Column for June 28, 2012

Even if we have a flawed system of government, it’s possibly still the best one in practice.  That is, of course, only if moral men and women are in charge of the government.  In 1776, John Adams, our second President of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was quoted as saying, "Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand."  Within the last two weeks, we have seen great lapses in morality in our governments at different levels, but it is all linked together in purpose and in poor judgment.

Locally, the Wake County School Board voted to return to a “diversity based” student assignment plan beginning in 2013.  After so much controversy about going to a “neighborhood schools” based assignment plan that is only one year into that plan, the school board is reversing its previous stance on the issue.  In a retreat from morality and common sense, students will be shuffled around yet again rather than being allowed to stay in a school closest to their homes.

The immorality that comes with this decision is astounding to me.  So-called “reverends” (ordained clergy) spouted specious claims of racism and segregation in the courageous decision to return to a neighborhood school policy.  The idea of being able to send your child to the school that is nearest to their home was a moral one, being responsible to the taxpayers who are paying the bills for public education, to the students who will spend less time being shuttled around the county, and to families that will have more time together.  All of those ideas are being tossed out the window in the name of diversity.

Diversity is nothing more than a liberal utopian concept meant to falsely display concern for others whom you secretly disdain and treat with condescension.  The idea that poor or minority children cannot perform well in public schools unless they are seated next to allegedly richer Caucasian children is nothing short of sheer racism and sells minorities short of their potential.  It is a modern form of enslavement of the mind and body.

Linked to this concept is the recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down three provisions of Arizona’s SB1070, an anti-illegal immigration law.  SB1070 was a state law that mirrored the federal statutes on illegal immigration.  Arizona acted because the federal government would not enforce its own immigration laws and, being a border state, Arizona was paying a heavy price because of it.

Just within the past two weeks and prior to the SCOTUS decision, President Obama unilaterally decreed that the federal government would not enforce some provisions of federal immigration law, bypassing Congress and the legislative process.  This is nothing new to either Obama or even Presidents.  We are a nation of laws, and yet potentates decide by fiat that some laws are not to be enforced display yet another abrogation of moral obligation.  Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.”  If indeed the Arizona law or even national immigration laws are bad laws, then the best way to get rid of them is to enforce them, not ignore them.

So, what does the Supreme Court’s aberration of a decision on Arizona’s immigration law, President Obama’s decision to refuse to enforce federal law, and the Wake County School Board’s utopian stupidity have in common?  First, they all demonstrate that elections have consequences.  Second, if states cannot protect themselves and their sovereignty against illegal immigration or any other threat because of allegedly contradicting federal law (even if none are technically being contradicted, as was the case in Arizona), then states must sit back and take whatever garbage is handed them by the federal government’s actions or inaction, as the case may be.   Because the federal government refuses to enforce its own laws (in self-contradiction), then the states are helpless to fend off any problems caused by illegal immigration.  States are the ones paying the bills for the costs of illegal immigration, including for education of illegal immigrant children. 

Wake County would not have to be so worried about achieving diversity, about budget constraints, or about political correctness regarding race issues if illegal immigration could be seriously curbed by enforcement of current federal law and enactment of appropriate state laws.  The moral failure of refusing to follow the law, refusing to allow states the right of self-determination, and of failing the students of local public schools is but a sign of the times in which we live.

Column for August 18, 2011

My wife and I bought a family membership to the NC Zoological Society about a month ago. We were planning a family trip to the NC Zoo in Asheboro, so we bought a membership for us and one more adult. We figured that since we make about one trip a year to one of the aquariums at our state’s coast and the zoo admission was sufficiently high that a membership that covers both places would make sense financially.

Had I known of all the animal sightings we were going to encounter in the coming weeks, I would not have gone to the zoo. Just this Monday we saw a vulture in front of our house. It was checking out a dead squirrel that had gotten run over in the street. When we came out the door, the startled bird flew away and I was a bit surprised to see a large bird taking flight at the end of my driveway. Then I looked to see what he was munching on and saw the dead, flat, gray rat with a bushy tail laying in the road.

Selma has an ordinance covering stray dogs. “It is unlawful for any owner or keeper of any dog to permit such dog to run at large within the town.” That is verbatim from the town code. It seems that we have a lot of them running around lately. I do take my dog outside, generally off leash since we pretty much cover from my house to the corner and back. My dog knows his territory and in general stays within it. When he has done his sniffing (reading the newspaper, as I call it) and relieved himself, we go back inside. My dog is always indoors, with me as we go outside together, or in my fenced backyard.

Lately we have been having issues with at least five different dogs wandering through the neighborhood. Three of them are habitually running loose. They especially become a nuisance when I attempt to take old Barack Odoga outside. Just last night a stray Golden Retriever came up to play with my dog, startling both him and myself. The dog got underfoot and I stepped on one of its paws. Whether I use a leash or not (and I occasionally do), these strays are a nuisance. My neighbor’s dogs have been known to be up at 2 AM barking at strays. That of course sets off the entire neighborhood alarm of barking dogs.

Selma has another town ordinance that has to be fractured in order to take care of the aforementioned one. One of the stupidest ordinances in town simply states, “Any person using an air rifle in the town shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” There are no qualifiers for this ordinance. On my own property, I should be allowed to fire my Daisy Red Rider that I have owned since I was age ten. As long as I am not shooting anybody else or damaging the property of others, I should be allowed to have a BB shooting range in my back yard if I want. Besides, a BB in the side of a stray dog has been known to get rid of the nuisance. It is obvious that there are no real animal control efforts going on, so someone has to make the pesky critters leave the premises.

