Let’s begin with this regarding the southern border “crisis.” I have no expertise here on the current laws or policy beyond what I can find in news reports, which has become so politicized it’s hard to parse through what is what. I put “crisis” in quotes as while I don’t disagree that there are thousands of immigrants approaching and crossing the border both legally and illegally, I don’t know if this constitutes a crisis. Is the crisis something of our own making from our lack of political will to put necessary resources already allocated to it, are more resources needed, or is it simply being used to make political hay? Whatever.

While politicians and pundits and talking heads try and piss on each other and convince us it’s raining I keep thinking, these are flesh and blood humans with hopes and dreams, often crossing thousands of miles, risking their lives for the dream of a better life. And they think they will find that here. That’s pretty astounding. Imagine being in a place by virtue of birth where you see your best option for survival as carrying all you can, including your children, on foot, climbing fences, crossing rivers, maybe drowning for that possibility.

The answer to the crisis? I don’t know. I do know they are human just like me and I have empathy for them. The other thing I know is that at some point our political leaders need to put on their big-boy pants and work to solve a problem as opposed to work to use a problem to hang on to personal power and wealth. And we need to stop supporting those that only do the latter.

Here’s a song off my 2020 album, The New American Way that pertains to this.