Illegal Aliens are Protesting?
While it is arguable that illegal aliens can be convenient when it comes to harvesting crops or moving furniture or cutting grass, the irrefutable reality is that we as a community, a state, and a nation cannot afford the ever-increasing cost of that convenience. Indeed this great country was founded and built by immigrants; it was likewise founded on principles of inalienable rights protected by laws created to establish and maintain order and balance.

The current wave of legislative support for promoting [illegal] immigration is bewildering to me considering the overwhelming empirical data supporting the negative ramifications. Beginning with the unbearable and ever-increasing costs to public and social programs; as well as the catastrophic effect illegal aliens have on our collapsing education and healthcare systems – lettuce is cheaper, but our children cannot read.

Next is the mythical concept that there are jobs Americans won’t do. The reality is that there are jobs Americans won’t do for the low wages that illegal aliens are willing accept. Likewise, there are few, if any, legal immigrants who will accept illegal alien wages. Thus, it is unfathomable to me that any legislator in the United States would advocate the creation of a subservient worker class at the expense of a willing and able-bodied American work force.

Finally, the cost to the United States (read: the citizens who abide by the law) extends far deeper than pure economics; the economic demise of America is a foregone conclusion. Rather, the greatest expense of promoting an illegal alien invasion under the guise of a “guest worker program” will be the evaporation of the American spirit, the morale of a once great nation crumbling under the weight of its own laziness and greed.

The fate of America and the ideals for which it stands are now at a critical and explosive crossroads. Popularity breeds contempt; now is the time for courageous and foresighted leadership; now is the time for politicians to protect and defend the citizens who have entrusted them with their lives and their livelihoods.
- posted by David Givot @ 1:28 PM 1 comments

 
Voice of America, Eyes of the World
Originally Written: May 2004

The incessant reporting by the mainstream [American] media of the war in Iraq; identifying it as a calamity, a farce, the wrong war, etc… contributes to an unsafe America and stuns me more every day; as does the never-ending saga of the “abused” Iraqi prisoners (abused maybe, but they all have their heads) Worse yet, it contributes to the hating of America and that is something that makes me more sick than sad.

Our citizens, our friends, our families are losing their lives (all over the world) to save and protect those who wish us dead. My tax dollars feed, medicate, and clothe the same hungry Iraqis (and countless others) who are cursing our name in the streets of Baghdad, Falujah, and beyond.

While I would be happier if the United States simply left the entire region and took all of our resources with us - and let [them] hate us while they starve to death in those very same streets - that will not happen. As such, while our troops and citizens are brutally dying for that "higher cause", a fight for which we are all paying a very heavy price, a little humiliation of Iraqi prisoners is livable.

Should those prisoners have been treated as they were; perhaps, perhaps not. Neither the members of the media nor I were there, nor are we subjected to the conditions of that war. Nevertheless, should America be made to play the villain by its own citizens over it; absolutely not! Monday morning quarterbacking and opportunistic political posturing are weakening a vital effort and inhibiting any measure of success that may result from our presence in Iraq and our fight against terror worldwide.

If the [American] media focused more on the good that America brings to the world rather than misperceptions or misrepresentations of America's actions, maybe the world would not hate us so much. If the world was reminded of the good that we do with the same voracity as that with which it is reminded of our flaws, maybe the world would not hate us as much. Maybe that is a message to share with readers, watchers, and listeners – and maybe somebody will hear it and take it to heart. Maybe.

Nevertheless, war is hell for everyone I guess… and we are at war.


David Givot

- posted by David Givot @ 3:55 PM 3 comments

 
An Open Letter about Gay Marriage
An Open Letter to George W. Bush & Arnold Schwarzenegger

I am a regular American. I pay my taxes and I vote in elections (I voted for you, in fact). My wife and I consider and control what our daughter watches on television and we monitor every other influence as best we can. My personal beliefs tend to lean more toward the conservative side, but politically I would characterize myself as being somewhere to the right of center. And, like millions of Americans, although I was raised with a particular religious focus, I have set the actual practice aside in favor of simply applying the core beliefs in my daily life. Yes, I am a regular American – a regular Californian.

My wife and I met, became friends, fell in love, and were married. Our families and friends and others around us were delighted to see that we had both found the “one.” She is my best friend.

