Tag Archives: mark caserta

Mark Caserta: Huntington, WV. – One of the most dangerous cities in the nation?

18 Feb

crime index

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and managing editor for Free State Patriot

February 18, 2019

 

Is Huntington, West Virginia one of the most dangerous cities in the nation?

You decide.  But the facts are undeniable.

Per Neighborhood Scout, an online service which does a deep-dive analysis into the crime rates in cities across the nation, our fair city is certainly not providing any incentive for families to stay or relocate to our area.

Neighborhood Scout serves numerous entities which impact the growth and prosperity of a city, such as investors, lenders, brokers/agents and property managers, by providing them with the most current crime index information available utilizing analytical builds from “Location, Inc”.

This information, which was released from the FBI in September, 2018 (latest available), is troubling, to say the least.

The website and the corresponding information may be viewed at: https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/wv/huntington/crime

On a Crime Data scale, with “100” being the score of the safest cities in the U.S., Huntington is at a “3”!

All things being equal, this means that Huntington is only safer than 3% of all U.S. cities!

Additionally, the data reported shows, on average, our city incurs nearly 10 violent crimes per 1000 residents annually and more than 50 property crimes per 1000 each year.

For comparison, the state of West Virginia has just over 3.5 violent crimes per 1000 residents. Our city nearly “triples” even that of our entire state!

Your chances of being a victim of a violent crime in Huntington are 1 in 102, versus 1 in 285 on a state level. It’s worth noting, the website has Huntington’s current population at 47, 079. I believe it’s considerably lower than that, which would make the math even worse!

Your chances of being the victim of a property crime in Huntington are not any more promising. You stand a 1 in 20 chance of being on the receiving end of a property crime in our city as compared to 1 in 50 for the state of WV.

Certainly, sounds like a good case for reducing the level of police and fire protection in Huntington – doesn’t it?

Some of the safer neighborhoods in the Huntington area include:

  • Lesage, Martha / Hodges
  • Buffalo Creek / Shoals
  • Pea Ridge
  • Goodwill Rd / Spring Valley Drive
  • Melissa / West Pea Ridge
  • Locust Terrace / Locust Drive
  • 16th St. Road / Washington Blvd
  • Harveytown
  • Westmoreland.

Folks, you’re not going to hear this from our local city leaders or even our local media, who clearly have the responsibility to protect our citizens by informing and preparing them with this information.

It’s truly the epitome of political apathy toward our citizens and their well-being.

Amid this peril, it’s disconcerting that we have city leaders exhibiting such a dereliction of duty by allowing our city to not only operate with an understaffed and overworked police force, but to allow the decay of our infrastructure to continue.

There are those who simply don’t think it’s healthy to be transparent with this information.

But how can any problem be addressed without first, acknowledging it?

Our city is desperate for leadership who will stand up against the deep state cowering in the shadows, content to propagate their progressive agenda of inclusiveness and sanctuary ideology, while Huntington dies a slow death.

The satellite view is this. Within these United States, among the 35,000 cities recognized by U.S. Geological Survey, lies the city of Huntington, WV. A city, once widely recognized for being a great town to work and raise a family, now declining in population and on the verge of destitution.

We find ourselves riddled with drugs, crime and questionable leadership with no apparent plan to return business and manufacturing to our area.

What will it take to make Huntington great again? Is it even possible?

Yes. But it will require a lot savvier business acumen and a lot less self-centeredness.

And it will be up to the voters to find that person.

Yes, we need a hero.

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Huntington, West Virginia: A city desperate for leadership

8 Feb

city of huntington

 

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and managing editor for Free State Patriot

February 8, 2019

 

How desperate must the situation in Huntington, WV. become before its citizens begin holding leadership accountable?

A city’s infrastructure is prerequisite to a community functioning properly. Sadly, the infrastructure of Huntington seems to be the least of our current administration’s concerns – to the point our safety is being placed at risk!

A recent post shared by social media blog, “Real Huntington”, revealed the entire compliment of Huntington’s Fire Department (HFD) Tower Trucks are completely out of service and unable to respond to calls requiring their special functions. In the event on a high-rise fire, the HFD is forced to call upon nearby fire departments in Barboursville, Green Valley or Kenova, WV. for support.

Any firefighter will tell you, that given the rampage of an intense fire, the time it would take for support to arrive from other cities places the city of Huntington and its residents at the mercy of time and could result in needless loss.

And given that time has no mercy, this loss could include the loss of life.

Managing a city’s budget and infrastructure must be more than an afterthought for this administration. Perhaps if we spent as much time managing these fiscal responsibilities as we do promoting “inclusiveness” and a “sanctuary mentality”, our city administration would be more successful in contributing to Huntington’s success and less to its demise.

