Minnesota: Ten Thousand Lakes and A Million Loons

I lived for well over a decade in Minnesota, and got to know it rather well. Most Minnesotans are decent, hard-working, and caring people. Most of the state retains its Scandinavian heritage, coupled with a strong Lutheran influence. Agriculture plays a strong role in shaping the culture that, until fairly recently, was widely shared and formed a coherent basis for the "Minnesota character".

A land of two seasons--Winter and Road Repair--Minnesota has been largely isolated from most of the controversies seen elsewhere in the country--until recently

Most of the population consists of a broad middle class leading fairly comfortable lives with shared values arising from the common heritage. Boating and backyard barbecues in Summer, with tailgate parties for Twins and Viking games, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing in Winter have been traditional activities for a comfortable majority. A land of two seasons--Winter and Road Repair--Minnesota has been largely isolated from most of the controversies seen elsewhere in the country--until recently.

The importation of large numbers of immigrants from radically different cultures is beginning to erode that original shared culture. Over 80,000 Somali immigrants, almost half of them lacking even a high school education, with nearly ninety percent of Somali households with children receiving welfare, this introduction into a largely well-educated, self-sufficient population is having serious, and often unanticipated consequences. Many of the problems have been hidden as the immigrants have largely been confined to Somali enclaves in the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The growing influence of these communities on state, and now national politics, coupled with recent discoveries of fraud and misuse of public resources has cast them into national awareness and controversy.

The culture of Minnesota, with its roots in agriculture, has long welcomed immigrants. Two aspects of this culture are significant. Throughout the Great Plains and Midwest, Minnesota included, a common aspect of the culture has been a willingness to help those in need. Farming is often a difficult occupation with many risks. Injury is common, along with illness, equipment breakdowns, market uncertainties and other unforeseen occurrences can mean the difference between a profitable year and a serious loss. Lack of rain, or too much rain, a sudden hailstorm, fire, and many other events beyond individual control can determine success or failure.

Fostered a sense of entitlement among the "immigrants"

In such times, it has been common for friends, neighbors, and even strangers to band together to help those in need through a difficult time. Whether it has been help with harvest, loan of equipment, or a myriad of other forms of help, others have pitched in during times of need, knowing that they may be the ones in need at some future time, and that mutual assistance is a key to survival in an uncertain world.

An unspoken aspect of this cultural understanding is that one is expected to take only such help as is needed, and that acceptance of help confers an obligation to repay such help by paying it forward when others are in need. Legal immigrants into this culture, seeking to assimilate, have rapidly learned these, and many other, cultural expectations and adopted them as their own, thus preserving and perpetuating the culture.

An additional aspect of immigration needs to be mentioned. Legal immigrants require a sponsor. That sponsor must accept personal responsibility for the immigrant. In particular, if the immigrant accepts any form of public assistance the sponsor is required to recompense the state for those amounts. Most of the Somali "immigrants" were "sponsored" by various organizations such as Lutheran Ministries, and Catholic Charities, among others. One of the first things these organizations did was connect the "immigrants" with public assistance, medical services, housing, and many other welfare sources, while denying any obligation of repayment expected of legal immigrants.

This process has sheltered these "immigrants" from assimilation to the culture they have invaded and allowed them to establish enclaves wherein they may practice their own culture--one radically different from that of their unwitting hosts. It has also fostered a sense of entitlement among the "immigrants" that they have a favored status where the citizens of the state are somehow obligated to support them and where they have no obligation to learn and practice the conventions of their hosts.

Can these cultures be reconciled? I think not. One of them must yield, but which one?

As one example, I wrote earlier of how people would come together to assist those in need, but how there was also an expectation that those helped would take no more than was needed and would assume a moral obligation to contribute to future assistance for others. Contrast that with a culture where charity is considered a foolish weakness and anyone receiving "free" support is expected to take as much as possible while it is available, and there is no obligation for repayment. What happens when you have a culture that expects to take as much as it can when opportunity presents is placed in a culture that expects those in need to take no more than needed and repay that taken?

There are many other differences between the cultures, some large, and some small, that accumulate in destructive ways, not just in Minnesota, but throughout America. Consider that most people will form lines to wait for service, whether at a DMV office, or at a sports event in order ensure that everyone has a chance to be served. Many of the imported cultures see waiting in line as stupid and weak. The strong will go to the head of the line to make sure that they get their portion while there is still something to get. If there isn't enough for everyone, then it is appropriate that those too weak to fight for a position should lose out. Can these cultures be reconciled? I think not. One of them must yield, but which one?

