As a last blog for the month of September, on its last day, I thought I would do a blog on a subject that no doubt many would find not to their liking. Having been a keen follower and observer of world events and history, as well as American politics for the last half a century or so, and I have noted certain undesirable developments with dismay.
In my younger days I was firmly convinced that America was just about the only country in the world that followed its principles of fairness, honesty, and integrity. A country that stood for individual freedom and liberty for all, a true bastion of democracy and freedom. When I first started voting, I made myself a promise to overlook party lines and to vote for the candidate, regardless of political party. Initially, it wasn't very difficult to do so and from time to time I have voted across party lines. Then things began to get somewhat fuzzy. Regardless of the party, it was hard to determine which candidate was better, more honest and had integrity. Then, starting with a few elections ago, I literally voted for the candidate that was lesser of two evils! That is a horrible way to make your choice of candidates, but that is what has been happening. I think American politics, presidential elections, have reached its nadir! At this point, in this forthcoming election, it is definitely going to be a choice of lesser evil! What a sad state of affairs!
This situation, the lack of a viable presidential candidate, has led to the present state of America's lack of influence and standing in the world. It isn't something that occurred overnight and we certainly can't blame it on the current candidates. But the steady decline of America's standing and power in the world has really taken a rapid slide in the past decade. A combination of lack of trust and confidence in America's leadership by the international community, and America's waning economic influence, combined to cause this rapid erosion of America's global standing. You cannot lecture other countries on their behavior as Obama is fond of doing, when you do nothing to back up your own words. It is a known fact that one of the most annoying things that world leaders find about Obama is his proclivity to lecture others, to take a "holier than thou" stance! That only works if you practice what you preach!
The game of international affairs is really no different from the interactions of a gathering of kids in the playground. Within that gathering, there will always be a bully or bullies, and there will always be the kids that are picked-on, bullied. Normally, there is always a leader in the group as well, the one that everyone sort of follows, the one that protected the weak from the bullies. America was always that leader.....in the past! On the international scene, we have bullies a plenty today, starting with Putin, then there is Iran (which we helped make even stronger!), there's North Korea, and there are scattered smaller groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS. In the past we have stood up to those bullies and put them in their place. Now we negotiate, give them money as we did with Iran, or just ignore them as we are doing with North Korea! Meanwhile, we are getting deeper in debt to China, who also happens to be one of our main competitors for world leadership! Putin managed to gain a lot of momentum and support through his bullying tactics and our inaction, and Iran has gain a lot of prestige and power in the Islamic world through our missteps and concessions to Iran (the Nuclear Deal). We no longer have the standing in the world that we did even a decade ago.
Just recently Egypt announced that it will be building a new Capital 25 miles south of the overcrowded current capital of Cairo. The project will cost $45 Billion, money which Egypt does not have. Guess who is going to build Egypt's new capital? Why, China, of course! China will finance the whole works! I think you can safely assume that from this point on, that China will be Egypt's best buddy, closest political and military ally! We have poured-in billions upon billions of tax payers' dollars into Egypt as foreign aide. We gave them F-16 fighter jet technology, built a factory for them and provided technical expertise to get off the ground. We did the same thing with the M-1 Abrams tanks, the state of the art, the best battle tank in the world. Egypt is the only country in the world outside of the U.S. that has both an F-16 and M-1 Abrams factories! Has this put Egypt any closer to us? Are they our staunch allies in that part of the world? Not very likely. All of the recent events point to the fact that we are no closer to Egypt, after pouring-in all that money, than we were before! It seems we just don't get it, don't know where to put in our effort to win over a friend.
Although $45 Billion is far from being chump change, it is still a drop in the bucket compared to all the money we have poured into that country since Jimmy Carter held those famous Camp David talks with Sadat and Begin. Now with just this one gesture, one investment, China will have a much bigger impact and influence with Egypt. After all, who is going to remember the F-16s or M-1 Abrams tanks, or the billions that were given as aide which mostly ended up in the private Swiss accounts of Mubarak and other Egyptian officials! But you point at the new, shiny capital, and everyone in Egypt and the Arab world will know that China built that city!
This slippage, downslide of our standing in the world is not only due to our lack of "backing" our word, being more decisive in situations which would have prevented the current mess in Syria, and half a dozen other things. But it all began at home, right here in the good old USA. It actually began many years earlier when deserters and draft dodgers were given a pass. Then to top it all off, we even elected a president who was a draft dodger! I was dumbfounded at first when that happened. But then I realized that attitudes had changed, the younger generation no longer thought it important to honor such things as service to our country. Then the pledge of allegiance became a controversial topic. Many schools stopped the practice because it was felt that it was the "constitutional right" for an individual not to do the pledge! Yes, it became a "constitutional right" for a 4th grader to not perform the pledge of allegiance. Now it has even reached the athletic fields where certain athletes refuse to stand for the playing of the national anthem, and they are getting away with it!
Discipline as such, doesn't seem to exist in our society any more. It is considered "healthy" and "natural" for a person to vent their spleen, even in public. Call it what you want, but the current rash of so-called "road rage" incidents is a perfect example of lack of self control, lack of discipline!Children run amok in public places like restaurants, and if anyone tries to curb their "healthy, natural" behavior, they will probably be arrested for child abuse, and that includes the parents as well! This lack of discipline is transferred to other things and later in life as well. Training NCOs, DIs have been complaining that more and more recruits arrive with absolutely no idea of what discipline is all about. These young men and women are usually in a state of shock and normally quit the service in short time. In high school and college, there have always been prima donna athletes, but today, it seems the sports programs are filled with entitled kids who expect to be treated special! If a neighbor spots a parent disciplining (spanking) a child and reports it to the police, then the parent will more than likely be arrested for child abuse. Children have been known to sue parents and "divorce" parents in today's world! The first time I witnessed a mother "negotiating" with her 10 year old kid over the purchase of an overly expensive item, I was dumb struck. Negotiate? Just tell the kid the thing is too expensive! Anyway, you get the point. With the society going in that direction, it is a small wonder that our government has become toothless and ineffective.
It is a hard thing to accept that you are so old that you no longer fit into the common mold of the society, the society has changed so much that you have just become a grouchy old man! Saying the pledge of allegiance or standing for the playing of national anthem is now optional, it is your constitutional right to do what you want, even if you are only a 4th grader. Nobody fails, nobody loses, everyone is wonderful. We are indeed living in a utopian society and I only have to choose the lesser of the two evils in November. How great is that!
Friday, September 30, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Questions of "Illegals" and "Dreamers"
I have blogged on the subject of illegals several times, including the last blog in which I mentioned the faulty numbers that are offered up by our government. The reason for the skewed numbers is obvious, the lower the number, the less the government will appear as ineffectual in controlling the flow of illegals into our country. The fact remains that because of lack of manpower (Border Patrol) and proper physical barriers (fencing), the flow of illegals remains almost uncontrolled, as it has been for many years! But our government, represented by ICE, the supposed "new" agency that combines all of the other agencies (former INS, Customs, Border Patrol, etc.) under the umbrella of Homeland Security, periodically releases data on illegals, telling us that the numbers have dropped, etc. It may very well be that the numbers are not as great as before, after all, those numbers are based on those apprehended, and a wild (scientific!) guess as to how many were not apprehended! So, if ICE reports that the number of illegals this quarter or this year is down from before, they are actually saying that they apprehended fewer illegals than before!
How did our government come up with the figure of 11 to 12 million illegal aliens in this country? Surely the illegals didn't raise their hands and say, I am illegal, count me! The figures, believe it or not, come from the national census bureau. It is based on figures gathered by census takers and an extrapolation (some sort of black magic) by PEW Research Center that produces these figures. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it is highly unlikely that an illegal alien will identify themselves to a census taker who comes knocking at the front door. What the government is telling us to believe is essentially this: A census taker comes to a house and asks at the front door how many people reside in that dwelling. We are asked to believe that the person at the front door tells the census taker that there are illegals residing in that house. How else does the census taker come away with figures of illegals in our country?
Anyone who has driven by Home Depot or Lowes in the morning has seen large numbers of illegals gathered at the entry or exits seeking day work from contractors who frequent these places. The illegals are quite brazen and open, so perhaps the census takers talk to these people! But then, they still miss out on all of those who are not openly soliciting work. That is why I am saying that the numbers given by our government are way off! We have a huge illegal alien population in this country. If an accurate figure can be reached, and added to our count of Hispanic population, then the Hispanics would be the largest minority by a huge margin, not the small margin presently given in official numbers. A true count of illegal alien population would reveal that it is larger than the entire Asian population in this country, which is less than 5% of entire population!
It is a small wonder then that there is a sizable "dreamers" population in America. The "dreamers" are, of course, those who were brought over to this country by their illegal alien parents and have grown up in America. They are truly in a tragic circumstance, an almost no win situation. Many of them have "Americanized," gone to elementary and high school in this country, some have even gone on to college. The media is fond of singling out those who are either attending or have graduated from colleges. This, obviously, brings out the sympathy card. How can we possibly even contemplate deporting these young people who are as American as someone born here! Additionally, with a college education, these young people are an asset to our society. How can we possibly even think of deporting them? There is truth in that sentiment. But, the fact remains that they entered this country illegally (although they may have been minors) and have received free education and health benefits on tax payers' dime. Those that went on to college and received scholarships essentially took space in college and used scholarship funds that could have gone to a deserving legal resident or citizen of the United States! To me, that is not right. Yes, I know, there are some schools and organizations that have special scholarship programs for illegals! I find that somewhat strange. But, be that as it may, there has to be a way to deal with the situation.