The last animal display that we saw happened within the last week. I took my wife and children out for an inexpensive family meal. The establishment serves up a pizza, salad, and soup buffet. It is fairly cheap, so we have been known to go there once in a while.

On Saturday afternoon we were grazing on the salad and attempting to find some normal style and appealing pizza on the buffet when a swarm of locusts entered the restaurant. I almost felt like Pharaoh after I refused Moses’ demand to let his people go.

An entire team of child soccer players came in while we were there. At first I said that they were going to be like locusts and pick the buffet clean. These children were all wearing uniforms that actually had a foreign company sponsor’s name in a foreign language on them. I don’t care from whence you come, but if you are going to enjoy the freedom in America and the relative prosperity that we have, at least assimilate to the language and culture.

While my wife and I took turns going up to the buffet to bring back plates of different kinds of pizza for our two children and ourselves, the locusts acted more like wild jackals. They pushed, shoved, and handled their buffet of prey. They picked apart the food with their bare hands, stepped on feet, ran into people, and never once apologized for doing so. They were loud, filling the entire restaurant with a buzz of foreign language, laughter, and the sound of silverware and plates clanging. We could barely hear each other above the din.

Who needs the zoo when we have wild dogs, vultures, cute gray rats, locusts, and jackals right here in Johnston County?

Column for Nov. 4, 2010

“Y’all are going to vote November 2nd, aren’t you?” we were asked while waiting in line at Wal-Mart. “Oh, yeah,” replied my lovely bride.

One of the frustrating things about writing this column is that I have a deadline for publication prior to knowing what Tuesday’s election results were. As I am writing this, we finally put one seven-year-old to bed and my wife is sitting in my living room trying to rock the baby to sleep so we can have the evening to ourselves. I just finished watching the New England Patriots win another football game and my wife finished handing out big handfuls of candy to the little beggars that come to our door every year.

I don’t mind giving out candy to children on Halloween, but I personally am not into participating in its celebration. Giving out candy at least gives me the opportunity to show good will and if I am so inclined, to slip in literature such as gospel tracts, campaign literature, fliers, etc. This year we did not give out an sort of literature, but we did give out the most candy we ever have previously. What October 31st really means to me personally is that it is the anniversary of the day on which I closed on my modest home here in the booming metropolis of Selma.

Each year we give handouts. Some people I know hate Halloween, some do not mind. Some have religious issues against the observance, some don’t care. Personally, I often liken it to government handouts. If your porch light is on during Trick or Treat time, you are in effect advertising that you have something to give away free. All one has to do is knock on the door to get free candy. We as a nation do that same thing each and every day of the year.

So what does that have to do with my opening paragraph? On the way home from our regular Christian religious observance gathering today, we stopped by the Wal-Mart in Clayton. We filled our shopping cart with groceries, a few low priced DVDs, and a few other desired items. We then proceeded to find the best open check out lane we could. We got in line behind a middle aged lady who did not have too many items on the conveyor belt. Ahead of her was a woman of questionable legal status who had a child with her who was about kindergarten age and what appeared to be twins in a double baby carriage.

This woman tied up the check out lane for quite some time. She had four different transactions. Her first three transactions were all paid for with WIC (Women’s, Infants, and Children’s federal assistance program) vouchers. Contrary to the WIC official web page, WIC is essentially an entitlement program. If free money is being given to people who did not earn it, then it is, as far as I am concerned, an entitlement program. Immigrants are especially considered for WIC because (reading from the WIC web site), “migrancy is considered a nutritional risk factor”.

We waited a good ten minutes just for this one woman’s purchases to be processed. Just when it looked like the order was complete, another was transacted with another voucher. Finally, she payed for the last bit of groceries with cash. She already had toys that were paid for in the shopping cart. She pulled out a cell phone while were were all waiting for her to be checked out, and the baby stroller was certainly not an inexpensive one.

The woman in front of us looked at us, and we looked at her. All of us were a growing a wee bit impatient. I said to the woman in front of us, “At least we are paying for hers in addition to our own groceries.” She assented to the sentiment and a moment or two later, after she grew increasingly frustrated, she asked us if we were going to vote. We knew exactly why she asked that question. Like us, she is tired of the handouts.

We grew even more impatient when we watched our check out girl leave the register in between WIC transactions and run into the bathroom. When she returned, she resumed checking out the English as a Second Language Class candidate. When the woman finally “paid” for all of her groceries, she attempted to apologize for taking up so much time. I wanted to tell her, “When you start paying for your own groceries, then you can truly apologize. Until then, I don’t buy that concept.” Of course I chose to remain silent, instead, and not cause a scene. It would not have accomplished anything at the time.

I believe in Christian charity. I do not believe in government forcibly taking money away from people who will work and giving it to people who do not or may be lower on the income scale. That is what family, charities, and the Church are for. I have never failed to help people who truly have been in need or were hungry.

I don’t know what the November 2nd election results will be as of this writing, but I do hope that we can turn the proverbial porch light out. We, as a nation, have run out of candy a long time ago and can not afford to keep giving it away.