One major cultural expectation is that of equal justice for all. Most would consider it an injustice to support someone who committed a clearly illegal act, especially when that act caused suffering and harm to innocent parties. In addition to the Somali immigrants, many other non-citizens have been imported into Minnesota and provided with food, medical and housing assistance, and many other services, often at taxpayer expense.

Under current immigration laws, this assistance must be repaid by the sponsors, but in most cases, the sponsoring agency is not only not held accountable, but is often paid to bring in and settle these non-citizens. Typically, these people are classed as "refugees" seeking asylum from persecution in their home countries, thus allowing them to bypass many of the requirements for legal immigration.

The protests are well organized, well funded, and seek to undermine the authority of legitimate government

The compassion many Minnesotans feel for those who are suffering is a large part of why they are so willing to defend and protect those illegal aliens who have come here, supposedly seeking refuge. They seem unaware of the suffering that their misplaced compassion is causing. Subsidized housing for illegal immigrants reduces available low cost housing for citizens. How many citizens are homeless and suffering because the low cost housing they needed was taken for illegals?

Employment of illegals often skips requirements for minimum wages, Social Security contributions, and many other legal employment requirements. This puts American citizens at a disadvantage when competing for low end jobs, and even for many high end jobs where H-1B visa abuse is common. It isn't that illegals do the jobs Americans won't--the truth is that legal employment of citizens can't compete with illegal employment. How many Americans are unemployed because the jobs they would take are given to illegals? Where is the compassion for the suffering of American citizens?

The deportation efforts of the current administration are protested as being racist and Gestapo-like operations of an authoritarian President. The protests are well organized, well funded, and seek to undermine the authority of legitimate government. They are not the spontaneous acts they are represented to be. The training materials used, the coordination activities, the logistic and support elements involved all require months of preparation and serious funding. The fact that most of the deportations are of "brown" people is held up as proof of the racist aspect. Yet there are very few illegal immigrants from Sweden or other "white" countries, so nearly all of those deported come from "brown" countries. Just statistics, nothing racist about it.

Laws against illegal immigration have existed in this country virtually since its founding. Our constitution charges Congress with enacting laws, and the President with enforcing laws. The current enforcement efforts are far from the first time that deportations of illegals has been undertaken. Consider:

• Over 400,000 to possibly as many as 2 Million largely Mexicans were deported by FDR, a Democrat President during the Great Depresssion;
• Operation #, in the early 1950s under Eisenhower removed an estimated 250,000 illegals, using military tactics, again largely Mexicans;
• It is claimed that President Clinton, also a Democrat, deported over 12 Million illegals;
• President Obama, another Democrat, deported over 5 Million illegals.

It is time to awaken an awareness of the virtues of America

Many of these deportations went unnoticed and largely unopposed, especially when done by Democrat presidents. Donald Trump has so far removed just over 2 Million illegals, largely serious criminals such as rapists, murders, drug gangsters, and violent gang members. In doing so, he, and the law enforcement organization ICE have received enormous organized opposition. Given that the deportations are largely of criminals that most of the protestors would, under other circumstances, wish to have imprisoned or removed, one must ask why are the protesters defending such people.

It would seem that the good citizens of Minnesota and many other places are being used. Through clever propaganda casting Trump as "Hitler", and ICE as his "Gestapo", as well as by playing on their natural compassion by casting the illegals as "poor victims" and even as citizens, it appears that otherwise reasonable people are being recruited to serve as "cannon fodder" in an insurrection. Powerful interests are being threatened by Trump, and this irrational opposition to enforcement of long-standing laws is one of the ways these interests are fighting back.

Yes, protests are exciting. They can provide a sense of purpose to lives that otherwise seem bland and meaningless. They can give the idea that people are fighting for Good against the forces of Evil. These aspects make otherwise rational people vulnerable to manipulation and support of "causes" they would otherwise never condone. Minnesotans are only one of the most recently visible groups being used. There are many others across the country that have been convinced that the destruction of America and its values and culture would do the world good.

It is time to awaken an awareness of the virtues of America--virtues that have made America the prosperous country that is the envy of much of the rest of the world, and the country that so many aspire to enter. We cannot save the world, but we can serve as an example for others of how to create their own prosperous, free nations. It is time to stop being pawns for the real tyrants who see America as an obstacle to their power.

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