the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, and pounded their fists in rage on the door. We were told, “It’s understandable.”
Remember the summer’s riots in major cities across the country when groups of Democrats marched in the streets, set buildings on fire, looted businesses, assaulted and even killed bystanders and police? We were told, “These are mostly peaceful protests.”
Remember when Democrats seized several blocks of the Capitol Hill neighborhood in downtown Seattle, declaring it an autonomous zone? Remember the guns ad deaths and utter destruction? We were told, “It’s a block party atmosphere.”
Remember when a crazed mob gathered after the Republican National Convention and attacked Rand Paul, a sitting U.S. Senator? We were told, “No justice, no peace.”
Remember how police were told to stand down, governors refused to call in the National Guard, and Democrats (like then California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris) paid bail for violent protesters who were arrested? We were told, “This is the only way oppressed people can be heard.”
I condemn violent protests and lawlessness every single time they’ve happened.
I condemn the actions of those who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021 disguised as MAGA.
Yet I refuse to condemn hundreds of thousands of peaceful MAGA supporters because a handful of people chose to be lawless and to defy everything the vast majority of the crowd stood for. Because a relative few people decided to do something stupid doesn’t nullify the concerns of the many.
Conservatives are defenders of the Constitution, the police, and the rule of law.
Who or what is the real culprit here?
The democratic controlled mainstream media has been telling us for years that violence is the only way people who feel oppressed can be heard, it’s the only way to get justice, and this is what democracy looks like.
The inflammatory rhetoric of the Left caused this, and it’s about time that the mainstream media took responsibility for dividing Americans and attempting to humiliate those who supported the former President Trump and his conservative ideals.
They have pushed people to the brink, while claiming, “It’s time for unity.” It reminds me of when President Obama met with President-Elect Trump in the Oval Office and Obama wished him a successful term because it would be America’s success too, while undermining (through Obama surrogates) his successor’s presidency. This same undermining continues with the Biden presidency and directly impacts the safety and national security of our nation with an open border policy that has admitted literally thousands of unvetted persons on an international watch list.
Democrats have circled the wagons around President Biden’s cognitive faculties having become seriously compromised reflecting his inability to function effectively as President. I have called it elder abuse from the start as in 2020 the DNC clearly picked bottom of the barrel candidates in a Biden/Harris ticket and America is suffering.
We are witnessing democratic piranhas turning on their own, supporting the genocide of entire generations of American unborn (up to and including after birth) – I call that murder! They then attack their own ranks with threats creating fear for those who chose to go against the stream. They continue to spread lies and “untruths” about their political opponents until pure fabrication seems to go from fantasy to fact (their fact), while the facts concerning President Biden that we are seeing in real time are said to be MAGA fabrication.
The Democratic playbook calls out political opposition doing what democrats are actually doing. The quest for power is never enough and those caught in its grasp are hopelessly ensnared.
It is time for Americans to stand up for truth and justice, protect the Constitution and remove those politicians who are a detriment to public order by voting their conscience, not by what or who they are told to vote for. We must put PUBLIC back in SERVICE – for the sake of our children and grandchildren. – RTM
“When elephants fight the grass gets trampled” – African proverb
What is your definition of a warrior? Is it the meanest, baddest or coolest dude or gal in the world?
It’s been said and I agree that it’s the person who does the right thing because it’s the right thing.
We are all created in the image of God with inalienable rights given not by government but by Almighty God! If we go by Hollywood’s “standard” of what it means to be a warrior – Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Jacky Chan, Bruce Willis or any other Hollywood legend we’ll miss the mark entirely. In the world we live in “right” is a relative term subjectively pertaining to the context in which it is used.
As a follower and believer in Jesus Christ I must weigh everything in light of what God says is right and what God says is not right. The basic commandments: Love God and have no other gods before him; do not steal; do not lie; do not covet; love your mother and father; do not kill; remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; do not take the name of the Lord in vain; do not commit adultery; & do not gossip and to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit and to love your neighbor as yourself which are the guidelines to live a good and holy life before God.
