Illegal Aliens and Compassionate Americans

I have both heard and read lately a lot of rhetoric from all "sides" concerning the issue of illegal aliens in our nation.  Some people believe illegal aliens should be rounded up and "sent back" forthwith, while other believe that the various federal agencies involved, and the justice system, should exam each illegal alien that is detained should face a hearing so that whether an alien is allowed to remain in the United States is determined on a case-by-case basis.  Still others believe that there should be no such thing as an "illegal alien" in the American vocabulary, and that anyone who successfully sneaks into the country or remains in the country illegally, such as a person with an expired visa, should be allowed to remain in the country.  Further, some people believe that all illegal aliens in this country should get all manner of "free" benefits.  Many of these people believe that there should be no requirement for these aliens to prove that they have found gainful employment (ergo, these illegal aliens would never lose their free benefits). 

Some of the things I have heard (and been rather offended by, to be frank) are that anyone who does not want to not only grant "amnesty" to these people, but who does want their taxes to go toward benefits for these illegal aliens are just downright UN-compassionate and UN-American.  Maybe I should even add UN-Christian, too, because so many people use passages from the Bible to pound the heads of Americans who do not want to spend taxes this way.  Incidentally, I am sure many of these Bible-pounding liberals are the same folks who are so loudly yelling for the "separation of Church and State."  You know, the ones who do not want the Ten Commandments displayed at courthouses, don't want prayers in school, and do not want children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the school day.

I have sat around in angry silence for years, watching illegal aliens from all over the world come into the United States and get on that great "gravy train" collecting benefits for themselves and their children that you or me, as citizens by birth, are not only not entitled to, but for which we must pay, or face prison time.  I have sat around in angry silence, not saying anything at all, while more "enlightened" people have reviled common citizens, you and me...my friends, who believe that a person should work to earn his or her keep, who believe in helping a person who is down on his luck, but who also believe that once a person is back on his feet that person is once again able to care for himself and pay his fair share.  You and I are reviled because we do not believe in a system of permanent handouts.  We are reviled because we expect persons who are receiving "entitlements" to eventually become productive citizens.  We are reviled because we are upset that so much of our hard-earned money goes to fund such welfare programs.  We are reviled because we want our borders secured, and a system in place to allow persons seeking citizenship to obtain such in a reasonably expedient manner, but in a LEGAL manner.

Yesterday I saw, in easy-to-understand terms, the comparison of a law abiding citizen's wages, and the "disposal" of those wages, and the wages of those who are in this country illegally, thus who are not paying any taxes (other than sales tax, which LEGAL citizens pay as well!).  It appears to me that a person who is making $30 an hour actually takes home LESS than an illegal alien (I refuse to use the more politically correct "undocumented alien," because the alien would not be undocumented if he were here legally) because the illegal alien who works "under the table" or "off the books" does not have social security and federal taxes deducted from his wages.  By the time all of a "working person's" expenses and taxes are paid (taxes which in part pay for the illegal alien's benefits) the legal worker keeps just over ten percent of his wages, while the illegal alien, who is receiving thousands of dollars of "free" benefits each year, keeps over eighty percent of his pay.

I may be accused of being an uncompassionate, bigoted, uncaring, non-Christian by the world.  So what?  I refuse to sit quietly in my little corner any longer while our taxes are frittered away on relief programs for those who are here illegally.  I will no longer sit still while illegal aliens and others live high on the hog while our soldiers are never sure from day to day if the benefits they were promised by senators and congressmen will be suddenly stripped away, yet "entitlements" continue unabated to illegal aliens.  I will now be holding my political representatives responsible for their votes on benefits to illegal aliens.  I will hold these same people responsible for any cuts to benefits for soldiers and veterans.  I am NOT opposed to cuts in the military weapons budget, cuts in funds for use in the various unconstitutional and undeclared wars around the world, and cuts in black funds for illegal espionage in the United States and for illegal murders abroad.  I am bigoted?  If that means I want our soldiers and veterans cared for FIRST, then I AM GUILTY!

