BORDER CONTROL


There is no question that U.S. citizens who live near the border with Mexico need and deserve governmental control and protection. After thinking about the new legislation signed by the governor of Arizona yesterday, I have been giving a great deal of thought to the dangers this law Might inflict upon the many millions of Hispanics already living here.

A forest of hispanic roots had been planted here long before Europeans made their entry, thus making the Americas more their land than the land of Europeans. (This, for present purposes. leaves out mention of the various Indians who preceded all of us.)

The purpose of this paper is to discuss identification. But let me stop for a moment to mention that the TWO GIANT PROBLEMS which no one in government in any nation on the globe has the courage to mention are RELIGION and OVERPOPULATION, the former responsible for the latter.

Catholicism, in particular, got a good headstart on teaching the masses that God has decreed what is now happening to us. And Catholicism’s followers include the high and mighty as well as the ignorant and penniless. The current sex scandal in the highest reaches of the Catholic Church is probably the most meaningful warning the world has had as to its weaknesses on a subject which deserves to be completely rethought in all its ramifications.

Some of those ramifications include, too many people, too little education, too few jobs, AND the citizens of a very poor nation living a river’s-width from a very rich nation. It is not surprising that all of these conditions can easily lead to those who are destitute looking at the rich nation as an exciting road to quick riches.

The requirement that those who migrate from Mexico to the United States for any reason carry a permit is only half a solution. This would leave all Hispanics who are legal citizens of the United States standing there legally naked. The best solution, it seems to me, is that all Hispanics in this country should also carry a card identifying them as U. S. citizens. This would simply identify them in the same way that my red hair would identify me. (And there may even by another good reason why ALL Americans should carry national identification in their own home country which will need to be considered in the present or future.)

Identification of Hispanics who are citizens here is most important for their relationships with other American citizens. Many Americans who lack education and spoil for fights, I am sure, will be drawn out to do their version of “defending America” when they see someone who looks and sounds Hispanic, i.e. unAmerican. A card identifying an Hispanic as a U.S. citizen could be a shield of security in a country which is finding out, unfortunately, that the experiment of mixing all races and religions may not be working.


ARW
4/24/10