Biblical and Constitutional Politics

Books by the Director

End of the Year Political Unrest

Part Two

By Gary F. Zeolla

This two-part article is continued from End of the Year Political Unrest: Part One.

Deaths Due to Illegal Immigration

     In December, two children, a seven-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy, died while in the custody of Border Security. Their deaths are tragic, but they are not the fault of Border Security. The blame lays on their parents, who dragged them on a 1,500-mile dangerous journey. In saying that, I am not “blaming the victim” as the victims are the children, not the parents. If the parents were US citizens, they would be in jail, awaiting trial on child abuse charges for so mistreating their children by dragging them on such a dangerous journey and not giving them adequate food and water.

     I discus the dangers of that journey and the fact that 2-3 people die each day making it, mostly children. These two poor children just happened to make it across the border before passing away from the rigors of the journey.

     I also mention that 60% of the migrants in the tent city in Tijuana were suffering from respiratory diseases and other diseases. Whether that is what these two children died of has not yet been determined. But it does illustrate the potential danger of illegal aliens bringing communicable diseases into the USA, that US citizens are not immunized against. I also mention that when such sick people reach the US border, it is we, the US taxpayers, that must pay their medical bills.

     In regard to the first of these deaths, that of the seven-year-old girl, her father dragged her to a remote part of the US/ Mexican border, literally in the middle of nowhere, far from a legal point of entry. He, she, and about 130 other aliens trying to enter the country illegally were captured by Border Security and put on a bus to the nearest legal port of entry, which was a 90-minute bus trip.

     It was during that trip that she began to be noticeably in distress. Border Security called ahead to the port of entry, informing them of the medical emergency. Medical personal were waiting when she arrived. She was treated there, then life-flighted to the nearest hospital. Despite these efforts, she died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

     If her father, rather than trying to cross the border illegally in the middle of a desert, had instead followed US law and sought asylum by applying at a legal point of entry, when his daughter went into distress, she could have been treated immediately, possibly saving her life. Again, the father is to blame for the child’s death, not Border Security.

     As for the eight-year-old boy, he showed no signs of distress, until he developed a fever and died shortly afterward, all within one day. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, but it sounds like the flu. With such a rapid onset of symptoms and subsequent death, it is doubtful anything could have been done to save him. That is, after his parents made the ill-conceived plan to drag him 1,500 miles across dangerous terrain with the intent of breaking US immigration laws. Again, the parents are to blame, not Border Security.

     Meanwhile, Ronil Singh, a California police officer was killed by an illegal alien the day after Christmas. In an interesting twist, Ronil was an immigrant himself, but a legal one. In my book, I discuss the vast difference between legal and illegal immigration, and this is yet another example. Legal immigrants are more likely to be law-abiding citizens and to contribute to our society than illegal aliens.

     Moreover, these deaths are not the only ones that have occurred in recent months due to illegal immigration. I discuss the deaths of eleven other people in my book that occurred due to illegal immigration.

     Such deaths are why a Border Wall is not “immoral.” It is in fact very moral, as an effective Wall would discourage people from trying to enter the USA illegally. In that case, all of these lives would have been saved.

     Meanwhile, Border Patrol is continuing to do its job in stopping dangerous aliens from entering the US, “In four separate incidents last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested two MS-13 gang members and two convicted child sex offenders–all of whom had been previously deported” (Dan).

     But sadly, many dangerous criminals, including human traffickers, along with drugs, do not get stopped at the border, due to the lack of a Border Wall and insufficient border security. That is the reality of the case that the left does not care to admit but which I detail in my book.

     All of this is why being concerned about Border Security is not “uncaring” but shows much care for the safety of both American citizens and migrants. The latter are more than welcome to apply to immigrate here legally, as again, there is a big difference between legal and illegal immigrant, as I explain in my book.

The Economy/ Stock Market

     I report in my book that the day after the midterm elections, the stock market rose dramatically. I also discuss in my book the bustling economy under President Trump, as compared to the lackluster economy under Obama, along with the idiocy of Obama claiming credit for Trump’s economy.

