Southern border farmers fear for safety

Southern border farmers are afraid of being overwhelmed. The wide-open southern border of the United States has been a political hot potato for some time. Ag reporters found out how serious the problem is during a press conference called by the American Farm Bureau. Zippy Duvall, the organization’s president, took a tour of farms along the southern border and was appalled at what he saw there.

southern border
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall toured the southern border of the U.S., where farmers fear for their safety. (Photo from fb.org)

The tour came about because the American Farm Bureau got alerted by some of their state Farm Bureau organizations that sit on the border, including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, about the challenges farmers are facing. They wrote to the national headquarters asking for help because the situation is quickly getting out of control.

“A couple of months ago, the state Farm Bureaus reached out to me expressing the need for some help with the issues they’re facing along the border,” Duvall said during a recent press conference. “Because of that, we put together a letter to President Biden about our concerns.”

It shows how seriously Farm Bureau is taking the problem when all 50 state Farm Bureaus and the Puerto Rican Farm Bureau quickly signed on to the letter. The letter resulted in a phone call between the Farm Bureau state presidents and representatives from the administration to talk about the problems.

Once that phone call ended, Duvall decided the next step was to get a look at what was happening there. He’s always enjoyed getting out at the grassroots level and hear what’s happening on the nation’s farms. Duvall says emphatically that he’s “seen how serious the situation is for American farmers” along the border, calling it heartbreaking.

“Of course, they’ve experienced people coming across our border for decades,” he said. “But it’s never been at the level we see today. Our farmers and ranchers are worried about their safety, as well as the safety of their families and employees. They’re worried about the security of their property, including their farm machinery and equipment.”

Several farmers along the border have had their homes looted, their fences torn down numerous times, which costs a lot of money to fix, and their water sources have been tampered with and compromised. He says it’s a humanitarian crisis that needs attention immediately.

“The serious problem isn’t just affecting the lives of our farmers and ranchers: it’s also hurting many people coming across the border,” Duvall said. “We’ve heard discussions about farmers and ranchers who found dead bodies on their operations. Not everyone who comes over the border survives the journey.

“It’s been heartbreaking to see and experience everything over the last couple of days,” Duvall added.

Duvall went through Texas with Russell Boening, the Texas State President. As a farmer living in a state along the southern border, Boening said they’ve never seen an influx of people like they’re seeing in 2021.

Russell Boening, Texas Farm Bureau President, says officials along the southern border fear being overwhelmed by the influx of immigrants. (Photo from flickr.com)

“We went through McAllen, which is down in the Valley of Texas, and then we went upriver to Del Rio,” Boening said. “Those are two different areas facing different issues because of the same problem.

“The vast majority of people coming into McAllen include family units, unaccompanied minors, all of whom are turning themselves in to Border Patrol Agents and other authorities,” he said. “The number is overwhelming the capability of the Border Patrol to process and keep track of them to service their basic needs. And what do you do when these folks come in with COVID?”

Boening said the local NGOs are trying to set up places for people who have COVID to stay. The problem is they don’t have to stay at those places. They are “encouraged” to stay, but they aren’t required to. Multiple people are carrying COVID into the country unabated.

The situation is a little different in Del Rio, Texas. Some people are coming in seeking asylum. However, many of them are trying not to get caught. Those folks are sneaking through people’s property, including many farms and ranches.

“It’s a different demographic of people coming through the Del Rio area,” Boening said. “They’re in larger numbers and much more aggressive, often carrying backpacks and wearing camouflage.

“There’s the humanitarian issue of some folks who don’t make it where they’re trying to go,” he added. “They often run out of water, or the energy needed to finish the journey. Sometimes they’re found alive, but many times they aren’t.”

The Sheriff in Hidalgo County, where McAllen is located, put it simply: “This is not sustainable.”

Boening says there’s a sense of fear, desperation, and helplessness among the officials trying to deal with the situation along the border.

Craig Ogden, President of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, also says there’s a sense of desperation in New Mexico. Law enforcement officials, including the Border Patrol, are in desperate need of resources.

New Mexico Farm Bureau President Craig Ogden says Border Patrol officials are overwhelmed and afraid of being overwhelmed by immigration. (photo usnews.com)

“Technology is available to put out sensors along the border, but they need funds to make those purchases,” Ogden said. “They need a lot of resources, and you can feel the frustration of these people just trying to do their jobs.

“This is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed and can’t be kicked down the road anymore,” he added. “Don’t forget this is also a biosecurity concern, including diseases carried by people entering the country and that can go back and forth among humans and livestock.”

So, what is Farm Bureau’s message? Duvall said it’s time for Washington, D.C., to start securing the nation’s border.

“That’s what my message is to Congress and the administration,” Duvall said. “It’s time to uphold the laws of the land. It’s close to getting out of hand.”

Communism in America – Honest Talk

Communism is an interesting topic that middle-aged people like me haven’t given much thought to since the era of the Cold War. Are you old enough to remember the days of students diving under their desks during safety drills? Evidently, we should have been paying a little more attention to Communism, because it never really went away. It’s here in the western hemisphere. Don’t believe me?

