With traditional values under siege, it often feels like we’re living in an inside out, upside down world, where right is wrong, and left is right, and those who speak up are shut down.
Friday Food for Thought offers readers news to chew on over the weekend.
Do you feel safe in our country, in our communities, in your home? If not, what will you do about it?
In August, writing about border crossings through July 2022, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) said, “July numbers bring the total of illegal aliens crossing our borders since President Biden took office to 4.9 million, including some 900,000 ‘gotaways’ who eluded apprehension and have since disappeared into American communities.”
To put that number into context, FAIR continued, “Roughly the equivalent of the entire population of Ireland has illegally entered the United States in the 18 months President Biden has been in office, with many being released into American communities.”
The numbers are staggering. And so is the financial impact. FAIR estimates it costs more than $160 billion annually to provide benefits and services to the illegal alien population.
And yet, in a recent NBC News interview, VP Kamala Harris insisted our southern border is secure. The problem is a broken immigration system, she said, laying responsibility at the feet of the Trump administration.
"The border is secure" – Kamala Harris
"It is not" – Anyone with eyes pic.twitter.com/ofeeiVkzjz
— Kevin Dalton (@KevinForBOS) September 12, 2022
Though Americans are told our border is closed, people in other countries are getting a different message. Earlier this week, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin captured video of migrants scaling the border wall. Wearing camouflage clothing, they used ropes to slide under coils of barbed wire.
EXCLUSIVE: In just a 45 minute span in Naco, AZ, our team saw over a dozen illegal immigrants dressed in camouflage use a rope to scale the border wall, then run into AZ. None were caught, making them “gotaways”. There have been over 500,000 gotaways so far this year. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/kV29qahnEY
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 13, 2022
Governors of non-sanctuary states are fed up. They’ve responded by sending migrants to locales that offer sanctuary to illegals by refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. In other words, non-sanctuary state governors are pushing sanctuary state governors to put their money where their mouths are.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent two busloads of migrants to the vice president’s Washington, D.C. residence. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent several dozen migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, a favorite vacation spot for America’s elite, including former President Obama and his family.
Sanctuary city mayors, coastal elites, and Democrats on Capitol Hill are losing their mind over a literal drop in the bucket compared to what border states are dealing with.
The American people are watching in disbelief.
— FAIR (@FAIRImmigration) September 15, 2022
DeSantis explained, “States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration.”
What’s the response? The Republican governors are accused of engaging in anti-Christian behavior. Hmm. What do you call falsely enticing people to leave their countries for a better life?
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, criminals continue to run amuck
From chips to cash machines to catalytic converters, criminals are working the streets 24/7. From our friends at Crime Watch we learned:
Early Tuesday morning, two youth were videotaped as they burglarized businesses located at 5600 Xerxes Avenue South and the 3500 block of Lyndale Avenue South. Bags of chips cascaded off shelves as a vehicle plowed through the glass storefronts.
Also on Tuesday morning, a 61-year-old woman who parked in an underground ramp in Arden Hills was accosted at gunpoint. The gunman forced her to drive to Minneapolis, where he made her withdraw money from an ATM, before fleeing.
Bloomington hotel parking lots are the latest hot spot for catalytic converter thefts. To learn more about what types of vehicles are targeted and what preventative measures to take, see here.
Food for thought. If your vehicle was stolen, what kind of information would the thieves discover? Your home address? Your name? Would your garage door opener lead thieves to commit a second crime? I’ve removed everything from my vehicle that could direct thieves to my home.
Carjacking, home invasion, catalytic conversion thefts … our society continues to devolve. We can’t be complacent. Check out Tuesday’s commentary about getting involved, as one group of concerned citizens did. They joined forces to make their voices heard. You can, too. Just 53 days until the election.
Caryn Sullivan
A retired attorney and author of the award-winning memoir, "Bitter or Better: Grappling With Life on the Op-Ed Page," Caryn Sullivan has inspired readers with her thoughtful commentary for the past two decades. To learn more about Caryn’s work or to connect, visit carynmsullivan.com
