Immigration and Mosque Building:

I have watched two major issues in this silly season of politics. Yes the month of August is referred to by me and by many as the political silly season. There are serious issues to consider even though they are being raised by people that I consider not all that serious. Let’s turn this discussion on its head and see if that puts a different perspective on it.

Let us assume that the state of New Mexico tomorrow passes a law that forbids the construction of a house of worship by any religion that is not Christian. I wonder if there would be marches in support of the governor of New Mexico? I rather think not. Or at least I hope the silliness of such a law would be readily perceived. You see federal law over-rides state law. Further a state statute must not conflict with the basic tenants and sprit of our federal constitution. You do not need a Supreme Court decision to decide if a law is constitutional. Any federal judge can strike down a statute passed by any state legislature. Free expression of any religion is guaranteed by the federal constitution, no if’s ands or butts.

Control of America’s international borders and enforcement of America’s citizenship requirements has always been a federal responsibility. When certain American companies chartered busses to bring Mexican citizens illegally across America’s southern border I heard nary a whimper of protest. When drug dealers shipped American arms to their suppliers in Mexico once again the silence was such that you could have heard a shell casing or a pin drop.

Now however 22,000,000 American’s are out of work. Now a minimum wage job seems far more attractive than it did 30 months ago. Now the arms and bullets we have been shipping south to support America’s drug habit are being used to kill law enforcement agents in towns and cities with in rifle shot range of American citizens. We are not talking rockets such as are used in Gaza by Hamas to attack peaceful Israelis. Here we are talking about small arms fire that has the potential of killing innocent Americans. Why is there no protest march decrying the sale and shipment of arms to Mexican drug kingpins.

All of this is happening against a backdrop of members of congress decrying the president’s action to restrict unsafe drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico following the most massive oil spill since Saddam Hussein set fire to the oil wells in Kuwait. In fact the corporation responsible for this latest oil related disaster has been previously found to be negligent in the operation of their chemical plant in Texas as well as negligent in their operation of the Alaska pipeline. Yet the fact that a 20 mile wide section of the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida devoted to fishing and tourism has been effectively demolished goes largely ignored.

Now do you understand why it is called the silly season?