The Current Trend of Refugees to America Fleeing Socialist Tyranny

There has recently been a change in the trend of the country of origin of refugees fleeing war or persecution coming into United States territory, particularly from Mexico. Whereas the last few years, refugees seeking asylum have legally entered American soil primarily fleeing gang violence in Central America, there were U.S. military flights of Afghans, including many who had worked with the Americans in the War on Terrorism, fleeing the Islamist terrorist-sponsoring Taliban last year, and then there was a trend earlier this year of Ukrainians crossing the border after the Russian invasion of the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine. Now the trend is of people fleeing Communist Cuba, Marxist Sandinista Nicaragua and Socialist Venezuela. What these people have in common is a desire for liberty after having lived under tyranny. They are exactly the kind of people who would make good, patriotic Americans because they appreciate freedom more and understand better the threats to liberty and representative government. As conservative Republican President Ronald Reagan noted, especially in his Farewell Address in 1989, it is a source of patriotic pride that while people were risking their lives to flee Communist countries, people risk their lives to come to America for freedom. The vilification of refugees by nativists is unpatriotic and un-American, as Americans have been welcoming to refugees seeking liberty from the earliest times. Refugees should be welcomed and appreciated while they seek asylum until they can return to their homelands once they are free and peaceful, or if they choose, to become legal residents or naturalized American citizens.

Update to the List of Anti-Trump/Non-Trumpist Republican or Conservative 2022 Federal Candidates

I am pleased to report that there is an additional conservative candidate for U.S. House of Representatives to add to the list of 2022 federal candidates who are anti-Trump or non-Trumpist Republicans or conservatives that I posted Sunday. Jay McFarland is the United Utah Party candidate for the 2nd Congressional District of Utah. The talkshow host, political activist and author is endorsed by the Forward Party.

The Italian Rightwing Coalition Government Has Taken Office

Italy’s new coalition government was sworn into office yesterday after last month’s election gave the majority of seats in the Italian Parliament to the right wing bloc of parties, who collectively had won a plurality of the votes. It is the most right-wing Italian government since the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini during the Second World War, before Italians opted afterward to end the monarchy and become a constitutional representative parliamentary republic. The governing coalition is led by a party with roots from a party formed after the war by Fascists, but new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has striven to reassure that it has cast off its fascist ideology, despite some Fascist nostalgia among its candidates and officials. She has provided strong reassurances of Italy’s membership in the European Union, despite her criticism of the EU, and of the alliance with the United States and membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And given her coalition partners’ sympathy for Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer trying to restore the Soviet Union, Meloni has insisted on continued Italian support for sanctions on Russia, despite the economic challenges they necessarily create, and military aid to Ukraine to defend it and Europe against Russian aggression. The two smaller coalition parties are both represented by Vice Presidents of the Council of Ministers, the executive “cabinet” that votes on decrees, as well as in several ministries, whose heads have seats in the cabinet. One coalition partner is the Trumpist anti-migrant League and the other is a center-right party, Forza Italia, founded by former Prime Minister and now Senator Silvio Berlusconi. The conservative Forza Italia VP is also Foreign Minister, which sends a strong signal of support for NATO and Ukraine, as well as to the EU, as he had been an EU official. The new Government must continue to address the Coronavirus pandemic and continuing the reforms necessary to receive more EU funds for pandemic recovery, as well as the energy and economic crisis caused by economic recovery and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Italy is a vital ally of the U.S.

Anti-Trump/Non-Trumpist Republican or Conservative 2022 Federal Candidates

Although many anti-Trump, or at least non-Trumpist, Republican members of the United States Congress either chose not to seek reelection or were not renominated by the GOP, or anti-Trump candidates for seats in the federal legislature were not nominated, there still remain several anti-Trump center-right Republicans on the ballot in various States. The candidates range from moderately conservative to more staunchly conservative, as opposed to Trumpist (populist, nativist, isolationist and authoritarian and who promote false conspiracy theories, such as about the 2020 election). It is imperative for conservatives and moderates to vote for Republican or consservative candidates who are not Trumpist, not only because Trumpism is wrong, but to eradicate the influence of Donald Trump over the Republican Party. U.S. Senate: Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the Republican nominee; Joe O’Dea of Colorado, the Republican nominee who is a businessman who campaigns openly against Trump’s influence on the GOP; Evan McMullin of Utah, an independent candidate who is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, U.S. House of Representatives Republican Caucus Policy Coordinator, independent presidential candidate in 2016, Founder of Stand Up Republic, endorsed by the Forward Party; Note: the Democratic Party did not nominate anyone for the seat. U.S. House of Representatives: Representative David Valadao of California, the Republican nominee for the 21st Congressional District; Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington, the Republican nominee for the 4th Congressional District. I shall update this post if I become aware of additional non-Trumpist Republican or conservative federal candidates. There are also many State candidates seeking election who are Republican or conservative and not Trumpist. General Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.