     But then after that jump in the stock market, it started to go down and continued to do so for much of December. The market ended down about 5% for 2018, after having risen about 17% in 2017. Trump blamed the Federal Reserve (aka, The Fed) for the drop in 2018. I discuss the role The Fed played in propping up Obama’s lackluster economy and in putting a drag on Trump’s economy in my book; so yes, there is not doubt The Fed is partly responsible for drop in the stock market.

     However, that is not the full reason. The government shutdown and the trade war with China are two additional factors. But eventually, the shutdown will end, and I have confidence Trump will work out a trade deal with China, just as he did with Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. Once that happens, the stock market will come roaring back. In fact, the Dow jumped 1,085 points the day after Christmas, the highest single-day point jump in history.

     But whatever happens with the stock market, the economy itself is sound, so few experts foresee a recession or even a long-term bear market. But you will probably not hear that in the MSM, as they want a recession, just so Trump does not win reelection.

     In a case of self-fulfilling prophecy, if the MSM keeps warning about a recession, they could trigger it by hurting consumer confidence, which right now is at its highest in many years. “The Sentiment Index averaged 98.4 in 2018, the best year since 107.6 in 2000” (Trading). But in predicting a recession and thus trying to create one, the MSM shows no regard for how much a recession would hurt the average American. But their hatred for Trump overrides any concern for America.

General Jim Mattis Retires
Syrian and Afghanistan Withdrawals

     Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned on December 20, 2018, to be effective February 28, 2019. Trump later moved that date up to December 31^st, as he and Mattis have had serious disagreements throughout Mattis’ tenure as Secretary of Defense. But most recently, "His resignation comes a day after Trump announced an abrupt withdrawal of American troops from Syria, and amid reports he has also ordered the return of half the 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as well" (Guardian).

     The MSM is decrying Mattis’ resignation, saying he was the most qualified person in the Trump administration. It is interesting how the MSM hates all of Trump’s appointees, until they resign. Then they love them. Meanwhile, the MSM, the Dems, and even many prominent Republicans are greatly criticizing Trump for his plans to remove troops from Syria and Afghanistan.

     On Mattis, he is not irreplaceable, no matter how much the MSM makes it sound like he is. Trump has already assigned Patrick Shanahan, the Deputy Defense Secretary, as acting Secretary. But the MSM immediately began declaring he was not qualified for the job, as he has “no foreign policy, military experience” (CNN). But Shanahan is a great administrator, and that is more the role of the Defense Secretary, as the President is of course the Commander-in-Chief.

     That means, the President sets the objectives. The Secretary of Defense ensures those objectives are implemented by the Generals on the ground. The Generals decide how best to do so as far as military strategy goes, with permission from POTUS (The President of the United States) of course.

     As for the withdrawal of troops from and Afghanistan, Trump campaigned on the promise of not keeping the USA involved in never-ending wars. With the war in Afghanistan now lasting 17 years, it needs to end sometime; while, as I report in my book, ISIS has been all but destroyed in Syria and elsewhere.

     The MSM is pointing to Obama’s ill-conceived withdrawal of troops from Iraq and its leading to the rise of ISIS as a reason that Trump should not withdraw our troops from Syria, saying ISIS will see a resurgence as a result.

     But unlike Obama’s ill-conceived plan, Trump will leave thousands of troops in Iraq, who can be deployed back into Syria within 18 hours if need be. He will also continue monitoring Syria, and any attempts by Russia, Iran, or Turkey to fill the void. On the latter, Turkey is a part of NATO, so their standing in that defense pact can be threatened if they make any aggressive moves in Syria.

     But what I found most interesting about this whole scenario is the MSM is now admitting that Obama’s ill-conceived policies led to the rise of ISIS. They vehemently denied that previously, as has Obama, but now that they can use Obama’s missteps against Trump, they are admitting them. I guess their hatred of Trump trumps their love of Obama.

Surprise Trip to Iraq

     The MSM and many leftists on Twitter were having a field day criticizing President Trump for being “the first President to not visit the troops in a war zone over Christmas.” But as they were criticizing him, President Trump and his lovely wife were already in the air on Air Force One on the way to make a surprise trip to Iraq on Christmas Day.

