For the last several weeks we have been hearing about the impending Swine Flu (or N1H1) pandemic that was going to hit the US.  Well thank God that it didn't turn out to be as a bad as officials thought it could of been.

However, as an American, a parent, and a substitute teacher in the public schools this potential pandemic made me start to look at the state of our country in a different light. It is through these musings that I realize that we as a Country are facing greater challenges than the Swine Flu. The biggest issue (besides or economy or the huge debt we are running up for future generations) is that of Illegal Immigrants.

Every year, every month and day thousands of people enter this country illegally. Bringing with them their culture, possessions, their pasts and a lot of time their medical issues. Such as drug resistant TB, measles, hepatitis, Aids, HIV, Chagas Disease, and even leprosy. 

Like all Americans I to can trace my roots back to Europe.  We didn't start out here. We came here and brought our cultures, possions, pasts and yes our medical issues.  But, what our ancestors didn't realize that is when we came over looking for new lives, we displaced the already existing cultures and even wiped out one group.  That being the Incas. 

In the case of the Incas the biggest weapon the Spanish brought was not their guns, it was their diseases.  In fact, small pox is what ultimately did them in.  In fact, 90-95% of the MesoAmerican Indians that were alive from1519 to 1619 died from a variety of diseases such measles, both types of plague, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhus, influenza, typhoid fever.  This, wide scale death was as a direct result of of our ancestors "illegal immigration".   If you are interested in reading the whole time line of the lovely epidemics that we brought over check out this link:  http://www.kporterfield.com/aicttw/articles/disease.html

Now, if you are like me you have no idea what Chagas Disease is or why it is a threat. Here is the answer, Chagas Disease, is a tropical parasitical condition that is caused by being bit by the Kissing Bug.  This particular bug carries the parasite which enters the body through the bite wound and goes to work.  This occurs exclusively in Mexico, Central and South America.  In most cases the people who have the infection don't even know they have it until it causes long term problems such as malnutrition, or heart problems.  This disease is transmitted by mother to fetus, blood transfusions, organ transplants and food products. For all the gory details check out this link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas#Transmission

Please don't get me wrong, I believe that everyone should be able to have a fresh start, a better life, and live in a place where opportunity abounds.  However, I also believe that if we don't learn from our history we are bound to repeat the mistakes.  The bottom line is that if we as a country can't find a way to make people to come to this country legally we are setting ourselves up for disaster.  The Swine Flu  was just a test of what could happen if we don't get a handle on this situation soon. 

Therefore, it is in my ever humble opinion, we need to do the right thing and protect our homes and families by enforcing current immigration laws.

Lindy