I came across an interesting document that first showed up in front of Congress back in the early 1960s. More specifically, on January 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong Jr., of Florida, read the list of 45 Declared Goals for the Communist Takeover of America into the Congressional Record. The purpose was to give his colleagues, as well as the American population, some insight into Communism and their liberal elite ideas and strategies for America that sound ridiculously familiar. They’re happening right in front of our collective faces.

Communism
Did you know there’s a thriving and active Communist Party in the USA? Did
you know their vision for America includes Socialism? They’re alive and well and fighting to overthrow the free market. (Photo from CPUSA. org)

The list itself was first attributed to Cleon Skousen, a researcher who authored “The Naked Communist.”  You really should be shocked at how these have played out in front of us. Some of those 45 steps to Communism have been outdated through the course of history. However, many of them are in play today.

  • Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not the items could be used for war. We already buy a lot of goods from communist China. There’s also a push from free markets and the European Union to further globalize buying and selling.
  • Here’s a good one; promote the United Nations as the only hope for mankind. If the charter is ever rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government, complete with its very own military (which it already has). Capture one or both political parties in the United States. They’ve infiltrated the Democratic Party, one that I used to be a member of. If you don’t agree that the Democrats have been taken over, you haven’t been paying attention. As the “Social Justice Warrior Democrats” are pushing for full-bore socialism, this seems to be an ongoing effort. And the “conservatives in Congress don’t seem to feel the need to put a stop to any of it, do they?
  • Get control of the schools. Use them to promote socialism, soften the curriculum (ever heard the term ‘dumbing down?’), and get control of teachers’ unions. Do you honestly think it’s a coincidence that more and more U.S. college students favor socialism?
  • Infiltrate the press. Do you think it’s a coincidence that liberal politics gets a lot more positive press than conservative politics?
  • Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and the movies. Is it a coincidence that “Hellywood” is pretty much liberal across the board? Doesn’t appear to be.
  • Present homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity as “normal, natural, and healthy.” Do you see the stuff on TV these days? That would have NEVER been allowed just two decades ago.
  • Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for “intellectual maturity.” Ever heard the phrase “religion is a crutch?” That’s where it comes from.
  • Discredit the Constitution as something inadequate, old-fashioned, and out of step with “modern needs.”

Are you depressed yet? I sure am. You’ll like this one if you live in Minneapolis.

  • Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. “Defund the police,” anyone? Oh, and make sure to treat all behavioral problems as “psychiatric disorders,” which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.
  • Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
  • Emphasize the need to raise children away from the “negative influence” of their parents. “It takes a village,” anyone?

How about this one, given all the nonsense we’ve seen during the past four months.

  • Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use “united force” to solve economic, political, or social problems. Hello… Do Antifa and BLM come to mind? The REAL BLM is a group of “trained Marxists,” according to their co-founder, Patrice Cullors. That’s communism in a nutshell.

As you read these bullet points, do you feel your gut tightening?

Speaking of the liberal elite, it’s long past time to stop voting for the same old people every time we have an election. We have politicians on both sides of the fence who’ve been in Congress since Kennedy was president. Those same people are just NOW going to solve the country’s problems and get us back on track? If they haven’t done so by now, it’s probably time to retire them?

Communism
Do you really believe these folks who’ve been in government for so long are actually going to FIX the problems we have in the USA? If they haven’t done it by now, it seems logical to think the chances aren’t good that it will ever happen? Time to vote for new people who aren’t bat crap crazy. (Photo from sun-sentinel.com)

And you, my fellow Christians, take heart. This is Revelations playing out in front of us. We win in the end. The Rapture is coming. I can’t wait. If you haven’t made a real commitment to Jesus, now is the time.

Honest talk from a non-Trump voter

Honest talk can get you in so much trouble these days, primarily because no one wants to hear it. I bet you knew right away I was referring to politics, right?

Politics is not my choice of prime topics to write about these days. It’s positively exhausting and you’re going to get a guaranteed argument just because you dared to criticize someone from the same political party as any potential reader that comes across your site. However, sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me. After all, you know what curiosity did to the cat, right?

Honest talk
We have an awful lot of people who’ve spent decades working here. Based on the last several decades, does their body of work say they’re working for the people who elected them or for their own appetites? Let’s try a little honest talk and say no. So why do we keep voting for them over and over? (Photo from ncoa.org)

I didn’t vote for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the last election. My attitude toward both political parties is less-than-trusting. I voted for the third-party candidate because I thought he was the most qualified, even though I knew he’d never win. Was that wasting my vote? Depends on who you ask, I guess. However, I held my head high leaving the polling location because I voted my conscience.

I wish more people would vote for the best candidates, rather than just check the “R” or “D” boxes behind each candidate’s name, regardless of the position they’re running for. Minnesota is awful at that. Go back in history to find out how long Democrats have had primary control of state government. It’s longer than you think.

But I digress. That’s not my main point here.

As a non-Trump voter, I’ve been marveling over the past four years at the level of hate for the guy, simply because he’s not a member of the political elite. I’m not a big fan of his, primarily because of the way he’s handled U.S. agriculture, which is something near and dear to my heart, over the past four years. However, when you look at American politics these days, something is standing out as a bigger problem than the guy in the Oval Office.

