By Mike Appleton, Weekend Contributor
“Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me, but the one who sent me.’ “
-Gospel of Mark, Ch. 9, verses 36-37, New American Bible (Thomas Nelson, 1989)
“If kids come in my backyard, I’ll shoot them.”
-unidentified Murietta, California resident protesting the sheltering of undocumented child immigrants (July 1, 2014)
………………………………………………..
“Collective fear,” wrote Bertrand Russell, “stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” The ugliness in Murietta, California several weeks ago provided ample evidence, if any were needed, of the power of collective fear. But even more disturbing than the angry shouts at frightened children unable even to understand the words hurled at them has been the reaction of political leaders. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Gov. Rick Perry demanded that the President dispatch National Guard troops to the border, for who knows what purpose. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R. Texas) has been even more vocal. Most of you may recall Rep. Gohmert’s rants several years ago about “anchor babies” born in the United States to be trained as terrorists. This time around he is claiming that the Administration is encouraging the influx of unaccompanied children as part of a plot to turn America “blue” and “ensure Republicans will never get elected again.” Of course, that will require that all of these tens of thousands of children survive the various diseases with which he also claims them to be infected and carrying over the border. Rep. Gohmert could be dismissed as another congressional crackpot but for the fact that he currently serves as vice chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.
Fear-mongering is such an emotionally powerful tool that it is readily grasped by nascent politicians to fast-track their own careers. Several days ago one Adam Kwasman, a Republican running for Congress in Arizona, made headlines when he photographed a bus full of children and tweeted it to his supporters with the caption, “Bus coming in. This is not compassion. This is the abrogation of the rule of law.” Twitter is a social medium particularly well-suited for those adept at making fools of themselves in fewer than 140 characters. In a follow-up interview with a local reporter, Mr. Kwasman even described “the fear” he witnessed in the eyes of the children as the bus passed, only to later learn that what he had actually observed was what I, as a sometime camp counselor, call Camp Grenada Syndrome, the anxiety universally experienced by kids on their first trip to summer camp, this one run by the YMCA.
Assuming that the over 50,000 (to date) unaccompanied minors surrendering to the Border Patrol are not junior members of the Central America branch of the Young Democrats, why have they come? Well, has anyone been to Honduras or Guatemala or El Salvador lately? Those three countries, known collectively as the Northern Triangle, occupy three of the top five spots on the list of countries with the worst homicide statistics. Honduras leads the pack, with 90.4 murders per 100,000 persons. In Guatemala, over 300,000 children, fully 11% of those between the ages of 7 and 13, work, 21% of them in dangerous jobs, and are subjected to exploitation by organized crime in the sexual tourism and pornography industries. The homicide rate in El Salvador doubled between 2003 and 2011, and rose 44% in the first quarter of 2014 over the same period a year ago. To put this in further perspective, Latin America is home to 9% of the world’s population, and suffers 31% of the world’s murders.
The governments of these countries are weak and riddled with incompetence and corruption. Efrain Rios Montt, the former head of state in Guatemala, was convicted last year of genocide and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed against his own civilian population. But his conviction has been overturned and he faces a new trial early next year. The State Department has issued travel warnings for Honduras. And it is clear that much of the drug trafficking and gang warfare in the Northern Triangle is a direct result of the shifting of the drug trade from countries, such as Mexico and Columbia, in which the war on drugs has been particularly intense. It has also been argued that much of the instability in that part of the world is a legacy of United Fruit diplomacy and U.S. support of corrupt military dictatorships in Central America over many decades.
But regardless of the historical explanations for the problems plaguing these countries, how can any rational person fail to understand the desire of poor and desperate parents to protect their children from the violence and terror they daily face? How can any rational person not marvel at a parental love so powerful that it compels mothers and fathers to send their children on a lonely, dangerous journey? And who is honestly surprised that people gripped by fear and despair will believe the lies of the coyotes who promise, for a price, to deliver their children to the safety of the United States?
In 2008 Congress passed, and Pres. Bush signed, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, named for the British MP who devoted much of his political career to the abolition of the slave trade in England. A portion of the Act establishes procedures for the processing and repatriation of “unaccompanied alien children” who come into the United States. In general, the Act requires that a minor child from a country that is not contiguous to the United States is to be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and placed “in the least restrictive setting that is in the best interest of the child” pending a determination of whether the child should be repatriated or granted refugee status. The Act affords such children what we as a nation believe essential to minimum due process-the right to a hearing and the right to counsel. 8 USC 1232 (2014). But the sheer numbers of children now in the country have overwhelmed the available resources. And, of course, it is all the fault of the Administration.
