Throw The Children Out

We live at the southern end of the almost entirely unpopulated southern portion of the Central California coast.  This coastline is pretty empty all the way past Big Sur until just south of Carmel.  Right now we are experiencing the occasional arrival of what are called panga boats, which are overgrown rowboats, with outboard motors, used to haul illegal drugs from Mexico, off-loaded on our coast, then abandoned.  We have had a dozen or so come ashore around here. 

I mention the panga boats because of all of the media attention on immigration, and the hysteria over securing our southern border against the “invasion” of 50,000+ children who supposedly bring with them all sorts of diseases, criminals and terrorists.  Since all of this ranting is usually expostulated in one sentence, it is difficult to determine if the ranter thinks the children are bringing the diseases along with being criminals and terrorists or just diseases and the people sometimes accompanying them are the criminals and terrorists. 

My question is why we are not as hysterical over securing our border with Canada?  Certainly most Canadians who are much closer to Washington do not to want to immigrate here at the moment with all of the insanity going on in Washington and other places, but certainly if criminals and terrorists had an overwhelming desire to enter the United States they could do so by crossing our border with Canada, or by getting into a panga boat in Mexico and beaching it up here.  No sweat!  Easily done.

My point in all of this is not that there isn’t a humanitarian crisis on our southern border, because of course there is.  All one has to do is realize these are children – not criminals or terrorists, and that they receive medical care when they get here.  Although even this is excoriated by some, such as Rep.Mo Barker of Missouri who stated that these children are coming here for all of the free stuff that President Obama is giving them, including food. 

Considering our coasts and northern border are such sieves, why all of the hysteria over the southern border?  The old saw about the immigrants taking American jobs is really old and pretty much has been debunked over time.  What the newer immigrants are taking is the jobs Americans are not willing to take – the minimum wage jobs in restaurants and on farms, for example.  So what are they afraid of?  Since most of the Congressmen and Congresswomen freaking out about the border are not white, one could assume it is a racial problem.  Which some of it is, but I contend that it is also a religious problem. 

A bill introduced into the Legislature recently to Honor Pope Francis received only 19 of 221 Republicans on the basis that the Pope is “too liberal”.  The request to honor him was “for his inspirational statements and actions” as well as his goals to ameliorate inequality and promote solidarity.

 And what exactly did Pope Francis say to deserve such ire? Last year he wrote:

I am interested only in helping those who are in thrall to an individualistic, indifferent and self-centered mentality to be freed from those unworthy chains and to attain a way of living and thinking which is more humane, noble and fruitful, and which will bring dignity to their presence on this earth.
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Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.

These refugees are from countries that could be construed to be Catholic, and thus to have the same views as the Pope, although it is only non-Catholics who would believe that.  Nevertheless, these ideas are to some in this country to be almost treasonous.  The idea that we would actually love our neighbor as ourselves; treat others as we would like to have them treat us; or especially Jesus’ admonition to harm not one hair on the head of a child or it would be better that a mill stone be tied around that person’s neck and be thrown into the deepest ocean (paraphrased) apparently do not appear in the Bibles these Republicans say they use, and that they contend should form the basis of our government.

It is my contention that this is what is freaking these right-wing radical fundamentalists out of their ever lovin’ gourds.  That somehow allowing, as Ronald Reagan called them, “the brown hordes” into our country will somehow undermine their power.  And as I have said before, when one believes that one has been chosen by God to lead a country, then anyone or anything that may endanger that must be stopped by any means possible. 

In fact, according to an article cited in Daily Kos, is the following is a statement by Rep. Steve King:

During a conference call last month with the National Emergency Coalition, Rep. Steve King said that the U.S. needs to crack down on immigration because our nation’s borders were established by God. Disrespecting the borders, the congressman suggested, is disrespecting God’s will.

I think, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to dump the old adage we were taught by our parents:  never discuss politics, finances, sex or religion.  The finances and sex probably ought to stay private, but we have got to start discussing the views of this fundamentalist right-wing group, led by the likes of Ted Cruz and Steve King.  These people are getting alarming.