JL
A
follower of the blog recently commented that it is getting repetitive. I suppose he is correct, but the overarching
political issues of the day cannot be ignored.
As always, the blog will include your comments (send them to me at Riart1@aol.com)
particularly if they disagree with what I write. And “non-political” articles are always welcome. If you have something
“different” to say, please do! So,
let’s skip politics for a few minutes and start off with what has become the
blog’s annual Fourth of July short story from my "archives."
Jack Lippman
Jack Lippman
Agricultural Usage
“In
the good old summertime,” cousin Mike, “we have lots of fun down here in
Florida ... barbecues, beer drinking, swimming at the beach, and fireworks right
in the backyard too, ‘specially for the Fourth of July. Betcha don’t have all
that kind of good stuff up north in New York, right?”
“I
guess not,” Mike replied. “In fact,
fireworks are illegal in New York, except for the big displays like Macy’s and
what some towns do in the parks. You
know, handling fireworks is dangerous.
You can blow a finger off. I read
about some kid doing that in the papers every year.”
“I
know, I know. They’re illegal the same
way here in Florida too! But anyone can
get them from places like the Fireworks Queen over on 441. All ya gotta do is sign a form saying they’re
for agricultural use. You know, stuff
like for scaring the birds away from crops.”
“Is
that how you got the stuff you told me you shot off for the Fourth of July?”
A
ringing of the doorbell interrupted the conversation. Miltie got up to answer
it and came back into the living room a minute or so later with a piece of
paper in his hand and a confused look on his face.
“Mike,
there was a guy at the door says he’s a volunteer from the County Fireworks
Watch Bureau. He had that damn piece of
paper that I signed over at the Fireworks Queen when I bought the stuff I just
told you about. Wanted to know where my
farm was. I gotta fill out this form
telling him where or I’m subject to a $2000 fine or thirty days in jail. Told me to mail it back to him by next
Thursday or he’ll be back with a Sheriff’s Deputy to take me in. Do you know any farmers around here?
“Miltie,
we don’t have this kind of crap up in New York and I don’t know any farmers in
New York, let alone down here in Florida, but I have an idea. Let me get on your computer and maybe I can
come up with something.”
Twenty
minutes later, after doing some Google searching, Mike smiled.
“Miltie,
look what I just came up with on the internet.”
Both of them leaned over looking at the laptop’s screen, where they read
the following:
“Fertile
Swamp Farm – 300 acres of farmland growing vegetables all year round. You can experience the pleasures of being a
‘gentleman farmer’ by renting a few acres of our land for a month or by the
year. Call us at 1-800-555-7226 for
info.”
“I
get the idea, Mike. We can rent a little
bit of this guy’s farm, and maybe he’ll backdate the papers, and we can say
that’s where we used the fireworks. You
are a genius! I’m going to call him
right now.”
The
next day Mike and Miltie drove out State Road 80, way past Belle Glade and
Clewiston at the bottom of Lake Okeechobee into the heart of Hendry
County. Finally they saw a sign reading
“Fertile Swamp Farm – Next Left – 500 Yards.”
Following the directions, they turned into a one-way dirt road with two
well-worn tire ruts leading to a ramshackle farmhouse next to which there was a
gravel parking area in which about a dozen cars and pick-ups were parked. A teen age boy waved them into a spot and
pointed to the farmhouse door. Once
inside, they found themselves among a bunch of people who from their attire,
obviously didn’t have anything to do with farming. A bald middle-aged man, seated at a table,
greeted them and checked off Miltie’s name from a list before him.
“Glad
you could make it. Let me explain the
deal to you,” he said.
“Hold
on a minute, we really don’t want to become ‘gentlemen farmers.’ We just
schlepped out here because we figured we could rent some farmland from you for
a while. All we want to do is make our
use of fireworks for agricultural purposes legal.”
“I
know, I know,” said the man. “Look
around you. Why do you think all these
other guys are here? Can’t grow anything
but weeds in this frigging swamp anyway.
It’s all polluted mud. But I manage
to squeeze out a living off of guys like you.
The going rate is $100 an acre a month, minimum two acres for three
months, discounted to $500 if you pay in cash, which is the only way I do
business anyway. Okay? Make up your mind. There’s a line behind you. And before you ask, sure, I’ll backdate the
deal. It’s quarter the price of the fine they’ll hit you with. Sign right here.”
Miltie
signed and forked over $500 to the farmer.
They got into their car and quickly fell in behind the line of vehicles
crawling back down the rutted road leading to State Road 80. Once the cars cleared the dirt road and were
back on the highway, three or four cars which had been impatiently waiting
there made the turn onto the dirt road leading up to the farmhouse. Business
was good at Fertile Swamp Farm that day!
Meanwhile,
the bald-headed farmer was talking on the phone to his brother.
“Bennie,
I know the fireworks stores are slowing down now that the Fourth is over, but
you gotta keep pushing them. Tell them
we’ll up it to $25 for each one of those Agricultural Usage forms they copy and
give to you. And wait until you see the
neat uniform shirt I got for you to use.
It comes with a “smokie” hat so you’ll almost look like a state trooper
when you knock on their doors.”
Jack Lippman
Immigration - Zero Tolerance - Profound Ignorance
It
is not illegal for citizens of other countries, either at our border or already
in our country, to seek asylum for a variety of reasons. People doing so are not criminals and are entitled to the "due process" our legal system provides. Those treating them as criminals are acting in
defiance of our legal system and are themselves breaking the law. This includes the profoundly ignorant person sitting in the White House, thanks to the gullibility of many American voters, many of whom are equally profoundly ignorant. That is a problem.