In one of the videos of the Murietta protests, a woman can be seen shouting, “Not our children. Not our problem.” In Vassar, Michigan, two weeks later, demonstrators, two carrying semi-automatic rifles, assembled in front of a social services facility selected to provide temporary housing for some of the children. The organizer of the protest, Tamyra Murray, was quoted as saying, “We must save America and stand up against this invasion.” Collective fear at work, one rope short of a lynch mob.
Nevertheless, I do not believe that the woman in Murietta, California or Ms. Murray in Vassar, Michigan truly believe what they are saying. If they do, they are wrong. It has also been suggested that this humanitarian crisis is Pres. Obama’s Katrina. That is also wrong. Hurricane Katrina was our Katrina, just as Hurricane Sandy was our Sandy. And these children, at least for now, are our children. While they are here, they deserve to be treated as part of the herd.
Sources: Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays (Simon & Schuster, 1950); “El Salvador Grapples With Upswing In Drug Traffic,” http://www.npr.org (May 31, 2011); “El Salvador murder rate up 44% as gang truce falters,” http://www.irishtimes.com (April 4, 2014); U.S. Department of State, “El Salvador 2013 Crimes and Safety Report,” http://www.osac.gov/pages/contentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13875; “Murders in El Salvador spike to record high for May,” http://www.mobile.reuters.com (May 26, 2014); “Honduras, Central America still lead the world in murder rates,” http://www.ticotimes.net (April 14, 2014); Human Rights Watch, “Honduras still # 1 in 2013,” http://www.m.hrw.org/world-report/2014; “Federal Agents With Riot Gear Arriving In Murietta To Subdue Immigration Protesters,” http://www.dailycaller.com (July 6, 2014); “Gohmert: Obama Is Flooding Texas With Immigrants To ‘Turn It Blue,’ ” http://www.breitbart.com (July 7, 2014); “Murietta Residents: Obama Admin Flooding Our Streets to Force ‘Immigration Reform,’ ” http://www.breitbart.com (July 8, 2014); “Murietta immigration debate: Should they stay or should they go?” http://www.america.aljazeera.com (July 11, 2014); Francis X. Donnelly, “Possible housing of Central American children meets with protest in small Michigan town,” The Detroit News (July 14, 2014); Igor Bobic, “GOP Candidate Mistakes YMCA Kids For Migrants, Describes ‘Fear In Their Faces,’ ” The Huffington Post (July 16, 2014).
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays of art are solely their decision and responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 “We have to find a new balance,” the pope continued, “otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
The pope’s interview did not change church doctrine or policies, but it instantly changed its tone. His words evoked gratitude and hope from many liberal Catholics who had felt left out in the cold during the papacies of Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, which together lasted 35 years. Some lapsed Catholics suggested on social media a return to the church, and leaders of gay rights and gay Catholic groups called on bishops to abandon their fight against gay marriage.”
SWM, I find many liberals to expect conformity on ALL major issues w/ #1 being abortion, 1B gay marriage. Most Catholics, except Shiite Catholics, think celibacy has become antiquated. You must see this? I have said to you many times you have integrity, that makes you a precious liberal. STAY HEALTHY!
nick, Just the other day the pope made comments about ending celibacy so you never know. I don’t expect popes, presidents, friends, or family to agree with me all the time nor do they expect me to agree with them. I guess in your view that makes us all hypocrites.
Liberal ignore or forget how strong Scalia is on the 4th Amendment. You know, an Amendment liberals love. Intellectual dishonesty has become a hallmark of Dems during my lifetime. My old man was a hardcore Dem, but I would sit and watch MTP w/ him and hear him praise Republicans often. I know, I know, that’s when there were some good Republicans, yada yada yada. This is where you usually say you have voted for Republicans.
RTC wrote “Several months ago she figured out that your a shill, paid to troll this site for the denial industry, and I disagreed with her. Seems to me she was right.”
She’s not the only one who realized that you are often wrong, not to mention someone who does not know the proper usage of “your / you’re” and “its / it’s.”
