Retail Marijuana Markets Are Not a Plus

Last month Gov. Glenn Younkin (R-VA) made a positive move for the residents of his state by vetoing a bill which would have created a retail marijuana market for his constituents. Just as important, he took time to issue a fact-filled explanation of the reasoning behind his actions.

Retail marijuana legalization, he explained, “endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue. It also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety.”

Strong condemnation, and it flies in the face of the arguments generally posited by supporters of such legislation. But in an editorial appearing in the April 9, 2024 edition of the Washington Examiner, the statistics supporting Gov. Younkin’s decision present a compelling rebuttal.

In state after state that has legalized cannabis and established retail markets for its sale, reports of children’s overdoses to Poison Control have jumped 400%. The commercialization of cannabis coupled with diminished law enforcement efforts to control its use produced a 245% increase in the use of the drug between the years 2000-2022, accompanied by a rise in incidences of uncontrollable substance abuse disorders, while teen alcohol and tobacco use showed a decline. Increased incidences of psychoses and other mental health problems were noted along with higher rates of school dropouts and “impaired brain development”. In addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration has linked marijuana use to other health problems to include bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma and suppression of the immune system.

A favorite contention of the pro-marijuana activists is that legal retail markets deter or eliminate black market and organized crime connections with the cannabis trade. “Six years after legalization, California’s legal cannabis market represented only about 10% of cannabis sales” Younkin contends. “With the black market’s persistent pressure, gang activity escalates and violent crime surges”. In Oregon, for example, another state that had legalized the drug, significant increases in property crime, aggravated assault, and violent crime in general were noted compared with states that legalized cannabis.

Product safety has hardly increased, with states such as New York and California still finding high rates of contamination with E. coli, salmonella and heavy metals persisting.

Projected tax revenues from the legalization of marijuana have consistently fallen short of expectations and in states like Colorado have produced a net drain on public resources such as medical treatment and emergency responses in addition to an increase of 76.2% in marijuana-related traffic fatalities. In 2023, a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City study found an increase in homelessness and assessed that state governments became worse off due to dependence on the drug.

During my years of military service, I witnessed many instances of marijuana use degrading the required performance of soldiers under stressful conditions, resulting in increased danger not only to users but also to their comrades. Attempts to change this addictive behavior generally proved ineffective and resulted in discharge from the service. Worse still, recent studies have shown that approximately 70% of the population targeted for military recruitment are ineligible for service and one of the major issues is drug use and impairment.

I have spent most of my civilian life in Maine, which was once a proud state known for its strong work ethic and rugged individualism, but under the tyrannical heel of Democratic-led progressivism has degenerated into a welfare haven where the latest cause for celebration is the legalization of pot. Having moved to neighboring New Hampshire in hopes of escaping the lunacy imposed by carpetbagging voters who are now bent on transforming the Pine Tree State into California East, I am now less than pleased to learn that a bill to legalize the sale of cannabis is being considered by the New Hampshire State Legislature.

By now, more and more people are beginning to realize that America is under attack and a part of that organized mission is to weaken our national and local resolve. And one of this war’s more effective components is supplying an ever-growing stream of addictive and performance-reducing drugs to our citizens. Encouraging the use of marijuana through poorly thought-out legislation is clearly contributing to the weakening of our society.

Does My Vote Really Count?

That is a question that I have often heard. frequently exemplified by the statement, “My vote won’t really count so I don’t bother”. That of course guarantees that the speaker will not have any say in who is elected to determine local and federal policies that will deeply affect everyone’s lives.

On the most basic level, municipal elections provide residents with the opportunity to select local officials who will hopefully represent the needs and desires of a majority of the local citizens. School board members, selectmen, mayors, and their appointees and in some instances judges and law enforcement personnel are thus supposedly subject to the approval of the voters or at least those who choose to participate in the process. I recently attended a candidate’s night in my town and was surprised at the small turnout – less than three dozen or so representing a population of approximately 5500. In a couple of weeks when the election was held and votes were counted, approximately 1100 voters had participated. One new member of the consolidated school board was elected and one new town selectman. One might only speculate as to how well informed those voters were since there had been no media coverage of any kind.

