Mark Zuckerberg's Wall

If Mark Zuckerberg wants to build a six-foot stone wall around his property, that's his business. It's his property and he should be able to do what he wants with it. If I were wealthy and famous, I would probably do the same thing. He wants privacy, protection... basically a barrier to keep anything undesirable from entering his private space. I get that. Now, to publicly criticize others (including the U.S. Government or candidates for presidency) for wanting to do the same thing for the same purposes, that makes you a hypocrite and an elitist.

We build walls for protection and security. It makes sense to do so as an individual property owner and on a national level. Many countries do this because arresting, deporting and shooting at potential immigrants from entering their countries illegally is generally bad policy and isn't good PR on the international level. Building walls to keep out criminals not only protects those living inside the walls, but it also protects those outside the walls, who, lacking in judgment, decide they want to risk their lives and/or the lives of their family members while they attempt to circumvent the legal process of gaining access to a country or private property.

Citizens of the U.S. and our elected/appointed officials would do well to treat our country as if it were our own private property in every respect. This country belongs to us and we should respect this land as if it were our own. We pay our taxes and many of us own private property in this country and have worked the land to make it our own. We have paid our dues. Some of us have gone beyond paying our dues in that way and have served our country in the U.S. Armed Forces and some have given their life in service of our country. It is my belief that citizens of the United States should be willing to pay their dues... to make this country a better place, not by chanting and waving signs in the street, but by working the land, volunteering, serving and upholding the laws of the land. Those who cheat by circumventing the system or who are not willing to actively make this country a better place should not be afforded the same privileges of those who do little or nothing. Patriotism is loyalty to the core, not seeking benefits for yourself without personal sacrifice.

While I was at the graduation ceremony for Air Force Basic Training for my son a couple of weeks ago, I observed how about half a dozen new recruits not only graduated from basic training, but they took the oath to become citizens of the United States as well. I felt proud for those new citizens. They did it the honorable way - legally and lawfully. They did not jump a fence, cross a river in the dark of night or cross remote desert to sneak in and subsequently demand the same privileges as bona-fide citizens. No, they earned the rights and privileges to be citizens of our country and they are part owners in this great land just as much as any other legal citizen who has pledged allegiance to this republic.