Soap Box

There is a reason that there is an educational process and a waiting period for one to become a naturalized citizen of the United States.

There is more to becoming an American than crossing a geographical line, there are oaths and responsibilities, a degree of comprehension, and understanding of what America is and what is expected of one who applies for citizenship.

It is a process that lasts eight years and involves a measured indoctrination into the laws, customs and social responsibilities expected of one who would want to be a member of our society and citizen of our nation.

Although their customs and ethnicity are welcome, they are expected to leave their old loyalties and laws in the old country and assimilate into our society, accepting all the law-abiding responsibilities of their new home land.

After all, didn't they leave the land of their birth, in many cases, to escape a repressive government, archaic law, religious persecution and a myriad of other reasons, to pledge their allegiance to a land of freedom and opportunity.

No immigrant or group of immigrants should come to America or any other country and try to change it, or at least their part of it, into the country they just left. If they want to live under those laws and according to those traditions they should just stay where they are.

The illegals flooding across our southern borders go through no educational process, they take no oaths of loyalty, they obtain no green cards or even temporary visas, we don't know who they are, what diseases they carry or even how many of them there are.

Granted, most of them are simple people seeking a better life but there is no denying that there are violent criminals in the mix, gang members, drug dealers, murderers, thieves and they did not come to be a part of America but to prey on it.

By the same token, I'm sure that most of the refugees from the war torn middle east who seek asylum in America are simple, terrified people trying to get their families to safety and who can blame them.

But salted in amongst them are ISIS operatives and lone wolf terrorists, suicide bombers and those who would like nothing better than walking into a crowded shopping mall or elementary school and slaughtering hundreds of innocent Americans.

Apologists will tell you that these refugees have been painstakingly vetted and cleared from any terrorist affiliations but how can these people be adequately vetted in a country where clerical infrastructure has been destroyed and the records simply don't exist and countries like Venezuela, and no telling who else, are selling valid passports to anybody with the money to pay for them.

Plus, the rogue refugees' reputation proceeds them. One has to look no farther than a few nights ago when a Muslim neighborhood in Sweden, a nation that had been in denial about the amount of rapes and sexual harassment committed by Muslims, exploded with violence.

We keep hearing that we need a comprehensive immigration policy and I agree, although my idea of comprehensive immigration would differ greatly from those to whom it means open borders, amnesty for all the illegals who are here now and an open-door policy for every refugee who wants to come here.

Comprehensive-which basically means to understand and cover all bases, at least to me, would mean to first of all deport all the people who have overstayed their visas and put them at the very back of the line for applying for citizenship.

Secondly, as President Trump is presently doing, round up all criminals, gang members, drug dealers, those who have been notified to leave the country and have not done so, those who have come into the country illegally multiple times, all those with outstanding warrants.

Institute a stiff mandatory prison sentence for those who have been deported once and have returned, deport all felons and those running from crimes committed in their country of origin.

Rid the nation of all criminal element and halt the flow of refugees from terrorist nations until an efficient method of fool proof vetting can be developed.

Then lock both houses of congress in their chambers until they write a truly comprehensive immigration policy, first taking into consideration the conduct of those illegals who are already here who have been hard working and law abiding, deporting any who have defrauded the system under false pretenses and providing a pathway, the same pathway to citizenship that has served this country well for over two centuries for those who want to be productive, loyal American citizens.

One of the most brilliant surgeons I know is from a foreign country and applied for citizenship many years ago and was well on the path when 9/11 happened, which meant he had to start all over again.

Another eight years of waiting, but without complaint nor bitterness he stayed the course and I'm happy to report that he is now a United States citizen, a shining example of how it should be done and one who loves and respects his new country.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

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