At the state level, elections become more impersonal since many people may never have much interaction with candidates other than carefully staged political events. At this level, media coverage comes into play and unfortunately so does campaign financing by special interest groups. to include national political party organizations whose goal is to increase adherence to their ideology at the grassroots level. State elected officials such as governors and legislations form immediate federal connections and become influenced by financial grants and administrative edicts from the ruling party in Washington and their state policies will often mirror the national trend.

But it is at the national level where the average voter feels the most disenfranchised. Here is where the big money comes into play and the wants and needs of the proletariat have little to do with national politics. Example: Recently our current President managed to find enough time and energy to attend a campaign gala in New York City that also featured past Presidents Obama and Clinton. This event garnered over $26 million, the least expensive ticket being available at a paltry $250,000. Now do you, as an average citizen, really believe that any one of these high rollers had your best interests heading the reasons behind their attendance? Or even the best interests of the United States of America?

So, this is where the political scene really opens up to manipulation. A national election is held. Members of Congress are elected by the people and hopefully they will fulfill their Legislative duties as outlined in the Constitution of the United States. The Judicial Branch of Government, headed by the Supreme Court whose members are nominated by the President but must be approved by the Legislative Branch, are charged with ensuring that the laws of the land are in accordance with the Constitution.

Also on the ballot are choices for the President, the highest official in the land. After all of the ballots are counted, an announcement is made as to who received the most votes for the office. Simple. Eh? But wait! Here is where confusion may reign. The Electoral College must meet and then declare the winner of the election. But haven’t the people decided? Nope. That is up to the 538 members of the Electoral College to confirm.

And who in hell are these people? Well, they are appointed by their state political parties, One for each member of the House of Representatives (determined by the number of districts in the state) plus two members of the Senate. Maine and New Hampshire, for instance, have a total of four Electoral College members representing two districts and two Senators. In most cases winner takes all: for instance, in a heavily Democratic state the members would be appointed by the State Democratic machine, e.g. California, New York, Illinois. etc.

But 270 Electoral College votes are required to declare a candidate the winner and now President. And that, my friends, is why sometimes the popular vote numbers are not enough to carry the day. A relatively few votes can be enough to enable one party or the other to claim the electoral votes and that is why so much attention is paid to getting out the vote in “swing states”.

So yes, your vote can count both locally and federally – but only if you exercise that privilege. And demand that the Democrats are not allowed to award voting privileges to those millions of illegal immigrants that they have encouraged and allowed to swarm across our previously defended borders.

Follow the money

There is absolutely no question that politics is a dirty business. American history brims over with shady characters holding positions of power and influence from the days of the founding fathers to the present circus masquerading as a Presidential election.

For some time, I have found myself voting for the candidate that I felt would cause the least damage to a nation that at one time served as an example of what a hard-working, vibrant society with a strong foundation built on moral certitude and the rule of law could offer as an example to other nations around the world. Unfortunately, the cohesion that enabled the emergence of a land that offered the opportunity of a rewarding life for all has degenerated into tribalism and chaos with resulting deepening rifts which assure a continuing decline in the quality of life for its citizens.

Graft and corruption are no stranger to the political class and by now it is obvious that far too many elected officials who are not subject to term limits and who remain longer than two terms in office may fall prey to the lure of fame and/or fortune, deviating from any altruistic motivations that might have inspired them to “represent” the citizens who placed their trust in the electoral process and the accompanying promises that highlight every political campaign. Corruption is endemic in the world of politics, and no more glaring than in our nation’s governing bodies.

With a presidential election nearing, voters have the opportunity to evaluate the performances of both of the candidates who have held the highest office in the land and are now seeking a second term.

The current administration, while vociferously degrading the one prior to it, is notable for an avalanche of legally questionable Executive Orders obviously crafted to meet the needs and wants of the special interest groups of the far left who appear to have unrestricted access to the President’s ear and overweening influence on his decisions that deeply affect all Americans. From the mushrooming debacles surrounding Biden’s insistence on the subsidization and implementation of electricity-powered vehicles, to the obvious influence peddling conducted by Hunter Biden followed by the massive attempts provide cover up by our supposed impartial judicial system, the length and breadth of corruption in this administration is staggering.

