1587 Sandbagged

1587 Sandbagged

The problem is sand.  Yes, sand.  Plain old ordinary stuff you find at the beach.  And at the beach, it’s not a problem.  Elsewhere, it’s a different story.

Here are some examples:

Suffolk County, Long Island’s former top non- appointed or elected law enforcer, police chief James Burke has been arrested and charged with obstruction and civil rights offenses.  Other cops may follow.  And the district attorney may have some questions to answer.  What is Long Island?  It’s a glacial deposit, a giant sandbar. To use the strongest form of criticism short of libel or (heaven forbid!) assuming guilt before conviction Sand must impede enforcement.

In the south and midwest, rivers are overflowing their banks and what is failing to keep them under control?  Sand bags.  Tens of thousands of tons of sand unable or unwilling to stem the rivers’ tides. (No, rivers don’t have tides, but you get the idea.)  Sand must be weak.

In the high desert of Oregon, armed militiamen took over a federal wildlife refuge in the ongoing war between “sovereign citizen” ranchers who want to use federal lands and the federal government.  The leaders have used social media to recruit followers.  They’re “willing to kill and be killed” to get their way.  If the feds come in and start shooting, it’ll be Ruby Ridge all over again.  People who say they know the situation from the inside quote those soft spoken good ole boys saying they want to be martyrs.

What’s the high desert of Oregon made of?  Sand.  Sand can make you cuckoo or at least increase your cuckoo-osity.

And then there’s the Middle East.  Syria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Libya and Jordan.  There, everyone’s doing battle with everyone else.  ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah,  the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Taliban.

What’s the Middle East made of? Sand. Sand can make you crazier than a bunch of American gun nuts because the gun nuts, one way or another will go away.

So here’s the evidence:  Sand impedes proper and effective law enforcement.  Sand doesn’t impede floods.  Sand attracts people who don’t believe the government governs them.  Sand causes wars.

What more evidence do you need?  We must build a wall against sand on the southern border. We must seek covering topsoil for Long Island, the Oregon high desert, and the Middle East.  Only then will we be free of this terrorist substance.

The people rest.

Shrapnel (sand edition):

--Sand apologists say it’s not all bad.  They point to Silicon Valley as a wellspring of goodness.  They don’t yet have Windows 10.

--Sand pacifists say it’s just nature and we can’t and shouldn’t try to tame it. But we always fool with nature. Check out your car’s exhaust pipe.

--Kirk Sand builds guitars that work like a Rolls Royce and sound like a chorus of angels.  But they’re so expensive, almost no one can afford one or live long enough for one to be completed.

Grapeshot:

-The Sands Hotel attracted Sheldon Adleson and turned him into a misguided political influencer.

-Tommy Sands turned popular music into maple syrup.

-Sand in your gas tank will kill your car.

-Sand paper hurts when you sit on it, especially if you’re not wearing pants.

I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com

© WJR 2016