I do my best to focus on the positives and roll with the negatives. That’s tough sometimes when everyone has an opinion on everything and shares on social media like it’s their job.
I also try not to post a whole lot here about politics — and never on social media. I’ll admit I lean a bit to the conservative side, but am in the middle on many issues. The whole walking on eggshells to protect feelings isn’t one of those issues. It’s ridiculous in my opinion.
Local arrests caused some people to flip out.
A condensed version: Seymour Police made this Facebook post: “The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Seymour Police Department assisted our Federal partners to include HSI, ERO, ICE, and FBI, with the arrest of numerous criminal illegal aliens in the City of Seymour, this morning. All arrestees were taken into federal custody and are subject to deportation.”
Some were horribly offended by the term “criminal illegal aliens.” Lectures about how calling these people illegal aliens was dehumanizing (and unChristlike) ensued with claims that they were being treated like cattle, vermin, or worse. Whatever… everyone has a right to their opinions and to voice them. But when I read the following comment, my fingers just about got the best of me.
“Without them, we cannot keep our factories and farms running.” <—- WHAT? What farms? And what factories are hiring the undocumented (being careful not to use disparaging descriptors)?
Term ‘unauthorized immigrants’ was okie dokie.
When the Seymour PD posted again, they referenced those arrested as unauthorized immigrants and went on to say, “These arrests targeted individuals who had already been charged with or convicted of serious violent crimes including drugs, child molesting, sexual battery, strangulation and domestic violence. Some of those arrested have been deported more than once.”
The angry posters simmered down a bit. Still, I don’t understand why calling them criminal illegal aliens was so awful. Illegal aliens is a legal term used in U.S. law (e.g., Immigration and Nationality Act) to describe non-citizens who enter or remain in the country unlawfully, either by crossing the border without permission or overstaying a visa. And those arrested were all violent offenders… criminals!
The term ‘illegal alien’ is based in REALITY — legal reality of unauthorized presence. I don’t get why some found it so offensive. Why get tore down about the term used for those arrested? I kept my fingers in check and didn’t comment… but it wasn’t easy. I have one friend in particular who takes it upon herself to educate Facebook on her political views — and of course, her views are always right. Although I really like and respect her, she is now on my “don’t show me any posts from this person for 30 days” list.
I’m sure gonna miss seeing photos of her dogs. 🙁
Now you know: The country that eats the most pizza per capita is Norway, with each person eating about 11 pounds of pizza a year.