Final Blog

....well we have seem to come to the end of the blogs, as well as the end of the book. I was absolutely amazed at the ending of this book. The unbiased view I had perceived was smashed in the last chapter of this book, when the author clearly showed a pro immigrant view, but I believe this is more of a pro humane view. This does however, come off quite strong.....stay tuned Ill be sure to post by book review on here as well...............

English Class

...I have just read up until Part Four, which is entitled Aftermath. The part I just read went on to describe how the many men fell to their death and the coordinates at which they fell. The book also showed us how the few men who survived were found. I was impressed by the quick response of the Border Patrol and other agencies to call in the Rescue Mission, but still disturbed that it took them that long to find such a large group. Just on a humanitarian aspect, I believe that the border should be more secure so PEOPLE do not die in that hell....

Return Flight

…I have just spent about two hours reading and re-reading certain parts of the book. I read a total of three chapters just now and I am completely disgusted by the level of inhumane treatment of the people trying to cross the border, not only by the self serving and self seeking coyotes, but by the incompetent and arrogant border patrol agents. The book described in gruesome detail the seven stages leading to death in the desert. The desperation these PEOPLE go through is absolutely insane. The coyotes robbed these people and left them in the desert to die. They have no care or respect for the PEOPLE they were killing. The border patrol should have found these people during the several days of their death march. The Wellton 26 was just one example of the US Border Patrol’s incompetence and arrogance. I am ashamed to salute the same flag those ignorant and incompetent ANIMALS wear on their shoulder…

Up in the air

….I am actually 33,000 feet up in the air while I am typing this. My plan is to type this up then post it when I land and have internet access. This week has been one of the most stressful weeks of my life with the end of tax season at my firm, trying to keep my head above water at school, and preparing for vacation. I read another chapter of Devil’s Highway when I first got on the plane. My plan was to read then post this blog, but that did not happen and I caught up on some much needed sleep for the past hour and a half. I read the chapter entitled “In Sonoita” and it was just as interesting as I had expected. One of the main ideas that sticks out to me is the immigrants sheer determination to press on. We are given vivid details of the areas with their cheap motels where they wait for pick up and drop off to the safe houses. The author does seem to repeat himself with his constant descriptions of the desert and the different passage they may take and the ones they do take, but this is because he is trying to show us the severity of what is occurring along the US-Mexican border. I am trying to remove my emotions while reading this book, but I find it strangely difficult. The way these people were treated like animals angers me, but what further angers me is that this behavior is continuing and occurring right now. I feel much more awake now and I am actually going to read some more during my flight. I will write again in an hour our so….

And the stress really kicks in....

...the count down to finals has begun and I am really beginning to feel the true pressure. I am graduating in one month and still have so much to do. The one thing I now find is that when I set aside a specific amount of time for myself I seem to be able to unwind. This weekend that time was once again spent reading Devil's Highway. The book has introduced the Wellton 26 and given us very detailed account of the lives of the coyotes or better yet the "gangsters", which they prefer to be called. They do not view themselves as thugs or gang bangers, but more of Bonnie and Clyde's of the frontera. There is an entire subculture within the coyotes. We see this in the way they act and praise their actions almost like Robin Hood's. We are also able to see the higharchy of the coyote enterprises. There is a great deal of work that goes into pulling this off. Many Americans view the immigrants as ignorant, but the reality is they are intelligent and know just what to say to the Border Patrol when caught. The guias or guides dress the same as the illegals and try to blend in if they are caught. There is an unspoken rule to never give up who the guia is. The guia will respond to the Border Patrol agent with "si señor" or "no señor" and simply be bused back to Mexico to try crossing again. Another thing that amazed me were the amount of agency and people gaurding the border besides the Border Patrol. The zone is militarized in a sense. Well, I hope to read more at the end of this week and I will keep you posted....

Another Weekend of Reading

...this weekend I was able to read another 20 pages of 'The Devil's Highway', which seems to be getting more interesting as I go along. In this chapter, we are introduced to Don Mio, who is the hock man to get the boys to the coyotes up North. He is the epitome of American life with his large American car, gold jewlery, and big American stomach, most likely filled with American cheesburgers. His job is to recruit men for the smuggler's cartel. He never crosses, but brings the men to the 'frontera'. We are also given a good view of the workings of the human smuggling trade and we are also infored of the Mexican border patrol and how they respect the US border patrol. the one thing they have in common is the idea of their governments not being able to stop this. Many of the Mexican agents respect certain American border patrol agents. The book also describes that there are Mexican border patrol, but no one ever sees them because the cartels pay them off. we are also given a detailed description on the routes leading up to the crossing, different areas of the actual border, and the terrain that lies ahead in the United States. What is most amazing is that crossing stops have been popping up all over the Mexican border, where the immigrants begin their walks. I am looking forward to continuing with this book toward the middle to end of this week. I will keep you posted...

Just another day...

....it has been more than two weeks since my last post. Life has been quite hectic for me. I have been struggling with my classes, but I have managed to set aside a bit of time this ast weekend to read. I was surprised because it actually felt good to block out some time and read. I actually felt relaxed reading with all the other work I had going on. I was in the process of trying to put together an outline for my rough draft for my english class. I was getting a bit frustrated, but after reading and stepping outside for a little bit, I was able to center myself and continue on with my homework. As it pertains to Devil's Highway, I am beginning to get into the accounts of their journey. The book has described the lifestyles of both the immigrants and the border patrol. It was really interesting to see how the border agents actually act. We are able to see their complete disregard for human life. They treat the illegal in a sub-human manner just because they are not citizens of the country they were lucky enough to be born in. We can really see the immigrants humility and the border patrols arrogance. We get a chance to hear about an area in Mexico where many immigrants come from. We got to see there love for American goods. I believe this is just a physical manifestation for their yearning to be apart of world that they have not been given on a silver plater. I look forward to reading more this weekend. Although I have neglected to read these past few weeks, I look forward to making a more dilegent effort each week because I actually enjoy reading. I get the opportunity to not focus on everything around me for awhile, which causes me to relax...