Rubio Has It Backwards

Sen. Marco Rubio stated: “First comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border. And then comes the process of permanent residence.” The security of this country should ALWAYS come first and if Rubio doesn’t understand that, he needs to go. Border security has been neglected far too long and a focus on social issues over security is dangerous and irresponsible.

Rubio’s backward agenda is one more sign that conservative values are being eroded by media pressure and vote pandering. The leftward shift of the political middle ground is being assisted by those who are freely giving up ground in a foolish effort to be popular with the loudest segment of the population rather than be true to long-held conservative values. This is an abandonment that will have dire consequences. Then again,  consequences no longer seem to matter.

David J. Hentosh

Progressive Immigration Failure in Sweden

Progressives love to point to Sweden as an example of the type of utopian society they believe their agenda creates, but this past week’s riots in Sweden are a direct result of the continuing denial such an agenda demands. In the face of these riots, that denial continues as the press tries hard not to report that the overwhelming majority of rioters are Muslims.

Starting in the 80’s, Sweden began admitting a large number of third world immigrants, creating a generous welfare system to help them settle and assimilate. Economic and political upheaval in countries such as Somalia, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Iraq brought a huge number of Muslims to welcoming Sweden. Rather than assimilate, however, they created their own communities mirroring the values and traditions of their Muslim homelands.

The progressive, non-judgmental attitude prevalent in Sweden not only allowed these communities to shun assimilation, it allowed, and encouraged, an entire generation of Muslim immigrants to grow dependent on the welfare system while being infused with values and traditions that clash with Western societies. The violence towards the West found in the Middle East Muslim world, therefore, became part of their upbringing.

As Sweden tries to address the economic burden of their welfare system and revamp immigration policies, accusations of discrimination abound from those who have benefited most from those progressive policies. The autonomous communities that have been allowed to form are becoming offensive to many and as refusal to change continues, discrimination will undoubtedly occur.

There is much confusion on the part of officials in Sweden concerning the riots. Fully engrossed in progressive idealism, they do not understand how the recipients of their generosity could do such a thing. For those without progressive blinders, it is an inevitable result of being conditioned to welfare and treated with non-judgmental deference.

There is a lesson to be learned from this, but it is highly doubtful progressives here will see it. They have the same idealistic blinders on, believing open immigration and unlimited welfare works. The mainstream media agrees and will continue to conceal the rot such policies bring. They are much too invested to turn back now and will not allow riots in Sweden to be an omen.

David J. Hentosh

Is the Obama Administration Imploding?

The Obama Administration’s incompetence, arrogance, and mistakes are becoming too big to hide. The liberal media’s pretense that all is well is cracking as the public slowly becomes informed rather than misled.

“What difference does it make?” was Hillary’s arrogant attempt to dismiss Senate Foreign Relations Committee concerns on Benghazi and advance an administration cover-up, but her transparent act of being offended has now become offensive to many. Hiding facts surrounding the death of Americans does, indeed, make a difference.

Obama’s re-election was protected by the Benghazi cover-up but Hillary’s presidential bid may now be in jeopardy. Senator Durbin (D-Ill.) can pretend the GOP is conducting a “witch hunt” because of fearing Hillary in 2016, but the real fear is that the entire Democrat Party will face dire consequences – and it should. The rubber-stamping Obama received from Democrats made this all possible.

Revelations of the IRS targeting non-profit groups such as the Tea Party for political purposes are further proof of an administration out of control, but blinders remain. Carl Bernstein declared that he “can’t imagine” President Obama is possibly involved in this IRS infraction, though he had no problem imagining Nixon’s involvement in a minor, bungled break-in, and helping to bring about his resignation because of it.

Much of the public has been kept in the dark and, therefore, also “can’t imagine” the depths of this administration’s errors and political tactics. The facts coming forth now do not rely on one’s imagination and should shock all out of the political stupor that has taken hold, but perhaps that is too optimistic a view.

Hillary for president is being advanced even in the wake of her Benghazi debacle. Joe Klein, on the Chris Matthews show (soon to become the “Hillary-for-President Show”), began the erasure of the 2008 liberal campaign theme that experience doesn’t count by stating that Hillary is “…one of the most experienced candidates we’ve ever had running for president”.

