What I admire is that the locals along the wall -- by and large -- understand the policy in human terms far more readily than the vigilantes and the politicians who are too ready to foment and exploit their white grievance. Continue to fight the good fight; you are on the right side of history. That matters. A contented conscience is the best sleeping pill.
The MAGAheads love the 400 mile line -- ten miles of it is new. He spent $3 Million to paint it black. Do you think there's a soup kitchen or school or clinic that could have used that money? Plus, he stills from military construction budgets to repair a wall that does not work. It is worth noting that the states that oppose the wall most fervently are Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The three states that approve of it? Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
From a cross-border perspective, one of the conundrums about the entire xenophobic pillar of this administration's rhetoric and policy (especially toward non-Cuban Hispanics) is that fraction of successful non-Cuban Hispanic immigrants (1st generation) and their offspring (2nd and 3rd generation) who support the ruthless and inhumane tactics that are being used. It would be interesting to know what the "left behind" family branches in Mexico and elsewhere think about those phenomena.
The Cuban exception is fairly easy to understand in terms of the (albeit, now largely irrelevant) anti-Castro histrionics lingering from the Cold War era. I spent 2 weeks in Cuba just prior to Obama’s visit. The opportunity was RIPE in the months following for improved overall bilateral relationships which could have proved significantly mutually beneficial had they been pursued positively. Alas, again, since it was an Obama achievement it meant automatic dismantling by this administration. It also fit well into its general international nose-thumbing posture… of course with the bizarre exceptions of Israel, Russia, its cohorts and the Saudis. I think one would have to be blind to the fact that the current attitude toward our southern boarder has a racist component to it. That particular aspect is what puzzles me about the fraction of Hispanic-Americans that condone the current xenophobia. As I said above, I can’t help wonder what their origin families outside of the US have to say about all this.
What I admire is that the locals along the wall -- by and large -- understand the policy in human terms far more readily than the vigilantes and the politicians who are too ready to foment and exploit their white grievance. Continue to fight the good fight; you are on the right side of history. That matters. A contented conscience is the best sleeping pill.
The MAGAheads love the 400 mile line -- ten miles of it is new. He spent $3 Million to paint it black. Do you think there's a soup kitchen or school or clinic that could have used that money? Plus, he stills from military construction budgets to repair a wall that does not work. It is worth noting that the states that oppose the wall most fervently are Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The three states that approve of it? Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
From a cross-border perspective, one of the conundrums about the entire xenophobic pillar of this administration's rhetoric and policy (especially toward non-Cuban Hispanics) is that fraction of successful non-Cuban Hispanic immigrants (1st generation) and their offspring (2nd and 3rd generation) who support the ruthless and inhumane tactics that are being used. It would be interesting to know what the "left behind" family branches in Mexico and elsewhere think about those phenomena.
The Cuban exception is fairly easy to understand in terms of the (albeit, now largely irrelevant) anti-Castro histrionics lingering from the Cold War era. I spent 2 weeks in Cuba just prior to Obama’s visit. The opportunity was RIPE in the months following for improved overall bilateral relationships which could have proved significantly mutually beneficial had they been pursued positively. Alas, again, since it was an Obama achievement it meant automatic dismantling by this administration. It also fit well into its general international nose-thumbing posture… of course with the bizarre exceptions of Israel, Russia, its cohorts and the Saudis. I think one would have to be blind to the fact that the current attitude toward our southern boarder has a racist component to it. That particular aspect is what puzzles me about the fraction of Hispanic-Americans that condone the current xenophobia. As I said above, I can’t help wonder what their origin families outside of the US have to say about all this.