Liberals don’t criticize this Pope. Liberals conveniently IGNORE or FORGET what they despise about popular Popes. That is classic liberal hypocrisy. But, we’ll leave it @ that for now. Every time gay marriage and abortion come up, I’ll just remind you of his stance.
RTC:
“I think the reason you have “no takers” is that everyone realizes that your mind is shut tight to evidence and reason on the subject; who wants to waste their time?”
Clearly you know nothing about me. My mind is not shut tight to evidence. It is the evidence of the study that gives me concern. Science is the quest for truth. And data is what it is, regardless of our preconceived ideas. Where those ideas come into play is when they interfere with the interpretation of the data.
I have absolutely changed my mind depending on the evidence at hand. For instance, when I first learned about Global Warming, I accepted it without question. I just assumed the science was good. It was only when I investigated the studies for myself, and then did further research, that I had serious questions.
I’ve been surprised by data before, such as when Head Start gains evaporate by the 3rd grade. I really thought the effect would be longer lasting. I suspect that the loss of gain is caused by a low quality public education system, but I would need the data to prove that. Without that data, I cannot tell whether we should abandon Head Start and try something different to help kids, keep the program and focus on the public eduction system (like getting rid of tenure so we can finally get rid of underperforming teachers holding our kids back), or something in between, modifying Head Start.
Elaine: Agreed
Schulte: You’re setting Dr Mann up as a straw man. He’s not he issue, he has released any number of research papers for review.
RTC – the peer review in paleoclimatology is an incestual community who review each others papers. His raw data has never been available to the public. He is no straw man. He is the source of much misinformation.
What’s wrong with criticizing people for the bad things that we think they do while commending them for the good things they do? That’s the way it ought to be.
Karen: If only you displayed a fraction of the skepticism toward Fox News that you have for climate change research.
I think the reason you have “no takers” is that everyone realizes that your mind is shut tight to evidence and reason on the subject; who wants to waste their time?
I owe Elaine an apology. Several months ago she figured out that your a shill, paid to troll this site for the denial industry, and I disagreed with her. Seems to me she was right. First you say the evidence regarding climate change is bogus and flawed, then you say that climates change all the time, so why should come as any surprise that climate is changing.
Turns out that you haven’t presented any decent evidence that climate change isn’t happening. I visited the website you often cite and it appears to be kind of bogus – it’s not a science based website, but a propaganda site that relies on innuendo and parsed information and statements.
Insofar as the comments in the IPCC report raising concerns over peer review, they are merely the demands of researchers calling for a strengthening of their case. Researchers, like Dr. Mann and James Hanson are continually looking to tighten their evidence, improve their data, and increase their understanding of an incredibly complicated subject that is climate change. They want to be challenged.
These are the facts: The monitoring station at Maunu Loa,Hawaii has been operating since the fifties. It has never moved because it’s remote location reduces interference from urban sources of pollution. The reason other monitoring stations have been relocated is to satisfy the critics who complain they’re picking up too much CO2 from congested urban sources, thus skewing the results.
That’s typical of denialist tactics: complain about the location of monitoring stations, then hurl suspicions when the stations are moved in acquiescence to the complaints.
Maunu Loa has recorded CO2 levels spiking over 400ppm several times now, the first time in recorded history that we’ve seen levels that high.
The other data from Maunu Loa shows that CO2 levels are rising faster than any time earth’s history from what we can determine from the proxy records. There are other indicators of a changing climate, like melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, and acidifying oceans.
Then there’s the farmers. When it comes to raising crops, farmers don’t care about Al Gore or the Koch Bros. They want to know what they can grow for a profit, and they demand unbiased information they can help them do that. The USDA hardiness regions is one such source of information that tells growers what grows throughout the country, and those regions have been shifting north.
I’m not a climatologist, I’m an ecologist. Invasive species are at the top of my concerns. Ask your ecologist friends about the behavior of invasive plants in recent years. They’ll tell you they’re moving north unless they’re fellow cult members. In the future, it’ll cost more to grow crops, more to manage natural areas, more to maintain landscapes.
Moreover, why would anyone think that we could extract carbon sources that had been locked up in the earths crust and reintroduce them back into the atmosphere without consequence?
There is overwhelming consensus on this issue. Sticking your head in the sand is a foolish reaction and ultimately harmful to future generations. As someone who abhors child abuse as much as you do, I would think you’d be a little more concerned about mitigating the destructive consequences of climate change.
