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We Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!

Updated: 9 hours ago

In this latest post, Walkin' Willie and I hike around while discussing the ICE raids, the Proud Boys, the plane crash in Washington, and fixing our immigration system.


Walkin' Willie and I have decided to "dry out" for the latter part of January and into February. We both concur that this "reboot" is good for our souls—it's also good for the liver and heart. To that end, Walkin' and I decided to hike the Des Plaines River Trail on Saturday and then switch to hiking the trail through Independence Grove in Libertyville.


We vowed not to talk politics, so Walkin' says, "What about that helicopter and plane crash in Washington? I feel so sad for the families and loved ones. I watched some of the coverage and was uncertain about the state of the river that flows through DC, the Potomac. Was it frozen or just patches of ice? Was this a staffing issue at the air traffic control? Because the military helicopter's communication was on a different frequency from the air traffic control, did the military pilots realize they were interfering with commercial air space?"


As I find my comfortable stride on our hike, Walkin' says, "Could you believe what 47 said about this accident? It was the fault of the DEI, or maybe Biden or Buttigieg, so why not throw in Obama? 47 was fortunate that Mr. Jimmy Carter recently passed; it would be gauche also to blame him for the aviation disaster." I take a few deeper breaths and look toward Walkin'. It's harder to get upset with your companion when attempting to walk close to four miles per hour. A good workout sometimes means you may struggle with a normal conversation. I said, "Dude, I thought we wouldn't talk about politics. Once I hear something crazy about federal politics, especially early in this administration, it's my kryptonite, and I can't resist."


We kept walking, and he said, "I read a fascinating depiction of Trump and Trump voters: This is a reminder that no one can convince Trump voters to no longer support Trump better than Trump can." Walkin' thinks that you cannot logically persuade Trump voters to view the current president objectively (I certainly concur). They don't see the lack of compassion and empathy, clearly illustrated recently at his press conference where he blamed DEI and the Democrats for this disaster. Instead of consoling a nation or being the "consoler in chief," 47 was boisterous and immature by making this a political stunt. A little perspective: during the Clinton administration in 1996, a TWA Flight 800 crashed in New York; President Clinton asked every American not to jump to conclusions. Clinton stated, "It was time to pull together and work together." George W. Bush and Barrack Obama experienced aircraft disasters, too, during their administration, and the vibe they were after was to not jump to conclusions and let's learn from the incident moving forward. Indeed, each of our former presidents felt it was not the time to blame, but let's console one another and learn from this tragedy.  


Law and Order

After digesting what he said, I replied, “Over ten years ago, it was decided that the FAA administrator’s term would be five years. Because aviation safety was so critical, the intention was that the administrator’s term should be above politics. Because he was appointed during the last year of the Biden administration, the idea was that his tenure would continue for another four years with a new administration. However, Michael Whitaker took office only about one year ago but was removed on Inauguration Day." In lieu of the last two weeks, it appears politics and power are more important to 47 than safety.


I wonder when Trump will bypass Congress (because he can't and will not do the heavy lifting) and enact a policy that personally harms his base that might awaken some of his followers. There's a strong chance that this will happen, who knows when, but 47, at some point, will make a rash decision that will directly hurt his core followers. But of course, as we see today, no rational thought will change their minds, and only one individual can damage the support he has with MAGA.


Walkin' stops walking and starts to run. Walkin' knows perfectly well that my lower extremities can't take that kind of abuse, but I soldier on. The topic switches to immigration and ICE raids, which are some of the key issues confronting this administration during the first few weeks. But first, we need to address the fact that Trump pardoned those 1,600 individuals who breached the capital on January 6.


I asked, "Did you hear what Thomas Homan (border czar and former American law enforcement officer) recently said about illegal aliens? He said there are consequences for entering the country illegally. If we don't show consequences, you'll never fix the border problem." I find his statement hypocritical; he's well aware that Trump pardoned all those 1,600 individuals who were prosecuted for entering and damaging the capital. Does this "stable genius" think that through this pardon that the country will forget about his actions and the actions of those who felt the election was stolen? So, after the pardon, Trump enabled these individuals to avoid suffering the consequences of their actions, unlike what he and Homan say about illegal aliens. Let's not forget that even though the 47 administration preaches "law and order," their leader doesn't appear to have suffered any consequences for his federal felony convictions. How will we be a fair country striving for "law and order" when it's arbitrarily enforced? Will this administration implement merely laws and statutes against people or groups that they don't like or have a different skin color? For objective observers, this current trend is very worrisome.


Walkin' Willie stops his run to catch his breath and states, "One thing that's not typically discussed about the attack on our Capitol is that more than several individuals who breached our hall of legislation are in law enforcement. In addition, some in law enforcement throughout our country covertly support the Proud Boys. Just think, you have an interaction with law enforcement, and you don't know if they secretly support such a radical and misinformed group."


Law and Order

As we're finishing our five-mile hike, I'm still frustrated by the current administration just enforcing illegals coming across the border. I continue, "If this administration is so keen on illegal immigration, then why reform the immigration system? According to multiple reports, most illegals stay in this country after their visa expires, not through crossing the southern border." Instead of grandstanding, why not work hard to create a fair and equitable immigration system that benefits both parties? Why not make a system that creates a path for citizenship with skilled and unskilled labor? Most demographers know that as our country ages, we need more citizens to help support Medicare and Social Security. Another thing that irks me about the roundup done by ICE is that they're only going after low-hanging fruit; why not arrest hog or cattle farmers who hire illegals? Or other businesses that increase profits by paying lower wages to these individuals (who they know are illegally here)? Could agri-businesses and other companies be exempt from prosecution because most camp out in the right wing of politics? So much for the "law and order" party!


Walkin' Willie stops his jog, slowly walks, and states, "I never thought about that; you may have a good point. Do you think this argument about not just enforcing border protection but fixing our immigration system will appear on Fox News soon?" He has that sarcastic smirk, and I know that's certainly not plausible to occur on this ring-wing network because making money is more important than telling the truth. We Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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About Me
Kevin Schwarm in Montreal
Kevin Schwarm
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Kevin Schwarm

I'm a photographer, observer, writer, traveler with a free spirit perspective on life, travel, work, customer service & the print medium. 

 

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