CHILDREN WALKING TO AMERICA

My people immigrated from Italy at the turn of the century. Not the most recent turn. The one before. The year 1900.

They traveled by boat. Steerage class. The lowest deck of the ship, the bottom of the boat. It was a  cheap ticket. Conditions were poor. People crowded into one huge room. No separate quarters for women. No privacy. Packed like cattle.

They yearned to be free and the opportunity to better themselves.

The Statue of Liberty welcomed them as they entered New York harbor. The giant of a woman with a special poem emblazoned on her structure.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Another wave of immigrants is arriving. Almost 50,000 have arrived already this year. By year's end, it is anticipated the figure will be 90,000.

Not by ship or boat. Not by car, train or plane. They are making the trip on foot. 

They are children. Unaccompanied minors. No Pied Piper. They lead themselves. Their ages a bit confusing. No question they are minors. Initially, the average age was reported as 10-12. As low as 4. More recent reports indicate 15-17. Pictures on the internet suggest 10-12 as being the most accurate. Babies also appear in the pictures. In the laps of older children.

Their trip started from one of three Latin American countries. El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. They made their way into Mexico. Somehow got over the waters of the Rio Grande and into Texas. They crossed the Rio Grande in rubber boats or holding onto something that would float.

The story they tell about leaving their home countries is the same. To escape gang violence. Apparently the violence is pronounced. It is everywhere, including schools and neighborhoods. One of the teenagers when asked why she made  such a difficult trip answered, "Do I face possible death in immigrating or sure death in staying?"

An example of a country where violence is occurring is Honduras. The homicide rate has tripled in the last 10 years. The homicide rate is the highest in the world for a country not at war.

Texas could not handle the influx of just under 50,000 children in six months. The U.S. government decided to transfer some of the children to Nogales, Arizona. Some 700 to 1,000.

Nogales was chosen not to aggravate Arizonians who had suffered from a large foreign influx in the past 10 years. Immigration is presently down in Arizona. The manpower, facilities and technology however remain in place to assist in caring for these children. More will be sent to Ventura, California, San Antonio, Texas, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma where proper facilities either await or are being swiftly erected.

Texas was immediately overwhelmed. Not enough showers, for example. Four more were immediately added and by the time you read this an additional sixty will have been. For most of the girls, it was to be their first shower in 10 days.

Food is a problem. The kids could not eat the food first offered. Their stomachs were not accustomed to it. They experienced Montezuma's revenge.

The children are being vaccinated. Each given a medical examination. Professionals have been brought in to provide counseling and recreational activities.

Why are the children all of a sudden making the trip to the United States? They have been told in their home countries and by relatives in the United States that as children they will receive amnesty. They believe Obama has made it possible. They come looking for the better life and believing they will be able to remain.

Most have families already living in the United States. Eighty five percent of them. The other fifteen percent carry notes from relatives in their home countries asking U.S. officials to take pity and let them in.

The immigration laws are too complicated for me to get into. There is some merit to what the children and/or their relatives claim. Most however appears not to be correct.

Arizona is behaving in typical fashion. They are not pleased with the children being flown in from Texas. Governor Brewer and a local county attorney threaten the U.S. with criminal charges.

Huge numbers of people moving from one country to another to escape violence is common place throughout the world. It had to happen at some point to the United States. We got it with an extra grain of salt. Children.

The eyes of the world are upon us. Can we care for the children? Will we care for the children? Will we be the humanitarian nation everyone thinks us to be? Will we be the humanitarian nation we think we are?

It is our moment in the sun. I hope we do not screw up. For the sake of the children and for ourselves.

MUSLIMS TAKING OVER SWEDEN

Sweden is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe. Its capital and largest city is Stockholm. Until recent years, Sweden was considered one of the best run governments in the world. Not any longer. Muslim immigration in recent years has dramatically altered the Sweden of yesterday.

Sweden has always opened its doors to everyone. Especially the oppressed. It is the nature of the Swedish people.

An example is how Sweden handled a Jewish problem during World War II. Sweden remained neutral during the war. Befriended both sides, however. The Allies got air bases on Sweden soil. The Germans were able to use Swedish railroad lines.

Sweden's neighbor Denmark was occupied by the Germans. Eight thousand Jews were rounded up to be sent to concentration camps. Sweden worked things out so the 8,000 were permitted to enter Sweden and the safety it provided. So too with Norwegian Jews.

In addition to rescuing the Jews, Sweden has had a long history of tolerance and respect for the rights of others. Its borders have always been open. Everyone welcome. Sweden considered itself a utopia of multi-culturalism. Immigrants knew they were welcome.

Immigration began getting out of hand in 2004, however. And has continued to this day. Muslims in droves immigrated to Sweden from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. Well in excess of a half million. There were and are not enough jobs for the Muslim immigrants. 

The Muslims believe there are a sufficient number of them to demand social changes. They want what they want. Changes that fit into their life style. Streets riots have become common place. Motivated by what the Muslims view as a growing inequality.

People who immigrate to a new country normally take up the life style and ways of that country. Not the Muslims. Not in Sweden or any where else. They protest and fight for the ways of the old country they left. 

Muslims for example want to be governed by their own law. Sharia law. Criminally and civilly. The kind that stones a person to death or cuts off a person's head, condones the rape of women. This is a problem in other countries as well that are experiencing an influx of Muslims. Today's democracies are their own worst enemies. They try to accommodate themselves to everyone. An impossible task.

Under the guise of religious freedom, the Muslim population received permission to erect their first mosque. Today there is a mosque called Fittja in Stockholm. Every Friday for 3-5 minutes, the bells ring calling the faithful to prayer.

Swedish Jews are under attack by the new Muslim population. The Quaran, imams, and mosques all preach the Jew is evil and against Allah. The Muslims are upset that the Swedish government is not addressing what they perceive a problem.

Again, there is no assimilation. The Muslims do not desire it. They do want to increase their numbers, however. They recruit from jails and street gangs.

Food is involved. Muslims want halah food. Food cleansed by Islamic standards. They are getting it in Sweden. The path to the food desired was a simple one.

First, Muslims secure jobs where foodstuffs are prepared. When their working numbers become a force to be reckoned with, they pressure supermarkets to feature halah on their shelves. The pressure comes by way of threats, protests and the like.

Any non Islamic action offends Islam. Leading to threats and protests.

The United States is not he only nation whose flag is burned in Middle East. Swedish flags are also.

The Muslims insist that Sweden provide them with government enforcement of Muslim blasphemy laws. The want any criticism or insult to Islam to be punished under Sharia law.

Rape is big on the agenda. There is no respect for women. Stockholm is now regarded as the rape capital of the world. Quite a distinction. Sweden has the second highest number of rapes occurring world wide. It is projected that 1 out of 4 Swedish women will be raped. Seventy seven percent of the rape cases have Muslim immigrant  involvement. The major increase in rapes parallels the major increase in Muslim immigration.

Sweden is not an American style melting pot. The Muslim immigrants practice their own medieval values.

Some believe Sweden is on its way to becoming a third world country. I do not believe so. The thought is too far out. Much afield. However, things are bad in Sweden. Recently bad which makes the situation all the more scary.

What is happening in Sweden is occurring in most other European nations. The Islamic goal is to control the world. All nations need to have a greater awareness when it comes to immigration. Yes, immigration is a problem. It takes different forms and peoples. Think how it impacts our national and state governments.

Immigration becomes a balancing act. We want our doors open to everyone. The give me your oppressed thing. On the other hand, we do not want our basic American values trodden upon. Vigilance is the key.