Worse still, is the overall incompetence of Biden’s major appointments. When John Kerry was named as the “first special presidential envoy for climate” there was no statutory requirement that the position get Senate confirmation. Kerry’s propensity for international travel by private aircraft (burning significant amounts of pollution-producing fuel) quickly gained attention, as well as antics such as registering his new expensive watercraft in a different state than his residency in order to avoid paying required taxes.

Kerry eventually left this plush assignment to join Biden’s reelection team but during his term the Democratic-controlled House and Senate passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision that any “special envoy” or post performing a similar function must obtain Senate approval. Rather than leaving the post vacant or appointing a successor via Senate confirmation, as required by law, Biden proceeded to create a new “senior adviser to the president for internation climate policy” position and installed a long-time resident of the Washington bureaucratic scene, John Podesta. This was a blatant violation of federal law and the separation of powers. Podesta, of course, not only has many ties to the far left and non-profit organizations, but his brother Tony has long represented many foreign energy producers and companies to include Qatar and Bulgaria.

This is but one example of the many violations of the law that Biden and his cronies have engaged in during his tenure. Is he the only president to have crossed the line and profited from perfidy? Hardly, but can there be any doubt as to what lies ahead for America should he and the Democrats remain in power for another term?

We deserve better.

A Victory for the Rule of Law

One of the most important pieces employed in the creation of a successful, lasting society has always been the rule of law. Without this vital component, there is no protection for the common citizen, no stability resulting in economic growth, no structure to enable the establishment of social mores and faith in leadership. Accordingly, tyranny flourishes, resulting in crime, poverty and often revolution. One only has to consider the death and destruction currently erupting in Haiti to find a prime example.

Those countries or nations that accept the boundaries constructed by an active and accepted rule of law have historically prospered until targeted for “reconstruction” by elements from within who, being unable to resist the inherent opportunities to gain power and wealth through abuse of their lofty positions, proceed to alter the legal structure in order to attain their goals. Their citizens then become the victims of a “two-tiered” system of justice designed to protect those in power while hamstringing any efforts by their opponents to return the rule of law to its intended form.

America has been fortunate to enjoy the protection of a Constitution designed by our founding fathers that clearly delineates the responsibilities assigned to our government, federal and state, and its citizens regarding to our rule of law, requiring that changes to this system must be the result of deliberations performed by the Legislative branches of our governmental structure, kept apart from the whims of whatever administration is currently in power and/or the special interest groups that have its ear.

Despite numerous attempts by Democratic jurists and politicians to prevent previous President Donald Trump from appearing on state ballots during the upcoming primary elections, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that such actions were illegal and their proponents must desist from pursuing the dream of socialists/communists such as the Secretary of State of Maine (and poor loser of a recent Senatorial bid) Shenna Bellows, Illinois county circuit judge Tracie Porter, and a liberal-leaning watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics headquartered in Washington, D.C. that in September filed a lawsuit in Colorado (purportedly) on behalf of six “Republican and independent voters”, led by 91-year-old Norma Anderson.

Of course, this finding produced a firestorm of wailing protest from the Democratic Party establishment including the usual Leftist media and “social communications” sources, who immediately accused the Supremes of “inventing new law”. This from the same groups who were perfectly content with a previous Court decision that discovered a “Constitutional right” to abortion, before a recent reversal revealed that no mention of such a specific “right” was to be found in that document.

Currently it seems likely that our choice for President during this election period will unfortunately be limited to one of two individuals, neither of which a majority of voters would, according to current polls, wish to see elected to such an important office during a time of national and worldwide unrest and danger. Hopefully the bipartisan actions of the highest court in the Nation will set a standard for the politicians and their more rabid followers to consider, as the turmoil will undoubtedly increase – but I would not count on it.

Voters should expect further shenanigans prior to election day.

The Border Mess – Lunacy Rules

Would you allow someone whom you knew nothing about to enter your home and take up residence?  Would you be willing to provide that person with unlimited food and clothing, use of your credit cards, pay for their medical expenses and education, and even allow them to bring in as many friends and relatives as they wished to prey upon your hospitality? And if they broke any additional laws (having already violated the laws regarding illegal entry into the United States) would you shield them from the authorities, by insisting that they be released from custody?

