Friday, September 24, 2010

"Where Is The Truth In All This?"

As I reflect on the ongoing brouhaha about the millions of “immigrants” who are in this country illegally, I cannot help but wonder how an issue that was originally regarded as a matter of law morph into one of a national guilt complex induced by a respect for the law?

I have to hand it to the ability of those who oppose the law to reframe it into a moral, rather than a legal issue, at the expense of the citizens of the United States of America. It rather reminds me of the classic shell game that the hucksters at traveling carnivals used to snooker their victims out of a few of their hard-earned bucks. What the so-called “Latino” block has managed to do, in terms of reframing an issue, has to go down in history as one of the most skilled ploys ever designed to completely redefine the fact that “illegal” means precisely that. Those who advocate and insist on a respect for the law are now the demons and those who break the laws are their victims.

How is it that what started out as an effort by big business interests to import a cheap pool of labor so (a) they could make vastly greater sums of money and (b) so we Americans could purchase produce in our local supermarkets for a pittance of what it actually costs to produce, has become a social and economic issue to be born by the broader population? Looks like both sides of this issue bear some responsibility for this rather perverse state of affairs. You can bet, as it always does, the taxpayers of this country will be expected to shoulder the cost for the burden of making what is “illegal” into what is “legal.” There will go the safety nets put in place through the sacrifices of previous generations only to be quickly exhausted, and the economic and social burden shifted to the taxpayers. Where is the moral and financial responsibility for all this insofar as big business is concerned? Seems to me that, with the full support of our illustrious government, big business is, once again, getting a free pass at our collective expense. I still regard that as patently unjust.

How is it that generations of immigrants from the far-flung corners of the globe have managed to “legally” immigrate to this country, learn to read, write and speak the language of the nation; and become assimilated into the society through perseverance and hard work, but those crossing our southern borders are held to a different standard? Seems to me “one nation under God,” should translate into “one language for one people.”

How does one explain the fact that the Latinos crossing the border come from countries that, for the most part, have a long-established history of governments by brutal dictators, propped up by a rich and powerful elite, with dominion over a massively huge population of the downtrodden, poor and uneducated? Why is it they seem incapable of rising up and revolting against the yoke of tyranny and oppression by spilling their blood for freedom, both domestic and foreign, in the same way the patriots of this country have done throughout our national history? The answer is quite simple. Because that is the will of the oligarchs, and our government is there to serve that stratum of society first, foremost and always. The added bonus, and the most compelling motivator for our political establishment, is the fact that it is a completely new block of potential voters that is growing by leaps and bounds, any semblance of a respect for the law and established precedent be damned.

What in the hell happened to the fundamental principle of equality we all used to revere and defend? It is time the duly elected Government of the United States of America cleaned up its act and re-commit to representing all the “people of these United States,” instead of every special interest group that has its own axe to grind and is trying to manipulate the system for its own ends. Every city that declares itself a “safe haven” for those who deliberately violate the laws of this country should have all federal funds to which they are entitled immediately frozen until they bring their activities into full compliance with established laws. All churches that, also, declare their sanctuaries as “safe havens” should have their non-profit status immediately revoked until they, too, bring their activities back into full compliance with the laws. There is a right way and a wrong way to seek redress of grievances. Frankly, I have had a belly full of the righteous demagogues unilaterally decreeing what is to be the current prevailing standard of what is right vs. wrong. The tail has to stop wagging the dog!

Our entire system of government is falling apart. The social and economic fabric of this country is rotten. We are no longer a people of “us,” but a collection of individuals, living within a framework devoted exclusively to “me.” If that is not a recipe for ultimate disintegration of a civilized society, I will put in with you.

If we are so concerned about the rights of all citizens of this country, and equality under the law, isn’t it about time we re-directed our focus on the plight of the Native Americans? How much longer are we going to treat them as some ancient novelty, consigned to isolated “reservations,” only to be dragged out for our entertainment at rodeos and the festivals observed by coastal tribes? For your own self-edification, you might try doing a web search on “Famous Native American Intellectuals,” and see what you find. Based on my own endeavor in that regard, let me give you a hint. You will come up with a big fat zero! I rather suspect that is the result of being isolated, marginalized, locked in a never-ending state of total and abject poverty, and compounded by limited efforts at education, with virtually no economic base upon which to build a future. Thanks to decades of persistent and blatant corruption and indifference, the Indian Service made damned sure they were never to be taken seriously by the so-called “real” Americans.

Why doesn’t our government redirect its efforts into righting the egregious wrongs of the past against those we disenfranchised from their lands, persecuted, murdered and isolated so we could pursue our own visions of empire without having to fairly deal with the “red” problem? Why don’t some of those high-profiles among the super-rich organize their peers (and the government which they own) and start a massive and urgent effort to take industry to their reservations, provide them with a solid foundation of vocational and academic education, and enable them to earn a decent standard of living? They might just find out, despite the centuries of stereotypical assumptions to the effect that they are nothing but a bunch of “savages,” there is instead a valuable gene pool of talent from which this country might well benefit. This is a national disgrace that should no longer be tolerated. They, too, deserve to be accepted and treated as equals among us.

The state of this nation would cause any reasonably decent person to rush to the nearest “vomitorium.” Our so-called “two-party” political system is a joke. Admittedly, they have different labels but they sure as hell share a common set of values, more aptly labeled as a codified system of corruption. You know; the congenital malady known as “screw others before they screw you.” “Steal before they steal from you, etc., etc. etc.,” ad nauseum. They no more serve the citizens of this country than do the indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego ! We need a new political party, founded on a sound platform dedicated to cleaning up government, restoring integrity to all the institutions of government, polishing up a badly tarnished respect for the rule of law, and absolute transparency on everything they do in the name of governing on behalf of the American people. That, of course, would presuppose one could find sufficient numbers of people of character to embark on such a venture, but more than that, a bunch that would have the character, courage and the collective will to save us from ourselves. I am not so cynical as to rule out the ability within us to succeed with such an endeavor.

How much more of the elitist mentality and reverence for the entrenched parasites and crooks firmly ensconced in Washington, D.C. can we tolerate?

Don’t you think it is time for that long-overdue “change we can believe in?“ I do.


Cowboy Bob
September 24, 2010