Each of us must seek to know God and HIS plan for our lives so that we know the race we have before us. When we place everyone (yes that means everyone) before ourselves we tend to focus on their needs and what we can do to meet those needs so long as it is within our means as God gives us His power to do so. The bible tells us that the enemy we fight is a spiritual force which we cannot hope to defeat in our own strength, but with the power of God in our life all things are possible. Once we understand our purpose, then we can focus on staying in the lane that God has given us so that we can run the race God has purposed us to run.
Not everyone is a Billy Graham, but nobody else in the world (past, present or future) can be YOU!
John 3:16
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.
We don’t have to agree with everything other people do or say, but we must not fail to love them as God loves them for that is our duty to be the good news – Jesus Loves You! – RTM
We tend to think that what we are seeing in politics today is unique and precedence setting. Throughout the history of our nation there have been political divisions when it comes to the office of the American President. General George Washington was the one unanimously voted to be the first president. They wanted to make him King, but that was not his desire or even in his thinking. He didn’t think it proper for a president to be affiliated with a political party because the president was for all. We’ve even had a Vice President (Aaron Burr) who killed his political opponent in a duel and was hanged for it.
When it came to Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt he was reelected so many times that it seemed he would never leave the presidency. It was only by his death that Harry Truman assumed the presidency. It was then that Congress wrote legislation creating term limits for the presidency, no more than two terms.
It would have been a great idea to expand that to members of Congress as there have been and are today legislators who have been in office in excess of 30 years and only death removes them from power.
It’s interesting that in my lifetime legislators who left congress to become President were Democratic Senators like #35 John F. Kennedy, #36 Lyndon B. Johnson, and #44 Barack Obama and #46 Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
I remember after #45 Donald J. Trump was elected and inaugurated there was a massive Democratic lead effort to embarrass, defame, even unsuccessful calls by Democrats in Congress for VP Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment saying he was unfit to execute his duties as president and then attempts to remove him from office by impeachments (2 of them), followed by allegations of leading an insurrection (can’t overthrow himself), followed by legislative and legal threats and the ongoing acts of Lawfare to interfere with his run for the Presidential Election later this year.
What I’ve said all along is that President Biden’s election as president was a deliberate act of elder abuse against a senior citizen who should have gone out to pasture with the Vice Presidency as his crowning achievement after 30+ years in the Senate. Instead Biden has been a straw-president; propped up as a front while an unnamed politician(s) “operates” as defacto commander in chief/president and for 4 years what I have not heard until very recently are calls for Biden to step aside “for the good of the country”.
When President Biden jokes about his age that he forgets stuff, and he says the one thing he knows is how to tell the truth people laugh. I seriously doubt that after living in his own little bubble that he knows when to tell the truth, which should be all the time. Biden says nobody is pushing him aside or forcing him out. He says the DNC nomination is his and he’s going to win the election, at what expense I wonder?
Those closest around him say the president is at the top of his game between 10am – 4pm and I have to wonder if our nation’s enemies are pleased to know that when the lights go out in the White House they are free to do whatever because sleepy Joe is sawing logs.
We are a nation in crisis.
Congressional Democrats are just short of calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment citing Biden’s inability to execute his duties as president. The magnitude of this action could surpass the scale of Trump’s impeachments and provide a path to the office of the presidency for the first Jamaican/South Asian India/American female President.
Absolute Power Really Does Corrupt Absolutely – A Recap
Originally published in 2019 I find it appropriate and necessary to take a look back and where we are today. It is foolish for man to think he possess power and control over anything. There is only one who has absolute power and that is the Creator God who does not relegate that power to his creation. Beginning with Adam man has had a problem with power and control. In the Garden of Eden man had the power to eat of the fruit, converse with God daily and to name the birds of the air, the animals on land and the fish in the sea, yet could not control the temptation to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, forbidden by God himself.
The result was an immediate separation from God due to the sin of disobedience. This was followed by the blame game as man tried lying to God (who knows all and sees all) in an attempt to place the blame on everyone but himself. God asked for an explanation and Adam immediately blamed God for giving him Eve; Eve in turn blamed the serpent for deceiving her; and the serpent laughed.
