Everything is new and different and again the same

Once you get that life is short, everything becomes new and different. Even a blade of grass is something to behold. On my way out to the garage, I looked up and immediately became transfixed with a bird in the sky. I watched it twirl in the afternoon breeze, the day full of blue sky and the promise of Spring. 

The next thing I knew I was sitting in a pile of mud, dog poop, and dead foliage. Plus, I sprained my ankle. Lucky for me it's the bad ankle that always gets sprung so it's no big deal. The dog poop was something else altogether and required a hobble into the house and a quick shower. My body decided I was done for the day and so I am on the couch, my usual afternoon spot, typing this blog. Which is a good thing, I suppose.  Otherwise I'd still be out there wishing I was a bird.  

I got into a border wall discussion last night with a very nice person who supports the wall and President Trump. For me, the border situation has nothing to do with Trump or Democrats. It is about the human situation. Unlike most of my liberal friends, I am a border supporter. In my case, it is more about monitoring who is coming in rather than who is going out. I want to make damn sure that the children belong to the people who are bringing them across. Human trafficking and drugs are my main bitch here with my own very personal experiences leading the way.

I am shocked that the Democrats are not supporting the wall. They supported it just a few years ago and now, petty politics aside, I am saddened by their change of mind. Yes, children are trafficked across the border. I wrote a series of articles about them several years ago and after finishing the series I was exhausted, demoralized, and depressed. 

I have a friend who was forced to wear a burka. My cause at the time was supporting this woman and others like her who felt subjugated by their husbands. Another friend told me to find a better cause. Human trafficking was, to her, far worse. I didn't even know human trafficking was a problem. I soon discovered differently and believe me, I was better off being ignorant. I was stunned to discover that children were regularly bought and sold after 'coyotes' brought them in over the border,  you know, the part that has no fence, at night, in the dark. Can you imagine? Are their numbers as great as the people sneaking in to work? No, but the fact that it happens at all is reprehensible. If we do not make it easy for them to get in the numbers will drop. Will they go somewhere else? Probably, but at least I won't feel responsible because I didn't do something concrete to help them. Like a wall. 

We need ICE. Omg. I said it. Yes we do, but we can change the name to something like, I dunno, the Welcoming Committee? We need people to patrol the border, to keep the peace, to keep people safe. It is common sense. You cannot open the borders to all people whenever they want to get in. We do not have the infrastructure to support them. We cannot give them free health care, money, phones and whatnot. We can't. Why? When was the last time you looked at our country's debt? Again, simple math. This is not rocket science. It is common sense. 

I live in California and things are bad here folks. There is a special place in hell for Jerry Brown and his environmental minions. San Francisco is a mess, the homeless, the needles, the human waste that builds up on the streets because latex gloves were banned. Hells bells, I went to a restaurant and had to order a straw. They hand out free needles for drugs and waitresses get fined for offering you a straw. 

I do not pretend to play politics. I wouldn't know how. But this I do know, if California is an example of what Democratic rule is, you do not want to live like this. You really don't. I have one radical friend who left the state to move to Nevada. Why? She retired and can't afford to live here. 

​Would someone tell me where common sense is hiding? We have to manage our forests. It really is that simple. It is time to take responsibility for where we live. We need to care for our forests and foothills, not leave them to be turned into ash because some nut job in Sacramento is worried about a mouse or a fish. I'll leave the smelt for later. 

​What are your thoughts on the border wall?