[lit-ideas] Re: speaking of libraries in the United States of Earth
- From: eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2005 10:19:27 -0400
Dear Mike,
well, obviously <g> MY ancestors were the ones who created the art and
architecture, were [no doubt] the few crying in the wilderness about stopping
the Crusades, etc. (or, another point of view--<g>--those were all our past
lives and we are now trying to reconcile our present with our past...or
something like that. I'll have to check the Theory of the Month Club listing to
see if that is there...) Even though you may be feeling the remorse over the
horrible acts done by your ancestors [or by yourself in a past life <g>], I do
believe that, knowing you, there were at least SOME of your white European
ancestors who were probably the ones working to create positive lives for those
in their everyday of life.
I do kind of think that Andy and Eric have some valid points and know that the
whole situation causes lots of people (even in the White Majority who blame
NAFTA for the increase of illegal immigration, etc-though I'm still working on
how that is construed as part of the whole issue...but in MY area, it really
does seem like there was a laxness that occurred in order to keep the few few
remaining manufacturing units in Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas from
disappearing. There was a case in one of those spots just very recently
whereby they 'raided' a Tyson plant [the few remaining plants there hire the
majority of the illegal immigrants who eventually end up in the KC area...it's
like one of the stops on the Underground Railroad for these folks...) Anyway,
the raid has caused a great deal of dilemma--for though they now have in
custody many many who were here illegally--with illegal drivers licenses, etc.,
some of the folks have litlte ones. The little ones were born her
e and so are US citizens--and so law enforcement and social service people are
a bit at a loss--this has not generally happened before. In the past, if there
were kids, the kids were also here illegally and had been smuggled across
either with or after the parents were here. But, not at this point. It's also
difficult because Southern Missouri has a number of legal folk whose jobs have
been taken away by the rise in these plants hiring illegal immigrants (even
though there does seem to be a 'racket' going on whereby the plant management
assists in the creation of illegal 'legal' documentation...so unemployment in
that area is simply horrible for the people whose families have been there from
about the time the homesteading act came into play... The illegal immigrants
working in those factories, though, do not get paid what they ought to be
paid--the conditions and safety issues are simply awful (you would not eat
Tyson chicken if you knew...<g>) and, Eric is correct-the b
ig corporate boys are simply raking in the profit. (the cheaper prices have
NOT been passed down to the consumer--chicken prices have also skyrocketed
since NAFTA...)
As of the time that I arrived in Texas, there was still no resolvement of what
to do with either the parents of the kids born here or the kids themselves. I
think almost all of those families did have relatives who are here legally ...
so I would suspect that the parents will be given the choice as to whether or
not to leave their kids here or take them with them when they are
deported...but neither choice was very appealing to either the law enforcement
people or the social service people.
I don't hear the (former White European) folk in that area being mean and
power-hungry or evil in this regard. Most of them in this area (we're talking
Ozarks, okay? Most formerly from Scotland and such...) are awfully caring
people who, especially, understand the concept of seeking a better life for
your family. (most of their befores came here to do just that...)
In the KC area, though, Eric is correct--the companies who are hiring illegal
immigrants are doing so in order to NOT pay living wages...and they are NOT
passing the savings onto the consumer. And, many of them who get caught have
been put in horrible situations, both work and living. (I have a friend who is
a Union guy who talks about some of this--it's a hard thing in the KC area as
unions are NOT popular ... at least in St. Louis they are still strong and so
you don't have quite the same problems [I think]...the Unions there do alot
more education than anywhere else that I have seen, though...and really make a
healthy difference in people's everyday lives...)
In a way, though, I find it a rather intriguing dilemma--for if illegal
immigration is 'okay' (as I seem to be hearing you say it is...for a variety of
reasons), then the folk who pushed the Native Americans out were 'okay' to do
that, too. Perhaps this is the Universe setting things up so that in the
current life, the Hispanic influx is really the Past Life Native Americans who
were pushed aside and the current folk losing jobs were the settlers who came
in? (must check with the Theory of the Month Club on that one...<g>)
As I have read, though--it was not really the fighting between the soldiers and
such with the Native Americans which did in the Native American lifestyle--it
was the fact that there were so so many leaving the cities, coming from Other
Countries, etc. and they just kept on a comin'... Maybe that is what is
happening here ... and the only possible solution if you care (as I think Eric
does) about people actually getting the dream of a better life) is to begin to
talk about what the value of a union is, what it can do--and to have a unity of
those who will not be willing to just 'settle' for 'better than Mexico' but who
will actually see what IS possible, what WAS possible--and decide that the
unity which caused much of the social ills to change needs to occur again.
I think Eric does have something -- the fragmentation does keep that from
happening. And, Andy has something too--if Mexico can keep their brightest
loyal to its country and sending home lots of $$, but outside of its borders,
then things won't change there, either. (I know they are not happy about those
who enter their borders from even poorer countries in Central/South
America...and always thought it odd that if they think we ought to open our
borders to them, that they ought to open THEIR borders to the rest of the
Lands...the fairness piece again. Part of my Old European makeup, though, I
think...<g>)
Best,
Marlena (wondering if she's ever going to leave Texas...)
-----Original Message-----
Which side of the coin do you want to look at? Andy and Eric are carping
about very, very poor people working illegally in the United States, working in
appalling conditions for the most part, as if they were causing great hardships
for this loving and benevolent country.
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