The punishment for Sin is death, and resulted in God destining man to work his entire life, woman to bear children and their children to be at odds with the serpent and his head would be smashed by the foot of man.
The second Adam in the personhood of Jesus, who is the Christ was God’s only begotten son. Jesus would be born of woman, die on the cross for the sins of man overcoming death and the grave and take the keys to hell. Jesus was raised on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God the Father until the time he will return to earth on a White Horse and with fire.
To show how foolish it is for man to think he is in control, power, money and even the wealth of kings is never enough. The more you have, the more you want more. Money is power and power is money. It is the nature of man to be greedy.
According to the bible it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.
Moses was given the law from God in the form of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:2-17 and again in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The essence of the law was to love God with your entire being, love your neighbor as you love yourself and whenever possible to live in peace with everyone.
At one point in history man began working together to build a tower into the heavens. Had it been successful man would have no need of God. So God confused their speaking into many languages and scattered them to the ends of the earth. Man has continued to be at war with man ever since. Fighting, conquering in the quest for power, and ultimately absolute power.
The military is structured with a hierarchy of ranks and titles. With each come commitment and responsibilities to the branch of service, the unit and its mission and to the men and women who get the job done.
There used to be an accelerated promotion program referred to as “shake and bake” where individuals are placed through a rapid training course and become (leaders) sergeants. The intent is to provide leaders to take troops into battle. There are pros and cons of this program with many successes and many failures.
It takes someone with a certain maturity to handle the responsibilities of leadership. There are many decisions to be made that affect life, limb and property in order to accomplish the mission. Without that maturity individuals are unable to handle it. They are referred to as having a “big head” (their head swells with their new found rank and power). The same thing happens in everyday life outside the military too.
Take any company, corporation or franchise that promotes from within, a worker becomes a shift leader or supervisor. Where he was working alongside his buddies and co-workers, now he’s the “Boss”. His relationship has changed and he cannot give the appearance of favoritism. He tells people what to do and things become tense. Those who don’t comply with the leaders sometimes seemingly ridiculous instructions are “written up”. Then their hours are reduced resulting in smaller paychecks. Soon they either quit or are fired.
We see this in politics too. Starting at the local level, maybe city council or county commissioner level where one must actually run for office. There are promises made and votes to gain. Once the election is over the promises often become a distant memory to be forgotten, until the next election cycle. The quest for power has begun. Next it’s mayor, governor or maybe state legislature, then on to Washington, D.C. There are committees, panels and it doesn’t take long to feel so all important and one could make the argument for irreplaceability. It now becomes a matter of longevity in office. Promises made but forgotten as the goals have changed and staying in power has become paramount.
On the national level there are “pork barrel” projects for home districts or states that must be advanced. Lobbyists groups have special interests to promote and they need legislators to come on board. Often times there are financial “kickbacks”, vacations or other means of insuring their support. Remember power is money and money is power and often giving the illusion of absolute power and being untouchable or slightly above the law.
It is the voters who do not see inside the beltway or inside the halls of congress. They do not see the wrangling for positions of power, committees that influence the outcome of votes. They do not see the corruption or deceit that goes on daily. The name game influences the next election and voters often just check off names by political party and move on. That is exactly what some legislators are counting on, the checking off the boxes without any real investigation into whether or not a change is needed.
Once legislators are elected they are like fish in a pond, looking for committees to join or be appointed to, caucuses to join or create to advance their personal agendas. The longer they are in office more powerful they become. The more powerful they become the more they long to remain in office. If they are strong forceful speakers they may be the voice of a particular piece of legislation. Or they may simply occupy an assigned seat and vote as they are told to vote. Only a few have decided not to run for reelection after a single term because of these types of politics.
I have a simple question – how can any politician stomach graft, corruption and grossly padded bank accounts while serving as “public servants” in the halls of congress?
Can any legislator seriously say that they have done all they can do for the good of the constituents who got them elected without doing it for personal gain? For those who have been in office more than 2 terms, what have you accomplished for the nation – National Security; Jobs; Economy? Or has the sum of your existence in congress defined by your commitment to obstructing a sitting president to satisfy someone else’s ego?