Column for June 24, 2010

I look at the birdbath and bird feeder as a microcosm of American society. I wrote at the begging of May how I've had more birds and squirrels at my feeder this year than ever before. It is amazing that the birds and cute, gray, bushy tailed rats can empty the feeder in less than a day. I fill it up almost daily now. I have spent more on birdseed so far this year than I have spent on most previous years combined.

There are a few observations I have made over the past few months. Even if the feeder is empty, birds and squirrels still come by the feeder to check to see if there is anything to eat. When the birds see me coming, they will actually fly away, perch on a wire or tree limb, and as soon as I leave the freshly filled feeder, flock to it. I have actually had birds angrily scream at me when the feeder is empty until I finish filling it again for them.

I see more squirrels on my little quarter acre of land than I have ever seen before. I am pretty sure that some of these squirrels do not live in the old pecan tree behind my house. Instead, they seem to sneak across the property border and plunder the feed. Birdseed is not even meant for squirrels, but they don't seem to mind. When I have bags of birdseed set out under my carport, squirrels will invade my carport and tear into the bags of seed.

When I put the seed bags into an old trash can that I am using as storage, the gray, illegal alien squirrels actually ate through part of the plastic garbage can to gain access to it and plunder what was never meant for them in the first place. They leave seed hulls all over my carport.

The one good thing the squirrels do is to rake out seed from the feeder and spread it on the ground. When they do that, many birds and other squirrels do actually benefit from their labor. Apparently the birds let the squirrels do jobs that they, in theory, are not willing to do themselves. I doubt that is truly the case, since when no squirrels have been handy, I have watched an ambitious bird actually shoveling out seed from the feeder to the ground with its beak. There is an obvious parallel to society here.

It is all part of my birdie stimulus spending plan. Birds and squirrels have come from all over the neighborhood to my feeder. Why they come to my feeder in particular is a mystery to me. Perhaps they are looking for a better life than they can find where their own nests are located. Maybe the food supply is just scarce on the other side of the neighborhood. Either way, the birds flock to my feeder more than that of my neighbors and more than any other year since I have been living in this house.

The seed is meant to supplement the animals' own ability to find food, not be their entire source of substance. I would hope that these now dependent birds and squirrels are also searching for worms, insects, berries, nuts and whatever else birds and squirrels consume. The handouts I provide are not meant to replace their own food chain. It seems that some take advantage of the free food more than others.

I get birds of all colors. Gray ones, black ones, red ones, blue ones, and a variety of color mixtures all flock to my feeder. Some are more common than others. Both birds and squirrels seem to take to the water supply in my birdbath. I have to rinse out the birdbath and refill it just about every day. Some days it takes less than an afternoon and it will be bone dry.

Regardless of whom the bird feeder and birdbath are meant for, the common factor is that when I put out an abundant supply of free food, I have an abundant supply of consumers wanting the handout. When I don't put out the food, the birds and squirrels find another way to get their sustenance. America could learn a lesson from that.

I almost feel like the federal government, giving out more in handouts than at any other time in my living here. The big difference seems to be that I can afford the birdseed. I guess if I charged the bird food to my credit card to pay it off years later with a huge amount of accrued interest, I would be more like the federal government.

Column for June 3, 2010

On my way to church services last weekend, I had to stop for the friendly neighborhood police officers that were running a license checkpoint here in the booming Metropolis of Selma. I am fairly used this concept, since I have had to stop numerous times at impromptu checkpoints over the past few years. Each time I get out my wallet to produce my driver's license. This time, for the first time, I also had to produce my vehicle registration.

I actually have no problem with this concept, which may surprise some people. As long as such checks are done with consistency of fairness to all vehicle operators, I believe that it is a matter of public safety to ensure that people are sober, are indeed licensed drivers, and belong on the roads. It is a legal and reasonable use of governmental and law enforcement resources.

Since I as a driver have to produce proof that I am licensed to operate the motor vehicle I operate, I am astounded at the resistance to the Arizona law against illegal immigration. Their recent law allows for local law enforcement to ascertain the legal statuses of people that they suspect are in the state (actually nation) illegally. This is pursuant only to an already legal contact with law enforcement agents. This means that a police officer can not stop someone on the street or a driver on the highway whom they suspect is here illegally unless they have either committed another infraction of the law.

Liberals who have ignorantly decried this law as a violation of civil liberties have either not read the law or they are purposely being deceptive. President Barack Obama lied through his teeth when he claimed that the police would ask people for their papers when they are taking their family out for ice cream. The use of the term "papers" was specifically used to conjure up images of Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union's KGB. It is nothing more than a propaganda tactic.

If I, a law abiding citizen can be legally asked for my identification and "papers" at a license checkpoint, then a criminal can certainly be asked for theirs when they are caught in criminal behavior. Controlling immigration into America is one of the basic duties of the federal government, but one that they have abrogated most heinously. States and local governments have been paying the price for the lack of action on the federal government's part, so they in turn have begun to "step up to the plate" and begun dealing with the issue in their own sovereign ways.

There are legitimate powers of government for purposes of control and there are illegitimate ones. I think about this distinction often, and at all levels of government. Whether it is the national government, the state, county, town, or even church governments, there are legitimate uses of power and there are illegitimate uses thereof. Controlling our border for the sake of national protection is definitely a legitimate use of government. Ensuring that people who broke the law while entering the country and then enforcing that first infraction while enforcing other laws is definitely a legitimate use of governmental power.

