You like immigrants if you allow all of them – no matter where they are from, who they are, or what their background is – into America at our southern border.  No, wait.  You do not like immigrants if you do not allow all of them – no matter where they are from, who they are, or what their background is – into America at our southern border.

No…, you like immigrants if you allow a reasonable amount of them (depending on your definition of reasonable) – no matter where they are from, who they are, or what their background is – into America at our southern border.  Or…, maybe you like immigrants if you allow a few (depending on your definition of few) of them – no matter where they are from, who they are, or what their background is – into America at our southern border.  Hmmm – let me think, …  Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country!

So, there is this big argument with one side saying, yeah, you like immigrants if you allow all of them – no matter where they are from, who they are, or what their background is – into America at our southern border.  There are others who are saying – yeah, you like immigrants if you allow a reasonable amount or few of them (again, depending on your definition of reasonable and few) – into America at our southern border.  Further, there are those who are somewhere in between these two arguments with various nuances on “all,” “reasonable,” and “few.”

And then… there is Trump, the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America; immigrants (of course, with his nuances on immigrants) are poising the blood of our country!  Maybe an analogy from a homeowner’s perspective would be beneficial here to provide some clarity and assist readers of this article to better determine where they stand or should stand on this issue; so, it follows:

I own my home and have long-time neighbors whom I do not know a lot about and they do not know a lot about me.  We have lived next door to one another for more than seven years but we are simply acquaintances.

One year during an extremely cold winter one of my neighbors, who has a month-to-month lease on a fully furnished home, decided that his landlord is gouging him by charging too much rent and being unfair in other ways as well.  As a result, he decided to leave.  He came to my home because while he has been my neighbor, he has noticed that my home is well-kept and I appear to have few if any problems.

He knocked on my door and when I answered, he gave me his story about what had occurred with his landlord and asked if he could stay with me.  He said that he is willing to carry his load with the mortgage, food, and all other expenses for as long as he stays with me.  I understand his situation so sympathize with him.  Since I did not mind having a roommate and the extra money would be a real plus for me, I agreed to let him stay but only if he agrees to abide by my rules.  He agreed so I made him aware of the rules.

1) Before you enter my home you must clean the mud and snow off the bottoms of your shoes using the doormat you are standing on.  He complied with my request.  2) I got a wet cloth and a dry one and handed them to him.  You must clean the tops and sides of your shoes with this wet cloth and dry them with this dry one.  He began to do as I asked him but amid doing so, he said it is extremely cold out here, can I come in and finish?

I told him that he must complete the task outside.  Instead of doing as I told him, he tried to force his way into my home.  I refused to let him in and there was some pushing and shoving that had a high potential of escalating.  Nonetheless, I assured him that I would do whatever was necessary to prevent him from entering my home without my permission, which would only be granted if he followed all my rules.  Fearing the potential consequences that could occur, he acquiesced.

In this analogy, my home represents America and my neighbor’s home represents any random country.  My neighbor’s landlord and his gouging represent the negative things that are occurring in these random countries.  I represent the American government and my neighbor represents immigrants.  The mortgage, food and all other expenses represent Americans’ responsibilities as citizens.  The extra money represents the contribution to America that current immigrants have made and that new immigrants can make.  My rules represent America’s laws and rules.

Based on that, the moral of this analogy/story is that immigrants are an essential part of the American fabric and Americans should recognize and appreciate that.  Americans must also recognize and acknowledge that immigrants have played an important role in America’s success since its founding and continue to play an important role now.  They are not poisoning the blood of our country!

However, there are rules that must be followed in allowing immigrants into America.  America cannot just stand by and allow those from other countries to come into America whenever and wherever they choose without abiding by her immigration rules.  Finally, when we do not let them in or deport them because they refuse to abide by America’s immigration rules, no matter what anyone thinks or says, we do not hate them.  We are simply demanding that they abide by America’s laws and rules just as we demand that all Americans abide by them… or face the consequences.

Considering the current immigration situation, this suggests that the American government must immediately address the issues at America’s southern border.  And as unfortunate as the situations are for those who are trying to enter there or anywhere else along her borders, the rules must be followed.  If they are not, our country will find herself in an untenable situation.  And if that is allowed to occur, neither current American citizens nor those who are trying to enter this country will benefit.  Immigrants who enter America must follow the rules and it is incumbent upon our elected officials at all levels to assure that this happens.

As things stand now, many states around the country are experiencing a large influx of immigrants into their major cities who have crossed America’s southern border and are in this country illegally.  This is putting a strain on the human, medical, and financial resources of these states and cities.  It is also angering many citizens and, therefore, creating a major problem for America’s elected officials and these immigrants.

Even those Americans who are supportive of immigrants are becoming concerned about the amount of them that are being allowed into the country and the rate at which they are being allowed into it.  Even if you disagree with the tactics that governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbot of Texas are using in bussing or flying these illegal immigrants off to what they refer to as blue states or sanctuary states, it is reasonable to assume that you agree that they are forcing those states to feel what their states have been feeling for a long time.

