Our Nation's Enemies
I cannot remember another time in my life when our nation had both internal and external enemies. I grew up in the Cold War. I remember when people built bomb shelters in anticipation of the coming nuclear war. I am thankful we have thus far not experienced that nuclear war but in many regards that war may have been much easier to survive than the one we fight right now because our enemies today are both external and internal.
The external enemies are not simply political. Regardless of all our attempts to avoid stating so, I believe we are also in a religious war. There is a major world religion that is attempting through political means to use our own Constitution against us to secure religious liberties and then use those religious liberties for non-religious, political purposes. In the name of freedom of religion we are allowing our most significant enemy since the Cold War to live freely among us while they work to destroy us.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/terrorists-just-the-tip-of-the-jihadi-iceberg/
But the internal enemy could have even more disastrous consequences. To begin, the internal enemy permits what is referenced above to happen. We have an Administration that includes a Justice Department intent on making prosecution of enemy combatants more difficult and more expensive as they work beyond the pale to protect the "rights" of those who would destroy us when given the opportunity.
Among the tactics of the Obama Administration is to bankrupt its enemies and believe me when I say its enemies are the American citizens. Most recently it has allowed multiple foreign governments to sue the State of Arizona over its state law enforcing federal immigration law. Eric Holder is not concerned with American sovereignty. Were he protecting sovereignty as is his charge, he would NEVER grant the power to a foreign government to weigh in on any publicly enacted law let alone a dozen or more of them. I am sorry but the only possibility is that his motives are not to protect the Constitution but to destroy it. His motives must be malevolent. I do not say it lightly when I say this administration is corrupt but the actions of this White House extend far beyond political differences. Our states and our very sovereignty are under attack from the very people charged with protecting this nation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQTOqXC0qYs
I am listening to the voices in the Tea Party that make sense and don't appeal to racism and hasty generalizations about Muslim Americans. We should not fan rhetoric excluding Muslim American CITIZENS. American citizens include Muslims who are loyal to this nation.
It would be concerning if the current administration was weakening abilities to neutralize terrorist cells here, but I am begging the Tea Party for the sake of the good ideas and watch dog work that I see here NOT to pander to reactionaries who are motivated by racial/ethnic conflict. We need to remember that America includes private citizens of all races, faiths, etc. whose rights must be ensured.
What was wrong with the Arizona Immigration Law is it over-stepped its bounds to limit illegal immigration by making it possible to detain legal US citizens based on their color and ethnicity and this is not small government; this is another instance of the government causing damage as it tries to do good, intervening on personal citizens rights to privacy and to presumed innocence until found guilty.
Scenes like what happened after the Popovich defeat, where protestors began using racial slurs (calling a Jew a Jew, of all things)are a terrible impediment to the Tea Party getting a hearing and accomplishing its goals.
I am attracted to Tea Party ideas which protect freedoms. What I am not attracted to is hysteria and grudges between groups exploding in the name of freedom. This is dangerous. It won't wreck the Democrats, or the left, which no one should want to do; both sides need to work together in a democracy. This talk will wreck the Tea Party.
We all know of the Straw Man Fallacy, and the Adhominem, choosing the easiest opponent to knock down; and argument to the man, versus finding fault with his position. Well, many Americans (liberal and Tea Party included) think in these terms; when you can't knock down a position, start insulting the speaker (i.e. Bush can't orate; Hilary is a battle axe; Palin is dumb; and Filner is a "Jew." Which isn't an insult; there is nothing wrong with being a Jew.)
The more flagrantly hysterical voices like that protester's are permitted, the more the Tea Party will be ignored and demonized--IF the members of the party who oppose this kind of hysteria, do not denounce it. It is disorderly, to say the least.
The conservative wing in this nation is at a crossroads, a time that could bring good or evil to the nation. Americans need to take this seriously. We can't have racist rhetoric masking as ideas.
I am very sympathetic to another commenter saying that Harvard does not necessarily produce better graduates than Mid-West schools, and the oligarchy of all our top politicians (left and right) coming out of the East Coast Ivy League should be challenged, but we can't let the regional anger spiral into racist riots and talk that nullifies every good point the Tea Party produces. Be wise, avoid it.
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Two points:
1. The Arizona law does not provide any more opportunity to detain persons than any other law provides. There is never perfection in any law from an officer detaining person for motives other than provided by the law. The Arizona law is clear that people may be detained if in the course of a normal interaction between police it is discovered that the individual(s) haven't the ability to provide proof of residency. A valid drivers license qualifies as proof and this must always be carried while operating a motor vehicle. If in this country legally federal law requires aliens to carry their passport/visa on them at all times. What could be more clear?
2. Just how would you suggest the Tea Party or anyone else silence that protester that you believe goes beyond the bounds? Persons engaging in the hurling of racial epithets have been asked to leave rallies but there is no way to truly silence those voices on or beyond the fringe and no way to identify who they are or what their motivations are.
The Patriot
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