Foreign Digest: Russia and Sweden

Russia: One of the leading Russian supporters of liberty and representative government, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was awarded the European Union’s Vaclav Havel award last week. The award is named for the Czechoslovakian playwright and dissident during the Communist era who later became the President of Czechoslovakia after the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Russia is a similar tyranny under ex-Soviet intelligence officer, Vladimir Putin. Sweden: Two center-right parties have formed a new center-right coalition government for Sweden, after ousting the center-left coalition following recent parliamentary elections. They were able to keep an upstart far-right anti-migrant party out of power, relying on the neo-fascists only for external support. Sweden’s application for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is being approved by all NATO members, as the United States has already done, ending longstanding Swedish neutrality after the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Christopher Columbus’ True Discoveries

Christopher Columbus is not only properly credited for the Discovery of the Western Hemisphere, but also with several other scientific discoveries. As I have posted before, discovery means “to uncover” and thus one need not be the first to discover something to be given proper credit for its discovery. It is thus accurate to credit Columbus with the Discovery of the Western Hemisphere in 1492, which had previously been “covered” and thus hidden with the Eastern Hemisphere by the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus’ keen observations and great navigational skills and his faith and that of his Spanish patrons permanently bridged the two worlds, unlike any previous Europeans who had discovered parts of the Americans. Therefore, this achievement—the most significant human achievement in history—is rightly celebrated and does not in the slightest diminish the discovery of the Indigenous Americans who crossed the land bridge eastward from the easternmost point of Asia tens of thousands of years ago, nor dehumanize them in any way by ignoring their discovery by not crediting them as the first to discover the New World. But there is one facet of Columbus’ accomplishment that even his most ignorant or biased critics cannot deny is a true scientific discovery, beyond the obvious discovery of the Western Hemisphere from the European perspective: that Columbus discovered a western, oceanic route to the Americas. And as I have noted before, because he was able to return to his home port and return to the Western Hemisphere and provide the navigational knowledge to allow others to sail there, the connection between the two hemispheres was more enduring than that of any previous European discoveries. The Genoese sailor is also credited with other scientific discoveries: that the magnetic north pole is not in the same location as the geographic north pole, that the earth is not completely spherical, the recognition and even prediction of hurricanes, and even that Capsicum berries produce the same chemical reaction on the tongue as black pepper, which is why he called them chili “peppers.” Columbus’ scientific, trade and evangelical mission led to an exchange of knowledge and ideas, and spread Western European Civilization to the Western Hemisphere, including the development of such ideas as equality, liberty, representative government and modern science. And the mutual discovery of the two hemispheres of our world continues.

Foreign Digest: Iran and Nicaragua

Iran: The Islamic Republic of Iran has been interfering militarily in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region periodically, including this month. It attacks several political parties who oppose the influence from theocratic Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. The Islamist Iranian regime blames Iraqi Kurds for fomenting the current protests in Iran. The Iraqi Parliament approved a resolution against Iranian interference. Nicaragua: The Organization of American States, of which the United States is a member, unanimously approved a resolution expressing concern about the deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua. The Central American State is led by a Sandinista Marxist dictator who was re-elected again last year after arresting all his opponents. The OAS cited arbitrary arrests and the incarceration of political prisoners, the closure of civil and religious organizations, particularly Catholic ones, and restrictions on press freedoms, among their concerns. In addition to these abuses I have posted about, I have also noted Nicaragua’s restrictions on the freedom to assemble peacefully.