What could possibly be more important in our city’s budget than the protection of its citizens?

Well, it appears, most everything.

As with liberals on Capitol Hill, it seems Huntington’s administration has such a disdain for conservative principles, it simply cannot think rationally. And the individuals, with this irrationally motivated mindset, seem intent on fundamentally changing what has historically been one of the most conservative cities I’ve known in my lifetime, Huntington, WV., into the East Coast distributor of progressive values.

Is it too much for the citizens of Huntington to ask, for the Mayor, the City Council and leaders responsible for our city’s infrastructure, to prioritize the allocation of funds for our city’s basic needs before consideration of discretional spending?

Frankly, the city of Huntington, WV. is dying a slow death. And city leadership is idly standing by allowing it to happen. While the rest of the nation is prospering under the conservative, principled leadership of President Trump, our city’s leadership appears hell-bent on heading the opposite direction in every sense of the word.

It’s appalling that our local news outlets, fail miserably at reporting the critical nature of our situation. Has anyone read anything in the Herald Dispatch or seen any viable reporting on WSAZ regarding our city’s leadership liabilities?

And you’re not going to. Can anyone say “Deep State” protection?

Per City.Data.com, Huntington, West Virginia has become one of the most dangerous cities in the nation. Per capita, Huntington’s crime index is higher than 97.2 percent of other cities in our country. That’s an incredible statistic!

And the buck stops with our city’s leadership and the poor business acumen that inundates our courthouse.

We are now less than 6 months away from the end of the 18-month period during which Mayor Steve Williams promised, “We would be managing our way out of this…”, speaking of the fiscal mess which he has allowed.

Does anyone feel more secure, living in the city limits? Do we see manufacturing jobs returning to our beloved community? Are you better off now than you were prior to the current administration?

If the answer to these questions is “no”, it’s time to take our future back with leadership that will put Huntington first, rather than a political career.

Harsh words? Absolutely! It’s time.

Make Huntington Great Again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Liberal Democrats desire to change the face of our nation – literally.

28 Jan

Unaccompanied minors ride atop the wagon of a freight train, known as La Bestia (The Beast) in Ixtepec

Illegals work their way toward our southern border

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

March 9, 2019

 

Illegal immigration across our southern border has understandably been on the increase.

It’s certainly not because our efforts at the border have diminished, they’ve not.  Illegals are simply being instructed that if they ever wish to have opportunity to cross our southern border into the United States, they’d better do it quickly.

And it isn’t just people seeking a better future.

Along with the illegal immigrants, we are seeing an increase in gang activity, drug and firearm smuggling and human trafficking.  Anyone who tells you the humanitarian crisis at our border is manufactured, is trying to sell you something.

In other words, they’re propagating fake news, or news intended to persuade or influence, rather than inform.

Believe me, when I tell you President Trump will successfully build a wall and bring lawful stability to our southern borders.  He simply doesn’t know how to fail.

Given our current illegal immigration crisis and liberal Democrat’s vehement battle against President Trump’s border wall, how many times do you suppose President Barack Obama visited our southern border?

One time. He gave a speech. Go figure.

When was the last time you saw a story of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Sen. Chuck Schumer visiting the southern border for a fact-finding mission?

They avoid it like the plague.  And yet, they still claim there is no crisis at the border.

The truth is… the truth is not important to liberals. Just stop Trump – period.

Hypocrisy seems to be the new platform for the Democrat Party. Despite supporting border security and even voting for the Secure Fence Act of 2016, they shamefully continue to fight against yet, another win for President Trump.

And alas, the newest liberal Democrat talking points avoid the word “wall” like it was akin to saying “Islamic terrorist”.  They use words like, “barrier or fence”.  It’s actually very intellectually insulting.

The Democrat Party has eroded so badly, they act like small children throwing a tantrum because mommy wouldn’t buy them a toy.

Folks, we must ask ourselves, why?

Why have liberal Democrats “flip-flopped” on supporting re-enforcing our southern borders against illegal entry?  As void as they are of “morals and principles”, they aren’t stupid.  There must be a reason.

This liberal hatred of Donald Trump simply aligns with the Democrats ultimate goal.

Liberal Democrat’s ultimately desire to change the face of our nation, one in which will complacently succumb to the liberal ideology of government power and control over the people.  Frankly, those on the far left  would love for it to begin a a soft transition into socialism.

Democrats used to hide this socialist agenda – now, they run campaigns on it.  It’s called “progressivism”.

Trust me when I tell you they will never be satisfied until they own you.  They believe they know better, than you do, what you need to be successful in life.  They’ve proven it time and again.

Here’s a Democrat postulate for you. Liberal Democrats believe that you are stupid and they are wise.

