The U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp  of the Virgin Islands has just issued an order allowing the National Guard and the local government to seize any privately owned guns, ammunition and private property necessary to protect the island due to Hurricane Irma. Of course, there is no definition of what may constitute property that is necessary to “protect” the island.

The National Guard is not considered to be military by definition so there is no argument that he is authorizing a military takeover. I am assuming that is because the National Guard are regarded as a state agency, but they get 99% of their annual budget from the Federal Government and the patches on their uniforms say U. S. Army, not National Guard. This gives many a reason not to register their guns and ammunition with your local government.

COMMENT: I understand what you are saying about lumping everyone together under this DACA program. It looks like Trump heeded your warning despite the fact you say you do not advise Trump. Curious how this time seems he is listening to you as does China. What would you do if you were President?

JH

REPLY: If I was elected President, they would assassinate me before my hand hit the book. I do not advise Trump. If he listened to what I wrote or never read it, who knows. Indeed, President Trump scrapped Obama’s program sparing younger illegal immigrants from deportation on the grounds that a president does not have the power to take such action by himself. He then shifted the burden to Congress by giving it a six-month deadline to “fix” the program before it would expire. Then there is a Tweet, he wrote “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA” which Obama could never accomplish.  He then wrote: “If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!”

Nothing is ever one dimension. There are three main categories that should be distinguished.

(1) the children that were just pushed across the border alone to get under Obama’s regs. This is the group that has the far-right most upset. They should be returned. They were not brought here by parents but pushed across the border. Granted, most parents want a better life for their children. But this is not the way.

(2) students often come here for school and then get jobs and stay. This is typically those in their 20’s and they are not the ones normally sucking up tax dollars since they have to get a job to stay. This is a big segment of the group in question. They did not come illegally but had visas to enter. They then stay beyond their visa making them illegal.

(3) is the “children” who came here with their parents typically under 10 years-old and grew up here all their remaining lives. This is the group I am concerned about because this is the group that has often married Americans and had children. They have typically paid into Social Security their whole lives but never went down to swear in to get a citizenship when they often were entitled to one. Returning these people is disruptive for you are tearing apart families. Nobody considered the right of the other family members who cannot be deported.

Therefore, group (1) I have no problem deporting. That was usually the scam. We are not here to raise people’s children. The only exception should be orphans with nothing to return to. Group (2) is debatable since they are typically not children and are in their 20’s who typically found employment. Their employers should then sponsor them. Lastly, we have group (3) which should not be deported on the grounds that government has no moral right to split up families any more than they should be allowed to force a child to testify against a parent or a brother against a brother. If family does NOT come before the State, then we are no different from the Communism created by Stalin.

As I said, you can pass a law and say anyone who kills another should be sentenced to death. You can be blind and refuse to listen and determine that even killing someone who breaks into your home and threatens your family is no exception to the rule should you kill them. This is simply what I had to say about equity v law. There are exceptions.

It is NOT the right of the person being caught up in this, but the rights of their family members. We must be consistent. God and family come BEFORE Washington – PERIOD! If an American marries a person from overseas, then what happens especially if they had children? What about the human right to maintaining your family? You certainly cannot morally pass a law declaring that no American may marry someone from another country. If you simply marry a foreigner, that does NOT make them an American citizen. They may get a Green Card, but they are not automatically a citizen and that holds true for most countries including China.

The Guess Who, released their hit single, American Woman. In it, they warned fellow Canadians, “American woman, stay away from me.” Despite their song warning Canadians not to marry Americans, countless Canadian citizens have found love across the Southern border. Each year, large numbers of Canadians marry U.S. citizens and a significant portion of these cross-border couples opt to build their lives in the United States rather than Canada. When it comes to taxes, the government has no problem going after Canadians who had one American parent and demanding they owe taxes to the USA despite the fact they do not live in the United States. There are known as “accidental Americans” to the IRS tax boys.

Canadians are also considered illegal aliens unless they apply for a K-1 visa if they want to marry an American. The period from initial filing of the K-1 petition to issuance of the K-1 visa at the U.S. Embassy in Montreal (which processes all K-1 visas in Canada) often ranges from five-to-nine months and can take a year. Worse still, your fiancé cannot visit you in the USA while the petition is pending! A pending K-1 petition shifts the scales against an applicant for entry because the government now gets the right to determine if you are allowed to marry her. If she gets caught visiting you – marriage is forbidden unless you move to Canada and she will NEVER be allow to visit again.

A friend in Montreal sent his daughter to Philadelphia with her girlfriend to visit the Liberty Bell and such. He asked me if I would meet her at the airport and make sure she made it to the hotel he booked. Of course I said yes. She spoke primarily French. When she arrived in the States, she did not know the address she would be staying. She gave them my phone number and said I was there to meet her. Amazingly, they called my cell. They said oh you are here? I said of course. What’s the problem. He then grilled me and asked how was I going to communicate with her. Do you speak French? he asked. I responded: Parlez-vous français?

Of course he could not speak French. So just saying that shut him up. I then asked what’s the problem. I told them the hotel I was taking her to. I then commented, she’s Canadian! He responded: “She still an alien.”

Those against DACA should really look closer and define what is it you are disagreeing with? Is it all “aliens” even Canadians, just Mexicans, or those from Europe, Asia, Middle East? Are you really against everyone? It might help to just narrow your focus. Define the objective? The immigration issue in the USA is totally different from the Immigration Crisis in Europe claiming refugee status without proof and looking for hand outs – not work.

It’s not a question of being a liberal bleeding heart – it one of looking at the issue in detail rather than creating a policy of one-size fits all the same as if you killed an intruder into your home in the middle of the night. It is a matter of being ethically consistent that family should come before the state. As it now stands, the government can throw your children in contempt of court for life claiming they must testify against a parent regarding even taxes.

I am not a follower of Stalin – sorry! Family MUST come before the government

QUESTION: Martin,

ANSWER: Socrates is not located in Florida. Neither is the Blog site. Of course it is possible that communications will be disrupted. We will have to see. My mother is not here in Florida. We just celebrated her birthday on September 3rd. She just began her 100th year. I can only assume the government is jumping for joy and see me producing taxable income for more than the next 30 years.

 

As for me, I have plenty of supplies. I do not anticipate fleeing. I have survived whatever government has thrown at me. Someone gave me the strength to stand my ground. I do not think I have a confrontation with nature. But we will see. A reader sent me a T-Shirt. I would add It’s the government I’m afraid of, not Nature or God. If I can volunteer, I will if it gets bad.