When it comes to veterans exposed to chemicals or other issues, sure, I care. When it comes to civilians killed or wounded in war, sure I care.
But I can't be the world's sin eater and I can;t bleed for everyone and I won't.
Several e-mails to the public account (common_ills@yahoo.com) insist I am missing an important story. I'm not missing the story -- I don't think it's all that important -- I just don't care.
And, fact of the matter, the media hasn't given a damn about this until Donald Trump became president.
The story in question has happened over and over under Bully Boy Bush and under Barack Obama. But the media did an initial report -- sometimes -- and then let it die. They've worked overtime on this story, the Tweet below is just one example.
Boo f**king who.
His mother says this is being done to him by "his country."
No, it's not. His country is El Salvador and that is his choice. He came to the US at the age of 3, 35 years later he's being deported.
He chose not to become a citizen, his choice.
There should be no sympathy at all for him.
'He fought for the country!' No, he didn't. Iraq didn't attack the US so just drop that b.s. Even if it had (which it didn't), he was paid to do the job he did. He was offered the job (serving in the US military), he took it, he was paid for it. He's not owed a lot more than what he has received. (He didn't get appropriate treatment for his PTS -- I'm sorry about that but that hardly makes him unique. Use his case to fight for better treatment and care from the VA, absolutely, but that's about all.)
Those of us who actually care about immigrant rights -- as opposed to those who were silent while Barack Obama became deporter-in-chief but found a voice after Donald Trump became president -- have repeatedly asked for one thing: A path to citizenship for immigrants.
The child in your neighborhood elementary school, she or he doesn't really have it. Their parents trying to make a life in this country? They don't have it.
You know who has it, people enlisted. Bully Boy Bush, in fact, made it very easy for those who serve in the US military to have citizenship. Barack Obama continued the policy. Many service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan became citizens as a result of this -- became citizens while stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A path to citizenship was created for this category of persons.
I don't know why the hell Jose Segovia Benitez didn't want to become a US citizen but that was his choice. He had a path to citizenship. He never pursued it. That's on him.
I can fight for all immigrants to have a path to citizenship. And I will do that.
But if someone has a path created (and there were no real qualifications or credentials needed, just that you were serving in the US mimlitary) and they choose not to pursue that path that exists, that's on them.
I don't have the time to baby the world. A grown man of 38 who has a path to citizenship and doesn't use it? I'm not shedding tears.
He was a grown adult, he had a path to citizenship and he refused to pursue it. That's on him.
I get it, he suffers because of the war, that's why he has domestic abuse charges. He was convicted though.
Guess what? No country wants criminals. They have to keep their own, yes. But if you break the law and you're not a citizen (he was convicted on domestic abuse charges and on drug charges)? Your host country is going to move to deport you.
I'm sorry this was to hard for you to grasp.
Basty Garcia insists her brother joined the military (in the 90s) because "he was patriotic."
No, he wasn't.
He joined the military for many reasons -- maybe benefits, certainly the salary, maybe for fun and travel (there weren't never-ending wars when he enlisted).
But if he were patriotic to the US, he would have attempted to become a citizen.
Maybe she means he was patriotic to El Salvador?
That is his country. It's his country of record and, yes, it's his country of choice.
He was not someone living in fear of ICE with no path to citizenship.
Now immediately after 9/11, while Bully Boy Bush was persecuting Muslims, BBB did make it temporarily easier for some to become citizens. I can understand those who might have feared it because they suspected it was a trap.
Let's go personal for a second, During this period (immediately after 9/11), I had friends who decided to become citizens so they wouldn't live under the threat of deportation and a few who decided not to. I'm going to reference two, but not use their real names. Diya had been in the country for three years. She was from India. She had a green card. She came to this country to marry (arranged marriage). Her husband was an American citizen (he'd come here from India several years prior on a green card and gone through the citizenship process). They had one child. Juana was married to an American male (born in this country, first generation, family from Mexico). She was born in Oaxaca and entered this country without documentation. She and her husband had three children at the time (they now have five). Diya struggled with the decision because she was not happy in the US. She was adjusting to the country and had other issues (we'll get to that in a second). She spoke with Juana and I (together) about this many times. Juana had no desire to become an American citizen. She was proud of Mexico and wanted only that citizenship besides, she insisted, Bush would never have a woman like her deported.
Bush didn't deport her, she was right there. And Barack didn't and, so far, Trump hasn't.
But that could change with Trump or the next president. She knows that. She made her choice. It was the choice she wanted and I respect it.
Diya was having problems with her marriage and her mother.
She was having big problems with her marriage actually and didn't feel it was right to discuss it with anyone. We had no idea how bad it was -- her friends -- because she felt it would break her vows of marriage to discuss with anyone what she was going through.
The only one she had spoken to was her mother (who lived back in India) and her mother would shame her for it and blame her for it.
Diya decided to pursue citizenship.
It's good that she did because shortly after she became a citizen (six months?), she filed for divorce. Only at that point did she share the abuse (physical and verbal) that she was living with. She goes back to India once a year for three weeks but she will tell you that the US is her home and her son's home. She will tell you that she's glad she became a citizen.
For Diya, that was the right decision. I respect her right to make that decision. Again, Juana made a different decision and I respect that decision as well.
If Juana ever gets deported though, it would be a hard case to argue because she chose not to become a citizen. She made the choice.
Jose Segovia Benitez had numerous chances to become a citizen. The path to citizenship that so many of us are arguing needs to be created for Dreamers? Jose had that as a member of the US military. He elected not to become a citizen. He made that decision while serving, he made that decision again (repeatedly) after he returned to the US.
As a veteran, he committed crimes and was prosecuted. He has a criminal record now and he is not a citizen?
It's not a surprise that he is being deported.
It's not really a tragedy either.
A tragedy is ICE busting up a home where the family had no path to citizenship.
Someone who chose not to become a citizen?
I just don't care.
There are real issues in this world.
You make decisions -- as adults -- and you live with them.
Nothing more can be done for Jose because Jose made the decisions that he made.
And, if we're really honest, Jose hurts the immigration issue. We are fighting for immigrants who want to become citizens of the US. And when someone who has a path chooses not to and then wants to whine that he's being told he has to leave, it really needs to be stressed this person is not the immigrant we're arguing for.
Jose chose not to become a citizen, Jose broke several laws and ended up with conviction and prison time.
Again, I just don't care.
I can't bleed for the world. I can't cut a vein open on my wrist because you want to now change the choices you made. That's on you. You weren't a kid and you had opportunities you elected not to utilize. That's on you.
It's no tragedy. It's no crisis. It a response to the choices that you made.
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