Remember Obamacare?  Talk about a piece of legislation totally passed on lies!  And to date, Democrats refuse to address the falsehoods perpetrated on their constituents.

For those forgetting, this type of predictable border controversy is a primary reason for electing a president who is committed to nominating conservative justices to the highest court in the land!

No doubt, we will see other challenges escalated to the Supreme Court, such as live-birth abortion or gun control.  Owning a conservative balance insures a fighting chance for our children’s future!

President Trump called it accurately when he predicted his National Emergency Declaration would be challenged in the lower courts, probably failing, but then eventually decided at the Supreme Court.

Let’s move President Trump’s National Emergency Declaration through the courts and allow the Supreme Court to decide.

Dig in.  The battle has just begun.

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Team Trump working to draft National Emergency Declaration

26 Jan

trump team

(Trump legal team positioning for the legal battle ahead)

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

January 26, 2019

 

Successful negotiating is like producing a fine wine.

If fashioned and placed on the table too quickly, you’ll likely experience something akin to a flavor-fortified Boones Farm Ripple. If allowed to develop its depth in a controlled environment, it can become a nice Cabernet Sauvignon with well-integrated tannins leaving the wine feeling silky on the palate and with a pleasing bouquet.

The most successful and enduring negotiations achieve a “win-win” for all parties involved. And remember, the more parties, the longer the process may take. Additionally, while one must always negotiate from a position of strength, it’s important to show the other party a desire for the process to benefit them in some way.

It’s critical, however, that one be willing to walk away from the table. Many acclaimed negotiations were catapulted by someone validating their position and sincerely, walking away.

For those wondering, that’s why Barack Obama failed so miserably in negotiating deals for the American people. He always seemed to be negotiating from a position of weakness and never toward a win for all parties, much less the American people.

Last week’s announcement by President Trump that he was conceding to the Democrats and allowing the government to re-open brought about a plethora of emotions and responses from those following the standoff.

Liberals and complicit media declared victory in that the president “caved” to their demands. Many conservatives were disappointed and even angry feeling their commander-in-chief “wavered” in the winds of political discontent.

Neither were correct. I believe this was a brilliant negotiating move by President Donald J. Trump.

Allow me to draw back the curtain revealing what I believe the president accomplished and his plans moving forward.

The president allowed the shutdown standoff to continue long enough to get all the Democrat cards on the table. And, indeed, they showed their full hand. He also allowed everyone to realize the full import of even a partial government shutdown.

But, Democrat leaders, Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Schumer were simply asking for the government to be re-opened and then, and only then, would they be willing to negotiate a deal. Frankly, that was a position easily substantiated by the media.

Now, while many people feel liberals will fail in producing legislation that funds a “barrier” or a wall, Democrats don’t have a leg to stand on! Remember, they voted on The Secure Fence Act of 2006, which provided much of what Trump is asking! That will, also, be a position easily validated.

Democrat leaders didn’t even include the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) in their wish list, which is something President Trump had previously offered, proving their argument had nothing to do with compassion or benevolence.

So, last week, President Trump strategically, gave in to the Democrat’s demands.

Here ya go, Chuck and Nancy! The government is open and government employees will receive back pay. You have three weeks. Now get to work securing our border and protecting Americans.

However, here’s the “fly in the liberal’s buttermilk”, should they fail in passing legislation allocating sufficient funding for the wall along our southern border.

In his speech, President Trump confidently fortified his executive ability to declare a national emergency enabling him to gather financing from other resources to build the wall he promised during his campaign.

If Democrats fail in placing legislation on his desk at the end of three weeks, Trump will have already given them what they demanded. At that time, he will take the argument back to the American people explaining “why” he must declare a national emergency, as it is the only option left on the table. I believe the Trump legal team is already working to draft the declaration.

He won’t want to shut the government down again. He won’t need to. But there is no way liberal Democrats are going to give President Trump, yet another “huge” win by funding his border wall. Both parties already know this.

Trust me when I tell you, Democrat leaders are already shopping federal courts, such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in preparation of filing suit against the President of the United States. They will claim his action is unconstitutional, and trust that the Ninth “circus” Court of Appeals will agree, since they are arguably the most liberal court in our nation.

Also, trust me when I tell you, the Trump administration already knows that.

Herein, my friend, lies the importance of the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court, as this will ultimately be decided at that level. It may take some time, but probably not as long as one may think considering this deals with what the president has declared a national emergency. It will, most assuredly, rise to the top of the court’s docket.

Regardless, President Trump and the American people will get a barrier along our southern wall. And it will be a wall sufficient to deter most illegal immigration, drugs, human trafficking and gang related entry.