Belarussian, Russian and Ukrainian Human Rights Advocates Are the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Winners

As I have posted before, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee is a popularity contest of the Norwegian Parliament, influenced by the politics of the day. There has long been a trend toward awarding advocates of just causes, instead of the traditional diplomats who avoid or end wars. Some awardees are more deserving of the prize and the attention their cause receives than others. This year’s choice was influenced by the Russo-Ukrainian War and seemed to suggest a degree of neutrality in the face of Russian aggression. Nevertheless, the Belarussian awardee merits particular recognition. Ales Bialiatski, a dissident from Belarus, is a founder of a human rights organization in the county that has been ruled since independence from the Soviet Union by a dictator. He previously won the prestigious Andrei Sakharov award from the European Parliament and the Vaclav Havel award from the European Council, named for the Soviet and Czechoslovakian dissidents, respectively. A Russian and a Ukrainian human rights organizations were each co-winners. Belarus allowed its territory to be used for Russian troops to invade Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet Republic. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, seeks to restore the Soviet Union. Last year, there were mass arrests after massive demonstrations against yet another fraudulent Belarussian presidential election. Many Belarussian dissidents were arrested or forced into exile.

Erroneous and Divisive Land Acknowledgement Statement by Gettysburg College

I wrote a Letter to the Editor of the alumni magazine at Gettysburg College, my alma mater, in response to an article about the Land Acknowledgement statement adopted by the school, which was erroneous, misleading and unnecessarily divisive. The letter was not published. What follows is the draft (minus the lack of indentation for paragraphs because of the ongoing glitch with the blog host): Last month’s College Magazine reported that Gettysburg College has joined the movement of making a Land Acknowledgement Statement that the school sits on “unceded Indigenous land including the traditional homelands of the Susquehannock/Conestoga, Seneca and Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Leni Lenape and Shawnee Nations.” What is implicit in the statement that the school occupies stolen land was made explicit by one of its proponents who claimed that the “Indigenous Peoples who used to live on this land . . . were unjustly removed. . . .” The history of the Indigenous Nations of Pennsylvania since the arrival of European migrants is a complex one of invasion, migration, a lack of an Indigenous concept of land ownership, and competing claims of land use rights, but some clarifications can nonetheless be made. The Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannock (also known as the Conestoga) were inhabiting the Susquehanna Valley of Central Pennsylvania, including what is now Gettysburg, by the time of European contact in the Seventeenth Century. They always enjoyed good relations with Pennsylvania’s proprietary provincial government of the Penn Family. The Susquehannock population had declined by the end of the century through disease and military defeat by the powerful Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, of which the Seneca were members, that was conquering the homelands of other Indigenous Nations. Most Susquehannock voluntarily relocated elsewhere, including merging with their Iroquoian kinsmen, forming the Mingo Indigenous People in the Ohio Valley. The few remaining were given protection by Pennsylvania at Conestoga, near the Susquehanna River. After a massacre during Pontiac’s Rebellion, the last surviving couple died without issue. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy claimed hunting rights over a vast territory from Central Pennsylvania to the Ohio Valley and into the Great Lakes region—claims that were not recognized by other Indigenous Nations, some of whom inhabited parts of Central Pennsylvania or hunted in it, like the Leni Lenape (Delaware), who primarily inhabited the woodlands of eastern Pennsylvania and the States around the Delaware River. The Confederacy later ceded their claims in Pennsylvania through treaties in the early Eighteenth Century, including in 1736 for the land south of the Blue Mountain to the Maryland border, including the current location of Gettysburg College. The cession alienated the Leni Lenape from their friends, the Penns. After some Indigenous had been killing European settlers during the French and Indian War, the Indigenous Nations switched to supporting the British, however, in the Treaty of Easton in 1758 between the Haudenosaunee, Leni Lenape, Shawnee, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In exchange, some land and hunting rights in the Ohio Valley were returned to the Confederacy and the Alleghany Mountains in western Pennsylvania became the boundary between the Europeans and the Indigenous, beyond which European settlement was prohibited. Most Leni Lenape later migrated from Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, and others were removed from other States, but some remained in other eastern States. The Shawnee, who were Algonquian-speaking kinsmen of the Leni Lenape, had been under pressure from the Haudenosaunee invasion of their Ohio Valley homeland. By the early Eighteenth Century, some Shawnee migrated to the parts of central Pennsylvania claimed by the Confederacy. Like some Susquehannock, some Shawnee and Leni Lenape joined the Mingo, while others became unwilling Haudenosaunee tributaries, until the Shawnee migrants returned to their homeland after the Treaty of Easton. South Central Pennsylvania was thus the homeland primarily of only one Indigenous Nation and no Indigenous Peoples were forcibly removed from it. Acknowledging the historic presence of Indigenous Nations, recognizing their contributions, and coming to terms with the mistreatment of them are worthy endeavors. A more accurate and less divisive statement would better serve the purpose.

