[Buddha-l] Persecution in modern Colorado?

[Jim Peavler]

On Oct 4, 2006, at 10:55 AM, Richard Hayes wrote:
> And in New Mexico and
> Arizona the Friends are also working hard to keep the Mexican  
> border open and
> to thwart the craziness of vigilante groups who think America will  
> not be
> safe as long there is not a fortified twenty-foot cement wall all  
> along the
> Canadian and Mexican borders.

New Mexico allows undocumented folks to have drivers licenses  
(arrests them if they drive without one).
Undocumented Hispanics go to school, get medical attention, and can  
earn scholarships to our colleges and universities.
In almost every way they are welcome guests in our state (possibly  
since our state is essentially governed by Hispanic people
and most of our most prominent business people are also Hispanic.  
Well, much to the horror of Mr.Bucanan, we actually are a
state of Mexico and the US in many ways, with family members crossing  
freely (sort of) back and forth between New Mexico and Chihuahua and  
Sonora to visit family and friends. Our governor got a contract with  
Chihuahua for cement (severe cement shortage in US and high prices)  
without permission of US. We seem to have our own diplomatic  
relationships with Mexico.


> The Quakers seem to be among the few who
> realize that Mexicans come here to work, because there is no work  
> for them at
> home, and that welcoming them here would be a good idea, because  
> fruit and
> vegetables are rotting in the fields because nearly all Americans  
> are too
> lazy to do the hard work of harvesting them.

This stereotype, while commonly believed, is not actually really very  
accurate. So howcome you, who used to slander Christians, Jews,  
Slavs, and other outsiders, are now slandering us poor simple  
Americans? Part of the problem is distribution of population. Our  
cities are filled with unemployed who mostly aren't really aware of  
the work in agriculture, and wouldn't know how to go about getting to  
the work, living in the rural places, or doing the work, even if they  
wanted to. Most of the rural agricultural areas I know of have a  
shortage of laborers of any kind (Joanna can probably vouch for this  
in Idaho) and I am pretty knowledgeable about agriculture in  
Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Idaho, Colorado, and  
New Mexico.  Mexican nationals are often quite nomadic and willing  
and able to move overnight from one agricultural area to another,  
lock-stock- and barrel, grandfolks, kids and grandkids all together.  
Americans aren't used to living like that any more.

There are other reasons, but I have exhausted my brain for now.
>
> It wouldn't surprise me if the administration pushed through  
> legislation
> melting down the statue of liberty (that goddamn symbol of French  
> culture in
> the harbor of New York!) and recasting it with a giant bronze image of
> President George III and his consort, the  Lady Condoleeza, giving  
> the finger
> to incoming visitors: "Piss on your starving and huddled masses.  
> They are not
> buying enough to support America's billionaires!"

Actually, as you know, the President is in bad odor with most of his  
party because he actually favors more reasonable treatment of  
Hispanics, and has argued for what they call "amnesty" or the work  
program to eventual citizenship. Of course his detractors (of which I  
am one) claim he just wants his billionaire friends to have unlimited  
access to cheap labor they can  mistreat and exploit.
>
> Like a lot of people, I was really inspired to read about the Amish  
> people in
> Pennsylvania raising money to support the wife and family of the  
> gunman who
> shot several Amish students dead before killing himself. Now that  
> is both
> good Buddhism and good Christianity. Would that more Americans  
> would follow
> that example rather than sending cluster bombs to any government  
> who promises
> to fight terrorists by blowing off their children's legs.

Amen to that Brother Hayes!!
>
> -- 
> Richard P. Hayes
> Department of Philosophy
> University of New Mexico
> http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes
> __

Jim Peavler
jmp at peavler.org