One can hope that Hillary’s “experience” in the Benghazi cover-up will be remembered and will count. Perhaps Obama’s administration will have completely imploded by then – that is, if the media will allow it. There is “Hope” for “Change” in 2016.

David J. Hentosh

Spinning the Boston Bombing

The Washington Post wants us to believe that we are incapable of coming to grips with the Boston bombers because they “don’t neatly fit into pre-existing boxes”. Since they are not dark skinned, our limited brains cannot connect any dots. Race being an obsession of the left, it is the yardstick all are expected to use – for everything.

Also, the fact that the bombing brothers had Muslim affiliations is to be overlooked. Had the brothers been Christians, their religion would certainly have been fair game, but we are to make nothing of their association with a “religion of peace”. As an Atlantic headline chastised all: “The Boston Bombers Were Muslims. So?”

Had the brothers been the first or only Muslims to use terror and random murder for their “cause”, one might agree with the Atlantic. However, only blind, foolish adherence to an agenda allows someone to embrace pretense rather than the reality that another terrorist attack has been perpetrated by Muslims; not Buddhists, Christians, Jews or Scientologists.

The far left’s severe disappointment that the bombing brothers are not white, right-wing, anti-Obama fanatics is being compensated with accusations that “we” are the ones somehow in the wrong. Let down again by their failing idealism, they are spinning as fast as they can to validate an agenda dependent upon denial.

Chris Matthews, a hard core liberal, jumped the gun wondering if Tax Day was a motivation while planting the idea (wish?) that domestic terrorists always come from the right. Once it became known the bombers were Muslims, he spun around and wondered why it was necessary to find out the reason they did it. He not only wants to deny the truth, he wants to bury it to keep his dream alive.

The Obama administration has presented a false sense of security for political gain. Obama’s drone war in a far-away land allows him to pretend he has defeated terrorism. Terrorist threats on US soil are a political liability that shatter the illusion and interfere with his “transformation of America”.

The spin starts at the top.

David J. Hentosh

Ignoring the Law

Obama’s directives for the non-enforcement of immigration laws legitimized disrespect for the law. His continuing skirting of rules, laws, and regulations with executive orders and political maneuvering has displayed an arrogant disregard for the rule of law and has been a top-down example many are following.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano emulated Obama and blatantly ignored the law by issuing a memo offering a deferred action and employment authorization to illegal aliens which was part of the Dream Act that Congress refused to pass.

Deportation of non-citizens who commit crimes has been ignored under the current push for amnesty for all. This type of non-legal amnesty is being expanded and enforced more than current immigration laws, putting society at risk. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the dead terrorist who bombed the Boston marathon, is the latest example of someone who should have been deported (having been convicted of domestic violence) but was not.

The Northern District of Illinois has the lowest firearm prosecution rate of all federal court districts while Chicago, residing in that district, has one of the highest rates of gun-related murders. The cry for more gun laws continues, but current gun laws are not being enforced. They are being ignored.

In Denver, a publically announced and planned rally celebrating marijuana, which is still illegal to smoke in public, was held. Allowing (and ignoring) 80,000 people to openly break the law is a slap in the face to the rule of law. What signal does this send to our children? How can respect for the law survive?

Laws are to be followed, enforced, altered, or removed, but they should never be ignored. Judges may have discretionary powers when enforcing the law, but they have no right to ignore laws or make up new ones; nor does the president. Unfortunately, the example has been set and consequences are sure to come. Don’t be surprised when the hit.

David J. Hentosh

Here Comes the Immigration Reform Farce

A bipartisan group of senators is ready to put forth a so-called “broad” immigration bill that is nothing but a farce. In today’s skewed political climate, “bipartisan” is only mentioned when conservatives cave in to the loud, shrill demands of the left. If a liberal moves to the right, he is called a traitor, a racist, or much worse, but never “bipartisan”.

Amnesty, the only goal of progressives’ immigration reform, is on the way. The “bipartisan” demand to secure the borders first, an absolute necessity before real immigration reform can begin, was given lip service and then watered-down to appease the “bipartisan” senators who will now pretend they fought hard for, and won, a working compromise.

