People Should Be Better Than Chickens

One of these men does not look like the others.  He doesn't talk like the others, he doesn't dress like the others, he did not grow up going to the same schools, he did not go to the same churches, his life was not modeled on 'Leave it to Beaver', nor did he ever get described as "the All-American Boy".

The other two did.  They were golden children, as far as you can be in this country.  The fella in the middle there was high up in Republican Party politics in Washington State in the early 70's, before he ran into a little trouble with the law.  You might want to read about his story some time in Ann Rule's gripping The Stranger Beside Me.  Fascinating reading.

Recently, the State of Arizona enacted legislation which gives the police broad powers to stop people suspected of being illegal aliens.  The problem, of course, is that the Governor of Arizona refused point blank to answer the question "What does an illegal alien look like?"

Why would she refuse to answer that question?  Because she doesn't want to admit the obvious:  an illegal alien looks hispanic.  Oh, sure, there are illegal immigrants from Russia, Serbia, Germany, Canada, Botswana, Yemen, and probably even a few countries the proprietors of Myrtle's place have never even heard of.  But everyone in this country with a pulse knows who you're talking about when you say "illegal aliens".  You're talking about immigrants who come into this country over the Mexican border without following statutory methods.

So what's the big brouhaha about?

Proponents of harsh tactics claim illegal immigrants do all sorts of nasty things -- commit a lot of crime, sign up for welfare, drive down property values, etc. etc. etc.

Problem is, they can't prove a single one of those claims.  The act of coming into this country, true, breaks one of our laws.  For the most part, though, those laws need breaking.  If you've never seen the poverty in the colonias in the border states, you're missing something; however, even the colonias are preferable to starvation in the slums of central Mexico.  We know several illegals personally, and every last one of them is supporting their families, often heroically, against pretty long odds.  They are having to break the law to do so, which is a shame, but it is hardly unethical.  Under similar circumstances, we would do exactly the same thing.

No, the problem is not law-breaking; it's not taxation (illegals pay taxes, including social security taxes, that they will never recoup).  The problem is the amygdala - the reptilian portion of the human brain.

Some people are afraid of change.  The very word change sends them into paroxysms.  And the changing socio-cultural dynamic of this country is frightening the willies out of them.  The problem is, they have not reconciled themselves to the notion that in a melting pot, the stew tends to get a little darker.

Myrtle can relate.

Why?  Because chickens are racists.  Mix a bunch of breeds of chickens together, you'll find Barred Rocks preferring Barred Rocks, Bantams hanging with Bantams, and Jersey Giants acting like they own the joint.  They live in the amygdala because their brains don't have a huge frontal cortex like those of homo sapiens.  Trouble is, when people act out of fear, they abandon the frontal cortex, and flee to the amygdala, and start ranting about "them Mexicans are taking our jobs".  Right.  How many Arizonans for this law really want to pick vegetables, or tile roofs, or wash dishes for a living?  Hint:  none.

Myrtle may have our affections, but we are of the opinion that people should be better than chickens.  So long as somebody is willing to pick up a shovel, or a hammer, or an apron -- we say let 'em.  This American experience is only truly American so long as it's a party with an open invitation.  Cesar Chavez knew that; we are only sorry that even as an explanatory idiom, we sullied his memory by associating him with Timothy McVeigh and Ted Bundy.  But it needs saying:  nice guys don't always look like Wally and The Beav; sometimes they look "different".  And you shouldn't always trust Wally and The Beav -- they might be hiding something.

Happy farming!