BRILLIANT ESSAY.....When I was three years old, my parents moved our family

[jodymarie aimee]

this is from my Eastern Doc's (as opposed to my Western medicine Doc) Hollywood movie making son Aaron....please to enjoy. Our city is Stevens Point, WI...


Aaron Ensweiler
· September 6 at 1:49pm · Los Angeles, CA ·

When I was three years old, my parents moved our family to a small town in central Wisconsin, so as to provide a better life for me and my brother. As I understand it, an unlikely confluence of events had conspired to motivate their move. Over the course of several months, a cat burglar broke into my father's practice, a schizophrenic arsonist tried to burn it down, and our cokehead neighbor tried to stab our dog with a steak knife. And so, after weighing their options, my parents did the only thing that made sense at the time: they packed up our belongings and moved us to a place that offered the promise of a safer and more idyllic life.

I’d be lying if I said I remembered the move. I was three years old at the time. My favorite show was “Sesame Street.” My favorite snack was my own boogers. I hadn’t yet learned to read or write, and if you had asked me at the time for my social security number, I would have turned to you in earnest and asked what a social security number was. In short: the circumstances of our move were beyond my control.

In the years that followed, the details of our backstory began to crystallize, and I became aware that the city we’d left behind was Chicago, and that the reasons for our departure, among others, were informed by that which I’ve already outlined above. But on a day like today, it’s difficult not to imagine how my life might be playing out at present had I learned, instead, that the place we’d left behind was Mexico, and that the circumstances of our departure had been such that legal immigration simply wasn't an option.

Yesterday, some 800,000 lives were needlessly thrown into turmoil because of the unconscionable actions of an evil man parading around under the guise of the President of the United States of America. These 800,000 individuals study, work, serve in the military, and pay taxes. All of them have high school diplomas, or are currently on track to earn one, and not one of them has a criminal record. All of them arrived in America before the age of 16, and the great majority of them did so at or before the age of 6, by no fault of their own. And despite what Trump, or Sessions, or Breitbart, or Fox News might have you believe, the looming shadow of their deportation will not make us safer or more secure. It will not stimulate our economy. It will not deter future illegal immigration. It will only serve to further highlight that under the current administration, we are a nation sorely lacking in empathy.

Trump and Sessions would have you believe that by rescinding DACA, they’re upholding the rule of law. They would have you believe that there’s something principled about their actions. They would have you believe that by leaving the matter to Congress, they’ve done what ought to have been done from the beginning. And they would have you believe all of this without any accounting for the facts. The fact of the matter is that Obama’s use of an executive order to create DACA was motivated in large part by Congress’ inability to pass much-needed immigration reform.

Despite the best efforts of the bi-partisan Gang of Eight and the U.S. Senate, Boehner’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives refused to pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. Since then, the effort to destroy DACA has been led by 10 GOP State Attorneys General, among them, Steve Marshall from Alabama, Leslie Rutledge from Arkansas, Herbert Slatery III from Tennessee, Lawrence Wasden from Idaho, Derek Schmidt from Kansas, Jeff Landry from Louisiana, Doug Peterson from Nebraska, Alan Wilson from South Carolina, Ken Paxton from Texas, C.L. Otter from Idaho, and Patrick Morrisey from Wester Virginia, this despite the fact that 366,987 of the estimated 800,000 Dreamers live in the state of California, which was been unwavering in its support of the program.

So what now? Is permanent, progressive, immigration reform in the best interest of our country? Absolutely. Should Congress be the architect of said legislation? You bet. But will legislation of this nature pass? Who knows. While it’s certainly encouraging to hear McCain, Hatch, Ryan, and other GOP members join the chorus of Democrats, Business Leaders, and Human Rights activists who support DACA and those it protects, that doesn’t negate the fact that Trump’s actions–per usual–were unnecessary, reckless, and unforgivably cruel. If he truly wanted a permanent legislative solution, he could have demanded as much from Congress without rescinding DACA in the meantime, and in so doing putting countless lives at risk.

