In you live in America, Europe, or many other places on the planet, then you probably have heard the tales of bad fortune that befalls unprepared souls who allow a black cat to cross their paths. In this realm of superstition the most capable and blessed black cat path-crossers find themselves with bad fortune, and heaps of it. In an ironic twist of fate, it is said that even the unluckiest people who test this taboo find out that their low lot in life can and will get lower. That’s sad.

Some would question the strolling power of the black cat even in the face of undoubtedly real catastrophes that take place among people who believe they have triggered this unstoppable bad luck. Could it be that when Mr. Whiskers crosses a person’s path people act in ways that increase their risk of misfortune? Possibly they may believe, at least subconsciously, that with bad fortune on the horizon, who needs to worry about well-thought out decisions? The skeptic in me sees the black cat as the perfect scapegoat. A matter of fact a person doesn’t have to face the real cause of their misfortune when it can be laid at the furry dark paws of the bad luck giver.

When it comes to tangible misfortune, Greece has the current spotlight with the country’s bankruptcy and the $146 billion IMF bailout, which most likely will be only the beginning of the loans that the country will require for survival. Despite the limited impact of Greece on the European markets, they have a powerful story regarding what awaits America if we continue to follow the socialistic blueprint of limiting the free market and expanding governmental control.

For Greece, the conversion from the drachma to the euro was the only excuse needed to engage in unlimited spending that went to the unions, social programs, and government double-dealing, which are always part of the quest for the socialistic utopia. Sound like America? More than you know. America has followed Greece’s fast track to ruin by electing a socialist president who barely screamed above the fanfare his intentions to fundamentally transform the nation and begin redistributing wealth. It is easy to see what America is allowing to cross its path.

America is poised to assist with the Greek bailout through donations to the IMF. I would say that we are paying for the right to compare America’s and Greece’s fates, and we should not waste the opportunity. First socialism failed in Greece, and other countries will soon fail in Europe from the same system. Second, and comparable to America, Greece will soon learn that without the capitalistic free market, no amount of borrowing will fix their financial problems. Lastly, the deaths in Greece at the hands of union protesters and others should be a wake-up call to all Americans of the consequences of the mentality that goes with government entitlement, as well as the dangers that come with attempting to remove those entitlements.

There will be more violence and turmoil in Greece as they are pushed by the IMF to face their poor decisions as a country and what has brought them to the brink of economic destruction. Will they embrace the truth that it was socialism that brought their bad fortune, or will they blame it on the winds of fate? Possibly a black cat passing their country’s path?

In the end, countries must break free from the excuses found in convenient myths and superstitions like the kinds that make certain colored kitties so unpopular. All of us must stand on the truth that our fate is the product of the decisions we make, and the decisions we allow our governments to make on our behalf.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author, lecturer, and radio host. He can be contacted at ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.

What the media coins the “tough” new Arizona immigration law, SB1070, forwarded by Governor Jan Brewer, has once again pushed to the forefront the argument of, “just what is the proper course of action when dealing with illegal immigration?” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says the new law is unconstitutional. Ultra-liberal Mayor Gavin Newsom of the sanctuary city San Francisco is working to boycott Arizona in an effort to force the state to scrap the new law. In what has to be seen as a bizarre political move, Arizona Democrat Congressman Raul Grijalva has decided to boycott his own state.

Whether it is the ACLU, liberal mayors in San Francisco, or an Arizona Congressmen who wishes to make his next political race very interesting, the overarching theme is that it is cruel to enforce immigration law and kind for the borders to remain open. To believe this, does one has to redefine those terms? You decide.

In the back pages of the New York Times, law professor Kris Kobach, who helped draft the new Arizona law, dispels the case for harassment in the state’s requirement of immigrants to show proper documents. Remember, this is not groundbreaking as it has been federal law since 1940 that aliens carry registration documents. Kobach outlines the state’s restraint on police authority in requesting such documents. It must be during proper investigations after a totality of circumstances leads an officer to a reasonable suspicion to make these requests. Every day U.S. citizens are asked for identification documents during police investigations. Ever been pulled over for speeding? Filed a police report on any event? Americans are neither shocked nor do they find it cruel when asked by the police for identification or other documents. Because Arizona requires one to be a legal resident to get a driver’s license, in any situation that involves a question of immigration, police must presume that a person with a valid Arizona driver’s license has legal status. How very kind of Arizona to do that.