The largest portion of our actual citizenry, according to the most recent polls, would answer in the negative to these questions. Unfortunately, Americans are not being allowed any say when it comes to the flood of aliens being assisted in the invasion of our nation by those who swore an oath to provide safety and protection from all enemies both foreign and domestic. Instead, the Biden administration, and other Democratic rulers of so-called “sanctuary” cities and states, have illegally imposed their plans to ensure a present and future majority of voters subservient to their vision of a one world ideology disturbingly previewed in such works as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Goerge Orwell’s 1984.

For decades, a carefully planned, systematic infiltration and weakening of coalition building entities such as churches, schools, local governments and a legal system based on the rule of law has resulted in a society consisting of competing factions rather than a unified nation. This of course coincides with the aim of the globalist elite cabal whose intention is to achieve worldwide dominance by removing any strong democracy that stands in their way.

In order to achieve the necessary control that the Democratic Party leaders thirst for, it is first necessary for them to undermine and eventually topple the Constitutional Republic so carefully constructed by our forebearers. Yes, those “rich old white men” so vilified by many current historical revisionists, the creators of a governmental system that up until now has remained a beacon for those who would dream of a haven in which to escape the chains imposed by socialism and other forms of tyranny. The union of American states was specifically designed to provide a platform consisting of three separate entities, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial, with the intention of constructing an overwatch system that would prevent the formation of an oligarchy or plutocracy. This union provided the opportunity for citizens of every state to participate in democratic governance and thus prevent the creation of an all-powerful central government beholden only to its own rules.

But in the last three years alone over ten million inhabitants of other countries – 300,000 in December 2023 alone – have entered our country illegally, encouraged by a President who pledged not only to reverse the previous administration’s successful border policies but openly insisted to migrants around the world that “you should come”.

These mobs are characterized by a significant number of young, unattached males, although the general media and a plethora of “helping organizations” prefer to publicize the tribulations of women and children who make up a minority of illegal immigrants. In the meantime, who knows how many would-be terrorists, criminals (such as the several members of a Venezuela gang who attacked and injured two NYC police officers in a recent incident caught on camera in Times Square), and drug smugglers, have been “caught and released” with an admonition that they must report to authorities sometime in the future so that their eligibility for asylum can be determined. And of course, a significant number of asylum seekers bring with them medical issues including the reemergence of diseases previously thought to be eradicated such as tuberculosis, scarlet fever, gout, rickets, syphilis, and measles that will immediately add to the woes of our already understaffed and overstressed health care system.

In the meantime, these “new citizens” are the foundation of a nationwide crisis that is creating unmeetable demands on the funds and resources of communities across our country, further weakening their ability to provide for the needs of our own citizens.

There is no need for our foreign enemies to spend time on extensive plans to invade and conquer America. We are well on the road to the self-destruction from within that resulted in the demise of empires past.

How do you feel about this plan?

The Shell Game That Will Decide the Coming Election

There perhaps may be some of my readers who are unfamiliar with the term “shell game”. A dictionary definition might be limited to, “a swindling trick in which a small ball or pea is quickly shifted from under one to another of three walnut shells or cups to fool the spectator guessing its location “. When applied to Democratic politics the term “swindling” might be particularly apt, since there is an excellent possibility that the Biden/Trump upcoming matchup this fall will be minus one contender.

By now, there should be no question but that the project of turning America into a socialist utopia is well on its way under the guidance of (supposedly) ex-president Barack Obama and his puppet Joe Biden. The major obstacle in this scenario for the world government advocates is their unfortunate choice who now sits in the White House and is hampered by old age, senility, and downright stupidity, evinced by his plunging approval ratings influenced by inept economic policies, a looming shooting war in the Middle East, inflation, over-regulation of nearly every facet of public and private life, entanglement in the criminal activities of his drug-addicted son, and a border crisis that has produced an invasion of over ten million – and counting – “immigrants” that probably includes unknown numbers of terrorists, drug smugglers, rapists, murderers, and quite likely persons infected with a variety of diseases ranging from cold and flu variants to tuberculosis and smallpox.

And he is running for reelection.

Despite a public circling of the wagons by the vast majority of Biden apologists, there is evidence of a growing uncertainty of the outcome of the nearing Presidential election. There is, of course, the multitude of manufactured criminal and civil trials against Donald Trump that are scheduled to coincide with the campaign circus and designed to turn public opinion against the ex-president. And should Nikki Haley somehow manage to win the Republican nomination, she will no doubt face a massive onslaught of negative media coverage that is the Democratic trademark for any daring to challenge their leadership supremacy. But still, can the growing tyranny of a Democratic controlled government be maintained?