I may be accused of being an uncompassionate, bigoted, uncaring, non-Christian by the world.  So what?  I am a taxpaying citizen of this nation, given that status by birth.  I am proud to be an American.  Other people born in other nations have the right to have just as much pride in their own nations.  I am not saying I am any better than anyone just because I am an American; I am saying that I am DAMNED PROUD to be an American.  Were you born in France?  Be damned glad to be a Frenchman.  But as an American...as a TAX PAYING AMERICAN, I am no longer going to sit quietly by the way as my tax dollars are being squandered both on useless, endless wars on nouns such as "terrorism" and on paying benefits to illegal aliens while Americans, including veterans and our own poor, are placed secondary to those same illegal aliens.  By the way, illegal aliens are just as "illegal" whether they cross from south of the border or from the north.  And now we know that potential foreign-born terrorists are filtering through both borders while our own Border Patrol is ham-strung at every turn by politicians and even its parent agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  I want our tax dollars to be used here in America on American problems.  That is why I will begin holding our politicians responsible for the debacle at our borders.

I am in fact compassionate and caring, but about Americans FIRST, as other nations should care about their own citizens first.  I hope you will join me in taking what for some would be the unheard of step of sending letters and emails to their senators and congressmen.  We need to make our voices heard now like never before.  We have allowed the worst, most arrogant, most lawless man ever to hold the office of President...not once, but twice.  This man, Barack Obama, promised his loyal voters (which does not include me) that his would be the most honest, the most open, the most transparent administration in United States history.  Instead, not only did he renege on those three most simple promises, he carried on the policies of the previous administration, the same administration he had so viciously denounced during his campaign prior to the 2008 elections.  And if that is not enough, his citizenship, even his very identity, are not completely vetted.  Yet instead of being impeached and removed from office early on, he was re-elected to carry on, and do even worse for this nation during his second term. I intend to become a bug in my elected officials ears concerning this most un-American and un-patriotic Commander In Chief this nation has ever seen.  

If any of the above makes me an uncompassionate, bigoted, uncaring, non-Christian, than I will wear that label proudly.  Illegal aliens, so welcomed by the President and so many of his supporters, are by definition, criminals.  As such, they ARE NOT entitled to the many benefits that you and I, Americans and taxpayers, are providing to them by the force of the very government we elect and empower.  Instead, illegal aliens need to be captured and returned to their home nations - that is one tax expense I am willing to bear.  Another burden I am willing to bear is the taxes necessary to take care of our soldiers and veterans for life.  We PROMISED them...and we DID NOT promise to provide permanent care for those who are here illegally.  So I will continue to pay my taxes, but I will also continue to oppose this most loathsome tax, the tax we pay to support those who are not supposed to be in this nation at all, while we, Americans, cannot get the same benefits those in power seem so eager to bestow - WITH OUR MONEY, NOT THEIRS- on those here illegally.

God bless America
God bless Texas  





 

On "The American Sniper" and the American People

My friends, I owe a great debt to Robert Paul, a man who believes in this nation of ours, and especially in our Constitution, the law of this land.  Robert expressed his view on America and Americans just the other day, and after reading it, I was struck with his honesty and his outrage.  After reading his words, I asked his permission to post it in its entirety in my blog.

So, here is "guest Bloggist" Robert Paul.....