While the legal opposition to Arizona’s new law is an empty argument, the basis for it—the question of kindness versus cruelty—still remains. Is it cruel or kind to deny states the right to enforce their own laws? It would seem that those that promote illegal immigration in the U.S. have decided that citizens of Arizona are acceptable casualties to drug dealers, human traffickers, gang activity, and the list goes on. Phoenix, Arizona: Hostage Capital of the U.S. is another title of distinction that can be directly tied to illegal immigration. Is it cruel to say that Arizona’s fate is Arizona’s business, or is it kind for a mayor in San Francisco to attempt to dictate the state’s laws through strong-arm tactics?

Lastly, is it kind or cruel to perpetuate the shadow class of illegal immigrants, a group whose lack of standard legal identification and lawful entry places them as potential criminals and terrorists at worst, and as an unwarranted drain to the economy at best?

As it stands today, it appears to me that it is through a series of cruelties that both the U.S. citizen and the illegal immigrant attempt to find and hold on to the bounties of the American dream. Both sides suffer through a system that promotes illegality, victimization, and distrust. So, the question remains, is it kind to be cruel?

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author, lecturer, and radio host. He can be contacted at ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.

A federal judge in Wisconsin has ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional as it is reported to violate the first amendment against the government’s establishment of religion. No, the lawsuit was not filed by the anti-Christian ACLU, but by an organization known as the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an organization of overbearing agnostics and atheists, has decided, as liberals often do, that it would be in the best interest of their minority to require the majority within America to live as they do, Godlessly.

However, in the larger scheme of things, the National Day of Prayer has been under attack by many forces besides the “No God Here” group from Madison, Wisconsin. President Barack Obama was already scaling back the National Day of Prayer before the court ruling took place. Harry Truman created the National Day of Prayer back when one could use the concept of prayer and the Democratic Party in the same sentence without receiving strange looks. George W. Bush made the National Day of Prayer a very public event where religious leaders would come to the White House and offer prayers. The overarching theme of such gatherings and of the event itself was not focused on a specific religion, but on the idea that America is a country where prayer has value and worth. President Barack Obama reduced the public White House event to a memo in his first year in office.

So what should Americans do in the face of those who attempt to strip God from all aspects of American life starting with prayer? Those who attempt to change history to make it read as if our founding fathers did not believe in the paramount importance of faith when it came to the grand experiment that is America? Those that have an agenda that is nothing short of an attack on religion itself? I believe that mainstream America should be offensively straightforward on what we believe and what we stand for as one nation under God. Be it annoying the agnostics, aggravating the atheists, or simply making the liberals livid, we must stand tall for the necessity of kneeling in prayer. We must acknowledge the forces that are at work to separate America from God. This attempt is seen in the deceptive nature of the Day of Prayer observation argument. To deny the simple acknowledgement of the value of communication with a higher power is nothing short of poisoning the seedlings from which organized religion grows. No matter how it is presented, the arguments forwarded by groups such as the Freedom from Religion Foundation are nothing more than the usual vomitous verbal spray of liberal propagandists who try to sell Godlessness as the freethinker’s utopia.

Well, freethinkers, think freely on this: the battle for the soul of this nation will end with a winner and a loser. Communication with the divine is the lifeline of America’s survival and prosperity. It is more valuable to the body of this country than air is to the lungs. Without it we are doomed, and will die as a nation gasping in the dark. This being true, the voices of opposition become of little importance to a national recognition of the value of prayer. Would we feel regret or concern if animosity were heaped upon us for simply breathing? Of course not. Our answer to such challenges would be, quickly and without hesitation, “too bad, it’s what I do; it’s how I survive.”

The National Day of Prayer is a symbol of the nation’s undeniable need to communicate with God, to breathe in the unmistakable life-giving bounty of the Almighty. Offending the “No God Here” crowd has merit as a public display that we Americans, as individuals and as a country, have not completely lost our way. That we, like the founding fathers, still believe in talking to God, still believe in the power of prayer.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society and Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World. Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008 and 2009 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 f.m. www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact ibbetson91.9@gmail.com