The proponents of finding a path to citizenship for illegal aliens toss around all sorts of ideas, but no one seems to be able to come up with anything truly workable. This is often referred to as an "immigration reform," but in reality it is not. It is simply looking for a solution to our illegal alien situation, not the entire immigration problem! It seems to me that the problem with "dreamers" can be solved much easier than with the rest of the illegal alien community. Why not offer the "dreamers" an option of either joining the military service or some sort of national service like the old conservation corps or the more recent Vista. Peace Corps could be an option as well. We have had a policy in the books since World War Two, that if you are an alien and serve honorably in the military for three years, you are eligible for naturalization at the end of your three years. If that service is in combat, then only two years are required. We could make that requirement extend to non-military service such as Vista and Peace Corps. In other words, make the "dreamers" earn their right for a legal path to citizenship, don't just give them citizenship because they were "brought" here and had no choice!
Unfortunately, in this society of ours, a society that is made up of couple of generations of young people who are "entitled," any sort of a requirement would be seen as unfair, unnecessary. All sorts of accusations will be made, everything from simple racism to more subtle forms of discrimination, etc. Keep in mind that today kids receive participation trophies or certificates even if their team loses! We have no losers anymore! Everyone is terrific, everyone is a winner! How then, in such a climate, can we possibly single out some young people and make them do something to "earn" their citizenship! They have earned the right to be U.S. citizens by just being here, that will be the sentiment! So, mark my word. When and if our government will come up with some sort of a solution, a path to citizenship for "dreamers" or for that matter any illegal alien, it will be nothing but pro forma, nothing of significance or of true substance, although we will be told that it will be the greatest immigration reform since the 1965 Act....as great as the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Agreement!
How did our government come up with the figure of 11 to 12 million illegal aliens in this country? Surely the illegals didn't raise their hands and say, I am illegal, count me! The figures, believe it or not, come from the national census bureau. It is based on figures gathered by census takers and an extrapolation (some sort of black magic) by PEW Research Center that produces these figures. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it is highly unlikely that an illegal alien will identify themselves to a census taker who comes knocking at the front door. What the government is telling us to believe is essentially this: A census taker comes to a house and asks at the front door how many people reside in that dwelling. We are asked to believe that the person at the front door tells the census taker that there are illegals residing in that house. How else does the census taker come away with figures of illegals in our country?
Anyone who has driven by Home Depot or Lowes in the morning has seen large numbers of illegals gathered at the entry or exits seeking day work from contractors who frequent these places. The illegals are quite brazen and open, so perhaps the census takers talk to these people! But then, they still miss out on all of those who are not openly soliciting work. That is why I am saying that the numbers given by our government are way off! We have a huge illegal alien population in this country. If an accurate figure can be reached, and added to our count of Hispanic population, then the Hispanics would be the largest minority by a huge margin, not the small margin presently given in official numbers. A true count of illegal alien population would reveal that it is larger than the entire Asian population in this country, which is less than 5% of entire population!
It is a small wonder then that there is a sizable "dreamers" population in America. The "dreamers" are, of course, those who were brought over to this country by their illegal alien parents and have grown up in America. They are truly in a tragic circumstance, an almost no win situation. Many of them have "Americanized," gone to elementary and high school in this country, some have even gone on to college. The media is fond of singling out those who are either attending or have graduated from colleges. This, obviously, brings out the sympathy card. How can we possibly even contemplate deporting these young people who are as American as someone born here! Additionally, with a college education, these young people are an asset to our society. How can we possibly even think of deporting them? There is truth in that sentiment. But, the fact remains that they entered this country illegally (although they may have been minors) and have received free education and health benefits on tax payers' dime. Those that went on to college and received scholarships essentially took space in college and used scholarship funds that could have gone to a deserving legal resident or citizen of the United States! To me, that is not right. Yes, I know, there are some schools and organizations that have special scholarship programs for illegals! I find that somewhat strange. But, be that as it may, there has to be a way to deal with the situation.
The proponents of finding a path to citizenship for illegal aliens toss around all sorts of ideas, but no one seems to be able to come up with anything truly workable. This is often referred to as an "immigration reform," but in reality it is not. It is simply looking for a solution to our illegal alien situation, not the entire immigration problem! It seems to me that the problem with "dreamers" can be solved much easier than with the rest of the illegal alien community. Why not offer the "dreamers" an option of either joining the military service or some sort of national service like the old conservation corps or the more recent Vista. Peace Corps could be an option as well. We have had a policy in the books since World War Two, that if you are an alien and serve honorably in the military for three years, you are eligible for naturalization at the end of your three years. If that service is in combat, then only two years are required. We could make that requirement extend to non-military service such as Vista and Peace Corps. In other words, make the "dreamers" earn their right for a legal path to citizenship, don't just give them citizenship because they were "brought" here and had no choice!
Unfortunately, in this society of ours, a society that is made up of couple of generations of young people who are "entitled," any sort of a requirement would be seen as unfair, unnecessary. All sorts of accusations will be made, everything from simple racism to more subtle forms of discrimination, etc. Keep in mind that today kids receive participation trophies or certificates even if their team loses! We have no losers anymore! Everyone is terrific, everyone is a winner! How then, in such a climate, can we possibly single out some young people and make them do something to "earn" their citizenship! They have earned the right to be U.S. citizens by just being here, that will be the sentiment! So, mark my word. When and if our government will come up with some sort of a solution, a path to citizenship for "dreamers" or for that matter any illegal alien, it will be nothing but pro forma, nothing of significance or of true substance, although we will be told that it will be the greatest immigration reform since the 1965 Act....as great as the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Agreement!
Friday, September 23, 2016
Immigration Reform
One of the more popular subjects bandied about by politicians is the so-called "immigration reform." If truth be known, what they are really talking about has nothing to do with "reforming" our existing immigration policy and laws. The so-called immigration reform seen from the perspective of the liberal camp is simply the elimination of existing laws and regulations for entry into our country. The most popular refrain is "why can't we be more liberal like the so-called 'open' travel within South America for South American citizens and within the European community for Europeans who are a part of the European Union. That suggestion is laughable. We would be overwhelmed with people from all over the world wanting to live in America! Besides, we have "open" travel within our borders for our citizens and residents! Keep in mind, the United States is larger than European Union and as large as South America!
Statistics and figures can change according to whoever is doing the numbers! The current numbers given for illegal aliens residing in our country is around 11 to 12 million. Take my word for it. The number is way too small! Even if you triple or quadruple that number, it will still be shy! Back in the 1980s when the tide of illegal aliens started to really roll into the United States from our southern border, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) which is now ICE, determined that on the average 3 to 4 million illegals crossed our border annually and INS and Border Patrol deported an average of one to 1 1/2 million apprehended illegals a year. So, what happened to those 2 million or so that got away? Did they all return back across the Mexican border? The illegals have been crossing our border for a long time, since the current border was created after the Mexican War. But the huge onslaught didn't really start until the 1980s. So, assuming that less than half of those not apprehended remained on our soil, that is still well over 30 million illegals, not the 11 to 12 million that the government is telling us now! Incidentally, 30 million was the number quoted by Trump in one of his speeches, for which he has been soundly criticized by Hillary supporters for inflating the numbers. But, let's forget the numbers for now.
Everyone who is pushing for "immigration reform" is basically pushing for eliminating many of the restriction that are in place right now. But in doing so, we would be eliminating any real laws and regulations that set controls. There would be no control on the entry of people into our country. What many people fail to recognize is just how badly people want to come to our country. They have not seen visa lines that form in front of the consular section of the embassy in Mexico that stretch for blocks, lines that are first started several days ahead! Standing in visa line for a fee for someone is a lucrative business. Believe me, the same situation exists in many other places. It is a major security problem for our embassies and consulates around the world! There is not a single none U.S. embassy or a consulate in the world that experiences such demand and long lines as ours do in some parts of the world. Basically, the problem is not our laws and regulations, it is demand for our visas! Short of eliminating any visa requirement for entry into our country, this problem is almost impossible to solve. Are our laws perfect? Far from it, but they are what we have now, and they are better than no laws at all!
Our immigration policy and laws and regulations, called the INA or Immigration and Naturalization Act, have been modified and "reformed" several times since it was created in the early 20th Century. The 1924 Immigration Act which had the Asian Exclusion Act still in force was completely revamped or "reformed" in 1965. Prior to that, it went through several amendments, beginning with the elimination of Asian Exclusion Act in 1952. In 1965 the INA was changed to eliminate quota systems for immigrant visas by countries. Prior to the change, our laws heavily favored UK, Ireland, and Germany, allowing 70% of immigrant visa applicants to come from those countries and leaving only 30% for the rest of the world since the INA was established in early 20th Century. The law was thought to be unfair and racist, which it was, so it was changed. Largely due to the generous treatment of UK, Ireland, and Germany for immigrants, the majority of European-Americans are of German descent today and Irish population in America is much greater than it is in Ireland itself! The entire population in Ireland today is 4.68 million while the population of Americans of Irish descent hovers around 34.5 million. In other words, there are 7 times more Irish in America than in Ireland, an amazing statistic!
