View From The Border

by Connie Foust
Several years ago I had a beloved dog, Ralph, who had cancer; he was in terrible pain and could hardly get around. For many days I pondered whether or not to put this dog down. One day while talking with a friend about the dog and the situation, he said to me "how long does your dog have to suffer before you feel good about putting him down?" This was the best thing anyone could have said and it made complete sense. I had to harden my heart to do what was right for Ralph.

This brings me to my point today regarding the media covering the suffering of the illegal aliens in the hot desert and also what happens to them when they are deported.

The dog, unlike an illegal alien was suffering the consequences of my behavior. Illegal aliens are suffering the consequences of their behavior.

And article in today’s paper, headline, "NO WAY HOME, Border towns fear crackdown will strand thousands along frontier" covers a Mexican woman who was robbed with her friends when they crossed into Arizona, by one of their own and left in the desert to fend for themselves. She had twisted her ankle and ended up standing by the highway waiting for BP to pick her up and deport her. Now she is in Naco, penniless, after a 1500 mile journey to come to America. Far down in the article it also states she has two children with her, and she is trying to find help through the churches to get enough money to get home.

The article is aimed at making Americans feel guilty for deporting this woman. Unlike Ralph, this woman made a choice and it did not work out. We have all made choices in our life that have had a negative impact; we understand for the most part, we have to live with those choices and make the best of it.

Because in the eyes of the Mexican people we are a wealthy nation, they feel a sense of entitlement and open borders people support this notion. What is ignored is the fact Mexico is the sixth richest country in the world. Mexico could and should be prosperous for all. Instead of us feeling guilty for deporting an illegal alien, we should be feeling guilty for not demanding the Mexican government clean up their act, giving basic human rights to their people. Our problem is compassion and political correctness to the point of the destruction of the American way of life

I came upon a Mayan male in the desert last April who was by the highway waiting also for someone to find him. He had traveled so far, one of his shoes had come apart. His foot was covered in blood and he was in bad shape. I will tell you it was heart wrenching to see this man suffering and to also know it was my duty to call the Border Patrol and have him picked up to be deported, after all what was one more illegal alien, we have millions of them. Well, one more illegal alien is just that, one more. It would have been easier and made me feel better to drop him at a hospital in Tucson, but the right thing to do for my country and my family was to turn him to Border Patrol. So I reported him, his face still haunts me today, but I believe I did what was right for him and what was right for our country.

In the past few weeks there has been coverage by liberal media of families torn apart because mother's are being deported and their anchor baby children are left in the states. We will have to find a humanitarian way to handle this problem. While children should never be torn from their parents, remember when these people came here illegally. They made a choice and also took the risk of having an anchor baby knowing the possibility loomed, they could be deported and separated from their children. They were gambling on the good heart of the American people. They gambled with the very hearts of their own children. The rhetoric will be picking up on this problem as we move closer to having a border fence, a real border fence, and more are deported and cannot turn around and get back in.

We will have to toughen up and ride it out, always looking forward at the prize. The prize being giving our children and grandchildren a country that is viable, prosperous and offers them the opportunities we have taken for granted for so many years. We have to toughen up to keep our social structure to include the middle class.

May God bless you all,
Connie

Ms. Connie Foust, one of the founding members of the Minutemen in April 2005, moved to Arizona from Montana in 2002 after retiring from law enforcement. Connie and her husband live in Palominas, AZ, just five miles from the Mexican border. The realities of illegal immigration, which we debate as if enforcing the law was an option, are something she’s been forced to endure first-hand for years. When citizens of the Phoenix metropolitan area get to the point that many feel unsafe leaving their homes unarmed, we will better understand daily life in Naco, Arizona and why so many of our fellow citizens are passionate about closing the border. Ms. Foust is a published writer and widely read for her unique perspective on border issues.

Posted June 22, 2006 04:29 PM
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