As I follow the controversy that is brewing over same-sex marriages, and your opposition to it, I find myself wondering why there is any controversy at all. I consider the way my wife and I feel and I only hope that everyone, if only for a moment, gets to feel this way.

What difference does it make [to me – the regular American] who falls in love with whom? Or who wants to marry whom? Why, if any two people feel about each other as my wife and I feel, should they be prohibited from enjoying the same freedoms and benefits as us?

There are those who say that “it’s not what was intended…” or “it’s not traditional…” but less than a hundred years ago it was not traditional for women to vote, it was not traditional for blacks to go to schools or be in public places with whites. Less than hundred years ago, children in America worked in sweatshops and mines for pennies a day. “Traditionally” (and by law) a foreign born citizen cannot become President, but it seems, thanks in part to you, that we are headed away from that one too.

As a nation we have grown and are growing; we have developed and are developing. Common practices and prejudices have become shameful memories that transcend utter ludicrousness; they become embarrassing facts of history from which we are separating ourselves as quickly and quietly as possible. So, why now are we even having this discussion? Haven’t we learned anything from our past?

To me, the regular American, Gay marriage has no down side, it hurts no one. Gay marriage does not rub homosexuality in my face. It does not bring homosexuality into my home – for that, I have Will & Grace, Madonna, and Fox. Prohibiting Gay marriage won’t make a gay person any less gay; permitting it won’t make a straight person turn gay. It does not open the door to polygamy or any of the other sick scenarios that have been created from nothing by the slippery-slope arguers. It creates new taxpaying households. It creates new loving two-parent homes for the millions of children who live in loveless foster care or worse. And aren’t children your priority, Mr. President & Mr. Governor? It affords protections and benefits to Americans who would otherwise be entitled to them. It says to the rest of the world that we are truly a society that sees people for who they are; that we are a society where people are truly free. And isn’t that who we want to be – as Californians, as Americans?

By your collective logic, homosexuals – as loving, taxpaying, contributing households – are less valuable to the world than illegal immigrants. Is that really what you believe? Is it?

I am a regular American. I urge every other regular American to open their eyes and minds. You don’t have to like or even approve of homosexuality, but it’s time to approve of love and the right for people to share it… no matter who they are.

David Givot

- posted by David Givot @ 3:42 PM 0 comments

 
Just Say It
FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE LIBERAL PARADOX

The most fundamental freedom we Americans enjoy is that of speech. The right to scream freely and openly in opposition of those whose ideas and ideals differ from ours is worth every drop of blood that has ever been spilled preserving and protecting it.

In a world that is growing a little more dangerous every day, a little more divided; a world that has grown smaller yet farther apart than ever before, Americans must continue to fight harder and harder for that which keeps America free. Now more than ever Americans must fight for and exercise the rights for which our fathers and mothers, sons and daughters have given their lives – in the deserts of Iraq, in the jungles of Vietnam, in the hills of Korea, on the shores of Normandy, on the battlefields of Williamsburg or Harper’s Ferry, or anywhere else blood has been shed defending the cause of freedom.

I only realized the power of that hard-fought and won freedom after spending a week listening to the liberal radio station, Air America. It took just a few days listening to Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Randi Rhodes, and the rest of the folks who contribute to that endeavor, to gain an all new respect for the freedom of speech.

Considering that “information is power,” I originally tuned in to Air America to broaden my political horizons; I tuned in to learn. Talk radio is so heavily dominated by conservatives that I wanted to have a good, solid, clear, and well-rounded understanding of all sides – a broader perspective. I want to make decisions on my own; I don’t want to be told what to think. I wanted to better understand the Democratic platform und learn for myself what John Kerry would do for America. And, as I had hoped, just one week of liberal radio has taught me volumes. I actually have an all new understanding of the liberal perspective.

The hosts on Air America claim to represent the "Liberal/Democrat" point of view. If this is true, then this is the Liberal Paradox I discovered listening to Air America Radio:

According to Air America...