When,
however, the lines for normal entry to our country to claim asylum are
prohibitively long, committing the crime of crossing the border illegally with the intention of claiming asylum immediately when stopped there is perfectly understandable and
should not be treated with “zero tolerance.” Were more facilities available to legally
enter the country for the purpose of claiming asylum, many of such illegal
entries would not occur. “Zero
Tolerance” is not the American way!
The separation of children from such parents who enter the country illegally in order to seek asylum as well as children of legal asylum seekers who are being held while their requests for asylum are being processed is an act which will blacken American history permanently.
"Making America Great Again"
And if any of those children fail to be re-united with their parents, regardless of whether or not asylum is granted, those Americans who permitted it to happen, including the President, should be treated as the criminal child-snatchers they are. The profound ignorance of the *P.O.S. occupying the White House, along with his arrogance, permits this to happen as some in government proceed to follow his direction in defiance of our legal system. Ignorance, even as profound as that of the President, is not a legal defense.
The separation of children from such parents who enter the country illegally in order to seek asylum as well as children of legal asylum seekers who are being held while their requests for asylum are being processed is an act which will blacken American history permanently.
And if any of those children fail to be re-united with their parents, regardless of whether or not asylum is granted, those Americans who permitted it to happen, including the President, should be treated as the criminal child-snatchers they are. The profound ignorance of the *P.O.S. occupying the White House, along with his arrogance, permits this to happen as some in government proceed to follow his direction in defiance of our legal system. Ignorance, even as profound as that of the President, is not a legal defense.
It
is understandable that someone whose career had been in a field where getting
away with everything that wasn’t illegal was the usual way of doing business,
and where one of the purposes of hiring lawyers was to find a way to legitimize
illegal actions, would act this way. The *P.O.S. doesn’t know any better.
This profound ignorance, sadly and unfortunately for the nation, has spread to the way he handles foreign relations, trade
with other nations and most aspects of domestic policy. Those of you who read last week's posting ("Playing Ping-Pong with Tariffs") read of the danger to our economy posed by the ignorance-based tariffs the President is imposing. Well, it's happening right now! Meanwhile I am sure the *P.O.S. is groping around to find someone to blame for the impending economic disaster he is causing.
But
getting back to where this posting started, please remember that it is not
illegal for citizens of other countries, either at our border or already in our
country, to seek asylum for a variety of reasons. Never vote for anyone who believes otherwise.
*Recheck
out earlier blog postings for definition of P.O.S.
JL
Surprise Upset in NYC Primary and What it Means
Could this leftward, socialist, Democratic direction be the real answer to the problem Democrats face?
Ocasio-Cortez is unlike the “Republican-lite” Democratic candidates running outside of historic Democratic urban bastions. She doesn't need an "independent middle" from which to seek votes. Most Democratic activists probably quietly agree with her politically but feel that committing the party to the kind of programs she endorses will not be a winning strategy nationally this year nor in 2020. But, on the other hand, remaining to her right may have the same disastrous results for the Democratic Party as it did in 2016. That is the Democratic dilemma.
So, should Democrats be honest with themselves and swing leftward? (More about this, and the damage a third party candidate would have in this age of polarization will appear in the next few postings. These will be the the determining issues in the 2018 and 2020 elections.)
Historical
Note – Henry Clay on a Presidency Run Wild
Never
a believer in strong Presidential leadership, Clay represented the supremacy of
Congress over the Executive Branch and of course, was a foe of Andrew Jackson who was
our first really powerful President.
Early in 1837, the Senate voted to expunge its earlier censure of
President Jackson for his removal of Federal deposits from the private Bank of
the United States. In opposition, Clay spoke these words in the Senate, making it clear that he strongly felt the Senators did not
fulfill their duties when they cleared President Jackson.
Whether
Jackson’s censure and its eventual "expunging" were justified is not the point at
issue today. The point being made is
that here we have a Senator addressing his colleagues about a President
breaking the law and the Senate letting him get away with it, doing nothing
about it. Does this sound familiar in
2018? Read Henry Clay’s 1837 words. Were
such courage present in the halls of Congress today!
“Tell them (the
people) … that henceforward, no matter what daring or outrageous act any
President may perform, you have forever hermetically sealed the mouth of the
Senate. Tell them that he may fearlessly
assume what powers he pleases, snatch from its lawful custody the public purse,
command a military detachment to enter the halls of the Capitol, overawe
Congress, trample down the Constitution, raze every bulwark of freedom; but
that the Senate must stand mute, in silent submission, and not dare to raise
its opposing voice … And, if the people do not pour out their indignation and
imprecations, I have yet to learn the character of American freemen.”
JL
JL
Advice for Republicans
If
Republicans don’t want to be identified …
1.
as members
of the party of “child snatchers,”
2.
as
members of the party that attacks our world-wide partners in trade and security
whose friendship has enabled us to prosper for almost three-quarters of a
century,
3. as
members of the party which ignores constitutionally guaranteed rights and
4. as
members of the party that fights to reduce health care for millions of
Americans,
all
that they have to do is recognize that the President must be impeached,
convicted and exiled. It’s that
simple. Then they would have their party
back.
And wrapping it up for the day, here's a unbelievably creative Wiley cartoon strip from today's papers. CLICK RIGHT HERE to learn what to believe and what not to believe.
JL
HOW TO BE ALERTED TO FUTURE BLOG POSTINGS.
JL
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Jack Lippman
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