Friends,
I have just arrived home from the movies. I went to see "American Sniper." I am not going to lie. I was aware of the anti-Chris Kyle remarks and all the left-wing hate propaganda targeting this particular film. I full well expected to enjoy the movie....and I did. Thoroughly.
What I do not understand is how American society has degraded to the point where such a heroic pro-American war movie (based upon true events) could possibly inspire all that vitriol. I don't think the hatred is solely based on the fact that Clint Eastwood directed the movie, although Mr. Eastwood IS resented by many on the left because he publicly stated: '"President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." I am even willing to wager that a great many of the people who are feeling antagonized over "American Sniper" probably don't even know who directed it.
I think our society has, over the last twenty-five or thirty years, devolved into a great mass of worthless, spineless ne'er-do-wells who look at serious matters such as American sovereignty, the Constitution and American rule of law as little more than a week-end pro wrestling match. Many people...on the right AND the left (but ESPECIALLY the left)...have simply taken to "choosing up sides" and "talking smack" to each other, not realizing...or even caring, for that matter...that SOME things in life have potentially permanently serious effects.
This revelation was not suddenly arrived at tonight. It is something I have been keenly aware of for a while...and it both saddens and angers me. The words "A house divided against itself cannot stand," opened a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln in June, 1858. President Lincoln undoubtedly realized that he was paraphrasing scripture from three different Gospels in the Holy Bible when he opened his speech with those words. The division in this country was great and severe during Lincoln's tenure as President, but I wonder if we are not facing a much greater threat of societal disunity in today's America?
Americans have always been arguers. And by virtue of that fact, combined with our Constitutionally guaranteed right to express ourselves, we have, through long and arduous years of banter and deliberation, never failed to improve this country. We stood alone as the greatest nation in the history of earth because of our freedoms and our inherent compassion. Until recently. These days it seems to me that we aren't arguing with ourselves to create a better America. We aren't arguing in a sincere effort to proclaim truth. We frequently aren't even arguing in an effort to persuade one another to understand each other's points of view. We appear to be arguing...simply to be arguing.
I think that is a major problem. Too many people simply want to "be against" someone else and/or their ideas because they don't share the same political stripe, or some other nonsense. We have stopped LISTENING to each other. And...in the process...as a nation...we are forgetting our unique heritage. If I am correct in my thinking...then this will not end well for the United States. "A house divided cannot stand." I might add that a house that cannot even identify its own heritage, much less respect it, is ripe for collapse.
There is so much more that could be said on this topic. But I will draw this lengthy philippic to an end with a question. Do you think I am right...or am I just needlessly afraid of imaginary demons?

Thank you, Robert...well said, my friend.  
And may God bless America

Chris Kyle Day In Texas

One of my favorite things about Texas is that, barring the weird city in Central Texas, we as Texans tend to go our own way, whether or not the "establishment" in Washington likes it, whether or not ultra-liberals like it, and whether or not the "political correct" like it. 

A perfect example of our Texas individualism (maybe leadership, too) was Governor Abbott's proclamation last week that today would be hailed as Chris Kyle day.  Chris Kyle lived an amazing life that culminated with him joining the US Navy Seals.  Chris became the most lethal sniper in United States history.  His job was necessary but thankless, and in fact has made him the target of all kinds of liberal, tolerant, haters who decry and damn the things Chris did as a Navy Seal.  I doubt if these same people have any concept that the reason they are able to condemn the military, the government, conservatives, and whatever else they want to condemn is because men like Chris Kyle fight for their freedom to say and do these things.

I thank Chris Kyle and other men and women like him, our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and those hundreds of thousands who have gone before them, who fought for our freedom.  Some died in foreign and domestic fields, while others survived the wars and lived out their lives in the freedom they had fought and bled for, and for which all of us owe them our thanks, and indeed our lives.  I have not served in the military, and for that reason, I am even MORE THANKFUL to those who did.  For those who cannot find it in their hearts to honor our brave men and women soldiers, I hope you will at least acknowledge that your freedoms came at a tremendous cost to the very men and women you hate so much.

But as great as Chris Kyle's sacrifice for us was, it was his continued service at home that brought hope to so many mentally and emotionally scarred veterans.  Sadly, his service in this great endeavor was cut short by one of the very people he was trying to help.  I believe Chris Kyle knew there was an element of danger in his chosen ministry to veterans, but he went ahead with his new duty.  We as Americans owe Chris Kyle and his fellow soldiers a great measure of respect and honor.  I am proud to honor Chris in a small way, but the best way I can, by speaking of him in my humble blog.   And thanks to all our soldiers.