This huge debacle is a travesty brought on by liberal Democrats.

The primary responsibility of a president is to protect our nation and its citizens. Walls are proven to work. Democrats have no other goal in this standoff than to cause President Trump to fail. His mounting number of wins are working to secure his victory in the 2020 president election.

The Democrat position does nothing but put Americans at risk. I consider that the antithesis of patriotism, bordering on treason.

Three weeks and counting. It will be an interesting series of events.

 

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Mark Caserta: 1st Amendment right support varies with political ideology

20 Jan

1st amendment

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

January 20, 2019

 

Where do your 1st Amendment rights begin and end?

It would seem liberals believe the standards vary based on one’s political ideology.

Arguably, no document represents our nation’s most fundamental founding principles more than the 1st Amendment to our U.S. Constitution, which states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

While the so-called “Establishment” clause and the “Free Exercise” clause prohibit government from interfering with our religious rights, the amendment further protects our right of “freedom of speech”.

Note, the progressive movement is notorious for vehemently exercising the Establishment clause against Christians who desire the freedom to worship openly. For example, they disingenuously claim that placing a nativity scene or the Ten Commandments in a public venue can somehow be construed as government showing favor of one religion over another and attempting to force U.S. citizens to adopt a “government preferred” religion.

Balderdash!

Additionally, they conveniently ignore the amendment’s protection of our “freedom to exercise” our religious views without government interference.

But only views of Christians! I’ve never heard any progressive lament over an individual being prohibited from exercising the tenets of Islam! In fact, I believe liberals work as hard to protect the Muslim religion as they do degrading Christianity! The hypocrisy is disturbing.

Understand, Deep State progressives will leverage and promote only that which supports their liberal agenda. And they will tenaciously fight against anything or anyone who stands in their way.

Sadly, until a few years ago, our Tri-State area has been fairly sheltered from these liberal lunatics. But as with any stray critter, if you keep the barn door open long enough, you will attract a variety of vermin.

And trust me when I tell you the gestation period of liberal vermin is very short. Before one knows it, they will become an infestation. One only need to look around our city to see our leaders have had the barn door open too long.

But, I digress to the “freedom of speech” portion of the 1st Amendment.

A recent column by News Editor Tony Rutherford of HuntingtonNews.net, (HNN) an online news agency serving our area since 2000, revealed a fired Cabell County teacher is suing for 1st Amendment Civil Rights violations.

Details of the lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of WV., are available for viewing at: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/sites/default/files/n64/Turbin%20suit.pdf

Per the HNN column, during the 2016-2017 school year, Mary Durstein taught World Studies, at Huntington High School, where on January 9, 2017, she was called to the office and administrator, Todd Alexander, ordered her to delete her Twitter account which reportedly supported conservative media posts, such as those from Fox News.

Durstein posted several tweets and retweets about politics and a variety of other topics and accumulated approximately 20-30 followers of her Twitter account.

It’s worth noting, Durstein was active on her account while at home and elsewhere – only when she was not on duty as a teacher. When tweeting and retweeting, Durstein used only electronic devices or computer equipment that she owned. She and her followers tended to like and retweet items of a conservative nature and that supported President Donald Trump and his “America first” agenda.

Another column, regarding the events of January 9, was written in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. This column, by Erin Beck, entitled, “Cabell school system investigating teacher’s anti-Muslim tweets”, may be read at: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/cabell-school-system-investigating-teacher-s-anti-muslim-tweets/article_916ef170-f2ac-5239-a14d-fc67029df63d.html

It’s interesting, (but not surprising) that the Charleston paper would intentionally present the story from what I consider to be a “fake news” viewpoint, apparently “slanting” the indeterminate details of the story to fit their progressive agenda.

Disagree? You decide. Here is a line from the column:

“A Huntington High School social studies teacher who posted numerous hateful views on Twitter deleted her account amid a school investigation of her social media use on Monday.” The columnist went on to claim, “Many posts were Islamophobic”, and that Durstein incorporated profanity when describing Barack Obama in numerous tweets, but showed support for President-elect Donald Trump.

Folks, we have two issues at hand here, both of which incorporate the progressive, Deep State assaulting conservatives and their right to the same free speech with which liberals “stain” our society ad nauseam.

The attempt to squelch Ms. Durstein’s right to openly state her views in a public venue by a few left-wing progressives is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. Equally as intolerable is the liberal Charleston-Gazette attempting to influence readers of her guilt before the results of any investigation.

It’s time to close the barn door and rid our city of the sanctuary seeking vermin.

The conservative majority in our area must stand up against this progressive onslaught. Our city leaders and who I believe to be a complicit liberal media, such as the Herald Dispatch and Charleston Gazette, do not seem to be interested in anything but advancing their own progressive agenda.

