First of all, I thought I'd give you all an update on Sr. Charlotte and Sr. Connie Ruth. They are both continuing to improve. At some point today (probably this morning) they will each go in for their third surgery, which is, in fact, a testament to their stability. Sr. Charlotte is doing well enough that doctors are talking of lowering her medication and eventually weaning her off. I'm not exactly sure what medication she is on. Hans' and my best guess is that she's in a medically-induced coma, and that they're talking of waking her up. That's just pure speculation, though, and I could be completely wrong. The basic news, though, is that they're both doing better. Yay!
Like most of the Richmond and NoVA community, I'm angry about the crash. I'm not sure how much I told you about the crash, but all you really need to know is that they were hit by a 23-year-old drunk driver, whose license had already been revoked due to two DUIs. This makes me very angry. I'm saddened for this 23 year old child, but I'm also very angry at him and any person who let him get in the car that morning.
Upon further investigation, though, authorities have found that this man is an illegal immigrant. Not only had his license been revoked, but he had also been waiting to go before an immigration judge. I might be ok with this information if this gentleman hadn't been waiting since 2008. TWO THOUSAND EIGHT!!!! Yes, I'm very angry with this bit of information. He'd broken the law multiple times, and for some reason he was still free. Now, one person is dead and two others are severely injured.
However, that's not what's really got me riled up. I'm fed up with the fact that so many people are turning this into a political issue. I'm tired of hearing people say that it's the illegal immigrants causing all the problems. I'm tired of hearing that this tragedy happened because of some illegal immigrant. I'm tired of hearing about "that damned Mexican who killed the nun."
First of all, Carlos A. Martinelly Montano is from Bolivia, not Mexico. Second of all, the fact that he's an immigrant, illegal or otherwise, has nothing to do with this crash. It has no bearing on the fact that he was a drunk (other than that maybe poor living conditions in Bolivia followed by poor living conditions here drove him to the drink). Being an immigrant is not why this crash happened.
I think I'm just tired of people trying to politicize this. Yes, the system failed when they didn't deport him (or even send him to court) earlier. Yes, this is an example of an illegal immigrant causing major problems. The thing is, though, it's not how all illegal immigrants are. Some really are looking for a better life. Some really do enhance our lives by cleaning up the community and bringing culture into our lives.
Yes, some issues need to be addressed. It's true that this particular man should have faced his punishment much, much sooner. But the bigger issue isn't our immigration policies. It's our general treatment of ourselves and others. It's our lack of response to people in need. It's not a problem of immigration. It's a problem of accountability.
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