All gave some...but some gave ALL.

Good bless America
God bless Texas

And hats off to Governor Abbott, a man who is himself no stranger to hardship and heroism.

Today in Texas, 1973: President Lyndon Johnson Dies At His Ranch In Johnson City

Today in 1973, President Lyndon Johnson died at his ranch near Johnson City, Texas.  The former president died of a massive heart attack while his beloved spouse Lady Bird and their daughters were shopping in Austin.

I was a small child during the Johnson presidential years, but I often heard my parents and grandparents talking about all the things this man had accomplished, both as a state politician and as a United States Congressman and Senator.  I remember my grandparents were pleased with Congressman Johnson because he served a very prominent role in getting electricity to the farthest corners of the Hill Country and those parts of Central Texas which were still off the young electrical grid.  Mr. Johnson was equally popular with my parents and grandparents for another reason.  It seems that the future president of the nation was not very particular about his voters' status; no, not as to whether these voters were of legal residency and age, but rather, whether they were alive or dead! 

President Johnson's expertise at securing the vote of those "who have gone before" proved crucial in his first senatorial race.  Mr. Johnson was head to head in a race with the very popular Texas governor, Steven Coke.  At that time in Texas, the Republican Party was a non-factor in most elections, meaning that whomever won the Democratic Primary had in effect won the November general election as well.  In the Democratic Primary, after a long, lively mudslinging campaign, approximately 250,000 votes were cast in that 1948 election.  After the votes were counted, Lyndon Johnson was declared the winner....by 87 votes!  Not only were those 87 votes suspected of belonging to residents of a cemetery in Webb County, Texas, but the new Senator acquired a nickname that so vexed him - Landslide Lyndon.

Lyndon Johnson became a very powerful senator over the next three decades, keeping wayward Democrats in line, and getting for Texas the lion's share of federal money and projects.  During his tenure as a US senator, Mr. Johnson was never seriously challenged by any other candidates.  Senator Johnson's power, both in Washington DC, and in Texas, made him the best candidate for Vice-President in the 1960 election.  The ticket of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson easily carried the election.  After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, it was Johnson's political clout with the Congress that allowed President Kennedy's ideals to become practical social programs in the years following Kennedy's death.  These programs were known as Johnson's "Great Society."  President Johnson threw his support behind the 1965 Civil Rights Act and even met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Some have said over the years that President Kennedy might not have been able to implement these programs himself, as he did not have as much sway over Congress.

President Johnson did not want the Viet Nam War that he inherited upon the murder of John F. Kennedy.  He had not supported the war while he was in Congress, and he intended to end the United States' role in Viet Nam as soon as possible.  Instead, his advisers convinced him that if South Viet Nam fell into Communist hands, all of Southeast Asia would be taken by the communists as well.  These advisers further believed that this "domino effect" could leave the United States alone to stand against communism.  Thus, instead of ending the fighting, President Johnson presided over the largest expansion of the war since 1954.  The Viet Nam war, or "police action" was the longest conflict in United States history until it was recently overshadowed by the Afghanistan conflict.  Unfortunately for President Johnson, at least 30,000 American soldiers lost their lives in Viet Nam by the end of his term.  By contrast, only about 2200 soldiers have been killed to date in Afghanistan.

The Viet Nam War took a huge toll on President Johnson, both in emotional well-being and in physical health.  In one of his most famous speeches, the President made it clear that he would not campaign for or accept the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.  With the way cleared by Johnson, Republican Richard Nixon won the election.  President Johnson left Washington DC and retired to his Johnson City ranch.  In the years after his presidency, Mr. Johnson worked long days on his ranch, his daily schedule nearly as full as in his White House days, although with much less stress.  But the President never lived down his involvement in the Viet Nam War.  Many of those around him in his final years said that Mr. Johnson believed his part in escalating the Viet Nam conflict overshadowed his many accomplishments as Congressman, Senator, and President of the United States.  It may be that this bitter feeling weighed very heavy on the President during his last years.

