I Miss Americanism
Jim Croft
News Coverage has been frustrating for me the past several weeks. There's a lot of discussion about US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl. He purposely walked off of his Afghanistan post in 2009 and had an intentional stay with the Taliban for 5 years. He was brought back into US hands by a prisoner exchange for 5 of the most dangerous Islamic Jihad combatants captured during the WOT. The WH is defining Bergdahl’s Army career as distinguished and honorable. They describe the POW exchange as a fulfillment of US policy not to leave a man behind.
In contrast, there is the case of a US Marine named Andrew Tahmooressi. He volunteered for 2 honorably fulfilled tours of duty in Afghanistan and returned home with PTSD. Nearly 2 months ago he was driving near the Tijuana, MX border and accidently crossed into MX. He got confused and did not see the directive sign about how to make a u-turn back into the USA without the necessity of an official manned border crossing.
Tahmooressi voluntarily told the MX border guards that he had personal weapons in his car. He was hauled off to a MX prison where he has been chained to a bed, beaten and threatened with sodomistic rape. This has been happening in a country that is supposedly a friend of the USA that has thousands of its citizens who travel daily into the US for work and return home each evening. Our State Dept claims that it is best to let the legal process work in MX without US governmental intervention.
This claim is made when we have a sitting President who brags that if Congress does not act on the legislation that he wants passed that he has the power of the pen and phone to bypass them. What could possibly prevent our President and/or the Secretary of State from picking up the phone and making a strategic call to end the insults to Tahmooressi’s dignity and to that of our nation? I think I have the answer to that question.
There is nothing within this present administration that resonates with classic Americanism. Space does not permit the listing of all examples of what comprises Americanism. But, I will attempt to convey its tone and gist.
OK, Emperor of Japan; you bomb our Hawaiian naval port without provocation 12/7/41? We’ll rebuild our navy in short order and bring the battle to you. Then we’ll invent bombs with unprecedented power that will have destructive blasts that will inflict collateral damage so devastating that you’ll lose all heart to ever instigate another war.
Germany is aggressive for the second time in 50 years and begins to gobble up the nations of our European allies in 1939. Eisenhower helps plan and execute the D-Day invasion of Normandy on the Western coast of France 6/6/44. General George Patton vows that his first act after conquering all territory eastward to Germany’s Rhine River will be to piss in it. That he did, and my father joined him
.
President Reagan, in front of the entire world spoke about the Soviet’s Berlin Wall. He emphatically demanded: “Mr. Gorbachev open this gate; tear down this wall.” It happened and years of murderous oppression cased in numerous Communistic countries.
Give every American equal opportunity to exceed the socioeconomic class of their birth. Whether here or abroad, Americans always have and always will continue to freely donate billions of $s to relieve those traumatized by life situations that are beyond their control. Just don’t try to extract generosity from us through forced governmental wealth redistribution.
Our national doors are always open to those who come in by lawful entry like our ancestors. But, don’t override our proven method of immigration for the sake of securing the illegal votes of aliens who have not sworn allegiance to our flag and Constitution.
What is preventing our President, our Secretary of State from picking up the phone to have a brief word with the President of MX about the shameful treatment of Andrew Tahmooressi to demand his immediate release? The reason is that they don’t understand nor want to support traditional Americanism that might suggest that it’s possible to reap after like manner if hardheartedness has been sown.
“What was that Senior Mexican President? You say that Tahmooressi’s case must be fully investigated and go through your court system? Okeedokie, have it your way. From this point on, not a single Mexican citizen will be permitted into the USA for daily work or any other reason. All US banks and money wire services will cease sending funds to individuals and businesses within MX. I’m quite sure that the bonafide citizens of the USA will voluntarily comply with this policy until our warrior is back safely with his family in America.” What say you?
