nngun control illustration america american flag revolver handgun walther automatic weapon weapons violence shooting shootings school safety nra law license kill killing teacher, student blacksburg virginia tech murder children youth gangs krtcrime crime, krtlaw, krtnational national, krtusnews, krt, mctillustration aspecto aspectos pistola bandera americano violencia escuela estudiente armas tiro pandilla banda joven abatir tiros licencia ilustracion grabado, 2007, krt2007, fr contributor coddington parra mct mct2007 2007","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"u00c2u00a9 MCT 2007","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Gun control illustration"}" data-image-title="Gun control illustration" data-image-description="

300 dpi SW Parra color illustration of of a handgun painted to look like an American flag. The Fresno Bee 2007

gun control illustration america american flag revolver handgun walther automatic weapon weapons violence shooting shootings school safety nra law license kill killing teacher, student blacksburg virginia tech murder children youth gangs krtcrime crime, krtlaw, krtnational national, krtusnews, krt, mctillustration aspecto aspectos pistola bandera americano violencia escuela estudiente armas tiro pandilla banda joven abatir tiros licencia ilustracion grabado, 2007, krt2007, fr contributor coddington parra mct mct2007 2007

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Neocons ´USA finds enemies everywhere and all around. Even Europe, their historical friend, is no longer perceived favorably. Bigotry has made almost all countries their adversaries. James Madison, one of the founding fathers and the 4th president of the USA, rightly said, “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the disguise of fighting a foreign enemy.” He predicted it more than 200 years ago. In the meantime, the US bigots found not only one, but rather dozens of foreign enemies all over the world, both far and near.

Neocons are equally worried about their internal enemies, the new immigrants and asylum seekers who are already in the USA or on the borders. They are termed a liability to and a problem for their development. What a ridiculous proposition! The USA is an immigrant country.  No doubt, the United States has a pivotal role in the modern world civilization. Naturally, immigrants’ contributions to it are substantial.  Even today, they continue to make extraordinary contributions to the United States’ prospects and prosperity. Just look at different fields or sectors, whether it be science, technology, finance, or medicine, and you will find how vital their presence is.

Washington may opt for selective immigration.  It is a commercial and utilitarian desire driven by selfishness. They want finished products of their liking or materials that have guaranteed potential. In other words, they patronize and encourage brain drain. In simple terms, they “buy” the most meritorious and competent individuals from different countries, particularly from developing nations. And brain drain has both its merits and demerits.

The US notion that ordinary people from abroad would not be helpful to them has been proved wrong from the beginning. Most of the people who migrated to the new continent were ordinary people. They have built the USA. The same truth applies to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. If people are given proper space and opportunity, they usually adjust, survive, prosper, and thrive. In the beginning, mostly poor and needy people migrated to the US, and they helped make the country rich and economically prosperous.

It has been observed that even past criminals or individuals who had gone astray changed their lives positively and contributed to the society of their adopted countries. Many Britons with a past criminal background were deported to their newly acquired colonies. And they not only corrected their lives but also contributed to the development of the new countries. No one advocates granting asylum to foreign criminals. The point is that the environment and opportunity can change one´s life and attitude, though not always.

The US population has not yet reached the optimum level where it can no longer accommodate large-scale immigration. The US, like Canada and Australia, is a vast country with enormous untapped resources. They need immigrants. But it has now become selective and discriminatory.  Some 200 years ago, they forcibly brought thousands of people of color from Africa as slaves, violating the minimum dignity of human beings. Now they adopt all means to stop and drastically curb African, Hispanic, Asian, and Oriental people from entering the USA. They now prefer European immigrants and job seekers, especially those from Western Europe.  It is another form of apartheid.

The most objectionable restrictions they are imposing are based on “faiths” and “civilizations.” It provokes and enhances religious tensions. One must understand that one who belongs to another religion or “civilization” does not necessarily mean he or she is a fanatic or extremist. This mindset is not conducive to bringing different “peoples” closer together.

Hatred against immigrants and xenophobia in the USA has gone too far. The personal integrity of certain immigrant groups is often undermined. We have seen how their houses are searched, and the software and hard disks of computers are examined on silly grounds. It is the manifestation of their hate against those groups whom they consider their enemies. In turn, this US hate is creating hatred against them abroad too.

Many potential tourists and travelers with self-respect and dignity now think twice about whether they will visit this “dreamland,” because of the harassment they might face at the US entry points. Many innocent passengers have become victims of excessive physical harassment at the airports. The US authorities must understand that the USA is becoming a forbidden country for many foreigners. It reminds us of the “Iron Curtain” picture of the then-Soviet Union. What a degradation of the leader of the so-called “Free World!”

It is more alarming when the dehumanization of immigrants is initiated and patronized by the highest executive and political authority of the country. People will never forget the hatred Donald Trump disseminated when he said during his election campaign that “They’re (immigrants) eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” On another occasion, he mockingly said, “They are animals.” Trump has not corrected himself after becoming President. He is particularly harsh on immigrants of different faith who oppose his policies. He clamped down on university campuses because the protesting students and teachers either belonged to a different faith or were supporting their just cause. Bigotry, chauvinistic nationalism, and isolationist mentality are being fostered and spread so calculatedly by the neocons and allied rightist forces that it seems Donald Trump will not be the last President on the wrong side of the road. He is not the first one either. During the tenure of Dwight D. Eisenhower, approximately 1.3 million Mexican immigrants were uprooted from the USA, many of whom were American citizens. The saner section of the American people has an uphill task to overcome.