While I never thought that in my lifetime I’d turn to the words of George W. Bush as an exemplar of reason, I can’t help but think of an excerpt from a commencement speech he gave in 2004, in Wisconsin no less. There, he said, and I quote:

“A person shows his or her character in kindness and charity, and what is true in our lives is also true in the life of our Nation. You can fairly judge the character of society by how it treats the weak, the vulnerable, the most easily forgotten. Our own country, at its best, strives to be compassionate, and this isn't easy. Compassion is not merely a vague feeling of empathy; it is a demanding virtue. It involves action and effort and deep conviction, a conviction as old as Scripture and present at the founding of our country. We believe that everyone has a place and a purpose in this world, that every life matters, that no insignificant person was ever born.”

I too believe this to be true. And for this, and many other reasons, I stand with the Dreamers.

[Angry Dragon]

1. a kick for you

[dembotoz]

2. 2 kicks

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

3. r & k... nt

[Heartstrings]

4. Went to college in Stevens Point in the early 70's

Also lived there from 1990-2000, then WI Rapids for 10 more years....if I read this correctly and please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm relieved to know it wasn't Point that caused the turmoil in this family. Although certainly not as diverse as Madison, I found more tolerance in Point than many of the surrounding smaller cities/towns. Most likely the diversity of the university helped create a more inviting atmosphere.

I also stand with dreamers.....always!

[jodymarie aimee]

6. By any chance were you a member of Heartstrings?

the local band?

[Heartstrings]

8. Nope, just liked the name.

Never heard/saw the band, heard they were one of the better local bands tho.

[LakeArenal]

9. Hey, I remember the band ....

Good band. I think there was a guy named Andy in it. Met him once. Wow, that was a million years ago..

[Heartstrings]

10. Well, 40+ years seems like a million years sometimes....

[jodymarie aimee]

11. How about MESA?

My brother Jack was lead guy. They did POCO tunes....Dated Andy from the other band. And yes, a zillion years ago...

[LakeArenal]

12. Knew of Mesa

Met Danny B. from Mesa once as well. No dating. But it is a small world. Sounds like kindred spirits. I'm from farther south than the Point area. Lots of my friends went to school there. I think I saw Cheap Trick and Siegel Schwall more than Mesa. Did you date any of them? Huge Soup fan. Doug Yankus was pretty hot.

[jodymarie aimee]

14. Danny is a preacher now...still pals with his twin sister. Frank plays with Gray Catz, just saw

them Thursday. Point..Jack does jazz...Point..married a Julliard ballerina... Dated Jerry Alexander....Madison icon...1 man band and drop dead gorgeous.....also Doug Olsen of Garbage now, Spooner then. Doug Yankus...holy smokes...a God to me....

We should probably not bore these folks, I will write you personal email later. I would not trade our growing up days for anything.

[DFW]

5. Great article

My elder daughter studied fashion for two years in Los Angeles. She interned with a Mexican fashion designer for a while. His business was registered, fully legit, paid taxes, the whole nine yards. The business was legitimate. He was not. This was when Bush, Jr. was still in office. He had never gone through the formal immigration process. The government took his tax money, and tolerated him. I never heard if he made any progress with his status.

If he's still there and not yet a citizen or with a green card, Trump would probably toss him out on his ear, if he hasn't already.

[murielm99]

7. My daughter works at a university in Southern California.

She is an academic librarian, but also works with older students who are the first in their families to go to college. They often need help with study habits and learning how to navigate the system. They stay in school and finish because of the help provided. She loves what she does.

Many of her charges are immigrants or first generation. Of course, many of them have stayed here and are studying because of DACA. As soon as this orange asshole was elected, they started coming to her in tears. I fear she will lose some of her cherished students.

I hope these people rot in hell for the lives they are destroying and the harm they are doing to our country and our economy. They are destroying what the USA is supposed to stand for.

[LakeArenal]

13. Very nicely written

Dreamers all the way... The American Dream used to be a real thing..