More Thoughts on the Border
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| Borders are important and good rules are essential for a polite and civil society. |
A reply from a friend:
"Just to clear on where I stand. Unsure of what is really happening in these detainment centers. I completely understand that there are some people trying to escape desperate situations. We have shitty immigration laws. Trump is right. We need to get all this stuff figured out in a big hurry. No one should be separated from anyone they love."
My response:
In general, I agree that no one should be separated from those they love. But "Love" is a big little word and what each of us understands it means can vary considerably. We have to look at the actions and, if we are going to err, I believe that it should be on the side of protecting the children.
To me, that means when faced with a situation where no one is immediately certain, it is better to separate the child from the adult than to risk leaving the child with an adult who will ultimately harm the child. If the worst we do is to separate a child from a loving parent, then we still have a chance to rectify that by reuniting them after we have had time to examine the situation and determine that the child will be better off with the parent.
On the other hand, if we do the opposite and expose the child to quite possible slavery or death based simply on our reverence for "Love" then are we not complicit in what happens to that child?
I have seen evidence of how you feel about your own child, and if I could be certain that each person that arrives in this country with a child in tow feels the same as you, then I would be much more likely to have a different viewpoint.
But during the years that I taught, I saw many children that were victimized by parents. There are adults that simply should not be a parent. When someone crosses the border illegally with a child, how are we to know what kind of parent they are, or even if they are actually a relative to the child that accompanies them. I submit that in questionable circumstances, it is a better solution to separate the child until we have a reasonable basis to make a decision.
We hear reports that children are bought and sold specifically for the purpose of violating immigration laws. That is an immorality that we have encouraged by not having clear and enforced rules concerning this matter. One of the first lessons that a teacher learns is "Never make a rule that you will not enforce". The same thing applies to, as far as I can tell, to every endeavor that involves more than one person.
Politicians, who made the rule which we are immediately concerned with, are suggesting now that we should ignore the rule that they set. That is simply not a good idea.
A major characteristic of humans is that they automatically push the rules. That is the way that children learn. It is natural and unavoidable. As a parent, you know what happens if you set a rule for your child. Your child is going to test that rule! If you are wishy-washy and create it as a "sometimes" rule, the child will keep pushing the limit until it finds a limit that is absolute. This is one of the big reasons that we are seeing so much violence in our public schools. Schools are afraid to set rules and enforce those rules.
At the border, we set a wishy-washy rule. People are naturally going to test the rule. When they find that it is a false rule, they are going to naturally realize that. These people are not dumb! We have taught them that we are not serious about the rules on our southern border. Current politicians are attempting to capitalize on a problem that they created and in the process, they are making it worse!
So we have a "shitty" rule. What do you do when you have a rule that you are unwilling to enforce?
As citizens, we need to recognize what these politicians are doing and let them know that we cannot be fooled by their crocodile tears. That we expect our political class to step up to the plate and if rules are necessary, take the steps needed to create rules that will work. If a rule is broken (i.e., the rule itself is not working to it's intended purpose), they need to immediately fix the rules and/or procedures in a transparent and expedient manner.
To me, that means when faced with a situation where no one is immediately certain, it is better to separate the child from the adult than to risk leaving the child with an adult who will ultimately harm the child. If the worst we do is to separate a child from a loving parent, then we still have a chance to rectify that by reuniting them after we have had time to examine the situation and determine that the child will be better off with the parent.
On the other hand, if we do the opposite and expose the child to quite possible slavery or death based simply on our reverence for "Love" then are we not complicit in what happens to that child?
I have seen evidence of how you feel about your own child, and if I could be certain that each person that arrives in this country with a child in tow feels the same as you, then I would be much more likely to have a different viewpoint.
But during the years that I taught, I saw many children that were victimized by parents. There are adults that simply should not be a parent. When someone crosses the border illegally with a child, how are we to know what kind of parent they are, or even if they are actually a relative to the child that accompanies them. I submit that in questionable circumstances, it is a better solution to separate the child until we have a reasonable basis to make a decision.
We hear reports that children are bought and sold specifically for the purpose of violating immigration laws. That is an immorality that we have encouraged by not having clear and enforced rules concerning this matter. One of the first lessons that a teacher learns is "Never make a rule that you will not enforce". The same thing applies to, as far as I can tell, to every endeavor that involves more than one person.
Politicians, who made the rule which we are immediately concerned with, are suggesting now that we should ignore the rule that they set. That is simply not a good idea.
A major characteristic of humans is that they automatically push the rules. That is the way that children learn. It is natural and unavoidable. As a parent, you know what happens if you set a rule for your child. Your child is going to test that rule! If you are wishy-washy and create it as a "sometimes" rule, the child will keep pushing the limit until it finds a limit that is absolute. This is one of the big reasons that we are seeing so much violence in our public schools. Schools are afraid to set rules and enforce those rules.
At the border, we set a wishy-washy rule. People are naturally going to test the rule. When they find that it is a false rule, they are going to naturally realize that. These people are not dumb! We have taught them that we are not serious about the rules on our southern border. Current politicians are attempting to capitalize on a problem that they created and in the process, they are making it worse!
So we have a "shitty" rule. What do you do when you have a rule that you are unwilling to enforce?
- Examine the original purpose of the rule. Is it a valid purpose? If not, then take steps to eliminate the rule. Explain why to those with a vested interest.
- If the original purpose was valid and the fault is with the structure of the rule, then re-structure the rule and make certain that everyone know why.
- If the purpose was and is valid, and there are no structural faults with the rule, then the administration of the rule must be examined and appropriate changes made immediately. Let everyone with an interest know why and what changes are being made.
As citizens, we need to recognize what these politicians are doing and let them know that we cannot be fooled by their crocodile tears. That we expect our political class to step up to the plate and if rules are necessary, take the steps needed to create rules that will work. If a rule is broken (i.e., the rule itself is not working to it's intended purpose), they need to immediately fix the rules and/or procedures in a transparent and expedient manner.
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