In American politics it should never come down to picking race, religion, sexual orientation or even immigration status as the reason for creating laws or decrees. Remember where it is written that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL BY THEIR CREATOR? – RTM
Immigration has played an important role in American history, and the United States continues to have the most open immigration policy in the world. Before the era of rapid communications and transportation, America encouraged relatively open immigration to settle its empty lands. After certain states passed immigration laws following the Civil War, the Supreme Court in 1875 declared the regulation of immigration a federal responsibility. The Immigration Service was established in 1891 to deal with the big increase in immigration which started in 1880.
From 1900 to 1920, nearly 24 million immigrants arrived during what is known as the “Great Wave”. The outbreak of World War I reduced immigration from Europe, but mass immigration resumed upon the war’s conclusion, and Congress responded with a new immigration policy: the national-origins quota system passed in 1921 and revised in 1924. Immigration was limited by assigning each nationality a quota based on its representation in past U.S. census figures. Also in 1924, Congress created the U.S. Border Patrol within the Immigration Service.
There was very little immigration over the next 20 years, with net immigration actually dropping below zero for several years during the Depression. Immigration remained relatively low during the 20 years following World War II, because the 1920s national-origins system remained in place after Congress re-codified and combined all previous immigration and naturalization law into the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. American agriculture continued to import seasonal labor from Mexico, as they had during the war, under a 1951 formal agreement between the United States and Mexico that made the Bracero Program permanent.
In 1965, Congress replaced the national origins system with a preference system designed to unite immigrant families and attract skilled immigrants to the United States. This change to national policy responded to changes in the sources of immigration since 1924. The majority of applicants for immigration visas now came from Asia and Latin America rather than Europe. The preference system continued to limit the number of immigration visas available each year, however, and Congress still responded to refugees with special legislation. Not until the Refugee Act of 1980 did the United States have a general policy governing the admission of refugees.
In 1986, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). This legislation had two major facets: amnesty and enforcement. IRCA provided amnesty to aliens who had completed one of two stipulations: they had resided continually in the U.S. since January 1982 or they had completed 90 days of agricultural work between May 1985 and May 1986. The acceptance rate for amnesty applications was about 94 percent, eventually giving legal status to approximately 3 million. It is estimated that one-fourth of the cases accepted were fraudulent. In 2000, IRCA was extended through Late Amnesty, which allowed those fighting their original denial to reapply. As of June 2007, 15,000 Late Amnesty cases are still pending from IRCA. The 1986 legislation also contained enforcement provisions to prevent future illegal entry. The provisions prohibited the hiring and harboring of illegal aliens, but few resources were allocated to enforce these laws. Poor funding essentially tied the hands of enforcement officials. This created a lopsided ‘grand compromise’ that fueled later generations of illegal aliens.
In 1990, Congress again reformed immigration statutes. The 1990 Immigration Act modified and expanded the 1965 act; it significantly increased the total level of immigration to 700,000, increasing available visas 40 percent. The act retained family reunification as the major entry path, while more than doubling employment-related immigration. The law also provided for the admission of immigrants from “underrepresented” countries to increase the diversity of the immigrant flow by creating a lottery system. The 1990 Act also mandated a study of immigration, later known as the Jordan Commission.
The U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, named after its Chairwoman, former Rep. Barbra Jordan, ran from 1990 to 1997. The Commission covered many facets of immigration policy, but started from the perception that the “credibility of immigration policy can be measured by a simple yardstick: people who should get in, do get in; people who should not get in, are kept out; and people who are judged deportable are required to leave.” From there, in a series of four reports, the commission looked at all aspects of immigration policy. In the first, it found that enforcement was lax and needed improvement on the border and internally. For internal enforcement, it recommended that an automated employment verification system be created to enable workers to distinguish between legal and illegal workers. The second report discussed legal immigration issues and suggested that immediate family members and skilled workers receive priority. The third report covered refugee and asylum issues. Finally, the fourth report reiterated the major points of the previous reports and the need for a new immigration policy. Few of these suggestions were implemented.
