The Dream in Bush’s America

Loved this episode! I do have to state my opinion on the clip about Martha though. I’m not a fan of illigal immigrants and I felt like Martha’s story was a huge pity party. I’ve been to many parts of the beautiful country of Mexico including Chetumal, Playa del Carmen, Ciudad Juarez and Isla Holbox, among others. Mexico is a very rich country in many ways. One of the main problems facing the country is corruption. I’m of the opinion that Mexicans need to hold their government accountable instead of looking north of the border for opportunity.

It drives my crazy when I see protests, here in the States where slogans like “no human being is illigal” abound. What do countries have borders for? I have no issues with immigration in general. I think that our multi-ethnic society is a national treasure. My issue is with people breaking the law for their own economic gain. Its like these guys are cutting to the head of the immigration line and want us to understand their logic for doing so. If you can prove that you need to be here because you’re being persicutaed at home, then we can talk, otherwise, get back in line! As an African American male, I’m sensative to illigal immigration due to the fact that illigal immigrants undercut economically disadvantaged US citizens who are looking for work in areas favored by illigal immigrants, such as construction. At one time, while between jobs, I worked for a company called Labor Ready. Men and women would file into the office at 5am and wait for day labor assignments. The average pay was minimum wage or a little above. What are US citizens who work in agencies like this supposed to think when they see competition from illigal immigrants gathered in a Home Depot parking lot who will work for less than minimum wage?

I’m a member of the military. I have friends from Asia and Latin America who gained US citizenship via military service. I also lived in Spain for years (as a civilian) and knew many illigal immigrants from Central and South America who were able to buy property, work and study under the EU’s relaxed immigration policies. Maybe Martha should consider similar opportunities. The world is a huge place. Its’ difficult for me to sympathize with stories like Martha’s when we as a country have a scitzofrenic attitude towards illigal immigration. We welcome Cubans and tolerate Southern and Central Americans, but send fleeing Haitians back to their largely violent and impovershed island nation, where an extremely corrupt and repressive governmet rules and many haitians (having little food and few alternatives) have resorted to eating mud patties.

I don’t expect this whole illigal immigration issue to go away anytime soon. Hopefully with the creation of the Union of South American Nations (modeled after the European Union) and the rise of Latin-American economic power houses like Brazil and Mexico (to a lesser extent), illigal immigration from Central and South American will be less of an issue in the future. Maybe 20 years down the line, you’ll hear an American, seeking economic opportunities, featured on “Esta vida Mexicana” (This Mexican life) with a pity party of their own. Who knows; 20 years down the line, you might see crowds of African Americans and Anglos in Oaxaca protesting, carrying signs that read “no human being is illigal”.