Aha! Observe the swirling shuffle of the camouflaging shells. Underneath one of them the true Democratic candidate is hidden. What true socialist adherent could suddenly be revealed, say by mid-August of this year, a shining knight riding to the rescue of a sinking ship (easy on the metaphors, scribe)? Who would be vibrant, energetic, physically appealing, willing to carry on the concepts of free medical care for all, ensuring that the evil capitalists pay their fair share to enable the poor to thrive, all of the public’s needs to be met, social justice enforced, law enforcement restrained, government student loans dismissed, electric cars be made mandatory and fossil fuels banned?

Presidential candidates in waiting often can be detected. They appear in various parts of the country, ostensibly in support of their party’s activities. They entertain foreign visitors and even travel to foreign countries to meet with their government functionaries. They make the most of opportunities to celebrate the positive effects of their leadership (real or imagined), ignoring the blatant negative results of their governing policies.

I am going to stick my neck out. Look for a sudden reason for Joe Biden to announce that he is not going to run for reelection and the Democratic National Election Committee to turn over that shell and reveal ……………. Nancy Pelosi’s nephew, Gavin Newsome!

 

Will We Continue on the Path to Tyranny?

Certainly, the growth of the administrative state here in America and other western nations might serve as a bellwether. This infestation is deliberately masked as “democracy” in action by those currently holding the reins of power. In the case of the United States (which by the way was deliberately constructed by our founding fathers as a Constitutional Republic), the current administration and its rabid supporters incessantly inform us that any resistance to the deluge of proclamations pouring out of Washington is defined as an attack on the very foundations of our society and as such should be met with the prosecution of the designated “enemies of the state”.

But before continuing in this vein, let’s take a close look at the concept of democracy, supposedly so revered by Democrats. Democracy, as envisioned by the ancient Greeks and expounded upon by Aristotle, has been described as “a system of government in which state power is vested in the people (meaning) the general population of a state”. In its two most commonly found forms, it appears as either a “direct democracy” where the people have the direct authority to deliberate and decide legislation, or a “representative democracy” where the people choose governing officials through the process of elections, giving them the power to decide what restrictions and other directives are necessary to ensure the health and safety of the people.

As previously mentioned, the United States was formed as a Constitutional Republic, which clearly delineates the limitation of powers assigned to the central (federal) government by a coalition of existing states who retain, through the system of a representative democracy, the authority to create and/or modify the legislation required to maintain a functional society that depends upon a lawful and accepted oversight.

So far, so good.

Our current problems revolve around the increasing propensity of the Executive Branch of our government to ignore the system of checks and balances that were designed to avoid the willful concentration of power in one of the three branches of government. As designated, the Legislative Branch (Congress) is solely responsible for the creation and adjustment of laws, their application and interpretation being the responsibility of the Judicial Branch. Unfortunately, the Executive Branch has been allowed to create a plethora of “departments” such as Defense, Transportation, Health, Justice, etc. which have been allowed to devise their own system of rules and regulations under the heading of CFRs (Code of Federal Regulations) that are divided into fifty titles. This myriad of “do’s and don’ts” remains incomprehensible to the average citizen but is used to control all aspects of our society. Obviously, this is a powerful tool.

Our current President and his minions have indulged in many abuses of this intricate system, an especially egregious example being Biden’s openly ignoring standing immigration laws and encouraging unrestricted crossing of our nation’s borders. The utter corruption of the Judicial Branch now undermines the intent of the laws constructed to protect the safety of the American public against massive floods of humanity rushing into America without sufficient regard to health problems, the smuggling of ruinous drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, and even the prevention of individuals identified on the Terrorist Threat List.

The characteristics of tyranny are often exhibited through oppressive power exerted by government and can include the unrestricted actions of a ruling party to retain the advancement of its members personal interests over the general good of the public. Equally dangerous are the machinations of a ruling party to retain its power through illegal actions – a prime example being the current attempts of officials in two states attempting to manipulate the removal from election ballots of a perceived threat to their rule.