With the new 1965 INA, a worldwide quota was established, and today the quota is around 675,000 immigrant visas annually. This number is divided according to geographic area and the lion's share of numbers go to more populated regions. Still, it is obviously not working, because there are far too many people who want to come to America. What is happening is that the number of people applying for visas far outnumber the annual quota numbers for a given region. There's no problem with developed countries and countries like South Korea and Taiwan no longer have the visa demand. In fact, for visitor visa purposes, these countries are now on "visa waiver," meaning that they don't need a visa to come to America. But China, India and some of the other less developed regions still have a very high demand. In places like Mexico, there are as many applicants annually as there are total number of quotas for the entire world! This creates a perennial backlog and waiting times grow longer and longer. The proponents of the new immigration reform do not address the problem of too many applicants for visa. They keep pointing a finger at bureaucratic red tape and other delays saying that elimination of these "steps" or rules would speed up everything. Short of eliminating any requirements and having a complete "open door" immigration policy, there is no quick fix!
The illegals who come across our southern border are those who simply do not qualify for a visa. In order to obtain an immigrant visa, you have to have an immediate relative (spouse, parent, etc.) who is a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident (LPR) file a petition on your behalf. There are also certain skills that are needed that would qualify an individual and immediate family. There are a number of other avenues, including a lottery system that one can simply apply for by filling out a card! But, as you can see, when there are more applicants than number of visas allowed annually, there will be a backlog. Those who don't qualify in any form usually try to get a tourist visa first and if by chance they get one, come to America and simply vanish, abusing their visa as a tourist. If they can't get a tourist visa, which vast majority of them can't, then they simply go overland across the border illegally. This has been the case for the last half a century, at least!
Allowing illegals to become "legal" is really not an answer to this problem. What do you do with the next batch? Because for sure there will be more! The issue with the so-called "dreamers" is an emotional and truly a tragic situation. Perhaps some kind of a relief could be provided for the "dreamers," but once again, where and when do you cut it off? As long as Mexico and some of the other countries are in a mess that they are, corrupt governments, etc., this problem will exist. Short of completely taking over Mexico and making all Mexicans U.S. citizens, there really is no solution. Of course, that is just a manner of speech, Mexico would never allow such a move and we couldn't afford it, financially!
So, all the brave talk about "immigration reform" is nothing but just that, talk. Did you know that George W. tried to institute some reforms in the INA and actually did manage some changes with cooperation of Vicente Fox, the then President of Mexico. However, some of the relaxing of rules at border crossings had to be stopped because of 9/11! Whatever the case, some of the suggestion made for "immigration reform" are just not realistic. The legal immigrant issue is completely separate from the illegal issue. Proponents of the so-called "immigrant rights movement" would like to mix the two, but in reality, they are completely different issues, more than "apples and oranges!" Sure, our immigration laws can be improved and tweaked here and there. But that isn't going stop the demand for immigrant visas from certain areas, like Mexico. So, should we simply allow anyone to come to America if they want? Because that is basically what proponents of the immigration reform are saying.
Statistics and figures can change according to whoever is doing the numbers! The current numbers given for illegal aliens residing in our country is around 11 to 12 million. Take my word for it. The number is way too small! Even if you triple or quadruple that number, it will still be shy! Back in the 1980s when the tide of illegal aliens started to really roll into the United States from our southern border, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) which is now ICE, determined that on the average 3 to 4 million illegals crossed our border annually and INS and Border Patrol deported an average of one to 1 1/2 million apprehended illegals a year. So, what happened to those 2 million or so that got away? Did they all return back across the Mexican border? The illegals have been crossing our border for a long time, since the current border was created after the Mexican War. But the huge onslaught didn't really start until the 1980s. So, assuming that less than half of those not apprehended remained on our soil, that is still well over 30 million illegals, not the 11 to 12 million that the government is telling us now! Incidentally, 30 million was the number quoted by Trump in one of his speeches, for which he has been soundly criticized by Hillary supporters for inflating the numbers. But, let's forget the numbers for now.
Everyone who is pushing for "immigration reform" is basically pushing for eliminating many of the restriction that are in place right now. But in doing so, we would be eliminating any real laws and regulations that set controls. There would be no control on the entry of people into our country. What many people fail to recognize is just how badly people want to come to our country. They have not seen visa lines that form in front of the consular section of the embassy in Mexico that stretch for blocks, lines that are first started several days ahead! Standing in visa line for a fee for someone is a lucrative business. Believe me, the same situation exists in many other places. It is a major security problem for our embassies and consulates around the world! There is not a single none U.S. embassy or a consulate in the world that experiences such demand and long lines as ours do in some parts of the world. Basically, the problem is not our laws and regulations, it is demand for our visas! Short of eliminating any visa requirement for entry into our country, this problem is almost impossible to solve. Are our laws perfect? Far from it, but they are what we have now, and they are better than no laws at all!
Our immigration policy and laws and regulations, called the INA or Immigration and Naturalization Act, have been modified and "reformed" several times since it was created in the early 20th Century. The 1924 Immigration Act which had the Asian Exclusion Act still in force was completely revamped or "reformed" in 1965. Prior to that, it went through several amendments, beginning with the elimination of Asian Exclusion Act in 1952. In 1965 the INA was changed to eliminate quota systems for immigrant visas by countries. Prior to the change, our laws heavily favored UK, Ireland, and Germany, allowing 70% of immigrant visa applicants to come from those countries and leaving only 30% for the rest of the world since the INA was established in early 20th Century. The law was thought to be unfair and racist, which it was, so it was changed. Largely due to the generous treatment of UK, Ireland, and Germany for immigrants, the majority of European-Americans are of German descent today and Irish population in America is much greater than it is in Ireland itself! The entire population in Ireland today is 4.68 million while the population of Americans of Irish descent hovers around 34.5 million. In other words, there are 7 times more Irish in America than in Ireland, an amazing statistic!
With the new 1965 INA, a worldwide quota was established, and today the quota is around 675,000 immigrant visas annually. This number is divided according to geographic area and the lion's share of numbers go to more populated regions. Still, it is obviously not working, because there are far too many people who want to come to America. What is happening is that the number of people applying for visas far outnumber the annual quota numbers for a given region. There's no problem with developed countries and countries like South Korea and Taiwan no longer have the visa demand. In fact, for visitor visa purposes, these countries are now on "visa waiver," meaning that they don't need a visa to come to America. But China, India and some of the other less developed regions still have a very high demand. In places like Mexico, there are as many applicants annually as there are total number of quotas for the entire world! This creates a perennial backlog and waiting times grow longer and longer. The proponents of the new immigration reform do not address the problem of too many applicants for visa. They keep pointing a finger at bureaucratic red tape and other delays saying that elimination of these "steps" or rules would speed up everything. Short of eliminating any requirements and having a complete "open door" immigration policy, there is no quick fix!
The illegals who come across our southern border are those who simply do not qualify for a visa. In order to obtain an immigrant visa, you have to have an immediate relative (spouse, parent, etc.) who is a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident (LPR) file a petition on your behalf. There are also certain skills that are needed that would qualify an individual and immediate family. There are a number of other avenues, including a lottery system that one can simply apply for by filling out a card! But, as you can see, when there are more applicants than number of visas allowed annually, there will be a backlog. Those who don't qualify in any form usually try to get a tourist visa first and if by chance they get one, come to America and simply vanish, abusing their visa as a tourist. If they can't get a tourist visa, which vast majority of them can't, then they simply go overland across the border illegally. This has been the case for the last half a century, at least!
Allowing illegals to become "legal" is really not an answer to this problem. What do you do with the next batch? Because for sure there will be more! The issue with the so-called "dreamers" is an emotional and truly a tragic situation. Perhaps some kind of a relief could be provided for the "dreamers," but once again, where and when do you cut it off? As long as Mexico and some of the other countries are in a mess that they are, corrupt governments, etc., this problem will exist. Short of completely taking over Mexico and making all Mexicans U.S. citizens, there really is no solution. Of course, that is just a manner of speech, Mexico would never allow such a move and we couldn't afford it, financially!
So, all the brave talk about "immigration reform" is nothing but just that, talk. Did you know that George W. tried to institute some reforms in the INA and actually did manage some changes with cooperation of Vicente Fox, the then President of Mexico. However, some of the relaxing of rules at border crossings had to be stopped because of 9/11! Whatever the case, some of the suggestion made for "immigration reform" are just not realistic. The legal immigrant issue is completely separate from the illegal issue. Proponents of the so-called "immigrant rights movement" would like to mix the two, but in reality, they are completely different issues, more than "apples and oranges!" Sure, our immigration laws can be improved and tweaked here and there. But that isn't going stop the demand for immigrant visas from certain areas, like Mexico. So, should we simply allow anyone to come to America if they want? Because that is basically what proponents of the immigration reform are saying.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Asian Exclusion Acts and Such....
For the most part, when there is talk of exclusion of certain ethnic or racial groups from entering the United States, it is fueled by economic reasons. Loss of jobs or businesses to newcomers is a big reason, but so is the fear of rising crime in some areas. This has been perhaps the biggest reason for the demand by some for the government to do something about the illegal immigration from Mexico. The other part of this resistance to new immigrants is of course, the fear of terrorism. The latest spate of terror acts in New York/New Jersey area by Ahmad Khan Rahami, an Afghan-American, and Dahir Adan, a Somali-American in Minnesota only helped fuel the fear of many and reinforced the belief that Muslims should be barred from entering the United States.
