Recently I rented the second season of Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days." Subtle biases aside, the show does a pretty good job of showing both sides of an issue and letting you make up your own mind about what the lesson to learn was in each episode. The first season was better than the second, in my opinion, but I digress.
Episode 1 of the season was about Immigration. Morgan had a minute man (Frank) that volunteered on weekends to watch for Mexicans trying to cross the border illegally go to stay with an immigrant family in California. It was a family of eight in a one or two bedroom apartment, and Frank made nine. The father did repair work for peanuts around the nearby apartment complex, the mother returned bottles once a week and kept the house, and the kids mostly went to school. The eldest daughter was trying to get into Princeton or some other prestigious school.
The daughter butted heads with Frank many times. She'd say, "don't we deserve the same life that you do?" and "don't you see the potential in the eyes of the people trying to cross the border?" And Frank would respond with an overly patriotic "I have to protect my country, it's my duty."
I feel like Frank is the wrong man for the job. This isn't a protection issue. The Mexicans are just trying to escape severe poverty, they're not trying to murder us and take our women and children. It's a law issue.
The daughter is naive. It's like you said, Andy, the guy who's selling coke at Harvard has potential--he's at Harvard--but he's still selling coke. He's still breaking the law.
The episode did let me see that kind of conditions some of these immigrants are living in. The reasoning is there, I see it and I understand. But just because I really want to run through the streets naked singing some hit pop song doesn't mean it's not illegal. And just because I was lying about that last part doesn't mean it's not running through your head right now. Ha-HA!
My view is that someone should start a program to help the mexicans that feel the need to immigrate here because they live in filth. We should also grant amnesty to those that have been here more than a certain number of years and their direct blood relations, but they should have to take classes and pay dues to become an american citizen. And those that have been here some # of years and less should have to return to their home area, and apply to be an American like anyone else would have to. Or something. It's hard not to do something like that on a case by case basis, but I guess the number is so large that it's hard to do it that way as well.
I'm sure you'll have something 30 times more intelligent to say, Andrew. Have at it!
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