     It was a surprise to the MSM and those on Twitter, but not to those who planned the trip, as it had been in the works for weeks. POTUS never goes anywhere on the spur of the moment, as much planning is required to ensure his safety, even more so when he is going overseas into a war zone. But that fact did not keep the MSM and Twitter users from claiming they “shamed” the President into going to Iraq.

     In any case, while in Iraq, the President and First Lady were warmly welcome by the troops, with many of the soldiers taking selfies with First Couple and having Trump sign their MAGA hats. For the latter, Trump was criticized by those on the left, with them saying it was against military “protocol.”

     But then the Air Force released a statement that there was no such protocol, and pictures surfaced of Obama signing hats, and that was the end of yet one more unjustified criticism of POTUS by the MSM.

Attacks on Melania

     In addition to the relentless attacks on POTUS, the MSM also has attacked FLOTUS (The First Lady of the United States). Poor Melania, she is a professional model, so you would think she would have been on the cover of every woman’s and glamour magazine out there, but she has not graced the cover of a single one of them. That is because the hatred for Donald Trump in the MSM extends to his wife.

     Instead, Melania has been criticized for the clothes she wears, the shoes or boots she wears, for her Christmas decorations in the White House, even for the official Presidential Christmas photo of her and her husband.

     But in fact, those decorations and that picture were as lovely as Melania is, and Melania is the most elegant FLOTUS since Jackie O. But Jackie was the wife of JFK, a Democrat, so she was adored by the media. But then, if JFK were alive today, he would probably be a Republican, as the Democratic Party has veered far further left than JFK ever was.

     Moreover, Melania is far more elegant than Michele Obama ever was, but Michele has been featured many times on the covers and in articles of the aforementioned magazines. But again, that is because Michele is the wife of Barrack Obama, a far-left Democrat, who is adored by the MSM.

Attacks on Susan Collins

     Republican Senator Susan Collins cast the deciding vote in the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But before announcing her vote, she gave a fantastic speech explaining her vote and how she arrived at it. I discuss that speech and her vote in detail in my book.

     I also state in my book that she received much harassment at that time (early October 2018) for her vote from the left. That harassment has continued to this day. She discussed it when she appeared on Martha MacCallum’s show The Story on FNC on December 20, 2018. Susan has continued to receive harassing and threatening emails, letters, and phone messages since then, including death threats.

     Such behavior on the part of those on the left is despicable. But it is par for the course for the left. As I detail in my book, leftists cannot defend their views logically, so they react emotionally, with incivility, and ultimately with violence against those they disagree with. Such reactions are another way the USA is being torn apart.

Farm and Criminal Justice Reform Bills Signed

     While the MSM has been breathlessly reporting in the worse possible light all of the preceding, it has totally ignored some good that has been going on.

     First, President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law on December 20^th. It, “provides critical funding for the United States Department of Agriculture and provides support, certainty, and stability to our Nation’s farmers” (WhiteHouse.gov).

     The only criticism I have heard of this law is that farmers would prefer an open market for their crops rather than government subsidies. But if Trump works out a trade deal with China, that will include opening up China to our crops, which will give farmers what they want in that regard.

     The next day, Trump signed the Criminal Justice Reform Bill, also known as “First Step.” It is designed to give convicts a first step in reintegrating back into society after they are released from incarceration and to make imprisonment fairer. It was working for this reform that led to the Kanye West meeting with Trump in the Oval Office that I discuss in my book.

     From what I have heard about both of these legislations, they are good things. But to be honest I have not heard much, since again, they are good things, so the MSM is not about to report much about them, with having to give Trump credit for them.

Venezuela/ Socialist Diet

     During December, Trish Regan has been running a series about Venezuela on her FBN show Trish Regan Primetime. It concerns how socialism has destroyed the economy of that country. On one episode, she had as a guest the former US Ambassador to Venezuela under Ronald Reagan. He said at that time (the 1980s), Venezuela had the highest per capita income in Latin America, but now, its economy is collapsing.

     The collapse began with Hugo Chavez, the darling of the left here in the USA. Many celebs have even been seen wearing T-shirts with his image on it. He is adored by the left as they want to bring his brand of socialism here to the USA. But they fail to realize how his polices destroyed Venezuela.