I encourage everyone to seek the truth and stand on principle. It is the only way we can win in what I believe to be the fight of our lives and for our lives.

 

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Conservative blog, Free State Patriot, gains momentum among readers

10 Jan

Conservative Christians must be heard above the fray. We must look for opportunities to make a difference, instead of waiting for them to appear. We must create change – positive change. If we don’t make our presence known and impactful, we lose. And we MUST begin now.

Join us at http://www.freestatepatriot.com

 

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Mark Caserta: Americans, behold the hypocrisy of liberal Democrats!

9 Jan

border patrol

(Brave Border Patrol agents work to protect our nation’s borders from illegal entry)

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

January 9, 2019

 

Allow me to illustrate just how hypocritical liberal Democrats are on funding President Trump’s border wall. Even I’m amazed at the audacity of these corrupt politicians! This proves just how “dumb” and “unengaged” Democrats believe the American people have become!

All these quotes regarding border security, are unedited, accurate and available all over the internet, from a handful of fair and balanced media.

Let’s first hear a 2005 quote from former senator and then, president, Barack Hussein Obama.

“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the U.S. undocumented, undetected, unchecked, circumventing the people who are waiting patiently, diligently, lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”

George W. Bush was president.

Now, let’s hear a 2014 quote from progressive “queen,” former senator and “twice” presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in and I do think you have to control your borders.”

Barack H. Obama was president.

Let’s not forget current Senator Chuck Ellis Schumer, when in 2009, he said:

“People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who enter the U.S. legally. The American people will never accept immigration reform unless they truly believe that their government is committed to ending future illegal immigration.”

Barack H. Obama was still president.

Oh, and then, there is Schumer’s current “presidential rebuttal” partner, House Speaker Nancy Patricia D’Alesandro Pelosi, when in 2008, the far-left liberal politician said:

“We do need to address the issue of immigration and the challenge we have of undocumented people in our country. We certainly do not want any more coming in.”

George W. Bush was still president.

And we can’t leave out self-proclaimed socialist, Senator Bernie (no middle name) Sanders, when in 2007, Bernard said:

“I don’t know why we need millions of people to be coming into the country who will work for lower wages than American workers and drives wages down even lower than they are right now.”

“W” was still at the presidential helm.

And at no extra charge, let’s hear from ex-Senator Harry Mason Reid, when in 1993, he stated:

“If making it easy to be an illegal alien isn’t enough, how about offering a reward for being an illegal alien? No sane country would do that, right? Guess again … (If you’re an illegal immigrant who gives birth in the U.S. you can go on welfare immediately.) Is it any wonder that two-thirds of the babies born at taxpayer expense in the county-run hospitals in Los Angeles are born to illegal alien mothers?”

Fast forward to 2019.  Donald Trump is President of the United States.

trump in wv

The crisis of illegal immigration is more prevalent than at any time in our nation’s history. America’s southern border is more volatile than ever.

These are direct quotes taken from House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s and Senator, Chuck Schumer’s Tuesday evening rebuttal of President Trump’s address to the nation, regarding his commitment to border security:

First, Ms. Pelosi:

“…The President is forcing American taxpayers to waste billions of dollars on an expensive and ineffective wall – a wall he always promised Mexico would pay for.”

(The president did, indeed, announce, during his address, the wall would be financed indirectly via the recent trade agreement he negotiated with Mexico.)

Now, Mr. Schumer:

“My fellow Americans, we address you tonight for one reason only: The President of the United States – having failed to get Mexico to pay for his ineffective, unnecessary border wall…”

These are the same people who voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which, including maintenance, was pegged at $50 billion over the next 25 years!  The act included many of the same features of President Trump’s wall!

These unethical politicians are now the face of the Democrat Party. By refusing to protect Americans, they are, indeed, the face of evil. There is no “downside” in building Trump’s wall. In fact, it’s never been needed more.  Yet, Democrats have no apparent desire to legitimately control our borders!

Per the U.S. Border Patrol’s website, in 2018, an average of 40,000 illegals attempted to cross our southern border every month! Agents have responded with increased in manpower, modern technology, such as infrared night-vision scopes, seismic sensors, and a modern computer processing system. But it isn’t enough. Illegals keep finding entry points along the 2000 miles of border- illegally. These numbers don’t even factor in those who’ve illegally overstayed their visas.

Most estimate the U.S. currently has well over 20,000 illegal immigrants in our nation, most of which strain the economy.

If only 1 percent of these illegals mean to bring harm to our people, is it worth it?

And despite what Democrats would like to leave out, under the guise of “compassion”, this ultimately is about the “rule of law”. Every single person who crosses the border illegally, is already breaking U.S. law – period.