Actually, the exclusion of some ethnic or racial groups from entering the United States is not something new. It has taken place in our history, in the past, several times. Laws were passed by our Congress that barred entry of Asians into America going back to the 19th Century. The more recent Asian Exclusion Acts, as they were called, were passed in 1917, 1924, and 1934. These acts barred immigration for people from specific geographic area, identified as Asia-Pacific Zone, which essentially barred all Asians from entry into the United States. The 1934 Act was specifically aimed at Filipinos, while the 1917 and1924 Acts were more directed at Chinese and Japanese (Korea being a Japanese colony at the time was included as part of Japan). The 1924 Act essentially said that no one forbidden from becoming a U.S. citizen would be allowed to enter the U.S. as an immigrant. At that time, the earlier Asian Exclusion Act which disallowed Chinese and Japanese from property ownership and naturalization as citizens was still in effect. The only Asians that could become U.S. citizens were the ones that were born on U.S. soil!
As grossly unfair, unjust, and racist these Exclusion Acts were, they remained in effect for a long time, until almost a decade after the end of World War Two! It wasn't until 1952 with the passage of McCarran-Walter Act that amended the 1924 and 1934 Exclusion Acts and essentially struck them from the books. Believe it or not, even at that late date, there was resistance from some in Congress! Essentially, the argument that won over the majority was the contributions and sacrifices made by Asian-Americans for the war effort, both on the battlefield and the home front.
The current situation is completely different, so to compare today with America of more than half a century ago is like comparing apples with oranges. Yet, let's face it, both apples and oranges are fruits! Times may have changed and perceptions also changed with times, but some basic things remain the same. People come to America to seek a better life, better opportunity. That is how America was settled. The founding fathers may have come from one place, England, and started this great country. That is why our language is English. But believe it or not, more than 50% of European-Americans are of German descent, not English. The English and Irish make up about 25%! The rest are a mixture from various European countries with a good number from the Mediterranean and Eastern European countries.
The population of the United States is roughly 325 million souls as of 2016. Of this total, the majority, about 62% or so is comprised of European background. Hispanics make up about 16% while the African population is around 12%. Asians make up less than 5%, and the rest is made up of various other groups including Native Americans. Hispanics are the fastest growing group in America when you consider that less than decade ago their numbers were only at 12%. At this rate, some experts predict that the Hispanics will become the majority in less than half a century! Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that the Hispanic population in this country is increasing rapidly. But, so is the Arab or Middle Eastern population which a decade ago was less than Asian but now is nudging ahead!
Despite talk from some political quarters about barring certain racial or ethnics groups from entry into the United States, I don't believe any such thing will happen. Exclusion Acts as such are things of the past, at least for our government, our country. I believe some European countries have already instituted forms of Exclusion Acts and built fences to stop the flow of refugees from the Middle East. Mexico, which has had a very draconian system set up for many years to bar illegals from their south, from Guatemala in particular with whom they share a border. But we will never be able to do anything even remotely resembling what our European and Mexican critics are doing themselves. With even our current, inadequate border fencing and policing receiving so much criticism from abroad and from our own liberal camps, there is no way that we will do anything more!
According to some, the solution to our problem on our southern border is political, that it can be solved with a political settlement after negotiation with Mexico. That is "pipe dream," a utopian concept. What exactly can Mexican government do to stop the flow? People are leaving their country because they have no jobs and they want a better life! Short of giving everyone good jobs and good pay, there is no way that the Mexican government can stop the people from going north. Do you think that will happen? It will be a cold day in hell, as they say, when that will happen! So there is no political solution. The only way to stop the flow is build fences and enforce the border with more Border Patrol. Do you think that will happen? I don't see that happening anytime soon.
As for stopping the entry of Muslims, Middle Eastern people into our country, that won't happen either. Short of passing an Exclusion Act such as the ones that we had for Asians, we're not going to stop the flow of Muslims into our country. We may cut the number of Syrian refugees, but its not just Syrians.....note that the latest incidents involved people of Afghan and Somali descent, not Syrian! We can't bar all Muslims, all Middle Eastern people! Besides, the latest terror acts were committed by home grown terrorists! They may have been Muslims, but they were U.S. citizens!
Actually, the exclusion of some ethnic or racial groups from entering the United States is not something new. It has taken place in our history, in the past, several times. Laws were passed by our Congress that barred entry of Asians into America going back to the 19th Century. The more recent Asian Exclusion Acts, as they were called, were passed in 1917, 1924, and 1934. These acts barred immigration for people from specific geographic area, identified as Asia-Pacific Zone, which essentially barred all Asians from entry into the United States. The 1934 Act was specifically aimed at Filipinos, while the 1917 and1924 Acts were more directed at Chinese and Japanese (Korea being a Japanese colony at the time was included as part of Japan). The 1924 Act essentially said that no one forbidden from becoming a U.S. citizen would be allowed to enter the U.S. as an immigrant. At that time, the earlier Asian Exclusion Act which disallowed Chinese and Japanese from property ownership and naturalization as citizens was still in effect. The only Asians that could become U.S. citizens were the ones that were born on U.S. soil!
As grossly unfair, unjust, and racist these Exclusion Acts were, they remained in effect for a long time, until almost a decade after the end of World War Two! It wasn't until 1952 with the passage of McCarran-Walter Act that amended the 1924 and 1934 Exclusion Acts and essentially struck them from the books. Believe it or not, even at that late date, there was resistance from some in Congress! Essentially, the argument that won over the majority was the contributions and sacrifices made by Asian-Americans for the war effort, both on the battlefield and the home front.
The current situation is completely different, so to compare today with America of more than half a century ago is like comparing apples with oranges. Yet, let's face it, both apples and oranges are fruits! Times may have changed and perceptions also changed with times, but some basic things remain the same. People come to America to seek a better life, better opportunity. That is how America was settled. The founding fathers may have come from one place, England, and started this great country. That is why our language is English. But believe it or not, more than 50% of European-Americans are of German descent, not English. The English and Irish make up about 25%! The rest are a mixture from various European countries with a good number from the Mediterranean and Eastern European countries.
The population of the United States is roughly 325 million souls as of 2016. Of this total, the majority, about 62% or so is comprised of European background. Hispanics make up about 16% while the African population is around 12%. Asians make up less than 5%, and the rest is made up of various other groups including Native Americans. Hispanics are the fastest growing group in America when you consider that less than decade ago their numbers were only at 12%. At this rate, some experts predict that the Hispanics will become the majority in less than half a century! Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that the Hispanic population in this country is increasing rapidly. But, so is the Arab or Middle Eastern population which a decade ago was less than Asian but now is nudging ahead!
Despite talk from some political quarters about barring certain racial or ethnics groups from entry into the United States, I don't believe any such thing will happen. Exclusion Acts as such are things of the past, at least for our government, our country. I believe some European countries have already instituted forms of Exclusion Acts and built fences to stop the flow of refugees from the Middle East. Mexico, which has had a very draconian system set up for many years to bar illegals from their south, from Guatemala in particular with whom they share a border. But we will never be able to do anything even remotely resembling what our European and Mexican critics are doing themselves. With even our current, inadequate border fencing and policing receiving so much criticism from abroad and from our own liberal camps, there is no way that we will do anything more!
According to some, the solution to our problem on our southern border is political, that it can be solved with a political settlement after negotiation with Mexico. That is "pipe dream," a utopian concept. What exactly can Mexican government do to stop the flow? People are leaving their country because they have no jobs and they want a better life! Short of giving everyone good jobs and good pay, there is no way that the Mexican government can stop the people from going north. Do you think that will happen? It will be a cold day in hell, as they say, when that will happen! So there is no political solution. The only way to stop the flow is build fences and enforce the border with more Border Patrol. Do you think that will happen? I don't see that happening anytime soon.
As for stopping the entry of Muslims, Middle Eastern people into our country, that won't happen either. Short of passing an Exclusion Act such as the ones that we had for Asians, we're not going to stop the flow of Muslims into our country. We may cut the number of Syrian refugees, but its not just Syrians.....note that the latest incidents involved people of Afghan and Somali descent, not Syrian! We can't bar all Muslims, all Middle Eastern people! Besides, the latest terror acts were committed by home grown terrorists! They may have been Muslims, but they were U.S. citizens!
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
PRC and DPRK
The People's Republic of China (PRC or China) is historically tied to Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). When I say historically, I don't mean only going back to 1950 when PRC's 8th Route Army crossed the Yalu to help North Korea fend off U.S. and its allies, the UN forces that had pushed all the way up north. Sixty six years ago when that took place, North Korea had initially invaded the south with the blessing and support of Stalin and the Soviet Union. However, when things turned sour and the combined U.S./UN forces had decimated the North Korean forces and pushed them all the way to the Chinese border, the Soviet Union abandoned them and did nothing to help. China, however, stepped in to help out its North Korean neighbor and bail it out of its disastrous predicament by pushing the U.S./UN forces back south, ultimately fighting to a stalemate which brought about the Panmunjom Cease Fire and the current state of affairs. The Soviet Union did pitch-in a bit, mainly in the form of providing some MIG15 fighter jets and pilots, but that was the extent of it. China actually put boots on the ground and became the majority ground force for the communists!
As it has been said many times before, there is no conclusion to the Korean War, only a cease fire agreement that theoretically can be broken any time, and it has been broken periodically! To compound the situation, North Korea's Minister for North American Affairs announced publicly on July 29th of this year that a state of war exists between North Korea and the United States! So, a state of war not only has existed for the past 66 years, but has been formally declared on July 29th! The situation on the Korean peninsula could not be any more volatile than it is today. Yet, for some unaccountable reason, our government and all of the "experts" in Washington seem to take the whole thing very lightly. Our government seems to be far more concerned with situations in other parts of the world and Korea has been shunted to the back burner. The feeling seems to be that nothing has happened in the past 66 years except for some occasional fire fights on the DMZ, so despite all the threats, missile firing and nuclear testing by North Korea, there is nothing to fear, or so it seems to Washington.