The Center-Right Bloc of Parties Win the Latvian Parliamentary Elections

The ruling center-right party was among the bloc of center-right and centrist parties winning a majority of votes and seats in the Latvian parliamentary elections last week and who will join together in another coalition government. Because of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, support among the significant Russophone minority for pro-Russian parties dropped, especially toward parties supportive of ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, the Russian tyrant who is trying to restore the Soviet Union. The leading Russophone party had expressed opposition to Russia’s aggression. Latvia, like Ukraine, was a former Soviet Republic that had been independent. The Soviets invaded the Baltic States, including also Estonia and Lithuania, during the Second World War in 1940 when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were allied with Nazi Germany. The Baltic States, like other former Soviet Republics, fear further Russian aggression. Putin uses the pretext of supporting Russian-speakers in Ukraine, for backing separatists and annexation of their territory.

The Right-Wing Bloc of Parties Won the Italian Parliamentary Elections

The right-wing bloc of parties won the most votes and seats in the Italian Parliamentary elections last week. Although they did not win a majority of either, they will have a majority of seats in the Parliament and form a coalition government, because Italian election law favors blocs so they can form majority governing coalitions. It will be led by the Brothers of Italy party, which will be the largest single party in Parliament. The bloc fell short of a two-thirds majority to be able to amend the Constitution without referendums. Turnout was the lowest ever in the early elections, the first ever held in Italy in early autumn, as some Italians lost faith because governments tend not to last long and are often replaced with unelected ones mid-term. The Brothers, a post-fascist party, were the only major party not in the national unity government. They benefitted from the increased media attention, even though the Government, which took power a year and a half ago, was popular, as it had been fulfilling its purposes of managing the Coronavirus Pandemic response and on receiving massive aid from the European Union (EU) for pandemic recovery, in exchange for necessary reforms. There was an even larger drop in support for fellow bloc member, the Trumpist anti-migrant League party than expected, which the Brothers picked up. The third party in the right-wing bloc, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia, a fellow member of the bloc, came close behind the League, slightly better than expected, though also steep drop from previous elections. The center-left, which came in second, and the left-leaning populists, who finished third, also suffered drops in support, although the latter not as much as expected, considering they had initiated the fall of the unity government that necessitated the snap elections. The left and the center earned a majority of votes, but did not unite sufficiently into a bloc. A party that opposes Italy’s membership in the EU attracted minimal support and won no seats. The Brothers of Italy promised to continue the reforms, but want to renegotiate the favorable EU deal with Italy to account for the current energy and inflationary crisis. They are opposed to the populist League’s call to increase debt through deficit spending on welfare, as Italy already has a massive debt. The Brothers share the anti-migrant policy of the League and their solidarity with nationalist authoritarian States like Hungary, despite their leader’s claims of having rejected fascism, but are more favorable to economic sanctions on the Russian Federation for aggression against Ukraine and for sending arms to Ukraine than the League. The Brothers benefitted from the economic crises, which Russia exploited to urge voters to punish governments that imposed sanctions on it. Forza Italia promises to anchor the bloc to the EU, of which it has the third largest economy, versus their more critical bloc partners, and to the Atlantic alliance. Italy, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a close ally of the United States. Furthermore, Italy’s strong presidency and its courts are powerful constitutional checks against autocracy and authoritarianism. The incoming coalition, led by the Brothers leader, who will likely be given the mandate to be Prime Minister by the President, despite having little governing experience, will have to continue to deliver the reforms the EU requires for aid, even if it is able to renegotiate the EU deal, while managing the pandemic and economic crises and maintaining relations with Europe and the U.S., all while defying Italian history and keeping the fractious coalition together longer than the average of 15 months.