Notwithstanding whether you agree or disagree with the tactics that various elected officials are using to mitigate America’s immigration conundrum, it is important that politicians find common ground to solve this problem and solve it quickly.  That common ground must be found within our current immigration laws and rules even if some tweaking must be done and adjustments must be made.

All political posturing must be set aside and this problem must be fixed!  Even if this 118^th congress has been the most do-nothing congress of do-nothing congresses in the history of congress, they must come together and do something about America’s immigration problem.  It is imperative to the smooth operation of America’s immigration system and the smooth function of her overall society.

Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

The presidential and post-presidential era of Donald J. Trump impacted on every facet of the United States government.  Among the components that it impacted is the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS).  It impacted the SCOTUS in such a way that Americans can no longer depend on the SCOTUS to make decisions on cases based solely upon the law.

Instead, it appears that some SCOTUS justices make their decisions based on, what I will coin and refer to as the Trump Formula: and it is buckling under its weight.  The Trump Formula is; D = CLT².  In this formula, D is decision, C is case, L is law, and T is Trump; that is, Decision = Case x Law x Trump squared.  And no decision can be made without giving full consideration and weight to Donald J. Trump’s opinion of what a right or wrong decision is and then increasing that consideration and weight exponentially.

Figuratively speaking, the pillars that support the high standards of the SCOTUS, this once great and highly esteemed institution, are being strained to the edge of collapse due in great part to the Trump Formula and Trump’s influence on the SCOTUS itself.  Not only that, but the foundation of the SCOTUS is replete with cracks and out-of-place pieces that have been chipped away during this presidential and post-presidential era of want-to-be dictator, Donald J. Trump.

Trump has said publicly that if reelected “I would be a dictator…but only for a day.”  Any American who believes the “but only for a day” part of this quote needs to take a closer look at Trump’s record; a more appropriate word in his case might be jacket.  Jacket is the term that is very often used when law enforcement is referring to a criminal’s record.  Yet, while all this is happening, this current Republican party – which is now the party of Trump, continues to support Trump and is doing absolutely nothing to prevent the demise of a key component of the foundation of the American government.

No American should ever want any facet of the American government to fail: And most of us do not.  Unfortunately, there are some Americans who do want it to fail and they are working hard trying to assure that it will.  Many of these Americans are elected officials and many of these elected officials are Donald J. Trump sycophants.  It does not matter to them that Trump is a want-to-be dictator or whether he becomes one.  What matters to them is that his policies and what he does to shape America are in line with their way of thinking.  It appears that if they are then he will have their full support.

This situation is among the key reasons why it is so important that Americans need the SCOTUS to operate based on those high principles and standards that existed prior to the presidential and post-presential era of Trump and make their decisions based upon the law and not the Trump Formula.  Let me be clear, the reason why it is so urgent right now for the SCOTUS to return to these high principles and standards is because it is highly possible that it will play a part in Trump’s plan.

The first trial that Trump will likely face is currently scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024.  Trump has claimed complete immunity to all charges because, at the time that the things that he is accused of doing occurred, he was the Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  Judge Tanya Chutkan, the presiding judge in this trial has denied Trump’s claim.  True to form, Trump has filed an appeal and that requires that all proceedings be stopped until he receives a decision on that appeal.  Enter the SCOTUS.

As a result of Trump’s appeal, Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked the SCOTUS to bypass the appellate court and take this case on immediately.  This would save time and help to maintain the integrity of the March 4, 2024 trial date.  The obvious problem here is a SCOTUS that has lost the trust of the American people: will they rule based upon the law or based upon the Trump Formula?  Remember the ruling that overturned Roe vs. Wade?!

There was a time before the presidential and post-presidential era of Trump that the answer to this Trump Formula question would have been obvious; of course, the SCOTUS would rule based upon the law.  However, under these current circumstances where Trump has an outsized influence on American politics and the SCOTUS, the answer to this question is not a given.  And since it appears that the SCOTUS will agree to accept Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to bypass the appellate court, expedite their consideration of a ruling on Trump’s appeal and immediately render their decision, the SCOTUS’s potential decision will determine whether Trump’s plan is successful.

What is Trump’s plan?  Anyone who is accustom to regularly executing their civic responsibility of voting – even if they do not follow politics closely, knows by now Trump’s situation.  If they have done the slightest bit of research, they also know Trump’s reputation so know that he is a prolific liar, been sued numerous times and typically tends to drag out litigation to a point that is favorable to him so that he is able to win, and thus, survive.

Drag out the litigation process; that is Trump’s plan and that is what he is trying to do right now to survive the five indictments and 91 criminal charges that he is faced with.  He is trying to hold on until he becomes the Republican 2024 presidential nominee and then, possibly be reelected The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  If he is reelected, after that he will have much more power and much greater influence to mitigate these indictments and charges or simply make them disappear.