China has always been in the background of Korea in one form or another. During the Chosen Dynasty Korea was a tributary state of China, as it was even during the previous Koryo Dynasty. China had always maintained a relationship with Korea through commerce, as well as military support when needed. China has always supported the faction in Korea that was sympathetic to their cause. Today, that would be North Korea. South Korea on the other hand, is not only an economic competitor, but a military threat as well while North Korea has become sort of like a tributary state of old! This relationship has existed for centuries, going back thousands of years!
The earliest known Korean kingdom called Gojosun (actually pronounced Ko-chosun) dates back to 2333 BC. It was a pretty large kingdom that occupied not only the Korean peninsula but a good portion of what is known as Manchuria today. The territory would increase or shrink through the years according to the wars it fought until China decided that Gojosun was too much of a threat and Han Dynasty defeated the kingdom and made it a tributary state in 108 BC. However, the Koreans rose up again and in 37 BC established the great Koguryo Empire. Koguryo not only regained all of Gojosun's former territory but actually increased it into a huge empire encompassing all of present day Manchuria as well as parts of Siberia and eastern China. Koguryo was by far the most powerful and largest Korean Empire in history and it lasted from 37 BC until 668 AD. In 668 AD, a smaller Korean kingdom in the south called Silla first defeated all of its smaller neighbors including Paekche to the west, then allied itself with China (Tang Dynasty) and attacked Koguryo from north and south, defeating it. As payment for its help, China received all of Manchuria and other northern territories and the new winner in the south went on to establish the Koryo Dynasty from which the name Korea has been taken by the outside world.
Since that time, Korea, regardless of the dynasty, paid tribute to China. China, on the other hand, was conquered by Jurchen tribes in 12th Century who established the Jin Dynasty. In 13th Century China was conquered by Mongols who established the Yuan Dynasty. Then in the 17th Century the Jurchens who now called themselves Manchus, once again conquered China and established the Ching Dynasty which lasted until 1912 in the early 20th Century. Throughout this period in history, Korea went with the tide, so-to-speak. Whatever the case may be, Korea ended up being a surrogate for China whenever China needed someone to do their bidding. It was mostly in the form of providing troops for China and the many wars that it fought.
Now, we fast forward and find ourselves in the 21st Century. What has changed? China is still the big, powerful state in Asia, a player on the world scene and Korea is fractured into two parts, one in the north and one in the south. Sort of like it was during the three Kingdom Period when there were Koguryo, Silla and Paekche, and China helped Silla to conquer the bigger and stronger Koguryo. North Korea today is Silla of the historical past. We should never forget that historical tie between China and Korea and how China always supported a faction in Korea that was advantageous to them. Today, that would be North Korea!
All of the "experts" say that without China's input, without China's influence, there can be no peace between North and South Korea and there certainly cannot be any nuclear agreement. Guess what? China does not want peace or unification of the two Koreas, China does not want a nuclear agreement that would curb North Korea's bomb development. They like things just as they are! There may not have been nuclear weapons in the past, but this situation has existed before and China always supported whatever side helped their standing in the world!
There seems to be an attitude, a feeling in America that China is no longer the threat that it used to be like back in the 1950s and 60s, before Kissinger and Nixon sold Taiwan down the river and drank Chinese brandy with Mao Tse Tung and Chou En Lai. China may not be a direct, military threat anymore, but it certainly is a political and economic threat, to which, sadly, we are not paying any attention. China will, or at least seems to be on track, to take over the world economically. They don't need to conquer any territory militarily, although their military is getting bigger and stronger daily, while ours is shrinking! For their dirty work, they have North Korea. North Korea with its unpredictable, belligerent behavior keeps the attention off China. It keeps South Korea and Japan occupied and worried with building their defenses, their military, and it keeps our attention away from China! As wacky and weird and dangerous North Korea and its leader may be, they will not do anything without China's approval. China is their lifeline, China is the country that keeps them alive amid the economic sanctions. They may be crazy, but they are not so crazy as to cut off their own livelihood and food supply by going against the wishes of China. China calls the shots!
For some reason we, and our "experts" refuse to see what is right before our eyes. We refuse to recognize the fact that despite all the threats and vitriolic language, North Korea will not do anything without China's go-ahead. But, at this point we are so tied to China economically, so dependent on their products which make up the bulk of our consumer goods, that we refuse to acknowledge what is obvious. The relationship that exists between China and North Korea is classic, something that you can find took place from time to time historically going back thousands of years! So, if the shooting starts on the Korean Peninsula, you can blame it on that crazy Kim Jong Un or one of his generals, but you can bet that they did it with China's approval and perhaps even prompting!
As it has been said many times before, there is no conclusion to the Korean War, only a cease fire agreement that theoretically can be broken any time, and it has been broken periodically! To compound the situation, North Korea's Minister for North American Affairs announced publicly on July 29th of this year that a state of war exists between North Korea and the United States! So, a state of war not only has existed for the past 66 years, but has been formally declared on July 29th! The situation on the Korean peninsula could not be any more volatile than it is today. Yet, for some unaccountable reason, our government and all of the "experts" in Washington seem to take the whole thing very lightly. Our government seems to be far more concerned with situations in other parts of the world and Korea has been shunted to the back burner. The feeling seems to be that nothing has happened in the past 66 years except for some occasional fire fights on the DMZ, so despite all the threats, missile firing and nuclear testing by North Korea, there is nothing to fear, or so it seems to Washington.
China has always been in the background of Korea in one form or another. During the Chosen Dynasty Korea was a tributary state of China, as it was even during the previous Koryo Dynasty. China had always maintained a relationship with Korea through commerce, as well as military support when needed. China has always supported the faction in Korea that was sympathetic to their cause. Today, that would be North Korea. South Korea on the other hand, is not only an economic competitor, but a military threat as well while North Korea has become sort of like a tributary state of old! This relationship has existed for centuries, going back thousands of years!
The earliest known Korean kingdom called Gojosun (actually pronounced Ko-chosun) dates back to 2333 BC. It was a pretty large kingdom that occupied not only the Korean peninsula but a good portion of what is known as Manchuria today. The territory would increase or shrink through the years according to the wars it fought until China decided that Gojosun was too much of a threat and Han Dynasty defeated the kingdom and made it a tributary state in 108 BC. However, the Koreans rose up again and in 37 BC established the great Koguryo Empire. Koguryo not only regained all of Gojosun's former territory but actually increased it into a huge empire encompassing all of present day Manchuria as well as parts of Siberia and eastern China. Koguryo was by far the most powerful and largest Korean Empire in history and it lasted from 37 BC until 668 AD. In 668 AD, a smaller Korean kingdom in the south called Silla first defeated all of its smaller neighbors including Paekche to the west, then allied itself with China (Tang Dynasty) and attacked Koguryo from north and south, defeating it. As payment for its help, China received all of Manchuria and other northern territories and the new winner in the south went on to establish the Koryo Dynasty from which the name Korea has been taken by the outside world.
Since that time, Korea, regardless of the dynasty, paid tribute to China. China, on the other hand, was conquered by Jurchen tribes in 12th Century who established the Jin Dynasty. In 13th Century China was conquered by Mongols who established the Yuan Dynasty. Then in the 17th Century the Jurchens who now called themselves Manchus, once again conquered China and established the Ching Dynasty which lasted until 1912 in the early 20th Century. Throughout this period in history, Korea went with the tide, so-to-speak. Whatever the case may be, Korea ended up being a surrogate for China whenever China needed someone to do their bidding. It was mostly in the form of providing troops for China and the many wars that it fought.
Now, we fast forward and find ourselves in the 21st Century. What has changed? China is still the big, powerful state in Asia, a player on the world scene and Korea is fractured into two parts, one in the north and one in the south. Sort of like it was during the three Kingdom Period when there were Koguryo, Silla and Paekche, and China helped Silla to conquer the bigger and stronger Koguryo. North Korea today is Silla of the historical past. We should never forget that historical tie between China and Korea and how China always supported a faction in Korea that was advantageous to them. Today, that would be North Korea!
All of the "experts" say that without China's input, without China's influence, there can be no peace between North and South Korea and there certainly cannot be any nuclear agreement. Guess what? China does not want peace or unification of the two Koreas, China does not want a nuclear agreement that would curb North Korea's bomb development. They like things just as they are! There may not have been nuclear weapons in the past, but this situation has existed before and China always supported whatever side helped their standing in the world!
There seems to be an attitude, a feeling in America that China is no longer the threat that it used to be like back in the 1950s and 60s, before Kissinger and Nixon sold Taiwan down the river and drank Chinese brandy with Mao Tse Tung and Chou En Lai. China may not be a direct, military threat anymore, but it certainly is a political and economic threat, to which, sadly, we are not paying any attention. China will, or at least seems to be on track, to take over the world economically. They don't need to conquer any territory militarily, although their military is getting bigger and stronger daily, while ours is shrinking! For their dirty work, they have North Korea. North Korea with its unpredictable, belligerent behavior keeps the attention off China. It keeps South Korea and Japan occupied and worried with building their defenses, their military, and it keeps our attention away from China! As wacky and weird and dangerous North Korea and its leader may be, they will not do anything without China's approval. China is their lifeline, China is the country that keeps them alive amid the economic sanctions. They may be crazy, but they are not so crazy as to cut off their own livelihood and food supply by going against the wishes of China. China calls the shots!
