Open A Series of Southern Ellis Islands

The other day I was watching a show concerning Ellis Island. Interesting history. Perhaps it is about time to consider something along those lines on our border with Mexico.

 It goes without saying that Mexico is to be considered a parasitic nation at best and perhaps an enemy of the U.S. at worst. Probably somewhere in between. It does indeed appear to be policy to encourage their most desperate (and therefore most dangerous) to "immigrate" north. They have only recently begun to pay more than lip service to combating the drug gangs that control large swaths of territory. We, in this country, do not need anymore of Mexico's "problems." Extreme poverty along with revolutionary and criminal elements are issues to be sorted out by Mexico. I don't want to hear the standard "if Americans did not consume drugs then the gangs would be irrelevant." While there may be truth to this it is still not the problem of the United States (at this point) to crush the insurrectionists.

With the "war" in Mexico just across the border (and spilling into our country), and the problems of illegal immigration becoming a major drain on the resources of our nation, it is high past time to close the border by maintaining a permanent military presence and opening "reception centers" to screen those who would be considered entry.


It is not "racist" to institute measures to protect a nation. Or perhaps it is....No matter. A nation must do what is in the best interest. Something our leaders have long forgotten.

1967 Lines? Interesting

Pre 1967 lines for the state of Israel? Will that be enough to "appease and pacify" the Mohammedans. Doubtful. I suppose if I were Netanyahu I would demand that the United States revert to pre 1846 lines. Wonder how President Obama would respond to that. Of course he might just apologize to Mexico and give away the farm. That would make the hate group La Raza happy. That is important you know.

A Snapshot of America

The other day I was visiting a Starbucks to get my tall(small) hot mocha with no whip. I am kinda an addict and really enjoy these drinks although I must say that all Starbucks are not created equal. There is an inconsistency there that is sometimes a bit bothersome. I like my mocha drink to be bitter and really get irritated if it ends up tasting like warm chocolate milk. There are other places that are a good deal more consistent. Dirk's Coffee shop on Montrose in Houston is pretty good as is Coffee Grounds(z) on Brazos. It is the coffee shop right behind the big Specs Liquor on Smith St., which is in itself another quite cool place to hang out. With wines, beer and liquor from all over the world it is an educational visit and a good place to kill time. At any rate, Coffee Grounds(z) is always good and the coffee is always fresh. They now have a full bar for the enjoyment of those so inclined. No you can't get a shot to go. This is Texas and not Louisiana after all. Pity. Coffee Grounds(z) tends to cater to the local yuppieish type crowd and there is always seems to be some weenie hanging around writing a novel. Dirk's caters more to the local hippy type crowd that is a reflection of the neighborhood. I love both places. Now, be that as it may, I visit Starbucks simply because they are convenient. There seems to be one on every corner. In Pearland, a southern suburb of Houston, there are three of them in the same shopping complex. No lie. One is a stand alone company store ( I assume), another is located in Target and on the other end of the block there is one located in the Randall's (Safeway) grocery. A bit of overkill if you ask me. The one I visited was in Sugarland, a suburb just to the SW of Houston proper. As I walked in I noticed that I was the only Honky there. There was a family in the corner talking in Spanish, another person obviously from Africa somewhere with tribal scars and the whole works, another person was talking in her cell phone in an Asian language, along with two women from India. There is a rather large Indian immigrant community nearby. Let me tell you something about bartending an Indian dominated event. There is a location called the Safari Ranch nearby that tends to cater to Indian weddings. I have bartended there quite a number of times and usually found it pretty profitable. Those people certainly throw a bash. The women all want to drink Margaritas it seems and it behooves the bartender to make a large batch. Otherwise the barman will be making individual Margaritas all night long. That my friend is a pain in the ass if you are busy. The men tend to drink Scotch Whiskey. I actually had a man order Scotch and Dr. Pepper with three olives. That is perhaps the strangest drink I ever made. But I digress. As I was getting my drink at Starbucks it occurred to me that this was a slice of America. That is one of the few things I really like about the Houston area. There are people from all over the world here and that translates into some damn good eating. The restaurants here are second to none. I have eaten Cuban, Vietnamese, authentic Thai, Brazilian, Sonoran, TexMex, Spanish, Italian (the real deal), BBQ that melts in your mouth, "Soul" food, Lebanese, Indian, etc. I have not tried the Ethiopian (yes there is one)place on Richmond but may do so someday. With such diversity in the area, ever day is Christmas for a real "foodie." This is a good thing.
Now how does this openness to other cultures "fit in" with someone like myself who believes in the rule of law? Or to be more plain, a person that believes in severe restrictions on immigration. There is no conflict. To me people are welcome to come to this great land in search of the American dream as long as they go through the proper channels and come here legally with the preferable intent on becoming citizens of this land. I do not care (for the most part) what a person's country of origin is. However, this is a sovereign nation and we in this nation can certainly say who comes in and who does not. That type of thinking automatically creates cries of "racism" Imperialism, etc etc from those in the "race business." Our most glaring problem is an invasion from an unfriendly nation just to the south and anyone advocating closing that border is accused of being a racist. Nothing is further from the truth in my case. I say let those from Mexico (and other nations) come in as long as it is done legally. Those that attempt to cross the border without going through the proper channels will be turned back by any humane means necessary. Those that are already here illegally, when discovered, are to be deported expeditiously.
A very easy fix to the problem would be to militarize and close the southern border. Problem solved. That is not racist. If you think it be so, then you are a dolt. It is a common sense approach to the defense of the nation.
Now with that being said I must admit that I would prefer a severe restriction on those that are followers of the Prophet, no matter the country of origin. I fully understand that this is prejudicial and plead guilty to this with no apologies. To me this is nothing more than common sense and again a prudent strategy of defense. Islamaphobic (is that a word?) you may say. Damn right is my reply. For good reason.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Boycott the Products of Mexico

I have recently decided to avoid knowingly buying products made in Mexico. This should not be too hard for me as there are really very few small ticket products from there that are worth buying anyway. There are exceptions of course. Jarritos Tamarind flavored soda is very good and I used to buy this quite frequently. The other Jarritos flavors that I have tried are just a bit too sweet for me. I guess I can live without Jarritos Tamarind. Now the other day I did violate my self imposed boycott with the purchase of a Bohemia beer. This was recommended by Gary Fouse of the excellent blog Fousequawk. Check him out on garyfouse.blogspot.com. At any rate, he was correct and Bohemia is an excellent beer but I can certainly live without it. The good beers of Mexico are "German" beers anyway. I can purchase similar products made in the USA, Germany, etc. Corona Beer and the various copycats are tasteless and for the most part not worth buying.

The other day I went to a major grocery retailer to purchase some squash. The sign above the vegetables noted that the squash was a "product of the USA or Mexico." I opted out of making a purchase. If the squash was grown in the United States, then I apologize to all involved in the growing, transport, etc. etc. process. There was just no way to tell if they were American grown.

There are a lot of big ticket items produced in Mexico that are shipped north. I will be investigating this and will attempt, time permitting, to come up with a list in the near future.

Oh, why have I decided not to buy Mexican products? If you require an explanation then you may be out of touch with the state of our nation.