The bill allows ten years of planning and/or securing the borders before any real impediment to citizenship can be put into place for failing to comply. Meanwhile, a path to citizenship for illegals will begin immediately with nothing to stop it from morphing into full-blown amnesty. In the span of ten years with little border security, that “path” to citizenship will become a fully paved, toll-free, four-lane, busy highway.

True comprehensive immigration reform is impossible until the borders are secure. Therefore, other immigration reforms will not even become a topic for discussion. One of those other reforms in need of addressing is assimilation.

According to a Hudson Institute’s comparison study of native-born to naturalized American citizens, native-born Americans are: 30% more likely to consider themselves American rather than citizens of the world; 30% more likely to believe the U.S. Constitution is a higher legal authority than international law; 31% more likely to believe schools should focus on American citizenship rather than ethnic pride; and 23% more likely to believe all citizens understand English.

Assimilation allowed the US to become a successful “melting pot” never before seen in the history of the world. We have become a less cohesive society the more we have ignored the importance of assimilation. We can’t realistically address this or other reforms until the borders are secure. This latest bill is a farce, reforms nothing, and opens the door to chaos.

David J. Hentosh

40 Years After Vietnam

The last US combat troops left Vietnam forty years ago on March 29, 1973. This was a result of a so-called “peace agreement” signed in Paris, but no peace occurred in South Vietnam. In fact, the ensuing year after the agreement was more deadly in South Vietnam than any year of the war.  That’s because the US wanted out of Vietnam, cared little about consequences, and declared “peace with honor” by signing an agreement everyone knew would not be honored by North Vietnam.

The US abandoned South Vietnam; much like it is abandoning Iraq and, eventually, will abandon Afghanistan (the “good” war). That is the lesson we learned from the Vietnam War. Declaring a politically incorrect war to be over is as good as a victory if it can be “sold” to the public as a win. That has now been expanded to simply declaring the economy to be fine, declaring the deficit to be no problem, declaring contraception to be a right, or declaring that the rich pay no taxes. Ideology trumps all.

One’s opinion of the Vietnam War is irrelevant to the issue of abandonment. A commitment was made to South Vietnam as part of the “peace agreement” to provide assistance if North Vietnam continued aggression, but a Democrat-controlled Congress refused that assistance when it quickly became needed. The US blatantly reneged on its commitment, abandoning South Vietnam to a total collapse and slaughter – because of ideology.

With war comes a responsibility, regardless of the reasons for the war. One should enter into war with clear goals and to win, or don’t enter into it at all. Allowing changing social mores, public opinion, or ideology to override responsibility or dictate rules of engagement is wrong. A “humane” war is an oxymoron and a losing strategy. War is hell, and hell should be entered only with good reason and traversed through as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Forty years after Vietnam, we have still not learned. Our enemies, on the other hand, learned well: Stick it out long enough and the US will tire and retreat. Where is the honor in that?

David J. Hentosh

Reagan Was Right – Again

As a result of North Korea rattling its nuclear sword with long range missile tests and development of a mobile launcher, Obama reluctantly reversed his decision to freeze the Alaskan missile defense system and allowed ground-based missile interceptors to be deployed. By doing so, Obama inadvertently pays homage to Ronald Reagan’s SDI initiative.

Thirty years ago, Reagan was demonized and ridiculed for his “evil empire” speech against the Soviet Union and his idea of a missile defense initiative (SDI). It was sneeringly labeled “Star Wars” by Sen. Ted Kennedy who had no such ridicule when President John F. Kennedy pushed the limits of technology by calling for a man on the moon in less than a decade. Technology is only embraced by liberals when it fits their political ideology.

Both George H. and George W. Bush kept SDI alive while in the White House. Bill Clinton, supposedly a far-thinking president, pointedly ignored it as best he could. Obama is only allowing interceptors because North Korean missiles may now have the capability of hitting the west coast of the US. His foreign policy with North Korea and Iran failed to stop or limit their nuclear aggression and threats can no longer be ignored.