For some reason we, and our "experts" refuse to see what is right before our eyes. We refuse to recognize the fact that despite all the threats and vitriolic language, North Korea will not do anything without China's go-ahead. But, at this point we are so tied to China economically, so dependent on their products which make up the bulk of our consumer goods, that we refuse to acknowledge what is obvious. The relationship that exists between China and North Korea is classic, something that you can find took place from time to time historically going back thousands of years! So, if the shooting starts on the Korean Peninsula, you can blame it on that crazy Kim Jong Un or one of his generals, but you can bet that they did it with China's approval and perhaps even prompting!
Friday, September 9, 2016
The Last Korean Emperor
The last Chinese Imperial Dynasty, the Ching Dynasty, lasted from 1644 to 1912. The historians are fond of saying that it vanished without a trace overnight.....not exactly true. The last Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi may have abdicated in 1912, but he was "resurrected" by the Japanese when they planted him in Manchuria in 1934 and proclaimed him to be the Emperor of Manchukuo, Japan's puppet government in their colony, Manchuria. Japan, during its ambitious Japanese Imperial period was fond of taking Royal members of their colonies (Manchuria, Korea, Okinawa) and transplanting them in Japan. In case of Okinawa, they simply moved the entire Okinawan Royal family of Sho to Tokyo, gave them minor positions and forgot about them. But they couldn't take all of Chinese Royalty, for one thing it was too large, and for another thing, they did not have control of the entire country, only Manchuria. So they settled with taking some minor princes and princesses to Japan and educating them in their country, turning them pro-Japanese. Such was the case with the "Last Manchurian Princess." I have blogged about this much earlier. They couldn't take Pu Yi to Japan, since he was in Peking (Beijing) which was not under Japanese control. But they maintained contact with him and were able to convince him to become their puppet later to become the short lived Emperor of Manchukuo.
The situation with Korea was a bit different. The Yi Dynasty which started in 1392 came to an end in 1910 when Japan annexed Korea. The annexation of Korea was complicated and convoluted process that began actually in the 19th Century with the killing of the Korean Empress, the very popular and progressive Queen Min. The Japanese feared her because unlike the rest of the Korean court, she was very progressive and forward thinking. She is the one who appointed an American, Judge Owen Denny, who was a former U.S. Consul General to Shanghai, as the head of Korea's new Foreign Ministry. He had the title of a "Chief Advisor" but in fact he was the Foreign Minister of Korea! Queen Min was assassinated by the Japanese in 1899. This was followed by Japan's victory in Russo-Japanese War in 1905 (which was fought over control of Korea) and which led directly to the annexation of Korea in 1910.
The surviving King of Korea, the husband of Queen Min was a weak individual and the Japanese easily controlled him. He died shortly after the annexation and the Crown Prince, Yi Un, was sent to Japan to be educated. He attended the Peer's College (Gakushuin) where all royal members of Japanese family are educated, then sent to the Japanese Imperial Army Academy from which he graduated in 1917. He lived in Kitashirakawa Palace in Akasaka, Tokyo. This was a palace that was reserved as a Royal Prince's residence. So, the Korean Crown Prince was treated with exceptional honor and dignity, treated like a Japanese Prince, which he was in a sense since Korea had become a part of Japan as its colony and Koreans had Japanese nationality at the time. The Crown Prince Yi Un who was called Ri Gin in Japanese, had a flourishing career in the Japanese Imperial Army. He was apparently very bright and made an outstanding officer. In 1920 he was married to Princess Masako Nashimoto, daughter of the Japanese Emperor's cousin! Yi Un or Ri Gin, rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. Fortunately for him, he was not involved in any acts that could have made him a war criminal, so he survived World War Two.
When in 1948 South Korea elected Syngman Rhee to be its president, he asked to return to Korea. However, Syngman Rhee refused to allow him to return. But, in 1963 when Park Chung Hee came into power, he allowed Yi Un to return to Seoul and establish residence in one of the palaces that had been refurbished. However, many Koreans had mixed feelings about their Crown Prince for his service in the Japanese Imperial Army. But, they quickly forgot about it since their own President, Park Chung Hee was a former officer in the Japanese Imperial Army. Yi Un had one surviving son. The first born Yi Jin died before he reached one year of age, and the second son, Yi Gu, who was born in Tokyo in the Kitashirakawa Palace in 1931 (which was incidentally torn down in the 1960s and Akasaka Prince Hotel built on its grounds!) graduated from Gakushuin (Peer's College) then went on to college in the U.S. He studied architecture and graduated from MIT and worked for I.M. Pei's architecture firm for a while. In 1959 Yi Gu met and married an American girl, Julia Mullock. They came to Korea when the father was allowed to return in 1963, but chose to live most of their time in America, since Yi Gu was an American citizen and married to an American!
All of this came about because when the war ended in 1945, the former Japanese colony members who ostensibly had Japanese nationality during the Imperial Japan's reign, became stateless, because there was no more Imperial Japan! That's what happened to all of the Koreans and Taiwanese who were brought to Japan as slave laborers. They became stateless, people without a country and the new Japanese government would not grant them citizenship. However, North Korea quickly extended its citizenship to the Koreans in Japan, and when Chinese Nationalists established their government in Taiwan in 1949, they extended Nationalist Chinese citizenship to all Taiwanese living in Japan. However, the Royal Korean family did not receive the citizenship offer from North Korea. When Yi Gu came to U.S. to study in 1949, Japan was still under U.S. Occupation, so the Korean Royal family was still stateless. The father, Yi Un, having been a Lieutenant General in the Japanese Army, although it was the Imperial Army, nevertheless received consideration from the Japanese government. Besides, he was married to a Japanese Princess, so he was granted Japanese citizenship. When he returned to Korea in 1963 he was also granted South Korean citizenship. The son Yi Gu also received South Korean citizenship and belatedly, because his mother was after all, a Japanese Princess, he received Japanese citizenship as well. But, by that time he was already a U.S. citizen and married to an American as well.
Yi Un died in 1970 in Seoul, in the Royal Palace grounds and the title of Crown Prince passed on to his American citizen son, Yi Gu. However, Yi Gu and his American wife Julia were childless. Although they adopted a girl, she did not qualify to resume the royal line of Korea. So, although there are some cousins and other distant relatives that are of royal linage, including a cousin by the name of Yi Seok who lives in Seoul, for all practical purposes, the Korean Royalty ended with Yi Gu who died in 2005. It is interesting that had Yi Gu and Julia had a son, that son would have been the rightful heir to the Korean throne, the pretender Crown Prince, an American!
The situation with Korea was a bit different. The Yi Dynasty which started in 1392 came to an end in 1910 when Japan annexed Korea. The annexation of Korea was complicated and convoluted process that began actually in the 19th Century with the killing of the Korean Empress, the very popular and progressive Queen Min. The Japanese feared her because unlike the rest of the Korean court, she was very progressive and forward thinking. She is the one who appointed an American, Judge Owen Denny, who was a former U.S. Consul General to Shanghai, as the head of Korea's new Foreign Ministry. He had the title of a "Chief Advisor" but in fact he was the Foreign Minister of Korea! Queen Min was assassinated by the Japanese in 1899. This was followed by Japan's victory in Russo-Japanese War in 1905 (which was fought over control of Korea) and which led directly to the annexation of Korea in 1910.
The surviving King of Korea, the husband of Queen Min was a weak individual and the Japanese easily controlled him. He died shortly after the annexation and the Crown Prince, Yi Un, was sent to Japan to be educated. He attended the Peer's College (Gakushuin) where all royal members of Japanese family are educated, then sent to the Japanese Imperial Army Academy from which he graduated in 1917. He lived in Kitashirakawa Palace in Akasaka, Tokyo. This was a palace that was reserved as a Royal Prince's residence. So, the Korean Crown Prince was treated with exceptional honor and dignity, treated like a Japanese Prince, which he was in a sense since Korea had become a part of Japan as its colony and Koreans had Japanese nationality at the time. The Crown Prince Yi Un who was called Ri Gin in Japanese, had a flourishing career in the Japanese Imperial Army. He was apparently very bright and made an outstanding officer. In 1920 he was married to Princess Masako Nashimoto, daughter of the Japanese Emperor's cousin! Yi Un or Ri Gin, rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. Fortunately for him, he was not involved in any acts that could have made him a war criminal, so he survived World War Two.
When in 1948 South Korea elected Syngman Rhee to be its president, he asked to return to Korea. However, Syngman Rhee refused to allow him to return. But, in 1963 when Park Chung Hee came into power, he allowed Yi Un to return to Seoul and establish residence in one of the palaces that had been refurbished. However, many Koreans had mixed feelings about their Crown Prince for his service in the Japanese Imperial Army. But, they quickly forgot about it since their own President, Park Chung Hee was a former officer in the Japanese Imperial Army. Yi Un had one surviving son. The first born Yi Jin died before he reached one year of age, and the second son, Yi Gu, who was born in Tokyo in the Kitashirakawa Palace in 1931 (which was incidentally torn down in the 1960s and Akasaka Prince Hotel built on its grounds!) graduated from Gakushuin (Peer's College) then went on to college in the U.S. He studied architecture and graduated from MIT and worked for I.M. Pei's architecture firm for a while. In 1959 Yi Gu met and married an American girl, Julia Mullock. They came to Korea when the father was allowed to return in 1963, but chose to live most of their time in America, since Yi Gu was an American citizen and married to an American!