1. Liberals love Americans, but hate America.
2. Liberals desire success, but resent the successful.
3. Liberals purport to expose facts about American politics; while they propagate opinion as fact in the absence of facts. (or when the facts controvert their agenda)
4. Liberals invite intelligent debate, but respond mostly with epithets and unsubstantiated personal attacks.
5. Liberals believe that inalienable human rights are worth fighting for – except when there has to be an actual fight.
6. Liberals demand high wages for menial jobs…then act surprised when American business can’t afford to do business in America.
7. Liberals appeal shamelessly to the plight of the middle class yet believe that it’s okay to tax their hard-earned dollars over and over and over again.
8. Liberals believe that voting one’s conscience is a fundamental right – as long as one’s conscience is voting for the Democrat; otherwise, the vote has been wasted. (Yes, they actually said that on Air America)
9. Liberals advocate a safe and secure America, as long as the borders remain open and law enforcement doesn’t get too involved.
10. Liberals, educated and astute, analyze current events and observe the world as it is… then pout and whine and complain and cry more than my 3 year-old daughter.

Indeed, in the interest of promoting an America with a well rounded understanding of the politics and politicians that have traded righteousness for power – on both sides of the isle – I believe that every American should listen carefully to Air America Radio for at least a week. In so doing, American’s will quickly learn that Rush and Hannity and O’Reilly, while perhaps somewhat over the top at times, are not entirely nuts; and President Bush, while in need of some serious help, is not so bad.

--- Yet neither deservies my vote.

David Givot

- posted by David Givot @ 3:34 PM 2 comments

 
Politics & "Illegal" Immigration
Why is it fair that every American citizen should be forced to pay for – and suffer for – the massive, uncontrolled influx of illegal aliens?

I appreciate the philosophy upon which this great Country was founded and I welcome anyone from anywhere who wants to come here legally.

Nevertheless, Federal, State, and Local politicians are completely unwilling to support – or enforce – the laws intended to protect the citizens they are supposed to serve; this has created a condition that has come dangerously close to unlivable for the entire Country, especially Californians.



Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004

After a fall of more than 40-feet, Mexican medical teams refuse to help a Kansas man. It was a trip to discover his heritage but instead turns tragic.

The 23-year-old was going to Mexico to meet his birth father for the first time. He had been living with his adopted parents his entire life in Newton.

Many people take for granted the quality of emergency medical care in the United States. Its one mistake a Newton family will never make again.

It’s a lesson about health care that 21-year-old Olivia Sanchez learned the hard way. Olivia and her 23-year-old brother Ricardo recently traveled to Mexico to meet their biological family. A Newton family adopted them at the ages of 6 and 8.

During the trip, the brother and sister went swimming at the family’s ranch. That’s when Ricardo started climbing a cliff.

“I was watching him go up and down the rocks,” says Olivia Sanchez. “He made it up once, then he came back down. Then he went back up and it was the second time that he fell.”

Ricardo plummeted 40-feet to the ground. He was rushed to a Mexican hospital with severe head injuries. The physicians would not treat him, because he didn’t have health insurance.“When you have a head injury, those first few hours are real critical and it seems like we got the information too late,” says Greg Sanchez, Ricardo’s father.

Ricardo was eventually transferred to another hospital, where he was put on life support and then a week later died.

It’s a tragedy that the family says should’ve never happened.

The United States federal law mandates access to emergency care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.

“Anybody that’s thinking about going on a trip over there, I’d think twice again about it,” says Greg Sanchez.

Family say Ricardo was a very caring and loving man. He had plans to marry his fiancé in just a few years. A funeral will be held this Friday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Newton. The burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

- posted by David Givot @ 9:56 AM 0 comments

 
Welcome
Welcome to my blog; this is where you can “Just Say It”.

The rest of the world is too afraid of what everyone will say about what they think; so everyone cloaks themselves in shrouds political correctness – and nothing gets done.

Not here.

America [and the world] has problems that will never be solved until the fear of discussing them is replaced with open, honest, and solution oriented dialogue.

The represented are suffering at the hands of the representatives; the collective voice has been silenced by the collective wealth. This is where you are free to identify problems and offer up solutions that will hopefully be followed by responsible action; a better America, a better world.

Hate, racism, discrimination, and unsubstantiated opinion presented as fact will not be tolerated. If something sucks, say it sucks; if something works say it works; but be prepared to back it up. Be prepared to back it up.

Talk about it.

- posted by David Givot @ 1:02 AM 0 comments