The Right State

Who would have believed it; the Democrats are using the high gas prices for their political advantage.  Okay, so I do believe it, but blaming the Republicans for the OPEC controlled production quotas is pretty calloused.  The Democrats poor in ideas but rich in affixing  blame, but then again, affixing blame is what they are good at.  I am justsurprised that the New York Times would admit that fact.

Winning elections is everything.  So why not blame the party in power for all of the nation’s ills.  The Dems don’t have any solution to the high prices except to denounce George Bush and Halliburton for the nation’s problems.

Daniel Yankelovich, chairman of Public Agenda, said the survey found that 90 percent of Americans viewed the lack of energy independence as a risk to security, that 88 percent said problems abroad were endangering supplies and increasing prices and that 85 percent believed that the federal government could do something if it tried.

The Democrats did nothing even with eight years under the stewardship of Bill Clinton.  And now after all these years, the Dems have a solution, get rid of the Republicans.

Mr. Yankelovich continued with his analysis:

“If Democrats can make an explicit connection that Senator So-and-so could have done more but didn’t, the message will resonate among voters,” he said. “This has really become a hot-button issue.”

Again, winning is everything.  It doesn’t matter that the Republicans can not control the production limits of OPEC.  It doesn’t matter that it was the Democrats who blocked oil drilling in ANWR.  It doesn’t matter that the Dems did nothing about an energy policy in eight years of Clinton and blocked five years of energy policy under George Bush.  What matters is winning.  To them, the ends justifies the means.

Tags: Culture, Politics by Chuck
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My daughter tells me that I have been negligent in discussing the role of history in the ‘Reconquista’ movement and why the people pushing this agenda are so disingenuous.  The reconquistas want to reclaim Texas and the western part of the US because the area once belonged to Mexico.  Time for a history lesson.

First, the United States did not take Texas from Mexico.  The Mexican government encouraged people from all over to populate the sparsely populated area of what is now Texas.  The agreement between Moses Austin, and then later Stephen F. Austin, gave the settlers the same rights as Mexicans under the Mexican Constitution of 1824.  Santa Anna revoked these rights when he was successful in leading a coup against the elected government.  When the settlers complained, they were arrested and thrown in for up to a year or more with their grievances unanswered.

Having put up with enough, Texas finally declared their independence from Mexico in 1835.  Interestingly the flag flying over the Alamo when it fell is believed to be the Mexican flag with the eagle cut out with the number 1824 sown in showing they only wanted Santa Anna to recognize the Constitution of 1824.  The Texans defeated the Napoleon of the West at the Battle of San Jacinto.  For the next ten years, Texas was an independent country before becoming a state of the United States by treaty in 1845.

Texas was not taken from Mexico but won their independence like almost every other country in the rest of the Americas.

Not convinced?  Secondly, after Texas became a state Mexico attacked the United States in 1850.  Once again Santa Anna was defeated, this time by the US.  As a result of having lost their war, the United States required Mexico to pay reparations as was common practice before the 1900s.  So the US acquired the western part of the country.  Remember, Mexico attacked the United States.

Still not enough?  Third, consider the fact that Mexico was once part of the Spanish empire before declaring their independence in 1810.  Under the ‘reconquista’ idea, wouldn’t Mexico have to give up their country to Spain?  Maybe Spain needs to be demonstrating against Mexico.

Still not convinced?  Fourth, how about the fact that the Spanish, under Hernan Cortez, conquered the Aztec Empire.  Mexico City now sits where the Aztec capitol, Tenochtitlan, once stood.  Under the ‘reconquista’ idea, would Mexico have to return all of their land back to the Indians?   Maybe the Indians need to be demonstrating against Mexico to get their land back.

Looks to me like the Reconquistas are engaging in selective amnesia.  Only consider, once you start down the path of ‘this land was once ours’ then where do you stop?  The reconquistas should learn the history before embarking on any misadventures.  The land has always belonged to someone else.

More than likely, the reasons the reconquistas are giving for wanting to reconquer the western part of the US are just a rallying cry for their followers.  They are trying to give themselves an air of legitimacy when in fact, they have none.

Tags: Immigration by Chuck
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