     His big plan was to give free gasoline to all Venezuelans. Since Venezuela is rich with oil, he figured that would be possible. But what it did was to lead Venezuelans to waste oil, leading to the program costing much more than was planned. That was predictable to anyone who understands the law of supply and demand. Making something free defies that law, as it gives no incentive to anyone to conserve their usage of the product.

     That began the downfall of the economy of Venezuela. It has gotten so bad that a dozen eggs now cost the equivalent of 150 US dollars. Food trucks are being raided, supermarket shelves are bare, millions of Venezuelans have already fled the country, with an estimated two million to leave in 2019. The surrounding counties are struggling with the influx of these illegal aliens into their countries just as much as the USA is with the influx of illegal aliens into our country.

     The food situation is so bad that the average Venezuelan has lost 20-25 pounds in the past six months. Maybe that is why the left wants to bring socialism to this country—it will be a way to solve our crisis of two-thirds of the US population being overweight. Turn the USA into a socialist country, destroy our economy like socialism has destroyed the economy of Venezuela and every other country that has tired it, then no one will be able to afford food, and Americans will finally find a way to lose weight. We can call it the “Socialist Diet.”

Conclusion

     At the end of my book, I express the hope that we Americans could learn a way to heal our many divisions or at least to disagree in a congenial manner. But the events of December 2018, the month following the time period covered by my book, show that has not yet been the case. And with Democrats taking control of the US House on January 3, 2019, it is likely those divisions and the less than congenial disagreements will continue or even increase.

     But all of these disagreements and divisions have their roots in the events that transpired from mid-July to the end of November 2018, the time period covered by my book. For that reason, Tearing the USA Apart will remain relevant for a long time to come, as to understand current and future events, you need to understand what occurred during that time period.

For a follow-up to this article, see Additional Thoughts on the Border Crisis and Government Shutdown.

References:

    Standard References.

     Breitbart. California Police Officer Killed by Alleged Illegal Alien Was a Legal Immigrant.

     Business Insider. Here’s what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown.

     CNN. Trump’s acting secretary of defense will step into role with no foreign policy, military experience.

     Dan Bongino Show. Border Patrol Arrests Previously Deported MS-13 Gang Members and Child Sex Offenders.

     Guardian, The. Defense secretary James Mattis resigns and points to differences with Trump.

     FBN. Trish Regan Primetime. Interview with Jerome Corsi. December 26, 2018 and other episodes in December 2018.

     Fortune. Trump Signing MAGA Hats in Iraq May Have Violated Defense Department Rule.

     Federalist, The. The Trump Administration’s New ‘Bump Stock’ Ban Is A Legal Abomination.

     Fox News. Kavanaugh casts deciding vote as Supreme Court rejects review of Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood.

     Fox News. Air Force: Okay for troops to ask Trump to sign MAGA hats.

     Hannity. More than 500 Members of Migrant Caravan ‘Released’ in Downtown El Paso.

     NBC News. Michael Cohen filings renew discussion of Trump's impeachment.

     NBC News. Jerome Corsi files formal complaint against Mueller.

     New York Post. Trump will reportedly announce ban on bump stocks.

     NPR. Trump And First Lady Make Secret Trip To Iraq To Visit U.S. Troops.

     Townhall. Young California Police Officer, a Legal Immigrant, Was Killed by an Illegal Alien.

     Trading Economics. United States Consumer Sentiment.

     Rose Unplugged. December 19, 2018. Interview with Art Arthur on illegal immigration.

     USA Today. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis leaving his job after clash with Trump over Syria.

     WhiteHouse.gov. President Donald J. Trump Is Improving American Agriculture Programs.

     WhiteHouse.gov. President Donald J. Trump Secures Landmark Legislation to Make Our Federal Justice System Fairer and Our Communities Safer.

End of the Year Political Unrest: Part One. Copyright © 2019 by Gary F. Zeolla (www.Zeolla.org).

The above article was posted on this website January 2, 2019.

Articles     2019 Articles

Alphabetical List of Pages     Contact Information

Text Search     Biblical and Constitutional Politics

Books by the Director