I was screaming at the television, as if my voice could somehow carry through to the players over 5,000 miles away in Natal, Brazil.
“MOVE IT! Get it out of there!” I’d yell, watching helplessly as the ball inched perilously close to the opposition’s goal - and then sighed in relief as time and again it was deflected (thank you Tim Howard!).
I’m not alone - American fans all over the country and the world gathered to yell and cheer at TV screens as the U.S. eventually beat Ghana in the 2014 World Cup Group Stage.
Carlos Lucas kicks a ball along a dirt road in the Santa Luzia favela, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, May 30, 2014. The 2014 Brazil World Cup is set to begin in just a few weeks, beginning on June 12, with Brazil and Croatia competing in the opening match. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Turn on any World Cup game between now and the championship’s finale, and you’ll see fans absolutely decked out in their nation’s colors and other costumes, flying flags and screaming for their country. I saw one Brazilian fan - as the camera panned towards him - grab the insignia on his jersey (the one that displays the number of stars Brazil has) and point proudly as if to say “Look at what MY COUNTRY did!”
It’s an absolutely exhilarating feeling. No matter what’s going on in your country at the time, you pause to display pride of epic proportions for your homeland.
In the spirit of this incredible competition, artists compile songs that then become anthems for the World Cup. One such song - “We Are One” by rapper Pitbull and singers Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte - caught my attention in particular this time around.
While it’s not uncommon for these songs to carry a similar “one world” theme (think “We’re all Africa” from Shakira’s 2010 “This Time for Africa” track), a lyric in this song was different. It came from the track’s Brazilian addition, Leitte:
“Não importa o resultado” was woven into Leitte’s stanza.
Simply translated, it means “the result doesn’t matter.”
Photo Credit: AP
Meaning - it doesn’t matter who wins. It’s all about getting caught up in the fun of competition.
I remember thinking, “Right. Tell a raucous crowd of screaming soccer fans that results don't matter.” After all, nobody watches a World Cup match for the heck of it. You watch the match (and scream at the television) because you want your team to win, and cream the other guys in the process.
Put another way - everybody cares about borders and national sovereignty at events like this. Nobody is really a globalist at a World Cup. After all, what is a country if its borders and sovereignty are fluid? You can't quite cheer on an undefined nation. National pride then means nothing.
So, if borders matter so much for a simple sport, why don’t they matter when it comes to national security, national sovereignty, and the rule of law in the United States?
[sharequote align="center"]Borders matter for the World Cup, why not when it comes to the rule of law in the United States?[/sharequote]
Why is acceptable for millions to cheer on what is a representation of their own nations’ sovereignty while simultaneously expecting the United States to maintain open borders, and accept anyone and everything that comes across?
I’ll never forget the time that former Mexican President Felipe Calderon lectured our Congress on the so-called maladies of the Arizona immigration law, while his nation routinely stops the flow of illegal immigration from Central and South American nations. In fact, as Michelle Malkin once wrote:
The Mexican government will bar foreigners if they upset "the equilibrium of the national demographics;” and “If outsiders do not enhance the country’s ‘economic or national interests’ or are ‘not found to be physically or mentally healthy,’ they are not welcome. Neither are those who show "contempt against national sovereignty or security.”
All we’re asking in the land of E Pluribus Unum is that our borders are respected and our laws followed.
Instead, we are faced with international hypocrites who believe their borders should be respected while ours remain open, and an administration that has made it increasingly apparent that it agrees with them. And today, we’re now dealing with an onslaught of illegal immigration unlike any we’ve seen.
Central American migrants run to board a freight train headed north early on August 4, 2013 in Arriaga, Mexico. Thousands of immigrants ride the trains, known as 'la bestia,' or the beast, during their long and perilous journey through Mexico to the U.S. border. Many of the immigrants are robbed or assaulted by gangs who control the train tops, while others fall asleep and tumble down, losing limbs or perishing under the wheels of the trains. Only a fraction of the immigrants who start the journey will arrive safely on their first attempt to illegally enter the United States. Credit: Getty Images
It makes perfect sense, actually - but only when viewed through the lens of socialism.
To paraphrase the late Winston Churchill, socialism is in essence the equal distribution of poverty. Its supporters however, say that it is the equal distribution of fairness.
Here’s a concept: in the eyes of true global socialists, the United States’ existence isn’t fair.
We’ve been a shining beacon on a hill; a beacon that has represented prosperity, happiness, and freedom. Meanwhile, the rest of the world (stubbornly clinging to wealth-destroying policies and freedom-quelling regimes) looks on and doesn’t think it’s fair. And, since President Barack Obama has long since established his penchant for pulling the United States off a so-called pedestal in the eyes of the world, it can safely be assumed that the president doesn’t think our success is fair either. It’s natural then to assume that others are entitled to a piece of that success.
So it’s not surprising that his administration has done precious little to quell the tsunami of illegal immigrants (mostly children, sadly) coming across our southern border.
To be certain, Vice President Joe Biden is being sent to Central America to “plead with parents to stop sending their children illegally to the U.S.,” but realistically, nothing the president has done thus far encourages us to believe anything will really happen. In fact, the president’s 2012 announcement that he would “stop deporting and start granting work permits to some younger illegal immigrants” leaves me scratching my head. After all, why bother sending Biden to Central America at all?
Don’t get me wrong. I want many people to be able to immigrate here and become American citizens. But, just like nations all over the world cheer for their respective teams during this World Cup, our leaders need to start applauding our nation and our sovereignty. It’s not about race. It’s about ensuring that the integrity of our precious, blood-bought freedom stays intact.
Fix our laws if they’re broken; don’t simply toss them aside and leave the gate wide open. Welcome those who truly embrace our nation’s values, and not those who openly break the law to take advantage of what is not yet theirs.
Unlike the fleeting victories in world championships, our nation’s sovereignty is far more important, and merits just as much fervor and support.
Isn’t it about time we see it?
Mary Ramirez is a full time writer, creator of www.afuturefree.com--a political commentary blog, and contributor to the Chris Salcedo show. She can be reached at: afuturefree@aol.com; or on Twitter: @AFutureFree
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