In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). The act added to border controls by mandating the hiring of more Border Patrol and Immigration and Naturalization Service agents. Repercussions for entering the country illegally were increased and a border fence was planned for San Diego. An automated employment verification pilot program was created in the hopes of easing worksite enforcement. The Act also allowed state police officers to enforce immigration law using the 287(g) program. Although the IIRIRA boosted de jure enforcement, poor funding again hindered the actual enforcement of the laws.
Also during the 1990s, a series of four smaller amnesties were passed. The first, the Section 245(i) amnesty, was passed in 1994 and pardoned approximately 578,000 illegal aliens, who were each fined $1,000. This amnesty was later renewed in 1997 and again in 2000. The second, the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), was passed in 1997 and gave legal status to approximately one million illegal aliens, mostly from Central America, who had lived in the U.S. since 1995.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRAIRA) strengthened U.S. immigration laws, adding penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes while in the United States or who stay in the U.S. for statutorily defined periods of time.
The Act was designed to improve border control by imposing criminal penalties for racketeering, alien smuggling and the use or creation of fraudulent immigration-related documents and increasing interior enforcement by agencies charged with monitoring visa applications and visa abusers. The Act also allows for the deportation of undocumented immigrants who commit a misdemeanor or a felony.
The Act mandates that immigrants who are unlawfully present in the U.S. for 180 days but those under 365 days must remain outside the United States for three years unless pardoned. If they remain in the United States for 365 days or more, they must stay outside the United States for ten years unless they obtain a waiver. However, if they return to the U.S. without the pardon, they must wait 10 years until they may apply for a waiver.
In 1998, the Haitian Refugee Immigration and Fairness Act (HRIFA) passed after it was argued that excluding Haitians from NACARA was discriminatory. The most recent amnesty, passed in 2000, was the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (LIFE). The LIFE Act was a mini-amnesty aimed at those illegal aliens who hoped to become green card holders through marriage, employment or other categories, but who were not anywhere near approval yet, due to the long line of people ahead of them. It was sold as a way around the growing processing backlogs that were the result of previous amnesties. During the time of this legislation, from 1994 to 2000, millions of hopeful legal immigrants waited in line overseas.
The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 affected perspectives on many issues, including immigration. A total of 20 foreign-born terrorists were involved, 19 of whom took part in the attack that caused 2,974 civilian deaths. The terrorists had entered the country on tourist or student visas. Four of them, however, had violated the terms of their visas and become illegal aliens. The attack exposed long-standing holes in our immigration system that included failures at visa processing, internal enforcement, and information sharing.
In 2006 the issue of immigration reform was once again discussed in Congress, with the House of Representatives and the Senate producing their own, conflicting bills.
In December of 2005, the House passed the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, which was sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). The act was limited to enforcement and focused on both the border and the interior.
In the Senate, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (CIRA) was sponsored by Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) and passed in May 2006. CIRA would have given amnesty to a majority of illegal aliens already in the country as well as dramatically increased legal immigration. Although the bills passed their respective chambers, no compromise bill emerged.
In 2007, the Senate again attempted to pass amnesty legislation. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which would have given amnesty to a large majority of illegal entrants in the country, significantly increased legal immigration and increased enforcement. The act, which had bipartisan support in the Senate, was widely unpopular with the American public. As the result of unprecedented public pressure, the bill failed to pass a cloture vote, essentially killing it.
In 2012 President Obama became tired of waiting on Congress and unconstitutionally used the power of Executive Order to create the Delayed Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to allow a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants who are residing within the U.S. Congress neither condemned this action by the president, nor did they then attempt to fix the problems with the immigration system.
It is unconscionable that in 2017 the President of the United States would have to task the United States Congress to take appropriate action on immigration reform. Upon taking office, one of the first acts President Trump undertook was to invite Congress to meet with him and to discuss Immigration and other matters. He said that Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) had been unconstitutional and needed to be fixed through proper legislation. He also said what was needed was Comprehensive Immigration Reform to plug some loopholes and enhance enforcement efforts with computer software and funding for a border wall.
