I was getting ready to go out on some errands. Although the TV was on, I hadn’t been watching.

As I was dressing, Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City was speaking in defense of his sanctuary city agenda. In the part I heard, he was talking in grandiose terms of the virtue of inclusivity of people of various origins, races, ethnic cultures etc. How can any reasonable, aware, person be critical of such ideas? Speaking in general terms, without getting into the precise details or definitions, is a common tactic to sell the casual person an idea he may not otherwise agree with, if he took the time to examine its ramifications.

I recall seeing a painting in an art museum years ago of the epitome of idealism. It depicts a lion, a young boy, a lamb, and a couple other creatures, all sitting together in contented harmony. I recall an idealistic phrase, which expressed the peaceful beauty of the lion lying down with the lamb. Can anyone conceive of a better illustration of idealism?  In viewing it, I wondered how the lion had learned to survive as a vegetarian, as he obviously could no longer devour the lamb.

The world is a battlefield of ideals, but some are not entirely realistic. We are all idealists in one way or another. We all appreciate beauty as opposed to horror, though we don’t always agree on what beauty is. That’s the trouble with generalizations. We all would like to see a world of love and compassion. We just can’t quite figure out how to get the lion to eat grass. The reality is that regardless of the fact that we respect both lions and lambs, we must realize that there are non-negotiable differences between some things. Perhaps without lions, lambs would overrun the world. The reality of this world demands the ability to discriminate between nourishment and poison. The ability to discriminate is the very basis of intelligence! Are we idiots?

The world is subdivided into many nations of many cultures, both nurturing and ravenous. They vary greatly in their concept of what the lives of their citizens mean, and how they should be dealt with, regarding their loyalty to their culture. America is still a fairly new concept in the world. We were founded on a new conception, based on the rights of all people, recognizing that we are creations of one God. We also agree that the rights of people do not include the wanton destruction of those with whom we disagree. We do however, have a right to shake their dust from our sandals and depart from them.

We should be open to all people who share, and are willing to abide by our concepts; but under no circumstance should we allow people who despise, or do not understand our system, and would thus overthrow it, be allowed to come here, or become citizens. Why on earth would they even want to, other than to infiltrate to destroy us?

A quartet that I am privileged to sing with has performed in Federal Court in Buffalo every month for several years (pro bono) for the swearing in ceremonies of new legal immigrants into the USA. These people come from every country, and spend several years in preparation for citizenship. They study English, and our system. They take an oath of allegiance to the United States, and swear to surrender any loyalty to any foreign government or potentate.

Isn’t it obvious that anyone who would welcome anyone into our country, allowing them to partake in our society with no concern as to what principles they offer their allegiance, are either idealistic fools, or they are part of a cabal that seeks to overthrow our system for the reward of winning dominant control of the richest country in the world. Aren’t they willingly releasing lions into the sheepfold?

If they are successful in doing so, America will soon lose the blessings we have received through the aspirations of free individuals. I am confident that the spirit of freedom awakened in multitudes of Americans will prevail, and lead the way to the fulfillment for all of mankind, rather than the ego of just another would be tyrant.

Our task as lambs is to keep the lions at bay, until they give up their ravenous appetites, and learn to eat grass. May God bless America.

Richard Westlund is a Collins resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com