The Coffee Clatter

Please tell me it isn’t so… The children of America are wearing flags in school?

When I was a girl, there was a formal order of respect for the Flag to which we pledged our allegiance each day. Nobody questioned our allegiance, it was pledged and that was that.

I had a friend in grammar school who claimed to be of a “different faith”, one of those who didn’t pledge to the flag, celebrate special dates or other personal rituals the rest of us celebrated. She was odd. No one condemned her for her belief, nor did we stop saying the pledge of allegiance because she didn’t say it. She stood with the rest of the class, out of respect for her country, but gave no pledge, out of respect for her god.

Life back then had no different meaning, nor were we less tolerant of differences between people. But we did understand that with differences came disparity between people. When our ancestors came to America, they stood in long lines on Ellis Island, knowing that the skills and talents they brought with them would be enough to sustain a new life, .

Interesting, the catalyst for cutting illegal immigration could be as simple as closing the border. Arizona’s law in effect cuts the damage from illegal immigration. But, there’s that other faction of Americans who wants the government to support and accept whatever crosses the fence…

Um… No.

We chattered it all over here at the coffee shop and most of us agree. Close the freaking border. Just shut it down. Don’t let people cross the border for any reason, for long enough to get the illegal immigrants out of the country.

You’ll accomplish several specific things
- increase jobs available for Americans
- decrease costs for Americans
- decrease jail presence of illegal immigrants
- decrease crime
- decrease drug trafficking to the US.

Some believe that’s all wrong. We should open the borders and accept illegal immigrants, giving them amnesty and all the rights of a resident – CITIZENSHIP – along with all the rights and privileges entailed in those rights.

I believe there’s a stopping point, at which the basis of the right to enter this country becomes no longer a right and instead, a criminal act of trespass. The sign on the fence should read, “NO TRESPASS. Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”

Here at the coffee clatter, we understand the cost of allowing trespassers to cross the border and take up residence here in the USA. When we allow those who cross our borders illegally, to stay and claim citizenship, we water-down the value of being citizens of the United States and damage our ability to live under our Constitution.

“Possibly the worst destruction in Mississippi (as far as what we’ve heard, anyway) is Yazoo County. National media has been shockingly silent with very little coverage of the flooding/destruction here in middle Tennessee. Even the Nashville Tennessean has shown more photos of concentrated areas such as Riverfront and the Opryland areas. When they’re shooting from helicopters, as they were much of the time, it seems odd to be so focused/restricted.” Loudilla Johnson, former Colorado resident, commented.

“Every neighborhood has seen endless days of neighbors-helping-neighbors, risking their lives to rescue others. Even when they, too, have lost much or all of everything they had!”

Destruction in Tennessee and Mississippi is devastating, but what’s being done about it?

The Tennessean has just reported…

“Two men have been arrested and accused of stealing appliances from flood victims in Bellevue.”

“A pickup truck driven by Ronald Anderson, 44, of Tom Austin Highway was pulled over by a police officer in the River Plantation subdivision this morning, Metro police said in a news release.”

“As the officer questioned Anderson and his passenger, Joe Bolling, 44, of Joelton, a flood victim came up and told the officer a refrigerator on the truck belonged to him and had been loaded without his permission, police said. The victim told police he’d left the refrigerator outside to dry.”

“Other appliances in the truck also belonged to flood victims,” police said.

“Anderson and Bolling were arrested. Anderson had an outstanding arrest warrant for theft and has been arrested 29 times on charges including aggravated burglary, cocaine possession, assault and DUI, police said. Bolling has also been arrested on drug charges in the past.”

“Three other men were arrested on charges of trying to steal a lawn mower and a tool box that contained $1,000 worth of tools.”

“After the victim, who lived on General George Patton Road in Bellevue, saw the men and yelled at them, they returned the mower and tool box.”

“Jairo Guzman, Dermes B. Acosta and Eliazar Garcia were arrested and charged with theft.”

The damage is only part of the issue when flooding or natural disasters take their course. Further damage is caused by people looting and stealing from the people. Sad as it may be, the damage caused by people can be far worse than that caused by nature.

Lacking the link — Danielle, I forgot to respond to the missing link. About my poetry book, the publisher went out of business, and it was print on demand. I probably should republish somewhere else, but I’m not sure I still have that manuscript. I’ll be looking for it on my hard drives at home.

My daughter has decided I don’t sleep at all. I actually slept almost 5 hours last night. Oris, how many hours do you spend horizontal. My bed starts complaining about my presence after about 5 hours on a regular basis. Fortunately, it gives me a good solid kick in the backside after about 6 hours, or I’d probably just lie there, lifeless and brooding over the rotten treatment I get from my office chair.

Fox news is on this morning… Not sure I’m watching it, so much as ‘hearing’ it. Arizona’s new immigration law (which is already a federal law and has been for like EONS) appears to be at the forefront. Did you know it’s inhumane to ask illegal immigrants for their paperwork? WHAT?

And women who show cleavage cause earthquakes. Perhaps it is not the women, but more likely the resulting behavior of men j-ing off who cause earthquakes?

Obama tossed the police under the bus with the new comments about the law… He says if you take your kids out for ice cream and get pulled over for a traffic violation, it’s not right if the officer asks to see your “paperwork” — er… uh… does that mean we don’t have to show our driver license or our proof of insurance cards? Obama says that’s police harassment.

Gee, I wonder — if you’re a citizen of the US and don’t carry citizenship papers, will they pick you up? Or is the Driver License enough to prove your identity?

I sometimes have a van full of people…