Issues Under Fire

So, what now? For all intents and purposes, the nation will move on, as will the media's coverage. Save for a few federal courts temporally blocking Donald Trump's measures to ensure America's Whiteness for as long as possible, the arrest, detentions, and deportations will escalate exponentially. Only that dark activity will go on in the background unseen and unabated. The optics of children being pried from their mother's embrace by ICE agents wouldn't look good for the American brand. Perhaps, someday people of conscience will look back on this event with a sense of shame and regret, but if history is any judge, Americans won't.

When the roundup starts, (and it will) if done evenhandedly, Americans will see and hear of undocumented people from just about every ethnic group and nationality being arrested, detained and processed for deportation. Tales of ICE agents hunting down undocumented people at job sites, schools, hospital emergency rooms, as well as park playgrounds, daycare centers and anywhere else imaginable will become common place. Lawyers, doctors, accountants and other professionals and business owners will be targeted for removal. And many will be people we've known and loved for years. We just didn't know they were undocumented.

If this analysis has any merit whatsoever, the Dreamers and their families are doomed and have been since the day Trump was elected. These debates and the final outcome will expose America for what it is and always has been. A racially divided nation with no intention of changing. The primary evidence to support this observation is the insistence to end the diversity visa program and the zeal in which ICE is exercising its duties and authorities. Plain and simple. End of story.

While it may be true the mainstream media goes out of its way to cross every (T) and dot every (I), while sticking to the facts when delivering its "version" of the news, those who know how news is gathered, prioritized and reported, fully understand what's being presented is merely one version a very small and select click of media gatekeepers. And the primary function of the news gatekeepers is to manage what the public sees hears and reads.

This is what organized chaos, poor leadership, incompetent oversight and corrupt governance looks like. The only thing Americans can be certain of is perpetual uncertainty. It's no wonder most haven't a clue as to who's driving the bus or who'll be thrown underneath it next. If our suspicions are correct, there's no responsible entity behind the scenes making responsible decisions, let alone developing policies to keep America in the middle of a rocky road. And while some feel America is resilient enough to self-correct, one can only hope they're right, because we don't.

When patriotism and loyalty are demanded, you are not free. If you ever feel uncomfortable expressing disapproval of your government, you are not free. If you feel like an outsider for disagreeing how the U.S. military is being used and abused you are not free. If you ever feel pressured to stand for the national anthem, salute the flag, or pledge your allegiance to the United States, once again, you are not free Therefore, when Donald Trump calls you un-American for not praising him as America's Commander-in-Chief, you should feel proud, because nothing is more American than fighting to be free.

The only thing that could be worse than another government shutdown, while watching your 401k shrink before your eyes, is realizing a nuclear exchange by design or accident could happen at any time. Japan thinks so. Hawaii thinks so. And South Korea knows so. So, with an unstable, unsupervised, erratic ignoramus in the Oval Office claiming he has the world's biggest nuclear button on his desk, should put your fears in perspective.

Since Donald Trump's crackdown on America's undocumented population, anyone without proof of U.S. citizenship is eligible for arrest and detention at any time. No matter who they are, what they've achieved or how long they've lived in the United States, the mere fact that they're in this country without official permission is enough to be removed. If they don't live in a sanctuary city, they're shit out of luck. Any promises made or implied by Barack Obama's executive order to protect certain segments of that population from being hunted down like common criminals should be considered null and void.

At last check, the U.S. defense budget is larger than the next 12 major industrialized nations combined. In fact, Russia, the U.S.' primary military adversary has a budget of roughly $80 billion U.S. dollars this fiscal year. That's about one tenth of what Congress is poised to authorize to defend America with for 2018. And with that comparatively modest military outlay, Russia has actually won its military engagements.

To ignore the issues of climate change, healthcare, the nation's social safety net, as well as issues American woman feel is uppermost important in their lives, is to ignore the true state of America's union. But, that's precisely what Donald Trump did. And by the way, we didn't even mention the state of race relation in America. That'll be a story for another day

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States spent more than $306 billion on disaster relief in 2017, and they have every reason to expect that number to rise for 2018. At last check, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is operating on an annual budget of $13 billion dollars. It don't take a genius to do the math. The United States can't afford to keep fighting climate change.

Over the next two weeks, Donald Trump, the GOP and the Democrats will lock horns like battling gladiators over the Dreamers and overall immigration reform. The fight will get ugly and fierce. They'll be such a show of force on bought sides of the aisle, by all accounts, the immigration issue could easily shut the government down again. But, while the immigration issue remains as hot as ever, no one seems to be interested in debating the more than three-quarters of a $trillion being requested for 2018 defense spending. Nobody! And considering what's going on in Afghanistan, somebody should be asking why?

nald Trump had any idea of the troubles Palestinians have seen, he'd know his threats of starving them into submission won't even come close to achieving the results he's demanding. Palestinians have been beaten up, beaten down and jailed without bail. Knowing their homes will be bulldozed for participating in street protest, leading to violent confrontations, they continue to fight the heavily armed IDF with only rocks and bottles. No matter what they've had to endure, Palestinians have persisted in resisting the status quo. They won't won't give in to Trump's pressure and they'll never give up their quest for a home of their own.

The chorus of voices calling for a change of leadership in the Democratic Party is growing every day. And Chuck Schumer's pathetic effort to negotiate a humanitarian compromise without giving up core values and principles will only amplify those calls for his departure. But until that happens, Chuck Schumer, like Donald Trump should never be allowed to negotiate without a handler or overseer in the room to remind him what he should be standing for.

Had Democrats taken a principled stance against funding the Wall, or the record request of nearly $700 billion in military spending, or the impending health-care crises, they could've shown Americans what they stood to gain from the government shutdown. Sure, the DACA sob story is a real heartbreaker, as most Americans feel their pain and anguish. But after all is said and done, its always about WIIFM!