The Blaisdell Blog

  I am a child of illegal immigrants.   They all came before our post-World War I restrictions and none of them were happy at home.   If some of you are now shocked by immigrants coming to this country without being invited, I would remind you, so did all the others.                  Since we are dipping our toe into a big vat of reality let’s try a plunge into the deep end.   Most of the illegal immigrants living in this country are decent people.   They are here because America offers hope, while their native countries offered only despair.   They number around 11 million.   That is a little over 3% of the entire population.   Over 8 million have jobs, pay taxes and buy American food, clothing, appliances, furniture, housing, cars, services and energy.   They are not a drag on our economy, they stimulate it.          ...

  I have a friend who went through a mean-spirited divorce.   The day before the decree was granted, her husband’s last act of anger was to tear down a barn swallow nest that had been a part of their lives for many years.   The birds had come back every spring to raise their young, making a mess of the porch, but a delightful display for her and her children.   My friend came home to find the ruined nest on the doorstep.   No reason, no sense, no graciousness, just petulant anger.   Our current President has sent in heavy machinery and destroyed the White House Rose Garden.   He has covered it with concrete, turning it into a large patio, like the one he has at Mar-a-Lago.     Since he has no knowledge of the history of this garden, let me share it with you. The Rose Garden was created by Ellen Axson Wilson, the first wife of Woodrow Wilson.   She was an artist so gifted that she received her own art show at a prestigious New York ga...