Recently, the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon had the audacity to criticize the sovereignty of Arizona and condemn their law against illegal immigration as a huge violation of human rights. He found it humiliating to be asked for proof that you belong in America. Oddly enough, he readily admits that the immigration laws in Mexico are far stricter than they are in the United States and illegal immigrants are readily deported or imprisoned. That flaming hypocrisy should be astounding to any logically thinking individual. What is even worse is the lockstep criticism by our current administration in the White House.

With all the irrational calls for boycotts against Arizona for their government's courage to stand against illegal immigration and to protect their own self interests, I am almost tempted to change my upcoming vacation plans and spend my tourist dollars in Arizona. I can only wish that legislators in North Carolina have the same fortitude to pass similar legislation in our state. Such a bill has recently been introduced into the North Carolina State Senate. I seriously doubt that either our weak governor or the state legislature would have such courage to pass it, however.

Column for Oct. 15, 2009

"Shut up, dogs!" I hollered from my bedroom. The barking stopped for just a moment, then continued. Both Barack Odoga and Daisy the killer Pekingese kept yapping...and yapping. "That's unusual," I thought. Hearing the dogs bark in the middle of the night was not especially odd. We get that a lot in this area. One of the neighborhood dogs barks at a pedestrian or cat, and the alarm system travels throughout the neighborhood. This time, however, something was different in how my two canines kept barking.

I wiped the sleepiness out of my eyes, as it was about 1:30 in the morning. I stumbled my way towards the bedroom door to make my way to the living room, where the pups were both on alert. "What is it, babies?" I asked. I looked around the room after turning on the ceiling fan light switch and saw a normal living room, just as I left it earlier in the evening. I walked into the bathroom, my office, and around the kitchen to ensure that nothing was wrong. I had listened to hear if I could hear what the dogs were barking about before I even got out of bed. The baby monitor often amplifies sound that only the dogs hear before I do. I often hear movement, outside dogs, and outdoor noises on the monitor before I do naturally. I did not hear anything out of the ordinary.

When I walked back into the living room, both dogs stood at attention, pointing towards the door to the carport. I flipped on the floodlight to the driveway and cracked open the living room door to the carport. I peered out to see if anyone was standing in my driveway, but saw nothing. When I looked down at the three brick stairs below my door stoop, I saw a body laying there clad in denim, sneakers, and white socks. I peered through the living room window and could not see much better.

Since the door opening, the dogs barking, and the light did not make the person stir, I figured that some drunken individual had passed out on my door step. I immediately put on some jeans, shoes, a shirt, and went to one of my gun safes. I despise the gun control laws that require me to lock up firearms since I have children in the house. I believe in safe handling, teaching respect for firearms, and having loaded weapons available at a moment's notice. Since becoming a dad, I complied with state law and locked them up (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). I went to the safe with my favorite revolver for concealed carry purposes, which also has a laser grip sight and wanted to at least carry it, should I need to take action. Since this is not where I keep my quick grab firearms, I had not used this piece in months. I found that the electronic lock was dead. This is not what one wants to run across when needing quick access to a gun. Fortunately, there was no imminent danger in this situation, so I took the time to try to solve the lock issue. Eventually, I used key access and figured I would fix the stupid thing later. Thankfully, that particular safe only held one gun.

I debated whether it was tactically better to handle this vagrant myself or to simply let the local constabulary force handle the situation. I weighed the pros and cons. If I took care of it myself, I would ensure that this individual was removed from my property on my terms and if medical assistance was necessary, my long expired emergency medical technician skills would come in handy. On the other hand, I am one person, and the police usually send at least two officers should things get physical. I had no idea if this person is armed or not or what would happen if he was startled awake suddenly. I could have gone out another door and approached the subject. However, I figured it was tactically best to have the local police to come remove the drunk.

Well, it turned out that an illegal immigrant with little or no English speaking capability had been so intoxicated that he either could not make it back to his residence or thought that my house was his and he just could not get through the door. Unfortunately, the Latino population, especially those here illegally, have a high instance of alcohol abuse. I understand being away from home and lonely, but there is still no excuse for drunkenness. Or illegal immigration, for that matter. At least he was not driving. I read far too many stories of drunken Latino drivers killing innocent people.

I have a t-shirt that says, "I DON'T DIAL 911" and has a picture of a Smith and Wesson 45 auto pistol firing (it looks like a model 4506, for you gun aficionados out there). Two things I know are that when it is not an emergency situation, it is worth it to sit back and wait for local law enforcement to handle non emergency situations. If it was a life threatening situation, I would have definitely done things differently. I also know that I despise gun laws, since they seldom deter law breakers but often inhibit law abiding citizens.

Column for Jan. 29, 2009

State budget woes and education issues can be solved easily

I have one child in kindergarten at Selma Elementary School and will have a second child there in about five and a half years from now. The school may be moving to a proposed "enhanced" school calendar. Basically, the school year will be extended by starting earlier and ending later.

In principal, I have no real objection to the concept of a school calendar change, or even going to a "year round" school. Though I would personally prefer that students not go to school before Labor Day, I can deal with the proposed calendar change. I do, however, have problems with the reasons behind the proposed change. Believe it or not, there is a direct correlation between the school's problems and the state's current budget problems.