Build the wall, President Trump. If you need to declare a national emergency, true American patriots are with you. There’s no need to play “chicken” with Democrats. And there’s no need to compromise on your devout principle of protecting U.S. citizens and our nation’s sovereignty.

The American people have your back.

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Bottom line: How many lives are Dems willing to sacrifice to stop Trump’s wall?

8 Jan

illegal immigrants

(A caravan of immigrants make their way to the U.S. southern border)

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor of Free State Patriot

January 8, 2019

Anyone who trusts polls, especially those from the corrupt, mainstream media, hasn’t followed politics very closely.

It’s no surprise the complicit, liberal media has been wetting themselves in excitement over being able to attack President Trump over recent polling of voters regarding the government shutdown, now in its third week.

Remember, these are the same people who told us Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidency in a landslide. I’m not sure how they could have missed it any worse. In fact, they still haven’t gotten over the embarrassment of losing to a political outsider who has strategically outmaneuvered them for the past two years.

Recent polling reports claim 70 percent of Americans want some form of compromise on our nation’s most recent woes – Government shutdown, the border wall and illegal immigration. Additionally, pollsters claim only 30 percent of Americans “don’t” want the president to compromise.

Besides not giving any credulity to these polls, anyone paying attention over the last couple decades, has learned “compromise”, in Washington, D.C., means gutless, Republicans cave to the Democrats.

That, my friends, is why our nation has had so many losses for Americans the last few presidencies. Politicians simply aren’t willing to succumb to controversy for fear of losing a vote.

As we all know, the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Donald Trump is about results.

So, I ask our readers, “How does one compromise on principle?” I realize this concept may cause liberal’s head to explode – but you don’t!

It’s one thing to compromise on a tactic or a roadmap for achieving a goal. But if the goal is to protect American citizens, where does one justify compromise?

I’m reminded of the military helicopter scene in the first “Die Hard” movie in which FBI agents, facetiously named, Johnson and Johnson, were flying to the roof of the Nakatomi Building under the guise of providing hostage-holding terrorists a route of escape. They, in fact, planned an airstrike designed to eliminate the terrorists with extreme prejudice.

During the flight, Agent Johnson asked Agent Johnson, the odds of the casualty rate of innocent hostages. Johnson replied, “…If we take out the terrorists, we could lose 20 or 25 percent of the hostages. His counterpart coldly replied, “I can live with that.”

I submit building the wall is no different! We have seen lives lost at the hands of illegal immigrants, deported time and again, but who venture back across our borders, only to commit crimes. We know illegal drugs are making their way across the border. We know terrorists and gang members are abusing our open borders to illegally enter the United States.

We know all of this eventually costs American lives. And while common sense dictates that some illegal immigrants are just looking to improve their lives, this must not take priority over rebuking the few who will commit a heinous crime.

Immigrants are welcome, but must take the legal route and come here with the goal of acclimating as a U.S. citizen.

Are Democrats willing to ignore these facts? And don’t forget, these are the same politicians who not only don’t want any border wall, they want to eliminate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as we know it!

How many American lives are Democrats willing to sacrifice simply to defeat Donald Trump in his mission to fulfill his campaign promise and build the wall? What is the acceptable civilian casualty rate to liberals whose hatred of this president far exceeds their love of country?

Building the wall will save lives and protect American sovereignty. “Not” building the wall puts both at risk. Trust me when I tell you these corrupt politicians will simply find something else on which to spend $5.6 billion.

They just aren’t willing to spend it protecting you – even though it’s your money.

President Trump will get his wall. And he will be willing to compromise on the terms of how he gets the money for its construction. But He will not compromise the principle of building it.

There is a difference.

 

 

 

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Mark Caserta: President Trump may declare national emergency to build wall.

6 Jan

trump leaving for camp david

(President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing the White House for Camp David on January 6, 2019 in Washington, D.C. – Pool/Getty Images)

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot.

January 6, 2019

 

As the government shutdown continues, both sides remain firmly entrenched in their ideology about building a wall along our southern border. The difference?

It’s this simple.

President Trump’s position protects Americans. The Democrat position puts them at risk.

I have a question for readers, and maybe more specifically, for Democrats. Why do federal prisons have some sort of a fence or a wall around them? Why do people build walls around their homes or businesses? The answer is ridiculously obvious to an intellectually honest person. But apparently progressive Democrats don’t fall into that category.

Walls are meant to keep people, critters or anything intrusive on their respective sides!  Why did the city of Huntington build a “flood wall”?  To keep out unwanted water!

The Democrats position asserting a wall along our southern border with Mexico would be ineffective and a waste of money simply defies common sense.

