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17 de Mayo, 2007
La Migra, Asparagus Killers
Categorized under Frontera , Migra | Tags: borders, migra, Migrant farmers
I WRITE OFTEN, and have recently, about this self-defeating dynamic America sees fit to practice in regard to brown immigrants from south of the "Border." And deeper yet, this...utterly disgusting and strange notion that America has nurtured in one form or another since the days of her Jamestown aspirations—this civilized/savage behavior, this servant/master mentality, this pimp/prostitute mentality, this "do our dirty work, let us spit on you, and shut the hell up" elitist, primitive, Othering we like to call by other names. And a commenter (Deoridhe) recently said it well, tho' I paraphrase: it hurts to see the humans who suffer directly from this gross attitude and the practices it spawns, and yet I get a certain satisfaction to see the lessons come back to bite America in the ass.
Yes, it sounds..confused, right? To talk of those here in America suffering at America's hands? To hear me lament their fate and cheer on the karma that awaits those of us...here in America? And that's the crux! You can't split off "America" from the people who live in it and work in it and feed it and also pay for that food as they stock their own pantries. And if you try to make yourself richer by chopping off your spending hand, you're gonna miss it when it comes time to feed your damn self.
The state of Michigan is actively recruiting workers in other states to some Michigan jobs.
The tightening of immigration laws has local farmers struggling to find help.
Asparagus is the first crop of the year to be harvested and right now the farmers are having a hard time getting enough migrant workers to pick the asparagus. This could be a preview of what is to come t his summer with fruit and vegetable crops. ...
Michigan is the state with the fourth highest number of migrant workers in the U.S.
[Tom Oomen of Hart, who has been farming for 30 years] said he mowed 10 acres of asparagus on Tuesday because he had no one to pick them. The spears became too mature and were no longer good.
—Farmers struggle without enough migrant workers, www.woodtv.com
So it's asparagus now. What's next, border-worshippers? Your precious peaches? Your amazing avacado salads? Your hearty tomatoes? Your glistening grapes?
I hope the ICE cops and all those who advocate "shipping them back to where they came from" pull a good case of scurvy before this is all over. Or lose some of their comfy spending cush because their produce costs more than a full tank.
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Comentarios (9)
Pat Logan dijo:
That's ironic.
Palabras por Pat Logan spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 10:10 AM
Amanda dijo:
That's also what has happened to Stillmore.
All the talk about low-income African-Americans being able to get jobs for $15 an hour was bunk. The plants can't afford to raise the wages so high and still sell chicken. Now they've resorted to using local prisoners to fill the jobs, for less than a dollar a day. But even before the raids, there was never a fully-staffed shift at any poultry plant in Georgia... and we are the #1 poultry producers in the country. The pollo manufacturers have said that if this continues, we will have to begin importing our food. Now that is a security risk.
Palabras por Amanda spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Ill Do Chay dijo:
Durn it, I LOVE asparagus!
Palabras por Ill Do Chay spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 10:50 AM
Ill Do Chay dijo:
Ah, the joys of chicken. Part of the screw 'em all approach involves loaning money (World Bank much) to 3rd world countries, then undercutting their economies by selling Murkan chicken (and other goods) at lower prices than local chicken farms can. Forever poverty-stricken and indebted to the Big White Machine.
Palabras por Ill Do Chay spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Rafael dijo:
The Michigan economy is largely dependent on migrant workers )they don't dare use the word immigrant or illegal up there) not only in the fields but also in the factories and constant road work (ice and salt can be murder on the roads). Without it the state would grind to a halt.
Palabras por Rafael spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 10:59 AM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez dijo:
yes, amanda. great link. related to this type of situation, too.
yeah, that talk about "now the black folks can get good wages" was just bullshit, the same ole "Divide and Conquer" that white america levels on all members of the Brown™.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 11:06 AM
~KL~ dijo:
And heirin lies part of the irony as noted by the image of what Bush said in a nutshell: We need them to do the work ,but not enjoy the fruits of thier labor. Dispose of them when were through.
Imagine the impact if suddenly the "labor" ceased altogether?
Palabras por ~KL~ spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 11:36 AM
Tom dijo:
"Imagine the impact if suddenly the "labor" ceased altogether?"
Palabras por Tom spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 11:45 AM
mikefromtexas dijo:
Seems a lot of these folks have never heard that old saying about being careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Palabras por mikefromtexas spat forth on el 17 de Mayo, 2007 at 08:55 PM