I suggest that it is long past time for both members of Congress and the current administration to be evaluated on their performances in regard to how well they have adhered to their required duties as outlined under the Constitution of the United States. After all, those who insist on electing an idiot to high office will indeed be well represented. 

Look for Performance Not Personalities

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The Encroachment of Central Planning

You would think that by now the general consensus might be that central planning does not work all that well. Of course, if you are of a dictatorial bent then central planning is the method of choice since under most other systems of governing the governed wind up with more participation in the process of selecting the social and legal procedures under which their society operates.

In some cases, the negative results of oppressive manipulation of the proletariat are easily discernible. Russia, China, Cuba and other communist nations generally tend to experience economic instability and a restrictive social environment that enables the political elite and their sycophants to limit freedom and opportunity for the masses. At the extreme examples of dictatorial rule, the brutal regimes such as Russia under Stalin. Germany under Hitler, the murderous rampage of Pol Pot in Cambodia, and the suffocating restrictions imposed by Kim Jun Un upon the population of North Korea stand out.

One might argue that oligarchies and monarchies have successfully employed central planning to provide livable conditions for their subjects and to a certain extent that was often true until a supportive administrative cadre consisting of varying mixes of family members, nobles, clergy, and hangers-on siphoned off an unbearable share of the national wealth.

Perhaps the most influential event leading to the current disarray of western civilization might well be attributed to the French revolution occurring from 1789 – 1799. Dissatisfaction with the reigning King, Louis XVI, and his repressive social, economic and legal policies abetted by France’s Estate General which included members of the clergy, nobility, and a “middle class” (consisting mainly of merchants and other businessmen), plus several years burdened by poor harvests, drought, cattle disease, and skyrocketing bread prices, set the scene for revolt among the peasants and the urban poor. It does not pay to infuriate the “lower classes”.

Growing public dissent in May 1789 led to the conversion of the Estates General into a National Assembly, which introduced several radical changes to include the abolition of feudalism, state control over the Catholic Church in France and a declaration of rights. A struggle for political control ensued and following the insurrection of August 1792 the monarchy was abolished and in September was replaced by the French First Republic. The execution of King Louis XVI in January 1793 was soon followed by another revolution during which political power was seized by the ironically titled Committee of Public Safety which launched the Reign of Terror and engineered the execution of over 16,000 people before ending in 1974. 

That “Magnificent Revolution” turned into a massive bloodbath under the slogan of “Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity” with the goal of creating a “new revolutionary race”. And to remake the people, the revolutionary parliamentarian Boissy d’Anglas insisted that the state should become the monitor of all individual activities, “including one’s inner and private behavior”. A Frenchman could no longer address someone as monsieur or madame , but only as a fellow “citizen”. Robespierre insisted that “The Republic is the eradication of everything that opposes it”. Hanriot, Commander of the National Guard, insisted that the libraries should be burned, “for only the history of the revolution and (its) laws will be needed”.

It takes not a grand leap to equate the horrible chaos and excesses of the French Revolution to the emergence of the totalitarian governments of the last couple of centuries and the gradual mutation of communism into socialism and its gradual and carefully planned infestation of Europe, the Americas and even Canada, along with the weakening of global prosperity and political health as a result of devotion to the acquisition of power.

History has much to teach us and of course that is why we currently face the “revolutionary” efforts of the Left to remake the history of our country and society through the reeducation of our students and of the public in general. Central planning is of the essence in order to control the governed and even a cursory examination reveals that our current administrative state is well on the way to achieving the power its members desire.

The Mess in the Middle East

Like most disasters, the Middle East took time to construct. In this particular instance many centuries have contributed to the seething cauldron that now characterizes this geographical area. Tribal warfare, oppressive monarchies, the rise to domination by Islam, revolution, all helped to build a danger to not only western civilization but world stability in general.

Currently, much is made of the effect of the “colonization” supposedly imposed by western powers as being the basis for the inherent rage and destructive impulses that motivate countries such as Iran, Syria, Lebanon, etc. to foster and maintain terrorist groups whose sole purported purpose is to destroy the “foreign devils” who have for so long dominated and enslaved the Muslim world. This particular viewpoint has taken strong root in institutions such as American and other national academic facilities (not to mention a significant portion of the media). Mostly overlooked is the actual history of Muslim aggression toward western civilization.

