Controlling Immigration

For John, BLUF:  Good idea, but politically unpalatable to many of our fellow Americans.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

This morning, on City Life, the Producer and Super Host, John McDonough, asked all present how they would change immigration rules.  Then he gave his view.

John McDonough would fingerprint everyone (alternative option being retinal scan) and then not allow individuals to buy in stores without a positive ID with a scanner.  There are only two problems with this; three actually.

1. First is the question of if fingerprints, as a method of identification, has been proven scientifically.  What if the Supreme Court rules they are not a scientific method of identification?  Worse, what if we go with fingerprints but the discussion destroys public credibility.
2. Then there is the question of how this will all be viewed out in the hinterland, across the fruited plain.  I am willing to bet not well.  As I will amplify below, there are millions of Americas who will judge this to be THE mark of the beast, an indication of the coming end times.
3. Finally, there is the question of effectiveness.  With half the cigarettes being sold in Boston being smuggled in from out of state, to avoid paying taxes,♠ one wonders if this will not just create a underground economy, utilized by criminals of all sorts.  Given that Daesh is a criminal organization as Government of some sort of a nation-state, to what degree would this make things worse rather than better.  Not every criminal in the US is a Come to the Stable kind of person.

I said I would say more about Item B.  Many of our evangelical friends, and Charismatic Catholics, not living on the Progressive Coast lines, will flash on the Book of Revelation, 13:16-17, which says:

16  It [The Beast] forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads,

17  so that no one could buy or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast’s name or the number that stood for its name.

There are millions of people who will look at the idea above as it is being rolled out and will conclude that these are the end times, the time of the return of Jesus, his second coming or Parousia.  It may be a great idea, but I judge it to be politically problematic.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The whole issue of sin taxes and when the go over the top and encourage smuggling needs to be address in an analytic manner.