What happened after than historic meeting? Nothing, well not exactly nothing, but complete and utter resistance by Congressional Democrats and Republicans. Instead of going back to the Capitol and getting to work the resistance movement began in earnest. When the President said he would not extend DACA upon its natural expiration, legal actions began to force the President to extend an unconstitutional Obama executive order.
President Trump’s determination to have the Immigration Issue corrected not by executive order but as it should be done by Congress. He was determined to begin construction of a proper wall to prevent unlawful crossings, drugs and human trafficking as it is the responsibility of the Government of the United States to ensure the safety and security of the American people, lawful residents and international visitors and to prevent unlawful entry.
In 2018 and President Trump decided to secure the U.S. southern border by building a physical barrier wall and enforce immigration laws to prevent unlawful entry and conduct deportation hearings to remove illegal immigrants which played out in the media are vocal opposition to immigration enforcement by the very politicians who have had the power to correct through immigration reform and are instrumental in creating the situation along our southern border.
The introduction in 2018 of “Emergency Legislation” as proposed by Senator Ted Cruz that casts a glimmer of hope for immigrant families. – Double the number of Federal Immigration Judges from 375 to 750; Authorize new temporary shelters, with accommodations to keep families together; Mandate illegal immigrant families “Must Be Kept Together”, absent aggravated criminal conduct or harm to the children; & Provide for expedited processing and review of asylum cases, so that – within 14 days – those who meet the legal standards will be granted asylum, and those who do not will be immediately returned to their home countries.
It is by the authority of the Constitution of the United States that the President of the United States may determine whether or not to restrict or refuse entry of any/or all immigrants.
Coming to America can be a frightening experience. One clings to native customs and traditions and family becomes the only thing one can hang on to. However it doesn’t have to take long before one becomes immersed into a normal lifestyle of America, while holding on to and passing a rich heritage to children and once someone becomes a US Citizen they are no longer an immigrant, nor are they a hyphenated-American. The greatest responsibility one takes on as a US Citizen is to pledge allegiance to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic, so help us God.
American’s have a hard time understanding the fact that it is the government’s primary responsibility for the safety and welfare of its citizens and we have lost sight of that in the United States. Maintaining a well-armed and well trained military can insure that foreign agents do not attempt to attack our country. Controlling and regulating immigration is necessary to insure that individuals entering the country are not set on doing harm, causing damage, bringing sickness or disease or willfully violating our laws.
We have been told that government is the answer to the problems we face. We have elected officials who have knowingly and willfully violated our laws in order to control the citizens and insure they maintain the power they have accumulated while in office. Power to a politician is like water to a thirsty man or food to a starving man – there is never enough. Empty promises are one of the ways politicians use to maintain their political power.
A nation without secure borders does not remain sovereign for long. Immigration is a privilege, not a right. Refugees flee political or religious oppression don’t demand admission, but ASK for asylum in the hope that they will be admitted. Don’t confuse the two.
When an organized assembly of people from a host of different countries force their way into another country it is called an invasion. When armed force is used it has become an armed invasion. When a nation allows an invading force into their border they are no longer keeping the welfare and safety of their citizens. When it is perceived that the leader of a nation has openly invited without question foreigners with promises of free stuff they have in effect violated their oath of office and must be held accountable for their actions.
In 2021 President Biden encouraged migrants without documentation to come to the United States for free medical, education and even promised free stimulus checks which has caused a renewed crisis on our Southern border with Mexico. The Mexican President pleaded with the American President about how it is difficult to regulate the flow of foreigners through Mexico and into the United States.
Under Biden construction on the border wall was terminated leaving unmanned entry points allowing unlimited illegal migrants into the country, bringing sickness and disease as well as human and drug trafficking. Manned entry points with overflow facilities have released millions of illegal migrants into the country.
Although it is true that Immigration is a responsibility of the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch must abide by the Biden Immigration Policy which sets a dangerous precedence and places the entire nation at risk and with this open border situation along the Southern Border. How is it justified to continue border security at international airports or manned entry points along any of the US border while leaving the U.S. Southern Border wide open? – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 