On January 8th, there was a public meeting at the Selma Elementary School auditorium to hear about the proposed calendar change. My wife and I had planned to attend, but unfortunately I ended up working late that night and was personally precluded from attending. At that meeting, the calendar was explained and the majority of the parents who were in attendance voted for the calendar change.

Selma Elementary has some real challenges facing them in terms of academic achievement. According to this very newspaper, "One parent asked, “How would [this] benefit my child?” [Principal] Jett replied students in remediation would get caught up without summer school." Therein lies part of the problem. To change every student and every family's schedule for the sake of those in "remediation" is nothing short of lowering everyone to the lowest common denominator. Because some students are not as advanced academically as others, the rest of the school has to accommodate those at the bottom tier.

The Selma News also reported in the same story that Selma Elementary School ”is made up of lower income families…46 percent of students are Hispanic, 30 percent are black, 17 percent are white, and 7 percent are other." When the majority of students are not from a family in which English is the primary language, parents can not teach their children the basics of education at home, and there is usually a language barrier to education.

Illegal immigrants to this nation generally have little or no education and are not fluent in English. Parents can not teach their children what they do not know themselves. When schools are being "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator, the entire school population suffers. The academic ranking of Selma Elementary School unfortunately reflects this.

Governor Beverly Perdue had a huge photo opportunity when she went to Washington, D.C. to beg for federal funding to help North Carolina make up the 2 billion dollar budget shortfall. After reviewing the budget for only two hours, she claims to have found about a billion dollars she could eliminate from the budget but can not find a second billion. Thus, she is hopping on the bail out bandwagon and begging for federal tax dollars.

Actually, the shortfall is partly the federal government's fault, considering that they have abrogated their responsibility in protecting our nation's borders and controlling immigration.

I can solve both Governor Purdue's problem and the Selma Elementary School academic achievement problem at the same time. They are both linked to the same common problem. Eliminate every last education dollar that goes to pay for the education of children of illegal immigrants or for illegal immigrants themselves, as well as any other expenditures catering to them.

If we stop paying for health care, welfare, food stamps, and education for those who do not belong in this country, we can easily solve many government budgetary woes. The state gives tons of money for education, but in Selma, a disproportionate amount of the students for which the state is paying are very likely here illegally to begin with.

If we stopped paying for the food, shelter, and health care of those who are not supposed to even be in this nation, we will save billions of dollars. If we stop printing government manuals, instructions, notices, and paperwork in a second language, our governmental printing costs would dwindle.

Two seemingly very different problems at two levels of government are actually very much tied together. They can both be solved if we only had the fortitude to do what is necessary and put a stop to it. North Carolina's current budget gap problem solved, Selma Elementary School's academic standing problem solved. Of course nobody will have the guts to actually enact the solution.

Column for Sept. 11, 2008

There are some things for which our sheriff should not apologize

The past couple of weeks, I wrote about Selma becoming a third world nation, being a microcosm of the entire United States. This is reflective of what the US will become if we do not get a handle on immigration issues amongst other things. I shared some feedback from column readers and have even gotten more in the mail since last week. Thanks to all who wrote, by the way.

Apparently, our county sheriff agrees with me and has taken some heat for his impassioned stance. Steve Bizzell has been under fire for saying that "Mexicans are trashy" and that the illegal immigrant population is "breeding like rabbits". Steve is not alone in his thoughts.

Sheriff Bizzell did apologize for his comments, which were made in an interview with a large regional newspaper based in Raleigh, the name of which, like Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, can not be spoken (or in this case, written). He said, "I made broad statements that reflected on the legal and law-abiding Hispanic population – that was never my intention".

Obviously, I personally have made comments in this very column that reflect the same thoughts of some immigrants being "trashy". I make no apologies for that, nor should I. As Forrest Gump might say, "My mamma always says, trashy is as trashy does." Believe me when I say that there are trashy people who are kin to me. Trashy is a behavior, an attitude, and often is embedded in a culture. Unfortunately, many Hispanic immigrants to the United States bring their third world culture and ways with them, refusing to assimilate into the American culture. Furthermore, they often carry a blatant disrespect and disregard for America, seeking only to benefit from her hospitality and liberality offered them here rather than taking responsibility for the welfare of their new communities.

In Sheriff Bizzell's apology, he did say that he did make broad statements. Like Steve, I do not have a problem with law abiding and legal immigrants. I don't care where they are from or what they look like. All I care is that they come here legally, abide by our laws, and do not trash our country. One particular Hispanic advocate, however, is livid with Sheriff Bizzell's words, even saying he "wants his badge".

The call for Bizzell's resignation is out of line, but that is what I expect from selfish people. Being an advocate for illegal immigrants is like lobbying for the right to drive while intoxicated, in my opinion. There is always a self-interest in such advocacy.

This summer, I got the opportunity to meet with the founder of the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee and with the founder of The Minuteman Project. I joined these two men for a morning of lobbying lawmakers in Raleigh to support an agenda that is hostile to illegal immigration. That day, I also got to meet representatives from two different organizations that were founded by Hispanics and vehemently oppose illegal immigration.