All of this came about because when the war ended in 1945, the former Japanese colony members who ostensibly had Japanese nationality during the Imperial Japan's reign, became stateless, because there was no more Imperial Japan! That's what happened to all of the Koreans and Taiwanese who were brought to Japan as slave laborers. They became stateless, people without a country and the new Japanese government would not grant them citizenship. However, North Korea quickly extended its citizenship to the Koreans in Japan, and when Chinese Nationalists established their government in Taiwan in 1949, they extended Nationalist Chinese citizenship to all Taiwanese living in Japan. However, the Royal Korean family did not receive the citizenship offer from North Korea. When Yi Gu came to U.S. to study in 1949, Japan was still under U.S. Occupation, so the Korean Royal family was still stateless. The father, Yi Un, having been a Lieutenant General in the Japanese Army, although it was the Imperial Army, nevertheless received consideration from the Japanese government. Besides, he was married to a Japanese Princess, so he was granted Japanese citizenship. When he returned to Korea in 1963 he was also granted South Korean citizenship. The son Yi Gu also received South Korean citizenship and belatedly, because his mother was after all, a Japanese Princess, he received Japanese citizenship as well. But, by that time he was already a U.S. citizen and married to an American as well.
Yi Un died in 1970 in Seoul, in the Royal Palace grounds and the title of Crown Prince passed on to his American citizen son, Yi Gu. However, Yi Gu and his American wife Julia were childless. Although they adopted a girl, she did not qualify to resume the royal line of Korea. So, although there are some cousins and other distant relatives that are of royal linage, including a cousin by the name of Yi Seok who lives in Seoul, for all practical purposes, the Korean Royalty ended with Yi Gu who died in 2005. It is interesting that had Yi Gu and Julia had a son, that son would have been the rightful heir to the Korean throne, the pretender Crown Prince, an American!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
"Losing Face" or "Saving Face."
The term or expression to "lose face" or "losing face" is thought to be of Chinese origin. It is generally accepted that this particular expression found its way into the English language sometime in the 19th Century by way of English (missionaries and traders) residents in China. Be that as it may, but it seems that the origins of this popular form of expression exists practically in every culture and language, in one form or another. Perhaps the Chinese version is most accepted, its definition more or less becoming standard throughout the world. Just what does "losing one's face" or "loss of face" mean? In general terms it means the loss of dignity, respect, status, image, honor. "Saving face" or to "save face" means exactly the opposite. It means to have regained dignity, respect, status, etc.
The Western culture is fond of saying that "face" is a very important element of Eastern cultures. It is thought of as being perhaps a bit over rated in the East, too much emphasis placed on the business of maintaining one's "face," i.e., not to "lose face." But if truth be known, it really isn't any different in the Western world. It is just that aspects or elements of what constitutes "losing" or "saving" one's face is a bit different, from country to country, culture to culture. But it is there in every culture and language! In Arabic it is called, "to save the face's water" (hafiza ma al-wajh), just another way of saying to "save face." In Slavic, which includes all those countries in Eastern Europe like Russia that use cyrillic, the word obraz means honor, image, status, face, etc., and bez means without. Therefore, bezobrazan means without those elements, in short, "loss of face." So you see, every culture appears to have its own version, not just China and the Eastern culture!
Without a doubt the most important arena for any culture/country to maintain "face" is the political stage. A country must have the respect of the others, maintain an image and status that everyone respects. In short, it must maintain "face." How does it do it? It maintains "face" by several means. Economic power is one, as well as military might. But most of all, it must gain the respect of others by simple acts like keeping promises, supporting its friends and allies, and yes, not backing down when threatened. It may seem like playground behavior, the simple act of not backing down when threatened or stepping up to help a friend. But these are probably two of the most important elements in maintaining "face" for a nation. This is one reason why some countries go bonkers over seemingly insignificant territorial disputes. Japan has not been a military power for over a half a century. Yet, when threatened by a vastly militarily superior country (China) over territorial rights for some tiny, insignificant artificial islands in the middle of the Pacific, Japan did not back down. Of course Japan received America's backing, but still, it was extremely important for Japan not to "lose face." The squabble over this incident has cause some difficulties in Japan's relations with China. But Japan had to do what it did if it was to have any influence, any status in Asia! So, it is also important to know when to step-up, when to push back. Sadly, it seems we have lost that ability.
In yesterday's blog I pointed out our "loss of face" in China when Obama was treated shabbily upon his arrival. I also mentioned how the ill-mannered, foul-mouthed President of Philippines referred to Obama as "son of a whore." It would have been best if Obama had not responded to either the situation at the airport or the Filipino's foul language. Instead he laughed it off, try to make a joke of it. He said that being treated shabbily at airports had "happened before," and that the Philippine's President was a "colorful guy!" In doing so, he had lost considerable "face" in the eyes of many Asians and non-Asians. His responses may have been humorous and showed him to be a "good sport," but they were not presidential or befitting of someone who is the leader of the world's supposed most powerful nation!
Subsequently, Obama had a meeting with Putin in Beijing, a meeting that was supposed to help establish peace in Syria. According to Obama's own words, the meeting was short and went nowhere! Putin, obviously, was not going to go along with anything that Obama wanted. The media picked up on this immediately and mentioned that Putin seemed to have gained a lot of confidence and "power" in the last year or so. Well, it isn't surprising. This is a perfect case where Putin has managed to "save face," i.e., gain prestige, status, and improve image by his actions, although they may have not been to our liking! On the other hand, Obama has managed to "lose face" with all of the "passive-reactive" policy around the world. To compound it, what happened at the airport and the comments by the Philippine's President didn't help his image, especially the way he responded.
As I said, he would have been better served keeping his mouth shut. In fact, it appears to me that one of the problems with Obama is that he doesn't keep his mouth shut when it would serve him best! Take for example what happened a few days ago in China when a reporter asked him about Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem. Obama should have not responded, instead, he said that we had many problems in America and it was Kaepernick's constitutional right to protest. This happened before his meeting with Putin. Are you surprised that Putin gave him the cold shoulder? Putin is not taking Obama seriously, neither are a lot of leaders around the world! However, there is no doubt that there will be more "conscientious" protesters refusing to stand for the national anthem after Obama's remarks about problems in America and Kaepernick's constitutional rights. What a guy!
The Western culture is fond of saying that "face" is a very important element of Eastern cultures. It is thought of as being perhaps a bit over rated in the East, too much emphasis placed on the business of maintaining one's "face," i.e., not to "lose face." But if truth be known, it really isn't any different in the Western world. It is just that aspects or elements of what constitutes "losing" or "saving" one's face is a bit different, from country to country, culture to culture. But it is there in every culture and language! In Arabic it is called, "to save the face's water" (hafiza ma al-wajh), just another way of saying to "save face." In Slavic, which includes all those countries in Eastern Europe like Russia that use cyrillic, the word obraz means honor, image, status, face, etc., and bez means without. Therefore, bezobrazan means without those elements, in short, "loss of face." So you see, every culture appears to have its own version, not just China and the Eastern culture!
Without a doubt the most important arena for any culture/country to maintain "face" is the political stage. A country must have the respect of the others, maintain an image and status that everyone respects. In short, it must maintain "face." How does it do it? It maintains "face" by several means. Economic power is one, as well as military might. But most of all, it must gain the respect of others by simple acts like keeping promises, supporting its friends and allies, and yes, not backing down when threatened. It may seem like playground behavior, the simple act of not backing down when threatened or stepping up to help a friend. But these are probably two of the most important elements in maintaining "face" for a nation. This is one reason why some countries go bonkers over seemingly insignificant territorial disputes. Japan has not been a military power for over a half a century. Yet, when threatened by a vastly militarily superior country (China) over territorial rights for some tiny, insignificant artificial islands in the middle of the Pacific, Japan did not back down. Of course Japan received America's backing, but still, it was extremely important for Japan not to "lose face." The squabble over this incident has cause some difficulties in Japan's relations with China. But Japan had to do what it did if it was to have any influence, any status in Asia! So, it is also important to know when to step-up, when to push back. Sadly, it seems we have lost that ability.
In yesterday's blog I pointed out our "loss of face" in China when Obama was treated shabbily upon his arrival. I also mentioned how the ill-mannered, foul-mouthed President of Philippines referred to Obama as "son of a whore." It would have been best if Obama had not responded to either the situation at the airport or the Filipino's foul language. Instead he laughed it off, try to make a joke of it. He said that being treated shabbily at airports had "happened before," and that the Philippine's President was a "colorful guy!" In doing so, he had lost considerable "face" in the eyes of many Asians and non-Asians. His responses may have been humorous and showed him to be a "good sport," but they were not presidential or befitting of someone who is the leader of the world's supposed most powerful nation!
Subsequently, Obama had a meeting with Putin in Beijing, a meeting that was supposed to help establish peace in Syria. According to Obama's own words, the meeting was short and went nowhere! Putin, obviously, was not going to go along with anything that Obama wanted. The media picked up on this immediately and mentioned that Putin seemed to have gained a lot of confidence and "power" in the last year or so. Well, it isn't surprising. This is a perfect case where Putin has managed to "save face," i.e., gain prestige, status, and improve image by his actions, although they may have not been to our liking! On the other hand, Obama has managed to "lose face" with all of the "passive-reactive" policy around the world. To compound it, what happened at the airport and the comments by the Philippine's President didn't help his image, especially the way he responded.
As I said, he would have been better served keeping his mouth shut. In fact, it appears to me that one of the problems with Obama is that he doesn't keep his mouth shut when it would serve him best! Take for example what happened a few days ago in China when a reporter asked him about Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem. Obama should have not responded, instead, he said that we had many problems in America and it was Kaepernick's constitutional right to protest. This happened before his meeting with Putin. Are you surprised that Putin gave him the cold shoulder? Putin is not taking Obama seriously, neither are a lot of leaders around the world! However, there is no doubt that there will be more "conscientious" protesters refusing to stand for the national anthem after Obama's remarks about problems in America and Kaepernick's constitutional rights. What a guy!
