The Cantina

Thanks Kimmer. I’ve been obsessed with this ever since you sent me that article. (Read my earlier post on the subject if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

I almost hate what I’m about to write because it’s going to sound so……Democratic. But I think it’s common sense. Illegal immigration is a huge problem in the good ‘ol US of A. I could sit here and type all the reasons and costs of why it’s such a big problem, but why do that when the government already did. You can read the staggering numbers right at this study on the Center for Immigration Studies website. For more information, go to the root domain right here and follow some of the links.

You’ll learn some amazing numbers and some really stupid ideas on how to fix the problem. Like building a big fence. Like assimilation and granting citizenship. Perhaps you’ll read long enough to read about political asylum.

All bad ideas if you ask me. All are reactive measures that don’t even look in the direction of the real problem, let alone address it. The real problem is that the mexican people that are desperatly trying to enter this country are trying to escape the horror of extreme poverty, disease and starvation. You don’t see Mexico’s elite scaling a fence or hiding in the back of a manure truck trying to get here. You don’t see Mexico’s businessmen and Mexican doctors running through the Arizona desert. You see Mexico’s poorest, most destitute people trying to save themselves and their families from a lifetime of misery.

Stick with me here for a minute. Say you have an asshole neighbor. Say that asshole neighbor has a dog chained up out back. Day after day and week after week you see this dog tied up out in the back yard of your asshole neighbor’s house. The asshole never gives him any fresh water. Maybe once or twice a week you actually see food in the dog’s dish. There’s no shelter. No box or doghouse to get in out of the rain and snow and wind. Just a poor shivering, starving dog trapped in a life of misery with an uncaring asshole in charge of his destiny, chained to a tree in the asshole neighbor’s back yard.

Then one day the dog gets so thin from the abuse and starvation that he slips out of his collar and breaks free. First thing he does is go to the trash cans and knocks them over to get something to eat because he’s starving. Let’s say you’re a nice person and actually put out a bowl of food and water for him and he sneaks up to your porch to get it. The asshole neighbor sees this, beats the dog and chains him back up to the tree, but since he’s an asshole, he doesn’t change anything. He still starves the dog and putting water out for him is a pain in his ass so he only does it once a week.

All the dog can think about is the glorious day that he broke free and got someting to eat and some fresh water. So now the dog thinks about breaking free all the time, and he does.

Does this make that dog a bad dog or is that just a good dog in a bad situation with natural survival instincts?

I think the answer to the illegal immigration problem lies in working with the Mexican government to put an end to their extreme poverty problem. I think if we spent half of the time, effort and money we spend now on the unsuccessful illegal immigration tactics that we currently employ and put that energy towards creating an environment where these desperately desperate people had some food, education, medical care and career opportunity that they wouldn’t be so quick to slip the chain, jump the fence and run to the neighbor’s house for food and water.

I think the solution lies in helping them out where they are so they don’t want to leave.

It’s time for a true story. I lived in Dauphin for about 12 years of my life. Every day when I’d drive home I’d pass this house that had a cute little Chow chained to a tree out front. The dog rarely had a bowl of water. It was always upside down and bone dry. For months I drove by and saw the dog getting thinner and thinner. I could see his ribs from the moving car. Still no water. That was the dog’s existence. No matter what time of the day or night I went by, he was there. Chained to the tree. No food, no water.

Finally late one night I stopped and unhooked him and put him in my truck and took him home. That’s right. I dog napped him. I fed him and gave him all the water he could drink. The next day I took him to the vet and got him shots and worm medicine that he badly needed. I took him back home and kept him for about three weeks until he started looking nice and healthy again. He was a nice dog. I thought about keeping him, but I couldn’t. I am a lot of things but I’m not a thief. Here’s what I did.

I taped a note to his collar and took him back one night and chained him back up to his tree. The note read something like this.

“I took your dog. He was in dire need of food, water and a vet. The rest of his medicine is in his doghouse. If I see him being neglected again I’m going to kick the shit out of you and then turn you into the authorities for neglect and abuse”.

Believe it or not it worked. They put an unspillable water dish out there. Half the time I’d drive by, he wasn’t there. I imagine he was in the house or somewhere. At least he was getting some kind of attention. He never lost weight or looked neglected after that either. I think they must have got the note.  The moral of the story?  I saw one of God’s creatures desperately in need and I took action at my own time and cost.  I brought him back to a stable level of health and then put him back where I found him with some insightful instructions and menacing consequences if those instructions weren’t followed, and I saved a life.  The same philosophy could easily be applied with the immigration problem.

Anyway, I’m glad I could share that story with you. That was back in the mid 80’s and I’m sure the statute of limitations has expired on the dog napping and threat charges that I could have gotten arrested for, but the meat and moral of the story remains the same.

The answer to the problem lies with creating a suitable environment where they are, so that there is no reason to escape. It’s common sense really. The only Canadians we see breaching our borders are rich ones who want to retire in Florida. Think about it.

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