RTC – if Michael Mann wants to have his data challenged, why does he fight so hard to protect it from examination?
Liberals use half their brains. it is never so apparent when they praise the Pope. Great on poverty, but they do Sgt. Schultz on gay marriage and abortion. The funeral for the last Pope was hilarious listening to the half brained fawning for John Paul.
July 20, 2014 at 2:23 pm Bob, Esq.: “No true agnostic would ever let people die to prevent littering.”
Paul C. Schulte: “Bob, Esq – your comment at 2:23 is just silly.”
Paul, why don’t you regale me with your theory of how Immanuel Kant, a true agnostic, as opposed to the dime store variety, would adopt the maxim that it’s morally acceptable to let people die of dehydration to prevent littering.
In lieu of that, why don’t you tell us how honorable men could allow people to die of dehydration to prevent littering.
Bob, Esq – being agnostic has nothing to do with littering.
Paul – I’ve seen photographs of mountains of trash along the rivers by the border with detritus from the illegal immigration flood – life preservers, clothing, bottles, cans, condoms, and other trash. If it were any other person besides a someone breaking the law to enter here, there would be a universal hue and cry among environmentalists against it.
This isn’t complicated. There ARE in fact legal ways to immigrate into this country. People from around the world do it every single day, including the poor. So it is neither rude nor unreasonable to require that those who live closest to us follow the same rules as those who live farther away. How is it fair for millions of people to cut in line in front of those who waited their turn and followed the rules? How is it fair to them?
It would make more sense to have information centers in border towns that explain our immigration procedure and make the border impenetrable for illegal crossings. Or just immediately send back anyone caught crossing illegally, banning repeat offenders. Think of all the money we’d save, all the drug cartel undesirables and human traffickers we would finally make progress in stopping. No more women giving birth in a desert with no water because they want an anchor baby that would be born right around their crossing. No more unaccompanied kids killed, molested, or crying for their parents because they were sent over unaccompanied to take advantage of the Dream Act.
Still no takers, I notice, and yet these assertions that anyone who questions climate change are fools will surely persist . . .
I can neither confirm nor deny manmade climate change, because of the serious failings of the studies I’ve already outlined in other topics. It’s rather frustrating that we blow all of our funds on climate change, given the shocking issues with the studies, while almost completely ignoring mercury contamination, air pollution, other contamination of our ground water, and deforestation and de-vegetation. Anything that threatens our phytoplankton or plant cover also threatens our oxygenation system. If I recall correctly, photosynthetic algae produce 3/4 of the world’s oxygen. So perhaps we should take the contamination of our oceans a little more seriously . . .
Karen – until Michael Mann releases his data so the rest of the world can check his math, there is no way to really see if there is man-made climate change or not.
Pope Francis is welcome to take all of the illegals into the Vatican and protect them there.
Bob – you got me. It’s “anthropogenic.” I don’t know why, but I often misuse anthropomorphic in this phrase. I do know the difference between the terms, obviously. I don’t really edit or spell check my blog posts, and am a miserable speller, frankly. If autocorrect doesn’t correct it, it gets through.
Elaine, Yep, many on here are far harsher than the catholic chuirch i know. Maybe they have had an Opus Dei experience.
Years ago, there was a very serious discussion about launching missiles into our upper atmosphere that would release particulates to dim the sunlight. In light of our global cooling, that would have likely led to a premature Ice Age.
Who’s the “Doo Doo Head?”
Speaking of Pope Francis:
Pope: Kids Crossing US Border Illegally Should Be ‘Welcomed’
By Shannon McMahon
Boston.com Staff
July 15, 2014
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/07/15/pope-francis-central-american-kids-crossing-border-should-welcomed-and-protected/hCqDYtuUU4zPmjIwWDwV2L/story.html
Excerpt:
In a Monday letter to a Mexico City Vatican conference, Pope Francis wrote that the tens of thousands of Central American children illegally crossing into the United States should be “welcomed and protected.”
Just days after President Obama visited Texas and pledged a solution to the US border crisis, the Pope said migrant children’s human rights are being violated.
“Many people forced to emigrate suffer, and often, die tragically,” he said. “Many of their rights are violated. They are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes.” The Pope also advocated that nations advocate development in the Central American countries people are fleeing.