Obama’s distaste for SDI was evident when he cancelled the anti-missile system that was scheduled for deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic as a defense against potential Iranian missiles. Obama caved to the Russian complaint (fear?) against a system that could neutralize Russian intercontinental missiles, as if defending against them was an act of aggression. Consequently, Iran’s continued development of a nuclear missile poses a threat that could have been, but won’t be, defended against.

Obama cancelled several other missile defense programs, causing us to fall behind in that technology at a time when the threat of a rogue nuclear missile is increasing. Once again, Obama’s “fundamental transformation” is proving to be out of touch with reality and dangerous to the welfare of the country. If he finishes stripping us down to the defense level of other European countries, where will we and the free world turn for protection? Reagan instinctively understood.

David J. Hentosh

Obama’s State of Denial Address

President Obama once again delivered a campaign speech disguised as a State of the Union address. Obama is good with rhetoric that stirs emotions while denying reality, so those who succumb to such gibberish will be ecstatic. Those who are not in denial will be frightened by the direction this president is taking.

Obama’s denial of his administration’s failure to improve job growth was evident in his calling for a higher minimum wage. If there are no jobs available at a minimum rate of $7.25 an hour, how would raising it to $9.00 help create more? It wouldn’t, and many experts have warned against such an increase at this time, especially since it could result in jobs being exported to China.

Obama further denied the job crisis and threw out another emotional bone to hungry believers by stressing a college education. The unemployment lines are full of college graduates unable to find jobs, so the primary emphasis needs to be on the economy and job growth. Talking of college educations certainly plucks parents’ heart strings, Obama’s intent; but it hides his administration’s failure to improve the job market and reduce unemployment.

Obama declared Al Qaeda to be a “shadow of its former self”, denying Al Qaeda’s continued successful attacks around the globe. Declaring Al Qaeda defeated doesn’t make it so, but it rationalizes bringing troops home so he can cut the defense budget. Obama only cares about his social programs and cutting the defense budget will help him finance those programs. Pretending Iran and North Korea are of little threat also helps him in that endeavor.

In Obama’s eyes, everything is going well because he is, by hook or by crook, finding a way to get everything he wants. Consequences are meaningless to one convinced of superior intelligence, especially when duped voters and a highly invested media ignore accountability.  His “green” agenda has been a costly disaster, but that bandwagon is still full and rolling.

Inadvertently, the president did touch on reality in his speech at one point when he said his spending proposals would not increase the deficit by “a single dime”. They will increase the deficit by billions of dimes and saddle future generations with the bill, higher taxes, and programs they will no longer be able to afford. On the brighter side, fast food joints will end up with the most educated employees of any industry – as long as Michelle doesn’t find a way of eliminating fast food.

David J. Hentosh

Mighty Mouse Roars Again

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled to the world his latest “peaceful” weapon, a stealth fighter jet. Experts have expressed doubts about this and have used the pictures Iran published of this stealth fighter to debunk the claim. It is hard to believe any of Ahmadinejad’s claims.

Wanting desperately to be seen as a strong leader of a legitimate nation, Ahmadinejad continually tries to present Iran as the technological equal of Western countries. Only fools buy the act but, unfortunately, fools are not scarce in the world.

Ahmadinejad often comes across as a clown, but he is a dangerous clown. His ongoing nuclear program is a danger to the world and his “peaceful” act does little to hide his violent intentions. He has publicly declared Israel to be “a cancerous tumor” that must be “finished off” and his aggressiveness toward the US is palpable.

Although there are doubts about Iran launching a monkey into space and recovering it alive, Ahmadinejad proudly announced such an achievement and stated that he wants to be the first Iranian astronaut. Whether or not his boast is true, any rocket technology in his hands is another step toward a deliverable nuclear weapon. That is his goal and he is gaining on it.

The administration’s unsuccessful policy of trying to talk Ahmadinejad out of his nuclear program has only provided him with time to continue it with impunity. His claim for “peaceful” nuclear power is an obvious ruse, but it has allowed continuing denial in those unwilling to take a hard line.

Ahmadinejad roars like a cartoon Mighty Mouse with Baghdad-Bob-like statements, but he must be treated as a serious danger. The current administration has shown reluctance to take a harder stance. This could result in Israel de-fusing Iran on its own, causing the entire Middle East to explode. The clock is ticking.

David J. Hentosh