I know, I'm still an odd one to be writing about the state of America's urban areas. If you've been reading my work at all for the past few years, you know I grew up in a rural setting in Iowa and am a happy rural dweller myself now. I have little or no time for cities, despite having lived in them for four decades. I find them unpleasant; crowded, noisy, and, to be honest, they stink. I like the clean country air of Alaska's Susitna Valley, and if that means I have to put up with back-to-back winter storm advisories, as we've been doing this week, that's fine.
With that being true, why am I still worried about America's cities? Because our cities are the beating hearts of our nation. Much of the country's economic activity happens there. Urban areas contain a lot of the country's industry and academia. What's more, our cities used to be the pride of the nation, but that's not so much the case anymore. Open-air drug use, huge homeless encampments, and rampant crime, including rioting against federal immigration officers, are taking their toll.
Case in point: Anti-ICE "protestors," which you may take to mean "rioters," are threatening federal immigration authorities who are engaged in carrying out their lawful duty - and there have already been people hurt, and it's for sure and for certain that more people will be hurt before all this is through.
What's interesting about all this isn't that the protestors are not, as is so often the case, all aging Boomers with nothing better to do with their retirement years. Full disclosure: I'm an aging Boomer myself, but I have plenty to do, and no intention of retiring any time soon. No, these are overwhelmingly younger people who are blocking traffic, getting in cops' faces, and throwing things. In fact, most of them are liberal white women, to the point where it's almost meme-worthy, although some leftist local officials are getting involved as well.
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These are not, I hasten to point out, protests. A protestor typically stands on a sidewalk or somewhere else nearby, out of the way. They may wave signs, they may even shout, and when they are not doing that, they can write nasty letters to their elected officials or harangue people at city council meetings, or at any other venue where they may make nuisances of themselves. For the most part, that's what protesters are - nuisances.
The people impeding ICE and DHS operations in our cities are not protestors. They are in rebellion against the established authority of the United States. This is the reason we have laws defining what an insurrection is, and what steps the various levels of government can take to deal with those fomenting the rebellion.
Here's the thing about rebellions: Most of the time (Iran right now would appear to be an exception), rebellions are organized and funded by people behind the scenes.
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The worst thing about these clueless, hysterical rebels is the people they are defending. Here are a few examples of the goblins ICE has managed to scrape off the streets of just one city - Minneapolis - despite the efforts of the rebels:
Jose Miguel Reyes Jovel, a criminal illegal alien from El and known MS-13 gang member. He has been convicted of homicide, drug trafficking and selling amphetamine. He was also arrested for aggravated homicide in El Salvador in 2011.
Htun Min Pai, a criminal illegal alien from Burma and former member of the South Side Crips who’s been convicted of three counts of felony drug possession, one count of misdemeanor drug possession and fraud. He’s also been arrested for vehicle theft and DUI.
Hector Ivan Galicia Cuevas, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and active member of the Paisas gang who’s been convicted of drug trafficking.
Luis Antonio Flores Atilano, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and member of the Paisas gang who’s been convicted of a weapon offense as an aggravated felony. He also has pending charges for carrying a prohibited weapon and amphetamine possession.
These are the people the rebels are defending. These are the people they want to protect. These are the people they want to retain in their cities, in their neighborhoods, walking the streets, and preying on Americans. There's no other way to put it; the rebels are protecting people like these.
What's worse, their screeching defiance is a signal to other goblins just like these, goblins who are growing anxious about staying in places like Florida, where local authorities are helping ICE and DHS round up bad guys and repatriate them. These "sanctuary" jurisdictions are now providing sanctuary to some of the worst people on the planet. This will only get worse; it will only get more painful for the ordinary people of these cities, most of whom have and want nothing to do with the rebellious mobs.
There's no easy way out of this. The Trump administration isn't about to end this effort, the work we elected them to do. These goblins will be rounded up and deported, one way or the other. The people who keep interfering will have to face consequences, and those consequences should be dire enough to deter them. Yes, they have the 1st Amendment right to object, to oppose, to speak - but not to interfere.
This is a mess. It's tearing many of our cities asunder. But sometimes the only way out is through, and that's the position our immigration officials are in now. We can only hope that something recognizable is left of our cities when it's all said and done.