Per a May 2018 column in USA Today, at the end of World War II, there were seven border walls or fences in the world. Today, as President Trump pushes to deliver on his campaign promise to build a wall on the border with Mexico, there are at least 77 walls or fences around the world. Many were erected after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon.

Each of us realizes the threat of terror and crime across the globe has increased exponentially over the past 17 years. As the threats increase, we must prepare accordingly. We never “arrive” in our pursuit of safety. Our military is constantly working on new and innovative weapons designed to protect our homeland, while our enemies are simultaneously working on weapons designed to destroy it.

“Not” building the wall is a blatant dereliction of our representative’s duty and responsibility to protect Americans!

Let’s be clear. The battle over President Trump’s border wall isn’t about money for Democrats. It’s about seeing Donald Trump fail, at something, at anything – just fail. And liberal Democrats are willing to lower themselves to any level, to obstruct this president, even if it means Americans will be less safe.

But trust me when I tell you, President Trump will not fail in his “America first” pledge to protect our country from illegal immigration by building a border security wall or in some locations a fence. The president has often stated, geography will determine what structure will be needed to prevent illegals from entering our country.

Last week, President Trump threatened to declare a national emergency over immigration, which would allow him to bypass Congress and build the wall on our southern border. By declaring a state of national emergency, White House officials believe it will unlock money from other sources, allocating the $5.6 billion needed to construct the wall.

“We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden when asked about an emergency declaration.

Asked if his claim was intended to scare Democrats into making a deal, he replied, “I never make threats.” Officials at the Homeland Security, Justice and Defense Departments have reportedly researched the issue for Mr. Trump.

Under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, presidents can take unilateral action in times of crisis, provided they notify Congress, specify the circumstances that necessitated the declaration and document all uses of executive authority that are covered by the emergency.

One must remember, Donald Trump “wrote the book” on negotiation. I believe shutting the government down was a necessary step to negotiate from a position of strength. He knew Congress’s feckless method of “kicking the can down the road” with Continuing Resolutions has never solved a single problem. He was determined to take a path to success, even at the risk of owning the shutdown.

Negotiation “101” teaches a party “must” be willing to walk away from the table. And that’s exactly what President Trump did. Democrats and Americans, alike, now realize he means business.

I expect President Trump will allow the government shutdown to continue long enough to get the attention of the American people in exposing Democrats in their illegitimate argument against the wall. If Democrats don’t come to the table with a proposal that fully funds the president’s proposed wall, he will procure it in another manner. I believe his team has already researched other options to secure the wall’s funding.

I still believe the president would be well-served if he would lay out his plan to ultimately have Mexico pay for the wall, either directly or indirectly. This most assuredly would bolster support for his position, as it was, indeed, part of his campaign pledge. At some point, he must do so.

So, for the time being, we wait and watch, as the mainstream media boost their ratings decrying every step this president takes. But in the end, it will be President Trump and Americans in the winner’s circle.

And liberal Democrats will cry and lament over Trump’s continued success as president.

 

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Mark Caserta: Huntington, WV. is becoming a sanctuary for everything bad in the U.S.

29 Dec

crime

(City-Data.com shows Huntington, WV. crime index higher than 97.2% of other U.S. cities)

me

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor of Free State Patriot

December 29, 2018

It’s imperative to remember “fake news”, or “news designed to influence, rather than inform,” is real.  And it’s alive and well in Huntington, WV.

Now, fake news targeting political differences is one thing. But, when “fake news” begins to compromise the safety of citizens…it’s time to hold media accountable.

It became a “red flag” when various local news media began reporting certain aspects of crime were down in Huntington. Any intellectually honest person with a pulse and a TV, radio or mobile device can certainly see the apparent level of criminal activity within the city of Huntington does not support those conclusions.

Those engaged individuals would be the first to challenge the validity of these media claims. Free State Patriot, Huntington City Watch and concerned citizens decided to investigate the actual numbers.

First, understand, numbers can be manipulated. When dealing with double or even triple digits, percentages are easily impacted and skewed to influence rather than inform.

Some percentages may show a decrease, but when dealing with double or even triple digits, percentages are easily impacted. For example, if a city had 20 homicides in 2017, and incurred 3 less in 2018, the media could accurately report homicides were down 15 percent.

But for all intents and purposes, is there really much difference between 20 and 17 lives taken in a year? “15 percent” is just ambiguous enough to sound more impactful for the story and support a desired agenda. It simply cannot be construed as a trend, as some would have you believe.

Many engaged citizens are very concerned that our local media, both print and television, are in the back pocket of the local deep state and want you to believe our city leaders have Huntington headed in the right direction.

I submit nothing could be further from the truth.

