No Sharia for Me

    In an earlier post I wrote that immigrants should be welcome, provided they are willing to accept American values and integrate peacefully and productively. Can we say honestly that all the Muslims who are already here have met those conditions? Obviously not, judging by the number of radical cells responsible for the growing incidents of jihadist terrorism.

    One reason Muslims have great difficulty in assimilating in our society is Sharia Law. Sharia is mandated by the Koran and as such is the only law permitted by Islamic theocracies. It is only natural then for devout Muslims who immigrate from those countries to prefer Sharia to “foreign” law, because it is part of their religion.

    Some have modified their beliefs and abandoned Sharia, but many have not. A poll commissioned by the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., reveals that 51% of Muslims in America would prefer to be governed by Sharia; 39% say they should not be subject to American courts; one-fifth say that violence would be justified in making Sharia the law of the land. This is cause for concern, considering, among other things, Sharia's extreme punishments for offenses like adultery, homosexuality, theft, and blasphemy.

    In France, the U.K., and other countries with large Muslim communities, governments have permitted Muslim enclaves to be ruled by Sharia. In some of those enclaves police officers are not even permitted to enter. This must not happen here. North Carolina and several other states have passed laws preventing Sharia from being used as a defense in a court of law. That's a start. Unfortunately, some states permit underground Sharia courts to rule in Muslim communities. This can only lead to law enforcement chaos and the refusal of Muslims to accept established legal authority.

    We must insist that immigrants to America show a desire to become Americans in every sense of the word. They are free to practice their religion and to maintain their customs and social traditions. But they must respect American values and principles, and that starts with accepting our Constitutional system of government and obeying our laws.

Extremes on Immigration

    The issue of immigration, legal and otherwise, is not going away soon. It seems to me that extremists on this matter could use a measure of common sense to reel in their prejudices.

    We are a nation of immigrants; even native Americans came from someplace else. But that does not mean we should have borders open to all. The tragic deaths resulting from the refusal of sanctuary cities to prosecute or deport criminal illegal aliens underscores the point.

    On the other hand, we cannot justify shutting the door to entire groups based solely on their ethnicity or their religion. What would this country be if Ellis Island had refused entry to Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants when all they sought was to make their mark in this Land of Opportunity? Fears that hordes of unvetted, single Muslim men of fighting age may include jihadists are well-founded, but the denial of entry to women, children, and old men is not.

    Would-be immigrants, be they migrants escaping persecution, desperate poor seeking better lives for their families, or foreign graduates of our universities should be welcome, provided they are willing to accept American values and integrate peacefully and productively. And law-abiding and contributing members of our society should not be indiscriminately subject to wholesale exile because they entered our country illegally years or even decades ago.

    Welcoming immigrants is not charity: it is enlightened self-interest. If we have learned anything from the masses who came to our shores at the turn of the 20^th century, it is that we can benefit from the variety of other cultures. In fact, our history celebrates the accomplishments of the many men and women who came here with little but their talents and their genius. Let's be secure, but let's also not have a policy of unwarranted xenophobia bar the door to their successors.

Worried

    I'm very worried about this year's presidential elections. On one side the leading candidate is a thoroughly dishonest and corrupt politician who would continue the disastrous policies of President Obama, while on the other side we have a bombastic egomaniac whose economic proposals would bankrupt this country even faster than the man he accuses of incompetence.

    Actually, I'm worried less about these two candidates than I am about the people who would vote for them. It is a sign of the times when so many Americans support candidates strictly on the basis of party affiliation, narrow self-interest, or frustration with the political system, while ignoring their character and their qualifications for office.

    This year's election will be the most consequential of my lifetime. The next president will most certainly have the greatest long-term impact on the future of this country. Will he or she take this country further on the road to socialism or restore a thriving capitalism based on the principles of freedom and individual responsibility? Will the new president choose liberal supreme court justices who see the Constitution as an outdated document that needs to be revised or conservative justices whose decisions will reflect the intent of the founders who wrote it? Will the United States continue to abdicate its position of leadership in the world or will it make the security of its citizens a priority in the face of Islamic terrorism?

   These are the questions that voters should consider when lending their support to a presidential candidate. If the polls are correct, voters will ignore the welfare of the country and elect the current front-runner who best reflects their selfish needs or their anger. Either way it spells disaster for our nation.

Contemptuous and Contemptible

   Three “c” words are popping up more and more these days: corruption, criminality, and contempt. And they are all connected.

   Corruption is pervasive in our government and our political system. As brilliantly spelled out in Peter Schweizer's book Throw Them All Out, politicians get rich off insider stock tips, land deals, and crony capitalism. Yet, these criminals hardly ever get prosecuted or get fitted for an orange jumpsuit.

    Bill and Hillary Clinton brazenly fill the coffers of their phony foundation with millions of dollars in quid pro quo bribes from domestic and foreign entities. Do Hillary's gullible supporters understand what she will do when these donors come calling on her after she becomes president?

    FBI Director James Comey, a stand-up guy, is expected to recommend an indictment of Hillary for her e-mail shenanigans, but does anyone expect Loretta Lynch to file one in an election year? While we're at it, will she prosecute lawbreakers in the IRS or the Veterans Administration? Will she put a stop to Obama's release of drug dealers from our jails or to the harboring of criminals in our sanctuary cities?

    What we're seeing in Washington is contempt: contempt for the law, contempt for the Constitution, contempt for the American people. The worst offender is President Obama himself. He changes health care laws without the authority to do so, he refuses to execute the law on illegal immigration, he tramples the Constitution with executive actions, and he treats himself like a king with family vacations and international travel costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

    As if that weren't enough, Obama earns the contempt of friend and foe alike for his feckless and weak international policies. The contemptuous has become the contemptible.

Sports Hero

    One of the things most of us do at the end of a year is to check out what famous people died that year. As a baseball fan I usually look for the names of ballplayers, especially those who played for my Boston Red Sox.

    I have vivid memories of the three Sox players who passed away in 2015. One was Bill Monbouquette who won 114 games in his career and tossed a no-hitter in 1962. Another was Dave Henderson. He didn't play many games for the Sox, but I remember his dramatic 9^th inning home run to beat the Angels in the 1986 American League Championship playoffs. The third was Frank Malzone, a great third baseman who holds most Sox records at that position. He was a decent hitter, but an even better fielder, winning three consecutive Golden Glove awards from 1957 to 1959, beating out the incomparable Brooks Robinson.

    The most famous and best-loved ballplayer of all who left us in 2015 has to be Yogi Berra. I used to hate him when he'd reach for a bad ball and hit it out of the park to beat my team. But I grew to love him. And I was not alone.

    Yogi Berra may have been the greatest catcher of all time. But I think he will best be remembered for his “eloquence.” He is no doubt the most often quoted of any man who ever played the game. Here are some of my favorite Berra-isms:

    

    “You can observe a lot by watching.”

    “A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.”

    “It's déjà vu all over again.”

    “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

    “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”

    “It ain't over 'til it's over.”

    “I really didn't say everything I said.”

    “Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.”

    “Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded.”

    We mourn the passing of our heroes, but with Yogi we do it with a smile.