Eric’s “Shut Her down” #3 Government Shutdown and Border Shutdown

Dateline: Southeastern San Diego County, Bordertown USA.

San Ysidro is home to the world's busiest land border crossing probably in the world. Maybe just our Hemisphere but who counts that exact. Up the road L.A. way is probably the largest Mexican origin population outside of Mexico. Percentage wise perhaps San Diego County the second. We were part of Mexico until around 1845. We have the oldest Mission in Alta California here and La Presa the oldest Mexican city in the U.S.A. (perhaps some Pueblas in New Mexico are older) Our Mexican Americans here are mostly Nativo. We don’t see much of the Caucasian Mexicans here.

To be real real, for us working folks outside of the big city and mega million homes on the coast Spanish is spoken as much as English. Most adopt a Spanglish. We are probably more Hispanic in roots that European. Don’t get me wrong we have huge Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese communities. We are on the Pacific also. I think about a thousand miles of near open border on the “Peaceful Ocean”.

We rank right up there too with two of the top busiest International seaports in the U.S.A. and nearly the world. Los Angeles Port of Entry and Long Beach. Of course L.A. International Airport goes without saying.

Tjuana is our Neighor to the South. We are great trading partners. The change in NAFTA has not changed that at all. Tijuana has about 1.3 million people just like San Diego. Somehow I think both those numbers are off by about 2 million.

Most people don’t know but Mexico’s Declaration of Independence, Constitution and War of Independence are really close to our own. And Mexico is a federation of states like our own. Of course differences but very similar.

So to be so sure that you get it. Mexicans and Norte Americanos are not at odds. You can hardly tell the difference down here. Yes their wives yell and scream a lot but so do our Italian and Vietnamese ladies. It is their cultural job. We just get over it and go with the flow. Maybe too many Mexican beers we drink bemoaning this fact ;-)

Also to be sure our lives are very good here. I think on both sides of the border. I lived in Southern Tijuana about 4 months out of the year in a tiny enclave called Rosarito – now a bustling beach town. I had a car stolen down there once. But it was by a U.S. Marine on leave and drunk – go figure.

So what is going on. Criminals are what is going on. I understand that the U.S.A. is the biggest smuggler of guns into Mexico. Except for real hunting rifles guns are outlawed down there. Only gangs and cartels have them openly. In a pre-honeymoon my wife and I were staying in a tent down Mazatlan way. Elvis died and we kind of got hammered. Two older Canadians took us back to the tent safely. A bandito with a gun was robbing our tent but the Federalies were hot on his tail. One shot was fired and the bandito died. Here is the rub, he died from his gun exploding in his face. No one ever told him how to clean the gun. Of course we were all way bummed out. “Take our stuff and go” we thought. Of course locals heard of it and we were brought on board for the duration.

More of a story of us smuggling goat cheese and a parrot another time.

One time I was bringing my two dogs back to the states with me. All legal and licensed. They were snoozing in the back of my 8 year old Volvo station wagon. I forgot all about them. Then the Border Patrol agents with those drug and people sniffing great big German Shepherds came around and the Shepherds went nuts. I near peed my pants. And the agents started laughing. They were just welcoming my two Chow Chows. Fun story to laugh at myself.

Just yesterday three of our Mexican Americans got pulled out of the ESS an after school program that I think is the best in the world. Those who can pay do and it subsidizes those who cannot including a major snack. We know these kids, been on play dates and parties with them. Parents laid off on the shutdown. They cannot afford it and impossible paperwork to get a waiver of fees. Plus they now could have the kids at home with no work. Tears all around. It hurts hard in our hood.

But the bummer of it all is that we all know a family who has lost someone due to the Mexican gang violence here. Across the freeway 125 there is a gang related death once a week. Now do not jump to fast to a conclusion. Even though they are not all illegal immigrants there is a system at work. They recruit. Now this recruitment does not come with a signing bonus. It may come with a gun or a pound of Chrystal Meth to sell or else. Here is the other part. They do not recruit lower to middle income white kids. They recruit boys and girls of Hispanic origin whose both parents are gone working hard to make a better life. Most normally there is no choice. And we know in fact that the leaders are not here with a legal entry.

So to be really well understood here. The border crossing problem is not my problem. It is my friend’s problem. Loss of jobs, child endangerment, drug and human trafficking

My wife and I have a running joke in our home. We say “your people” and laugh. It is about our two very distinct cultures of an Italian and Irish origin American brought up in a very third gen German household and her heritage as a first gen Vietnamese American. Our son of course chimes in that they are not his people on either side. Or if it suits him they are all his people. So fun when pointing out differences in our very happy multicultural place. We have settled that Hispanic Americans are my people. Fair enough. Variety in people is the spice of life. She claims Pilipino as her’s. Go figure when we have a party it goes crazy with language around here. I think Gabe and I will study up on German so we can have our own.

Let most people be assured that I speak here and want to make sure. We are a love melting pot. These problems we have are a low percentage. Yes it is a crises. Or go tell my neighbor who lost her son to the gangs and then to death that it is not.

But our relationship with folks south of our border is awesome. Perhaps never better in the last 40 years. Us “you and I are coming together”. We don’t want these bad folk messing our cross-border love fest up.

I hate it and we all do but a secure border is the only way going both ways. If we stem the flow of bad people and innocent victims and drugs and gangsters, then they will have no reason to flood into our sister city Tijuana where so many of our friends and friend’s family reside. We all agree they will not come to Tijauna of San Diego if they cannot come.

The media seems short termed I hope on Monday I can make another “Midnight Run” to our caravan brothers and sisters with stuff. Maybe not good stuff but to let them know they are not forgotten.

Tomorrow morning my little family will have another group hug and pray for our leaders on both sides.