President Johnson may have managed to arrest some of his bitter feelings by immersing himself in the daily operations of his ranch.  He worked side by side with his ranch hands, and every day was a full day.  President Johnson encouraged his hands to care for each animal as if each head of cattle was a prize animal.  He died that morning in 1973 while he was thus engaged, doing what he loved.  President Johnson was only 64 years old at the time of his death.  Whether or not President Johnson was a great man or great president, he was certainly a colorful and tall, tall Texan.

 

MLK And The Continuing Fight For Freedom

In America, our forefathers became discontent with British colonial rule and threw off the yoke of that nation, becoming a new nation formed from a small band of colonies.  The founders of this new nation framed a Constitution which enumerated several rights that were considered "inalienable" to all men.  Men fought and died to secure these rights for all time.  Less than a hundred years after the United States gained its freedom from Britain, this new nation was engaged in a fight with itself that cost hundreds of thousands more American lives than did the first "revolution."

This second great war determined that our nation would no longer exist as a "half slave and half free" nation.  Once again Americans fought and died for freedom, although two views of freedom were tested in this war.  Ultimately the rights enjoyed by all (White) men were rightly acknowledged as belonging to the newly freed men and women as well.  But the new freedom for Blacks did not last, or maybe it never really began.   

Nearly one hundred years after the end of the "Civil War," Black men and women in America were still denied the free exercise of their rights.  A leader emerged in Selma, Alabama...a man who would organize and lead the Black people of America in a fight for their rights and their freedom.  As with all battles, men and women would die for the things in which they believed.  Indeed,  Martin Luther King, Jr., himself ultimately paid the supreme price for standing up and fighting for his beliefs.

I, like many people, look forward to a time in America where all men will truly "join hands" and realize we are all God's children.  It may be that America still has a way to go before all men and women are truly equal and truly free.  That being said, all Americans of all racial backgrounds are involved in another, and perhaps greater fight for freedom...a fight for freedom that is raging around the world, not just in these United States.

Our Constitution did not "give" us our rights, but merely stated that the rights we as humans ARE BORN WITH were INALIENABLE.  I believe that today, in this very hour, all of us are involved in a war for our freedoms once again, and this war has three fronts.  First, the war for freedom and equality in America continues, even in the face of improvements with each passing year. 

Unfortunately we are also in a war with our very government, although this war is still as yet a cold war.  Our government is, and has been for decades, peeling away the Constitution and the rights encoded there.  From secret (now acknowledged) domestic spying programs to the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, our rights and protections have been trampled to a point that would not have been tolerated by the Founding Fathers back in 1776.

Finally, all free people AROUND THE WORLD are involved in a war with militant Muslims who are intent are bringing the world into their fold, one city and one nation at a time.  We are told that only the "extremists" are blowing up things, killing women and "infidels," and in general bringing death and chaos around the world.  The idea that only "extremists" are fighting against non-Muslims is comforting, but does not seem to ring all that true.  For example, in the wake of the anti-Muslim cartoon in France, and the Muslim assassinations and uprisings that followed, we saw in nation after nation around the world HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Muslims taking to the streets in support of the deaths of those French cartoonists. 

One of the freedoms all men have, and which is INALIENABLE, is freedom of religion, which means not only freedom to be Muslim, but freedom to be any other religion, or the freedom not to be religious at all.  Another freedom, the freedom of speech, is inalienable as well, yet the Muslims are trying to squash freedom of speech around the world by assassinating those who express their opinions, including their disdain for Allah, if that is their opinion.  Women have the same freedoms as men in a free world, yet the Muslims (not JUST the extremists) want to limit women's rights.  In fact, many Muslims want to send women's rights back to the Patriarchal Age.  And in a time when gay rights are finally being recognized, the Muslims would stone homosexuals, or even behead them.

