Immigration — The Bigger Picture
I understand the bigger picture on the immigration policy. I completely comprehend that it’s actually for the good of the country. If any of you have traveled to other western countries and seen what’s happened there due to an open door policy, then you know…you know it’s a fucking mess. I was shocked when I returned to Marseilles and saw it was no longer French. There was almost zero French culture left in that beautiful port city. There wasn’t even French food available. It was just kebab stands, parents sending their children out to beg, and call-to-prayer all day long. When the call hit, the streets literally STOPPED, five times a day, starting very early. Everyone came to a halt and put down a pray rug, They flowed into side alleys, sidewalks, anywhere. I’d been to Marseilles before and it wasn’t like that just 3 years previously. The former residents left. I tried to sit outside and eat, but mothers kept sending disheveled children over to ask for money. It was a travesty.
France is a very socialized country with high taxes, great programs and amazing healthcare that puts ours to fucking shame…yet, they were begging. And it’s not just Marseilles. I’ve seen this in Germany, England, Canada…so I understand that the INTENTION is a good one. If you haven’t seen what I have — if you haven’t traveled — you don’t understand what we could very easily become. I’ve gone two days in some parts of England and Canada without seeing a single person who spoke English as their first language. When I came home, I always giggled at how up-in-arms the USA was about immigrants. We don’t have THAT. Yet.
I understand that our president IS trying to protect us and keep the country intact and sometimes “you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.” (Mao) However, it’s the method that’s being used which is wholly objectionable. There’s no precedent for separating children, except in times of war/concentration camps. This is why everyone is so upset, and anyone who is a parent has to be able to feel the sting. If you don’t, you may want to reexamine your lack of empathy. Perhaps it’s being done to “make an example” so others won’t try to cross, I don’t know. Taking children away and not letting parents know where they are is pretty extreme. Even if you’re convinced of an actual violent crime in America, such as rape or murder, you are still allowed to know where your children are.
Then there are those denying it’s happening. I’m just going to say it: This isn’t “Wag The Dog”. Stop drinking the Fox kool-aid. I cannot understand why people are still unwilling to do their own research with our plethora of resources available because they’re too lazy to bother, so they simply accept a spoon-fed opinion from some talking head selling them fear for ratings money.
And finally, there are the legal, tax paying citizens who’ve been here for years, have never done anything wrong, and are being sent “back” to a “home” that isn’t home. This is their home.
Those crossing the border aren’t illegal, they’re undocumented. There’s a difference. I won’t even go into due process — or lack of.
Think about it — what if it were you, your kids, your dad or mom? Because it *could* be. Who’s next? Canadians, British, Hungarians, Filipinos? This is the insane part of how it’s being handled.
This situation really isn’t not a right vs. left thing. It’s a Human Rights issue. It’s a right vs. wrong thing. And, it’s one we should all be united on. Yes, the intention here is a good one. Yes, we need to fix immigration, without a doubt. But not this way.
We need to be able to talk with each other. We have a severe lack of being able to have a real conversation in this country. I am not sure there’s another place in the Western world where people cannot talk politics or religion without it devolving into something nasty, violent, and being “unfriended”. We label each other as “racist” or “lib-tard”, which is childish and fucked up. We watch the news channel that aligns with our own views, instead of forming our own opinion based on facts. None of this leads to a united country — just high blood pressure and more hostility.
An open mind isn’t solely being willing to hear all sides. It’s a willingness to change your opinion based on the material presented. But being open to hear all sides is a great start.
While we’re squabbling and unfriending, our politicians are giving absolutely no fucks, because it’s a just a job to them. They are there to make as much money as possible until that fun run is over. Most were already rich when they got voted in. They can’t comprehend what it’s like to be a typical American, because they aren’t. When have they waited at the emergency room and then had their insurance denied? Yet they make our healthcare laws. They decide the minimum wage while never having worked for it. They eschew and cut social programs, yet live on them as government workers. When have they had to decide on what groceries to subtly put back because they went over budget? I don’t understand how Americans cannot see this. With just six media companies owning everything we see, hear and read, they can fear and sell us into anything. Divide and conquer has been a constant theme.
We are a large, armed country. God forbid we ever rise up. Key: keep us angry and killing each other instead. (Then, blame guns and disarm while scoring votes by allowing the people to think it was their idea.) Governments should serve and be afraid of their people, not the other way around. Our forefathers intended for our government to be the common man who assembles to discuss and pass laws, then return to their regular life and job for the rest of the year. Thomas Payne likely rolls over in his grave every time someone parrots the laughable media-invented phrase “wasted vote.” There’s no such thing as a wasted vote.
I was briefly a lobbyist. We went to both sides…because they work together. Just like in pro wrestling. What you see isn’t what it is. Perception is not always reality.
- **While all this infighting has been going on, Congress quietly passed a bill allowing the largest roll back of Wall Street regulations since the financial crisis. **https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/08/house-to-vote-on-sweeping-rollback-of-banking-rules/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d0863e277442
by April Hunter
Full Sail University Student, Writer, Pro Wrestler & Model
Instagram: @realaprilhunter