Like the advocate who wants Sheriff Bizzell's badge for his comments, Roan Garcia-Quintana is an immigrant from Cuba whom I had the pleasure of meeting. Roan works with the organization "Americans Have Had Enough!" which is on the internet at americanshavehadenough.org. Roan is a legal immigrant, now living in South Carolina. He has been very active in state government there and has been elected to the SC Legislature. Another man I met is Lee Nieves, from the Charlotte area, who is a Hispanic man affiliated with the organization "You Don't Speak for Me", found on the internet at dontspeakforme.org. They are both staunch advocates for sealing the American borders and coming down hard on illegal immigration. They believe just like Sheriff Bizzell that the American culture is being polluted by illegal immigrants, that illegal immigrants do not belong here, that our society is in danger from the increased crime by these people, and that they are multiplying like rabbits.

Sheriff Bizzell, I have read your comments. I have read your apology. I have read the comments on the internet by web readers of the publication in which you were quoted. I agree that your initial comments may have been broad, but trashy is as trashy does. Your eyes simply bear testimony to what is. That is the bottom line. You see more of it than most citizens, since you deal with the crime problems, help with deportation, and have a responsibility for the public well being.

Steve, I have been one of your strongest advocates for years. That is not to say that I agree with all of your decisions. I personally have one issue with you, feeling that you violated the United States Constitution on a few things. That is a major issue in my view, though overall I think your job performance has been outstanding. You need not apologize for stating the obvious. Like the many legal immigrants I know personally, you abhor illegal immigration, the crime perpetrated by those who started out their journey in this nation with their first covert and illegal step across our border, and the disregard for our laws and our culture. You hate paying for anchor babies and the cost to our society. For that, never apologize. Just keep working and hammering away at the mountain of the problems caused by illegal immigrants with your pick axe.

Column for Sept. 4, 2008

Last week's column evoked some interesting feedback from readers

It would seem that my column last week struck a chord or assent or dissent with some people. I have received some interesting feedback from readers this week. As much as I would love to comment on the Republican's error of making their convention short because of an impending hurricane or the brilliant selection of a gun toting beauty queen as a vice presidential running mate for John McCain, I will stick with the current train of thought.

I wrote last week about the possibility of Selma becoming like a third world nation if we do not take the reins of our own town and protect our American culture and town from degradation. Selma is just a microcosm of the rest of the nation. Apparently, that idea has really registered with some folks. Therefore I asked permission to share some commentary from readers. I believe strongly in using spell check functions in my email and word processor. However, I am preserving the format of the messages as they were delivered on purpose.

The first commentary I received was from someone who only identified him or herself as "royalblkrose".

"This issue is not new or news to Selma, Berkeley, Jacksonville. Take your pick of cities and it's the same issues. Immigrants, looking for a better life bring with them the only life they know.. the one they left, with all of its' oddities. Cities, states and the country are in an ethical fix where these new aliens are concerned. On the one hand, there' cheap labor. Cheap labor is good for employers but bad for employees, Because another component of cheap labor is IGNORANT labor. Most immigrants are not aware of their rights in the workplace, and because they are illegals, they will work under any and all condtions in fear of losing what little they do have.On the other hand, once they do know their rights, it then becomes harder for these immigrants to keep their jobs because they know their rights and it is therefore more expensive to have these individuals on the payroll! Don't believe me? Ask any Union rep what happens when an employee speaks up when something's out of whack!One of the worst things that happend in this country was when air traffic controllers union was busted and NAFTA was signed, giving large manufacturers a legal reason not to invest in keeping skilled people in the states working.just a couple of thoughts...."

My response to "royalblkrose" was the following:

"One of the major issues, as I have written, is the losing of the American culture. I absolutely agree that this is not new to my town. Keep in mind that the article was specifically written as a newspaper column for the local newspaper, so I have a local centric perspective in my writing. This is, however, as you pointed out, just a microcosm of the rest of the nation. The issue is lack of assimilation. I grew up in a French family. Though there was still a Quebecois mindset and French was spoken in the grandparent's home, they assimilated into the culture. It is the absolute accommodation and coddling of immigrants to woo a potential voting block or to succumb to political correctness that is killing this nation and will put us in a position of weakness, lack of unity, and a perpetually schismatic means of living."

Someone who called himself "ColdWarBaby" had this to say:

"The assimilation of immigrants also means being prepared to pay them at least minimum wage and perhaps even provide minimal benefits and marginally safe working conditions. This would not be good for the “economy” as it’s defined by fascist capitalism. Once u.s. workers have been reduced to accepting the same working conditions as those in china, mexico or vietnam, the “illegal aliens” will be gone.If the ruling class has its way, property values will be of little concern. Only they will be allowed to own real property. The only way a laborer will be allowed access to private property will be as a menial, a slave. Workers will be confined to labor camps or factory barracks, out of sight, out of mind.This is the Utopia of fascist corporatism, a world of masters and slaves."

I found the commentary by ColdWarBaby interesting. I replied to him or her this way.

"No, the assimilation of immigrants does not mean paying them minimum wage. They are here ILLEGALLY to begin with. They are not entitled to the same protections under the law, nor the benefit of citizens or even migrant laborers here legally. Period. Once we enforce our existing laws, protect our borders, value our culture, and stop committing national suicide, the illegal immigrants will stop coming. It is ridiculous to think that our standard of living would have to lower to their level in order to keep them from showing up. Your assumption that a ruling class believes that property values are of little concern is fallacious for several reasons. First, the revenue that the ruling class obtains is through valuation of property and taxation thereupon. Furthermore, their property would be subject to the same eventual fate of others, whether it is lower taxation value, lower retail value and profit margin, lower rental rates, lower dividends on investments, or even eminent domain. Fascist corporatism? Whatever."