Having lived in this area my entire life, I know we’ve prided ourselves in the Tri-State as having comparatively low crime rates compared to cities across the country. Contrary to reports, those days have passed us by. I’m going to offer some specific numbers relative to Huntington, WV. as compared to national averages.

According to City-Data.com, a website that tracks all things “crime-related” across the nation, Huntington, West Virginia has achieved, yet, another dubious recognition.

It has become one of the most dangerous cities in the country. In fact, per the website, Huntington’s crime index is higher than 97.2 percent of other cities in our nation!

There are currently 177 registered sex offenders living in Huntington, as of December 29, 2018. That’s a ratio of one sex offender per every 273 citizens.

The fact that in 2016, the violent crime rate in Huntington was exactly “double” that of the U.S. average should be extremely concerning for all of us.

The following are criminal statistics per 100,000 in population and have been mathematically adjusted to align with our current, reported city population:

    • Murders per 100,000 population – Huntington 6.2 vs. U.S. 5.7
    • Rapes per 100,000 population – Huntington 68 vs. U.S. 32
    • Robberies per 100,000 population – Huntington 258 vs. U.S. 110
    • Assaults per 100,000 population – Huntington 447 vs. U.S. 266
    • Thefts per 100,000 population – Huntington 3084 vs. U.S. 1869
    • Auto thefts per 100,000 population – Huntington 237 vs. U.S. 254
    • Arson per 100,000 population – Huntington 41.2 vs. U.S. 15.2
    • City-data.com crime index – Huntington 559 vs. U.S. 236

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Huntington-West-Virginia.html#ixzz5b61qKjuw

Now, the role of mayor can vary significantly depending on the city in which they were elected. In the city of Huntington, the mayor and the city council work together on developing and approving legislation within the boundaries of our city charter. Both entities have their prescribed veto power and generally share responsibility of city business.

So, if you were responsible for a city facing this mounting criminal presence, how would you address it? How important would the peace and prosperity of your constituents be? How inclined would you be to reduce law enforcement simply to accommodate a budget?

Who is worthy to decide it was worth putting our citizens at risk?

Well, in 2017, as reported in a January, WSAZ News Channel 3 news release, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams authorized reductions reducing police department staffing by 17 officers and fire department staffing by seven. In a statement in the release by Mayor Williams, the cuts were made to reduce the city’s budget deficit which was apparently poorly managed.

“We have made every effort to save as many jobs as possible and continue providing essential services,” Williams said. “These actions will not resolve all of our budget issues. We know we will be managing our way out of this for the next 18 months with the primary objective of avoiding further reductions in force. Our residents expect and deserve world-class service, and as we continue to address these financial constraints, we will implement procedures to ensure this cannot happen again.”

“The fact is when we came down through the end of the fiscal year and knew that some things were tight, we asked for budgets as we were preparing for the coming year,” Mayor Steve Williams said Thursday on First Look at Four. “and the next thing, we look at where we are right now, and that’s when the overages in each department became extremely clear. This should’ve been seen sooner. This is nobody’s fault but mine.”

At the time, WSAZ spoke with members of the police and fire departments.

“For the first time in 23 years, this mayor came in and handed our chief a budget,” said Sgt. Brian Lucas, the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police. “Not a number to form a budget around – he said here’s your budget. That budget included 111 officers, but he only allowed enough money for 102 and we were mandated to hire up to 113 at one point.”

“This is just a horrible decision on the mayor’s part,” said Lucas. “I’m not a numbers guy, but there has to be a better way. I think this situation’s been totally mismanaged and he’s absolutely laid it on the backs of employees at this point, throwing those cuts out there and he’s putting the citizens at risk.”

And putting the citizens of Huntington at risk is EXACTLY what has happened.

We now face an overwhelming crisis of crime to the degree I’ve not witnessed in my lifetime in the area. Our crime rate is even much higher than any of our nearest cities, some exponentially! And adding “insult to injury” we have a local media that is attempting to convince us our city is headed in the right direction.

Is that the Huntington, WV you want for your family? Are we going to support local media that apparently has more concern for the perceived success of this administration than it does your safety?

We are 6 months away from the end of “18 month” period during which Mayor Williams said, “we would be managing our way out of this…” We should demand an increase in our city’s police presence, certainly by then or even sooner!

I highly recommend everyone visit Huntington City Watch on Facebook and submit your application for membership. It currently has over 20,000 members in a city hovering around 40,000 members. As we all know, there is strength in numbers.  It’s truly a great way to see through the fake news.

The city of Huntington is becoming a sanctuary for all that’s bad in our nation.

Intentionally?  You decide.  Nevertheless, it’s true.

Get informed, engaged and involved – before it’s too late.

 

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