crisis

Sports Desk: Regime Change

We have a new guest columnist; someone came in and left this on the empty desk over in our Sports Center.  Unlike most others, this one also left a release.  Wonders never cease.  -Editor

Football season’s over and the Virus is keeping a lot of folks home, but there’s always good conversation over at my favorite watering hole.  There were a bunch of us talking about Tulsi Gabbard yesterday, and her strange Hawk and Dove view of foreign policy.  Makes sense to me, but not everybody gets it.  But then McK weighed in on the subject, and his words are worth repeating (more…)

And It’s Not About A Wall Either

The present situation has almost nothing to do with a border wall.

I submit that Mr. Trump is attempting to (more…)

Talks Break Down Over Color Of Wall

Tonight, angry Democrats stormed out of a meeting with the President on border security after failing to reach an agreement over the color of the new wall panels presently under construction in the Sonora Desert.

“This is an unprecedented abuse of power,” said Minority Leader Schumer.  “No president should hold the government hostage.” (more…)

It’s Not About The Migrants

Whether it’s the news sites or more interactive social media, we keep running into the same effect.  I know you’ve seen it, but I’ll remind you anyway.  There’s this picture of a ragged guy on the sidewalk wearing his old army jacket.  The caption reads “Take care of homeless vets before feeding refugees!”

To some this makes perfect sense; to others it’s horribly offensive.  To me it’s an obvious trick, a false dichotomy — don’t fall for it. (more…)

Trump Caves Pointlessly

I’ve argued it before, and I’ll argue it again; I’d shout it from the rooftops if I thought it would help:  We need to do something about the damned Jones Act before we strangle Puerto Rico’s economy for good.

Just… not today. (more…)

Upcoming Immigration Ban: What We Know

(NOTE:  This article is being written in advance of the new Executive Order designed to function in place of that order of 27 January which has been partially blocked by the 9th Circuit.  It is designed to be predictive in nature.  When the new order finally is released, expect to see this updated with comparisons, but I’ll try to leave my predictions intact so you can see how smart I am — or how foolish, just as the case may be.  The new order has now been released; comparisons are in a separate section at the end of the article.)

One week after taking office, President Trump released an executive order banning travel to this country on certain passports.  I’ve written extensively on the pros and cons of accepting refugees, on the ways the ban went horribly wrong and why, and on the justifications for that ban.  Combining that with the decision of the 9th Circuit to block some of its implementation, we should be easily able to predict what’s about to get ordered. (more…)

So About These Australian Refugees

I don’t know about you, but when I woke up to discover that we’re having a refugee problem with Australia, it made my brain hurt for a bit.  I mean, I know they’ve got this cane toad problem, and some of the most poisonous nasty creatures on earth live there — I mean, spiders and snakes, sure, but a snail?  A deadly stinging tree?  Gina Rinehart, for God’s sake?! — but that’s no reason to flee the country.  Or maybe it is; I don’t know.  I’ve never met the woman. (more…)

I Hate This Place: Revisiting Refugees, Pros and Cons

“I Hate This Place”
-Spider Jerusalem

“All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy… One of its primary functions is to regiment men by force, to make them as much alike as possible and as dependent upon one another as possible, to search out and combat originality among them. All it can see in an original idea is potential change, and hence an invasion of its prerogatives.

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos.  Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable…”
-H.L. Mencken, “The Smart Set” (more…)

Is Puerto Rico Getting Screwed — Again?

You may not realize this — a surprising number of Americans don’t — but Puerto Rico is a part of the United States.  During the 1898 war with Spain, it was one of several territories conquered in an overt land-grab designed to promote American sea power throughout the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.  It currently has a population of well over 3 million, all American citizens.  They have no right to elect the President; they have no representation in Congress.

At present, the territory is experiencing a public debt crisis that is out of control.  The opinion of the present territorial administration is that it cannot be solved without the assistance of the central government of the United States.  The Senate proposed an economic aid bill with $3 billion in aid; the House version, which has just been approved by committee, has expanded the bureaucracy but removed the aid.  (Update:  This version is the one that finally passed.) (more…)

On Accepting Refugees: Pros And Cons

(NOTE:  This article has been revised again; the pros and cons listed have been kept up to date, even though the intro is vintage campaign.)

Major media outlets are full of reactions to recent announcements that the President will be asking to increase the ceiling on Syrian refugee acceptance for next year.  Unsurprisingly, the stories are largely focused on the reaction to the announcement; contention drives the media profit mill, and so it would be unusual to see any other form of response from them.

Since it’s the height of the upcoming Presidential election cycle, it’s also not surprising that every hopeful candidate has (more…)