Democrats (and more than a few Republicans) will list off all the reasons the U.S. is in trouble because of the current president, and frankly, there are some things I’ll agree with. However, my question is how much trouble can one guy be when he’s been in office for four years compared to people who’ve been in power for multiple decades? Well, that got me wondering about the shysters who’ve been in Congress for a long time and how they can call Trump our biggest problem?

According to The Stacker Dot Com website (all of these numbers are from late last year, so you do the math from there), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been in the Senate for almost 35 YEARS. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been in the House for just over 32 YEARS! Dianne Feinstein of California (boy, she appears to be quite honest and upfront, doesn’t she?) has been in office for just shy of 27 years. Heck, the 49th-longest-tenured member of Congress is David Price, who represents North Carolina, and he’s been in office “only” 23 years.

Even more insane is the fact that the longest-tenured member of Congress is Republican Don Young. He’s been in office for almost HALF-A-CENTURY at 48 years. Republican Pat Leahy of Vermont has been in office 45 years!

Are we just lazy? That’s not a rhetorical question, either. I’m looking for an answer because people can’t seem to grasp the fallacy of sending the same people over and over into government. Have you ever heard the cliché “absolute power corrupts absolutely?” It’s a cliché for a reason. It’s true. More honest talk here; You cannot look at Washington, D.C. today and not see the corruption on BOTH sides of the aisle.

But I digress, again. My question is this; How on Earth can Trump be our biggest problem when these morons have been in office for DECADES and had a chance to show real leadership and fix at least SOME of the problems we are dealing with now? Do you honestly think that they’re going to fix our problems NOW, as opposed to decades ago when they took office? Why is right now any different from the last 20, 30, or even 40 years?

Surely you can see the dangers inherent in keeping the same people in power for long periods of time, right? Eventually, those people begin to expect it. If they don’t have to worry about being elected because we keep sending them to DC, do they REALLY work for us anymore?

Maybe we need to send some of these people who’ve spent all this time in Congress packing. Is it even remotely possible that when they’re yelling about Trump to the mainstream “media,” they’re trying to distract you from something else they don’t want you to know about? That’s a rhetorical question because it’s exactly what they’re doing.

These long-time “leaders” have had their shot. Politicians have been padding their pockets and sowing division in this country for decades. They throw money at problems instead of trying to actually do some good. Here’s some really honest talk; It’s past time for some new ideas and new blood.  

Small town, big city thoughts

Small-town thoughts from the big city:

I’m from a town of less than a thousand and currently living in a city of almost 3.3 million people, so I’m naturally out of my comfort zone. However, it is getting easier. There’s sure a lot more to do here but why does it always have to be so expensive here in the big city? I work from home and have lots of time to read and think about things. I don’t share my inner thoughts easily with people I don’t know, but I’m already way out of my comfort zone here, so let’s give blogging a try.

I really don’t care that Nike has hired Colin Kaepernick. I just don’t. I’m physically and emotionally exhausted by the great American Flag/National Anthem debate. He’s got a God-given right to do what he believes is right, and more power to him. However, before the Kap supporters get too big for their britches, other people have a similar God-given right to not support it. That’s what true freedom of speech is. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean either side is wrong. We’re all allowed to have different opinions.

That leads me to another point. Are you as exhausted as I am by the division being sown daily in this country? The United States aren’t quite as “United” as they used to be. Our political “leaders” are doing a great job of stirring up dissension in the country and then doing an equally great job of promising to “fix” it. We keep believing the promises and keep electing the same morons, over and over, expecting different results. How does that make sense? And, it’s not one side of the political aisle or the other. It’s both.

We’ve left two political parties in power for far too long. It’s time for new leadership and new blood in D.C. We have to start paying attention to the candidates running for office and the promises they make.

Please Minnesota, do some research on our state candidates. For example, don’t vote for Keith Ellison to be the state’s attorney general. The man’s law license is inactive. Maybe you should ask him why? Plus, he’s got domestic assault allegations to answer for. I cannot believe that his party is so quick to attack the president for the way he views women (which itself isn’t acceptable) but actually come out in support of someone with domestic issues of his own?

Oh, and before you get huffy and go on the attack, I didn’t vote for Trump. Didn’t vote for Clinton either. Voted for Gary Johnson, who I honestly thought was the best choice for the office. That’s all I’m hoping we do in Minnesota. Vote for the best possible candidate for each office. Is that too much to ask? Don’t vote for someone just because the media tells you too, either. Do your own research and make an informed choice, no matter who you choose.

Maple Grove is quite a place. I’ll never forget one of the first days here when I took the dog for a walk. No less than three neighbors actually waved to me as I walked by. That hasn’t happened since I lived in South Dakota, where everybody knows everyone else. I’m in the middle of a big city and a major metro area and people were waving at me? Was really caught by surprise.

My dog, Jazz, is a greyhound. A black one. She’s absolutely beautiful to look at. And absolutely lazy.

That is all for now.