Martin Luther King's work is still not completely finished, but I believe we have made a great deal of headway here in the United States.  Yes, I am not blind, and I realize there is some way to go, but we are on the way.  And now we have a war for freedom on THREE fronts: the war for equality for all men that is the legacy of Martin Luther King; the new war for freedom that is going now, pitting ALL citizens against the ever-growing, ever-strengthening Federal Government, and the World War for Freedom in which "extremist" Muslims are trying to force their way of life on all the world.

I hope you will join me in this three-cornered fight for freedom.  First, I hope we can all join with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in the fight for equality for all Americans.  Second, I hope that as more and more people realize that our own government is robbing us of our freedom, we will all hold our leaders responsible and demand that the Constitution once again be the law of the land and the measure against which all legislation and executive authority is measured.  Finally, I hope that not only people in America, but people around the world will not cower in fear and give up freedom in the face of Muslim extremism and terrorism.

I am proud to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, and to recognize that he is a true hero, and, in a sense, a Founding Father, in that he wanted not only to free Black people, but to make all people understand that no one can be truly free if any one is not free.  And I am proud to honor Mr. King in the sacrifice he made, the ultimate sacrifice, in the name of Freedom. 

I am also obliged to say on this important day, that freedom is not FREE, that men like our founding fathers, and like Martin Luther King, Jr., our soldiers, and even the innocent victims of Muslim extremism, all gave their lives in the fight...the continuing fight, for Freedom.

Rest In Peace, Mr. King...

And God Bless America   

True Hero: Masha The Cat, of Obninsk, Russia

The news media is full of bad news, tragedy, and misery, so I was happy to come across this tidbit of news, and happy to blog about it, too.

According to several news services, residents of a certain apartment complex in Obninsk, Russia had more or less adopted a homeless cat, letting it reside in a box in the apartment's breezeway.  For months people fed the cat and gave it the occasional pat. But a couple of days ago the residents noticed that "Masha" was behaving differently.  She was meowing a great deal more than usual and would not leave the box when her human "friends" came to feed her.  A few hours later the cat had still not come out of its box and continued to meow with great fervor.  Finally one of the residents came to see if the cat was sick or injured.  Imagine the lady's surprise when she heard a baby's cry coming from inside the cat's "house."

The woman looked inside the box and found Masha closely cuddled against an infant, keeping it warm against the freezing weather outside.  After calling other neighbors, the woman took the infant out of the box.  She and the other neighbors wrapped the child in blankets and called an ambulance.  After appropriate medical attention, the child was found to be healthy, and in fact had been well cared for in the weeks prior to its abandonment.  But doctors and the neighbors believe that Masha had saved the child's life by serving as its living blanket, AND by meowing in such a way that the residents of the apartment suspected Masha was in distress.

The child is now a ward of the state and will hopefully be adopted soon.  As for Masha, she is certainly the queen cat now.  She is a local hero and has received gifts of cat food and treats from all around the area.  More importantly, the residents of the apartment complex are taking extra special care of Masha.  She is no longer a stray, but has a permanent home in the apartments now. 

I know this is not usually what I blog about, but I thought that for one thing there was enough bad news that I did not need to add any on these pages, and two, Masha is a true hero and her story should be spread.  Who can say if she was aware that she was saving the child's life?  Did she know the infant needed warmth and cuddling?  I like to think Masha knew she was caring for this child, and that this is one of those fascinating stories of animals with almost human intuition.  Masha, thank you for being a such a heroic feline.