Some few centuries after the decay and fall of the Roman Empire, in 642 AD, a group known as the “Magaritai” had made trade inroads into the area surrounding the Egyptian city of Herakleopolis, once a colony of Greece before reverting back to Egypt following the decline of Rome. The “Magaritai” were eventually identified as none other than the people known as “Saracens” who were nomads from Arabia, long dismissed by the Romans as “despised and insignificant”. Arabic was the language that they brought with them and nowadays is so native to Egypt that the country has come to rank as the powerhouse of Arab culture. By 800 AD the Magaritai – known now as “Muslims”, or “those who submit to God” – with the icon of Muhammad as their leader, had succeeded in winning for themselves a vast conglomeration of territories: an authentically global empire. However, in 732 AD an attempted incursion into Europe resulted in a resounding defeat in the Battle of Tours and in a later attempt in 1683 by the Ottoman Empire ended at Vienna when forces led by the Holy Roman Empire bolstered by troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth denied the Ottoman expansion into Europe.

It is only within the last half-century that militant terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and Hezbollah along with dozens of fringe groups have emerged as a force to reinstate the Muslim challenge to Western preeminence and culture. Continuing attacks by these elements on both military and civilian targets, coupled with acquiescence by some supposedly stable regional governments, have nurtured a state of turmoil throughout the Arab world.

In both Europe and America, a flood of “immigrants” fleeing these circumstances are beginning to create an imbalance due to economic and cultural issues exacerbated by adopted “open border” policies. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United States, where the so-called Biden administration (in reality, Barack Obama’s third – bordering on fourth term) has encouraged millions of unvetted foreigners to illegally enter our country with no means to determine whether or not these hordes (consisting of a large percentage of young, unaccompanied men) have benign or hostile intent.

Unfortunately, America has not reacted well to Islamic aggression, other than the period of 1801 – 1805 when under the leadership of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and then James Madison (joining with Sweden and the Kingdom of Sicily) the newly formed United States participated in two wars against the Barbary pirates which eventually put a halt to Muslim attempts to rule over commerce and trade around the Mediterranean Sea since the sixteenth century.

In 1979, following a war with Iraq, Iran had become a dominant factor in the Middle East and after a coalition of Muslim clerisy overthrew the government of the Shah the United States Embassy was attacked and its inhabitants held hostage for 444 days by a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line group. It was only when it became evident that Ronald Reagan would replace the weak and ineffective Jimmy Carter as President that the hostages were released and since that time relationships between the U.S. and Muslim nations have remained strained.

Despite (or perhaps because of) U.S. military involvement with Muslim nations such as Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Iran has emerged as the predominant Middle Eastern power. Attempts by American Presidents to deal with the growing threat have, in the case of Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, employed appeasement and open bribery. George H.W. Bush did react with effective military force in defending Kuwait against Saddam Hussein’s attack, but unfortunately accepted Colin Powell’s when the Iraq Army was on the brink of destruction, not to eliminate Iraq’s ability to wage war. Under George W. Bush’s administration, then Secretary of State Powell again counseled restraint which basically ignored Iran’s growing assistance to Iraqi splinter groups fighting against the U.S.

Appeasement of Iran was carried to extremes by the Presidency of Barack Obama, who rewarded Iran’s open support of any and all groups fighting America through easing financial restrictions as well as actual airplane loads of cash delivered by military aircraft. Upon entering office, Obama (who once proclaimed that he had never heard “a more beautiful sound that that of the Muslim call to morning prayer”), proceeded on what some termed an “apology tour” to Arab countries, offering “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world”. All of his policies have of course been continued by his puppet currently residing in the White House, who has added disastrous machinations of his own such as the precipitous and deadly immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan, open borders, and suspicious alliances with various foes of America.

I might offer the suggestion that the Western world could save a lot of time, money and effort by simply building an insurmountable wall around the Middle East and checking once a decade or so to see if there is anyone left alive on the other side. But that would mean the abandonment of Israel, our only real allie in that region and they have suffered much to establish the only real democracy in that area.

Better, perhaps, to focus during the upcoming election on repairing the Representative Republic that we have allowed to deteriorate over the last few decades.