Monday, September 5, 2016
One Thing After Another....It Just Doesn't Stop!
It seems like it is one thing after another....it just doesn't stop when it comes to our missteps and downward spiral in the world standing. The most recent tidbit comes from Beijing where Obama arrived for a G20 meeting. PRC has decided to snub Obama in a major way. When Air Force One landed, there were no mobile stairs rolled out so Obama could exit the plane, waving from the top of the stairs to the adoring crowd waiting below. Instead, Air Force One had to lower its tailgate and Obama exited that way. In addition, there was no red carpet rolled out, a standard and customary practice whenever a head of state arrives in a country. Obama was greeted with less pomp and ceremony than if he had been just a cabinet member of our government.
When asked about the shabby treatment by PRC, Obama laughingly waved it off, saying it wasn't the first time he was treated this way! It wasn't the first time? How many times has the President of the United States been treated like some Third World leader? Actually, even the Third World leaders get the red carpet treatment! Isn't he even a little bit upset, or at the very least embarrassed? Apparently he is accustomed to being treated like that! The president of the world's most powerful country is treated like he is from some banana republic, and he just laughs it off! What an embarrassment! But that is what it seems to have happened to our standing in the world, a result of 8 years of wishy-washy, passive-reactive foreign policy and a messy domestic scene, which has revealed corruption in our system that has been hidden before!
The corruption that I am referring to mainly has surfaced because of the on again and off again controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton and her abuse of email system and classified material. I have stated before that anyone else in the government guilty of doing even half of what she has done would be in jail, but somehow she is untouchable and could very well be our next president!
It seems that the State Department became her personal fife during her time in the Foggy Bottom. There are people in the State Department who are still very much under her influence and are involved in hiding, denying, or even destroying incriminating documents. Remember? Initially the State Department said that there were no emails that involved the Benghazi Incident. Of course, the same people also said that there were no classified emails in Hillary's personal server! Then they changed their minds and said there were "some" classified emails....yeah, "some" like several thousand! Now the latest change is that there are "30 or so" classified emails concerning the Benghazi Incident! Also, remember how the government vehemently denied that the $40 million in cash paid out to Iran was not ransom for release of hostages? Then suddenly the State Department announced that indeed the money was paid for the release of the hostages, but it was not ransom! I don't quite follow that. In my book if you pay money to have a hostage released, then it is ransom payment! But I guess our government has a different definition. That had nothing to do with Hillary, except that the same people who support Obama are behind Hillary!
The latest bit from Hillary is that she was not "briefed for trained" on classified material. She also added that she had difficulty recognizing classified material, could not tell by the markings! Well, all I can say is that if that is the case, then she has no business of even thinking of running for president! The simple fact is that she is lying! Hillary Clinton was in the White House for eight years as the First Lady. During that time she was known to stick her nose into everything! You mean to tell me that she was never exposed to classified material during that time? She then spent eight years (2001 to 2009) in the U.S. Senate and served six years on the Armed Services Committee. Surely she was exposed to classified material during that time! What more "briefing or training" did she need? Is she that slow?
For those unfamiliar with US government marking of classified material, let me give you a brief run down. Any message containing classified material will be classified at its highest level. In other words, if the classified material contained is at Top Secret level, then the whole message is marked Top Secret at the top and bottom of page in bold letters. Then, each paragraph is also marked according to its classification level. A paragraph containing Top Secret information will be marked with (TS) before the content. Each paragraph will be marked accordingly, (S) for Secret, (C) for Confidential, and (U) for Unclassified. In the old days there was even an (LOU) Limited Official Use classification. Conceivably a message could be marked Secret with only one paragraph that begins with (S) and the rest marked as (U). But that message is still treated as a classified Secret message! This is not rocket science or brain surgery! Hard copies of classified messages always have a cover sheet that is boldly marked in red or blue letters according to the classification. You don't need special briefing or training to recognize this, but apparently Hillary needed help. If she is that slow on picking up things, how can she possibly be our next president? But I guess for many in America, it is not important. It is also apparently not important that there is so much other baggage, like the Clinton Foundation, not to mention going back to her time in the White House, remember the White Water and many other "incidents"?!
I am very deeply concerned this election. During my lifetime so far, I have followed our presidential elections with interest since the Kennedy-Nixon election campaign when I was still in high school! Since then I have seen some good ones, some strange ones, and some bad ones. But never have I witnessed anything like the election this year and the two candidates! Neither one is my choice, but Hillary would be a major disaster.
I used to make fun of some other countries with corrupt systems. In fact, I made some derogatory remarks about Latin American politics in some of my earlier blogs. There's a saying in Latin America that: "Para ser un milionario, tiene que ser un president del pais." (To become a millionaire, you have to become the president of the country). Obviously it refers to the fact that once you gain power, you start making money by taking bribes, etc. Perhaps that is not exactly how things work out in our country because, like the two candidates now, they are both rich. But, how did they earn all that money? Was it all above board? Besides, corruption does not only involve money, it involves misuse of power, manipulation of events and facts, something that our politicians seem to do quite well.
When asked about the shabby treatment by PRC, Obama laughingly waved it off, saying it wasn't the first time he was treated this way! It wasn't the first time? How many times has the President of the United States been treated like some Third World leader? Actually, even the Third World leaders get the red carpet treatment! Isn't he even a little bit upset, or at the very least embarrassed? Apparently he is accustomed to being treated like that! The president of the world's most powerful country is treated like he is from some banana republic, and he just laughs it off! What an embarrassment! But that is what it seems to have happened to our standing in the world, a result of 8 years of wishy-washy, passive-reactive foreign policy and a messy domestic scene, which has revealed corruption in our system that has been hidden before!
The corruption that I am referring to mainly has surfaced because of the on again and off again controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton and her abuse of email system and classified material. I have stated before that anyone else in the government guilty of doing even half of what she has done would be in jail, but somehow she is untouchable and could very well be our next president!
It seems that the State Department became her personal fife during her time in the Foggy Bottom. There are people in the State Department who are still very much under her influence and are involved in hiding, denying, or even destroying incriminating documents. Remember? Initially the State Department said that there were no emails that involved the Benghazi Incident. Of course, the same people also said that there were no classified emails in Hillary's personal server! Then they changed their minds and said there were "some" classified emails....yeah, "some" like several thousand! Now the latest change is that there are "30 or so" classified emails concerning the Benghazi Incident! Also, remember how the government vehemently denied that the $40 million in cash paid out to Iran was not ransom for release of hostages? Then suddenly the State Department announced that indeed the money was paid for the release of the hostages, but it was not ransom! I don't quite follow that. In my book if you pay money to have a hostage released, then it is ransom payment! But I guess our government has a different definition. That had nothing to do with Hillary, except that the same people who support Obama are behind Hillary!
The latest bit from Hillary is that she was not "briefed for trained" on classified material. She also added that she had difficulty recognizing classified material, could not tell by the markings! Well, all I can say is that if that is the case, then she has no business of even thinking of running for president! The simple fact is that she is lying! Hillary Clinton was in the White House for eight years as the First Lady. During that time she was known to stick her nose into everything! You mean to tell me that she was never exposed to classified material during that time? She then spent eight years (2001 to 2009) in the U.S. Senate and served six years on the Armed Services Committee. Surely she was exposed to classified material during that time! What more "briefing or training" did she need? Is she that slow?
For those unfamiliar with US government marking of classified material, let me give you a brief run down. Any message containing classified material will be classified at its highest level. In other words, if the classified material contained is at Top Secret level, then the whole message is marked Top Secret at the top and bottom of page in bold letters. Then, each paragraph is also marked according to its classification level. A paragraph containing Top Secret information will be marked with (TS) before the content. Each paragraph will be marked accordingly, (S) for Secret, (C) for Confidential, and (U) for Unclassified. In the old days there was even an (LOU) Limited Official Use classification. Conceivably a message could be marked Secret with only one paragraph that begins with (S) and the rest marked as (U). But that message is still treated as a classified Secret message! This is not rocket science or brain surgery! Hard copies of classified messages always have a cover sheet that is boldly marked in red or blue letters according to the classification. You don't need special briefing or training to recognize this, but apparently Hillary needed help. If she is that slow on picking up things, how can she possibly be our next president? But I guess for many in America, it is not important. It is also apparently not important that there is so much other baggage, like the Clinton Foundation, not to mention going back to her time in the White House, remember the White Water and many other "incidents"?!
I am very deeply concerned this election. During my lifetime so far, I have followed our presidential elections with interest since the Kennedy-Nixon election campaign when I was still in high school! Since then I have seen some good ones, some strange ones, and some bad ones. But never have I witnessed anything like the election this year and the two candidates! Neither one is my choice, but Hillary would be a major disaster.
I used to make fun of some other countries with corrupt systems. In fact, I made some derogatory remarks about Latin American politics in some of my earlier blogs. There's a saying in Latin America that: "Para ser un milionario, tiene que ser un president del pais." (To become a millionaire, you have to become the president of the country). Obviously it refers to the fact that once you gain power, you start making money by taking bribes, etc. Perhaps that is not exactly how things work out in our country because, like the two candidates now, they are both rich. But, how did they earn all that money? Was it all above board? Besides, corruption does not only involve money, it involves misuse of power, manipulation of events and facts, something that our politicians seem to do quite well.
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