 

President Obama Keeps Another Promise - Kind'a

President Barack Obama announced on Christmas Day 2014 that the conflict in Afghanistan was "over."   And, in keeping with promises made in the 2008 presidential campaign, Americans will be pulled out of Afghanistan.  Of course, this is happening in the sunset of the President's second term (his puzzling re-election is a subject for another blog).  I wonder why it took so long to carry out this promise?  Or, on the other hand, I wonder why President Obama is ending this "conflict" just now when no purpose was met, and no victory was gained?  Remember how Obama criticized George W. Bush and told us how Obama would end the war...er, conflict...as soon as he was elected.  And he could have done it, after all, as he has made clear throughout his terms, he IS the Commander-In-Chief.  But, here in the opening days of 2015 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is FINALLY underway(at least that is what we are told).

If the President were going to withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan, WHY did not he do so as soon as he took office?  After all, that is what he said he would do.  Well, you say, the President had to let the Chiefs of Staff or someone come up with an "exit plan."  Alright, I can grasp that concept, BUT, after one full term and three quarters of another, the "exit plan" is remarkably similar to the "exit plan" employed in Saigon in the century past.  That is, our troops are coming home and the nation of Afghanistan will fall to "terrorist control" within a few weeks after our departure.  Check the President's comments for yourself, as to the exit plan:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-12-25/obama-s-christmas-in-hawaii-carols-relax-on-the-beach

The President really does not have an exit plan, just a "withdrawal" that will still leave OVER 13,000 troops in Afghanistan.  I will wager that those troops will not just be there for the pleasure of that beautiful nation a way over there.  But Mr. Obama assures us that the new Afghan government is "encouraging" because of that president's earnest desire to keep the country out of control of Muslim extremists.  The President is viewing this "encouragement" through rose-colored (delusional) glasses, however.  Just like history has taught us so many times, when US military forces pull out of an unsettled conflict, the "new government" installed by the US rarely lasts more than a few weeks, at least not as a significant factor.  Instead, after all the conflict, bloodshed, and trillions of dollars spent, Afghanistan is still a dangerous place and continued bloodshed is inevitable.  Most likely, a Muslim government of that nation is inevitable as well.  But, the President tells us that Afghanistan is no longer a threat to us.  What...no more terrorists in Afghanistan?  Right, Mr. Obama...then why are we leaving our troops over there after the "withdrawal?"

By the way, what about the 13,000 or so American troops to be left in Afghanistan?  If Afghanistan is no longer a threat, then why leave our soldiers there?  The President says that the thirteen thousand troops will be there for "training" purposes.  So, Mr. President, after your two terms and those of George W. Bush, the Afghanistan military is not "trained?!"  If that is the case, I am pretty sure there is no point in leaving our troops to train them, as it is apparent they cannot be trained.  And since the Afghan army cannot effectively fight the "terrorists" it makes one wonder, who WILL fight the terrorists?  I will give you only ONE guess, and it is not a difficult one. 

I agree with President Obama that our troops should be withdrawn, except that I believe they should be fully withdrawn.  If the "conflict" is "over" it is criminal (or should be) to leave American soldiers over there just to be "targets" for the group that ends up in control of Afghanistan.  Last year (2014) was the BLOODIEST year of the Afghanistan "conflict," with ten thousand civilians and five thousand official soldiers killed there.  Oh, but the conflict is over and that nation is safe, Mr. President.  Yet the President is right to remove our troops there.  For one thing, we can hardly afford to spend another trillion dollars there.  Second, because there is not anything there worth one US soldier's life.  It would be much cheaper to bring those soldiers home and let them secure our borders here.  I know it would be expensive, but at least no more American soldiers would be lost in an endless, objective-less "conflict, a small part of the endless "War On Terror."

NOTE:  My idea of placing our troops on our OWN border instead of Afghanistan is not without merit.  77,000 people have perished to date (estimate is probably low) in Mexico's War On Drugs.  The danger has spread to neighboring parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and then to points diverse all across our nation.  Although the military cannot be used in the United States for law enforcement purposes, nothing prevents the military from being assigned to secure our borders by the Commander-In-Chief of the US military.