There is still a strong chance that Donald J. Trump could be reelected and once again be The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  If American voters do not step back real soon, see the big picture, and realize the grave mistake that they will be making if they put Trump back into office, there is an extremely high chance that America will not remain a democracy.  As voters, we hold the power to stop Trump, this want-to-be dictator, from achieving his goal to become America’s first dictator.

As responsible voters who want to keep America a democracy, we have an obligation to get involved now and stay involved until we can help to assure by any legal and peaceful means necessary, that neither Trump nor any of his sycophants who, like him, want to destroy democracy, will become president.  So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

There are those in the media who have labeled Donald Trump as a – fill in as many blanks as you would like that you can recall that have been publicly stated – stupid prolific liar.  And the media are not the only ones who have relished in heaping these labels upon him.  Likely most other Americans who are not loyal Trump sycophants, MAGA folks and or supportive evangelicals have used these labels as well when referring to him.

This could be due to pure frustration with America’s inability to effectively deal with this one man who is a clear and present danger to democracy.  Or, it could be because he has forced virtually all Republican politicians and all America’s most powerful men to bend the knee to him.  Both these things would have been completely unthinkable before the presidential era of Trump.  Or, it could be out of pure frustration with Trump’s seeming ability to defy all stress-related factors that apply to normal human beings: Normal human beings who – when they have been cornered and found to be lying, conniving, cheating crooks – cannot help but to confess their wrongdoing.

When Trump is cornered like this and all but endless evidence points to the fact that he is the culprit, like a new and yet unstoppable virus, he engulfs and consumes this evidence and grows stronger.  Then, he adds more lies to the lies that he has already told and the media responds by giving him more coverage because it sells.  They are overwhelmed by their profit motive to the point that it overrides their principal responsibilities to the public.  Possibly, this motive is so demanding to these organizations that it even overrides the moral and principle responsibilities they espouse.  Money is indeed king!

Trump likely loathes all these demeaning names but, secretly, delights in the “stupid” label.  He likes it because while everyone is destressing and, at least to some degree, relieving their frustrations by denigrating him, this “stupid” label is allowing him the freedom and more time to implement and carryout his dastardly deeds.  Trump certainly does not believe that he is stupid – after all, he has a big brain (according to him), consults with himself to make critical decisions and has been labeled a genius by Russian president Vladimir Putin; again, according to him.

And, while whether Trump is stupid is arguable, he certainly is not stupid when it comes to chaos.  He thrives in it!  He outshines everyone!  So, the situation that America is in right now is his home turf.  While the rest of America is flailing and trying to decide what to do in these unprecedented circumstances, Trump is staying the course, sailing along smoothly, and piling more lies on top of those that he has already told.  And the media continues to cover him…and them.  This hurts America and helps Trump.  He is well aware of the fact that, although the media does its best to fact check him, he can lie exponentially while the media can only fact check arithmetically.

All three branches of government are unsure of how to handle Trump and what he is doing to further confuse the American public and confuse these three branches of government, testing their limits.  So far, he must be ecstatic about the results.  The judicial branch, which is essential to help assure that every component of the foundation of the American government operates at its optimum, is especially worth watching at this point because, as a result of what certainly must be their concern and confusion in treading these unprecedented situations, they are allowing Trump to get away with virtual murder.  They are not treating him under the law like they would treat any other American citizen, they are treating him differently. They are treating him special; as if everyone is not equal under the law.

To say that it is a challenge for these branches of government to deal with Trump under the existing circumstances is an understatement; he is the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  This is a constitutional crisis and no one in any of these branches wants to deal with the situation.  They especially do not want to be the first to deal with it.  But it must be dealt with.  It must be dealt with in a timely fashion and sure-handed manner because there is too much chaos and too many Americans are confused.  To address the situation while displaying uncertainty will only hurt America and help Trump.  This is exactly what Trump wants; chaos and uncertainty is his home turf.

Our government must settle on the right way to deal with Trump and the media must figure out a way to cover him effectively and fairly without abandoning the moral and principle standards that they espouse.  America needs a strong two-party system of government to operate at the governments optimum.  However, for this two-party system to be effective in America, the politicians in both parties must operate based on reasonable moral and principle standards.  And above all, these politicians must be pro-democracy.  They cannot be antidemocracy, openly or covertly, if they are to be meaningful, elected officials who take seriously their oath of office and want to truly represent their constituents, the American people.

We, the American people, are responsible for electing the politicians to office and removing them from office when they do not measure up to America’s high democratic standards.  Further, the politicians that we elect are responsible for placing the judges and justices at the highest levels of our judicial system in place.  If we take our civic responsibility as voters seriously and, to the best of our ability, elect politicians who meet America’s high democratic standards to office, we will not only have elected politicians with high standards but – as a result, have judges and justices who are not just politicians in black robes.

So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis, author – M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line