I got one last commentary from someone who asked not to be identified, so I am editing out any information that would reveal clues as to the writer's identity.

"I look forward to reading your weekly commentaries in the selma news. I pass thru selma daily and sometimes stop at a couple stores on my way home, honestly i am looking over my shoulder the whole time i'm there…i cannot believe all the crime that goes on around selma,it is unreal. The infrastructure of most of the town reminds me of something i seen on a ghetto movie,it really needs a makeover. I know the people that have been here all their lives hate to see all the crime that goes on ,and to me it seems like an attraction for all the mexicans as you wrote about this week. I'm not saying all the drugs come from mexicans but a large part of them do,then that gets on the streets and leads to more crimes such as robberies etc. i believe to get the town back as it was before all the drug and criminal activity, it starts with town officials taking and showing action instead of just talking about it. I realize it is not just selma it is everywhere,but since i moved here and started reading your articles it has opened my eyes. well i've been on my soap box long enough now. I look forward to reading your future articles."

As you can tell, not everyone who reads my columns necessarily agrees with me. I enjoy reading from people on both sides of an issue, generally. Many people are interested in civil discourse. Others are merely interested in bashing. Fortunately, this week's feedback has been from those who chose to be civil but wanted to express themselves in response to my ramblings. I have gotten a lot of hate mail, as well as fan mail over the past two years. Some of the hate mail has been full of anger. With some people, I have been able to engage in meaningful dialogue. Some have simply been spiteful; others had their say and I never heard from them again, even after answering their emails. Rest assured that if your email hits my inbox, I am willing to respond.

What are your views? Do you have opinions about my column, about a news story, or about how things are in your community? If so, I encourage you to write. Even better, I encourage you to write your opinion as a letter to the editor of this very newspaper. I don't always like being the sometimes the only opinion on the editorial page, even if I am always correct in what I have to say.

Column for Aug. 27, 2008

Are we letting Selma become a third world nation?

I truly want Selma to become "A Charming Place to Be". I am sure most of us who pay attention and especially pay taxes want that for our little town. Sometimes I wonder if this can be accomplished, though. Recent observations make me wonder. After visiting the homes and neighborhoods of friends in Garner and Clayton and then coming home to Selma, I wonder if we can be so charming.

The past couple of weeks have given me some interesting views from the comfort of my own little quarter acre of land. Right across the street from me live some immigrants of dubious legality. There have been some loud parties with plenty of cerveza and Mariachi music until 1 AM. There are chickens running around in their yard (which is contrary to town ordinance), and they do not go to the laundry mat. Instead, they hand wash their clothing in a tub on the front porch, dump out the wash water, and hang their wet laundry on the fence in the back yard. They allow their two or three year old daughter to run around stark naked in their yard and in the inflatable wading pool.

I applaud the industrious nature of the woman of the house in washing clothes. I am just glad that I am not the neighbor with whom she shares a fence. The chickens have not been seen quite as much the past couple of days, so I wonder if they ended up on the grill. I have no problem with little naked children in the privacy of one's own home or way out in the country. Bath time with my five year old features a little naked bottom running around my house. Such is the beauty of having children. He just is not allowed to do that in public, or even in my front yard.

If someone drove through my neighborhood looking for a new home and saw chickens, naked toddlers, a Mexican beer bash, laundry being done on the front porch and/or tossed over the fence, I would be looking elsewhere.

A few other things of which I took note are that the town recently did some tree work right next door. The tree was probably dying in some areas and needed to come down, not to mention being a threat to the power lines. I was quite honestly glad to see the town taking down the old tree. It is a remnant of the whole streetscape concept from a half century ago, so I hear. It demonstrates what can happen to nice ideas for which follow through and long term planning have been neglected.

The tree was taken down section by section, and I could feel the entire house shake when trunks and branches hit the ground. It was a sizable tree trunk. Now there is a sizable stump in the front yard of the neighboring house. There are huge gouges in the lawn of the affected lot from falling branches. The sidewalk has been smashed and a large sink hole is in the sidewalk. I have personally stumbled in it a few times while walking my dog.

I have often lamented the lack of sidewalk maintenance in this town. I find it to be a worse liability than some old, rusted water tower that stood vacant for decades and was torn down two years ago. I used to do risk management and liability mitigation as part of my career. Instead of making the sidewalk better, the town has left the sidewalk in worse shape than it was with the tree standing in place and created a greater walking surface hazard than existed previously, not to mention an unsightly blight upon the already ugly sidewalk and often uncut lawn. I am thinking about going to the tree trunk and counting the rings to find out just how long ago that tree has been neglected. The big, ugly stump and pulverized sidewalk have been there for a few weeks now.

If I was driving around town looking for a new home in a charming place to be, saw the big old tree stump sticking out of the ground, the knee high grass of the abandoned home in front of which the tree was removed, and walked on a broken, sunken sidewalk, I would think twice about buying in Selma. I know that I would certainly think that Selma had become a third world nation if people have to do laundry on a porch in a scrub bucket, there is knee high grass, and chickens roam the streets and sidewalks. I would think that the town does not take care of its infrastructure if I saw the broken sidewalks and a stumpy streetscape.

