Illegal Immigration & Reality

Every morning I wake up and go through a routine. One of them is checking social media to see which of my friends / family are either in the hospital or frolicking on a beach somewhere. One of the social media accounts is Twitter and one of the people I follow is Donald Trump. I figure if he starts WWIII this will be first place to find out about it. So Donald posts the attached video to his most recent tweet and I sat there watching it, but I didn't have the reaction to it that 'The Donald' had intended.

Here are over a thousand immigrants crossing into the United States. However, something struck me as odd about the video. I am sure it is not doctored and shows what actually happened. These people are crossing the river, going under a fence....and then they just stand there.

They don't scatter in all directions hoping not to get caught. They all just wait. Wait for Border Patrol to come and pick them up. They are not running off to steal our jobs, rape our women or sell us drugs. They wait. Why would any person do that? Maybe...for the first time in their memory they feel safe?

I don't get the impression that they are subversives or criminals. I get the impression that they are running for their lives. Running from a place or situation where they lived in so much fear, that walking a 1,000 miles with their children is a valid option.

This is happening all over the world. In the Europe, in Asia, in Africa and here in the United States. It is a global problem, due to environmental change and political unrest from despots that abuse their own people for the sake of personal gain and power. Ponder this: How bad would it have to get HERE in the United States, to make you walk all the way to Venezuela with your family in tow, just to survive?

And these are the people that we want to build a wall to keep out?

As I used to lament when I worked for the State of Arizona, "They focus on treating the symptom, and not addressing the illness." A concerted and honest effort to improve their lives where they live is the answer, not building barriers. History is littered with that mistake. Instead of building barriers, we should be giving economic incentives to governments to change their ways and provide for their people, not chase them out of their country. This is what foreign policy is for. Subtle regime change in the long term or violent regime change in the short term (that is what the military is for).

I see huddled masses here yearning for a life free of fear. Donald's response is, "Go back home and die."

So go ahead and build your wall and hide from the rest of world's problems. History has shown time and time again that this does not work and leads to disaster.

Yesterday, Border Patrol agents apprehended the largest group of illegal aliens ever: 1,036 people who illegally crossed the border in El Paso around 4am. Democrats need to stand by our incredible Border Patrol and finally fix the loopholes at our Border! pic.twitter.com/6K1rIUzorM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019

He Saw / She Saw - El Cid

Bruce:

I didn't realize this was a Criterion disc until I loaded it. A stunning film, with a cast of 'literally' thousands. This is a sweeping epic that covers a lot of ground. Heston and Loren are in their prime here as is Miklós Rózsa's score. The ending left a bit to be desired, but it was a thrill ride up to that point.

Sue:

A big film, with big stars and imagery that is hard to imagine or comprehend. Sophia Loren was one good looking woman in her day.

He Saw / She Saw - A Place In The Sun

BRUCE:

An interesting film based on a well known authors work. However, the soundtrack and the rather odd cinematography distracts from the film quite a bit in the beginning. Making some scenes unintelligible and lingering on others well past the point of interest.

SUE:

Enjoyable, but rather moody and depressing. Elizabeth Taylor is jaw dropping in her looks and acting, but Monty Cliff just comes across as depressed and a victim of bad choices and circumstance.

Cinema Cycle - Bewitched S1E3

Not the comedy you remember from childhood. What you see now is the Fellini side of Madison Ave in the 1960s. What if Pete Campbell in Mad Men had a witch for a wife? Just substitute Darrin and Samantha. An added bonus are all the guest stars they parade through each 25 minute episode. In this particular case. Jack Warden as a lecherous baby food magnate.

Cinema Cycle - Metro

An Eddie Murphy ego trip, back when Eddie Murphy was actually hip, before Disney turned him into "Norbert" and "Dr. Doolittle". Here, Mr. Murphy is a bad ass hostage negotiator in San Francisco. The out-of-control cable car scene is a hoot!

Cinema Cycle: Space Archive - Shuttle Downlink: The Repair Of Solar Max

One of the reasons I started collecting Laserdiscs were archival / documentary discs like this. Raw video feeds and stills of the Challenger mission to repair a large satellite with narration by the crew.

Cinema Cycle - The Avengers '67 Vol 7

The series is getting on here and the producers decided to make it a bit more tongue and cheek. Every episode starts out with the classic line "Mrs. Peel, We're Needed", to the ending where John and Emma banter about the ramifications of the solved mystery.