Irritation

Looking for something to write today, I came upon a juicy topic. Well, I don’t know as it is juicy as much as it just pisses me off. As many of you know, I am easily irked. Most of the time, I would rather be angry then happy. I find voice and muse in fury, and have made little excuse for it. Well, perhaps I am somewhat remorseful when my irritation leads to discomfiture or I succeed in acting like the south end of a northbound equine method of transportation.

Regardless, fuming is the call of the day, and I will lead the charge with fervor and attention to all that is just. The focus of this days annoyance is the government of the State of Arizona, and the horrible example of governance it displayed by passing the immigration debacle they call a bill.

The governor is incensed over the fact that the two top officials in the federal government have made statements against a law that is both prejudicial and most likely unconstitutional. Scheduled to take effect sometime this August, it has been the focal point of many news items and comments from a myriad of people for whom this law will never affect their personal life. (Unless it means that their groundskeeper or maid will get deported) The commentary, both fore and against this issue is at its best speculation, and that speculation has an ugly tilt to it. There seems to be those who feel that illegal immigration has become the very definition of evil in this country, and should be eradicated. The other side of the coin speaks to the discrimination and injustice that they believe will occur as a result of the enforcement of same decree. What makes me livid is the idea that with all the things we have to fret over, this issue has been demonized and blown way out of proportion.

We have real problems that deserve more of our attention. We are currently fighting TWO wars with no end in sight. I just experienced one of my former students being deployed to Iraq, and have seen pictures of another, in full combat gear, smiling as he gets ready to go out on patrol in Afghanistan. They have no issue with illegal immigration. They both know that we are a nation of immigrants and they are happy to serve the cause of ensuring that we remain a country of immigrants.

There is an oil spill that can be seen from space which is threatening the wildlife and livelihood of states that have already experienced massive catastrophes that they are still not recovered from. Who is going to clean it up? Well, a friend of mine went to the corner on the north side of my town to pick up a crew of Hispanic illegal aliens last week. Why you ask? Why to go and clean up the mess for an average of fifty dollars a day and room and board. I know people, good card carrying Americans, who are looking to make a bundle overcharging for their services just like they did when Katrina and Rita hit the same area. They are embarking on this grand adventure in their brand new pickups that they paid for in cash made from previous disasters.

We have children who are attempting to enroll in college who can not read. I have friend who is a professor at the largest community college in America who tells me that he has to write his course syllabuses on a sixth grade level so that everyone can understand the requirements of his class. I remember a professor of mine when I was a graduate student showing me a paper written by a fellow graduate student that wouldn’t pass in my eighth grade English class, and it was turned in for a senior level college course. He wanted me to work with the guy so that he could pass the class. That same student is now a PhD level administrator at a community college. I had a conversation with that administrator recently and listened while he complained about the immigration problem and how it will create a class of second class students in our educational system.

We live in a world where tens of thousands of children die every day from diseases we cured fifty years ago, and who can’t get treatment because it is not cost effective for pharmaceutical to give the medicine necessary out at an affordable rate. We live in a country that kills a half a million people every year with cigarettes, yet won’t allow terminal patients to legally end their lives in a dignified, merciful manner.

We refuse to accept a person’s right to live and love who they choose because it is a biblical abomination. At the same time we seem totally okay with ignoring the words of the chief biblical character who teaches that we should love each other, and that compassion is more important then governance.

We are screaming at the entire world to stay out of our country, while the rest of the world is desperately seeking to come to this country. Why? Is it because it is a land where a person can advance their station in life with hard work and determination, or is it because they think we are cool because we can bitch at the top of our lungs over how we can stop the influx of people into the country and not get arrested, beaten, or shot?

Arizona wants to stop, or seriously curtail people from coming to a country that used to belong to their ancestors that had been stolen by our ancestors. They want to use the same tactics that were used by countries we went to war with because they used those selfsame tactics. Went to war and lost American lives for the specific reason to stop the same type of behavior that Arizona wants to exhibit.
I say we put the people that wrote and passed this law into the same jail cells that they would send their enemies. Or better yet, deport them to the land of their ancestry.

Peace.