One aforementioned issue is because of allowing third world illegal aliens to invade our nation. We are in danger of losing our culture if we neglect our duties to the nation, to the rule of law, and have to "press one for English" constantly. We are in danger of losing potential residents if we neglect the enforcement of tall grass ordinances and laws against barnyard animals in the town limits. We are in danger of losing our infrastructure and liability lawsuits if we do not take care of our town assets such as sidewalks and public walking surfaces.

I know we can do a better job as a town. I commented a few months ago upon the strategic plan, as proffered by the mayor's planning committee. The plan had rightly listed a lot of strengths and weaknesses of the town. These are a few of the weaknesses we have, which are mostly self inflicted or inflicted upon us. A little extra effort in enforcement, in making Selma an unpleasant place for illegal immigrants to reside, and in taking care of our own town property can go a long way towards improvements in making Selma "a charming place to be".

Column for April 17, 2008

Can we PLEASE take up the Friskies bowl?

I used to set out dry cat food under my carport to feed an outdoor cat that I adopted. Since she was a neighborhood stray that wandered over to my house from time to time, I had no idea to whom she used to belong. She came over from a house that had been foreclosed upon, so my thought was that she may have been abandoned when the former property owners left. Since I had no idea of knowing her name or whether she even truly had a home, I figured I would come up with a generic name by which to call her. Considering my sense of ironic humor, I chose "Fluffy" to name this short haired, mixed breed cat.

Fluffy was a great cat, as it turned out. She was cute, affectionate, and loyal. She was also still somewhat feral, however, so she stayed outside for the most part. Occasionally, Fluffy would come inside and snuggle, even eat with my other cats. She got pregnant one time and even gave birth to a kitten in my closet. The kitten only lived about 48 hours, though. After the kitten died, I took Fluffy to get spayed. I kept up with her shots and health care. The one thing that I could not keep her healthy from was the constant traffic in my neighborhood. Fluffy was pretty good about crossing the busy road on which I live. One day, however, Fluffy's luck came to an end and I had to bury a flat cat.

While Fluffy was still alive, there were a couple of other cats that came around my house to enjoy the cat food I put out for Fluffy. Both the Fluff monster and I were agreeable to feeding other neighborhood strays, even if they were not as friendly. As a matter of fact, they never even allowed me to touch them, much less get anywhere near them. They did, however, recognize that this was my place, who I was, and the fact that I was their benefactor. Even after Fluffy died, I kept putting out the cat food and water for the other cats. Since there were two gray tabby cats that came around, I called them both "Tabby".

Hey, I know that the originality is just overwhelming, but all I wanted was some way to which to refer to these cats. I also have three parakeets, one of which was named already by someone else. The other two I call "Birds". As far as I am concerned, that is their collective name. It may not be original, but it works. I also have a dog I named Slime Dog, since when I rescued him, he was tethered outside in the freezing rain on a fifteen foot chain with no shelter. His paws were slimy from the mud, his soaking wet coat, and the piles of dog excrement through which he waded inside that little radius of his existence. He got his paws all over my clothes, and I told him how slimy he was; that he was a "slime dog". He responded to that term, and a name was born. OK, back to the main point now.

Besides the two tabbies, I also had other, uninvited creatures that would visit for the free food. A flock of blackbirds camped out under my carport. They often flew in to raid the cat food bowl. They built nests under the carport. They used the bird bath I have in front of my house. All of that did not bother me so much. I thought the sight of birds eating cat food was rather humorous. The unfortunate part was that the birds had absolutely no respect for the free lunch nor the provider and his property. They left a lot of droppings all over my concrete driveway and carport area. My brick steps and hand rails were constantly covered in bird droppings. All they cared about was the hand out. The longer the free food was available, the more birds showed up. The message spread. More and more birds came and visited my free Meow Mix buffet. Soon there was less and less cat food available for the tabbies, for whom the food was originally intended, since the birds kept eating it faster and faster, along with leaving droppings faster and faster. Since I could not be constantly monitoring the food supply each and every moment of every day, I could no longer keep up with the birds' consumption of food never intended for them to eat.

Eventually, I got disgusted with the mess left by the birds and the bill for the constant food replenishment. I power washed the bird droppings, took up the food dish, and never put out any more cat food. Rapidly, the cat food eating blackbirds all left my carport and have not returned since. My bird bath no longer is over run by a "town council", as I called them, of birds meeting at my bird bath. Now cardinals and robins freely enjoy the bath that was once monopolized by the freeloaders. Once the hand outs were removed, the freeloaders left.

This is a real life parable from which we as Americans can learn. The tabbies still come around from time to time, though seldom, and I always say hello to them. Occasionally, I even try to tempt them with some cat morsels. I feel sorry for them, since the good thing I tried to do for them was ruined by those who took advantage of the system.

This is no different than our welfare system, our food stamp program, and (especially) our policies on illegal immigrants. If we remove the freebies, we as Americans and the source of the buffet, will stop getting covered with droppings by those who seek to do nothing but take advantage of a system never intended for them and have nothing but disrespect for those footing the bill for their freeloading. Those for whom the system was truly intended will continue to get a raw deal, since the supply will be eaten up by freeloaders. Until we as Americans decide to take up the Friskies bowl, we will continue to have freeloaders drain our economy and poop all over our homeland.