The Devil made me do it

Flip Wilson, a comedian from a few decades back, used to dress up in drag as Earnestine, a nappy headed…., er, call gi…., lady of the ev….., a working girl. His signature line for the character’s behavior was always, “The Devil made me do it!”

I hadn’t thought about Flip Wilson for ten years, but that line came to mind when I heard about Elvira’s speech in Mexico City, DF.

She was invited to address the Mexican Congress. And for the first time she explained who’s to blame for her troubles. Listen to this: “The United States is the one who broke the law first by letting people cross over without documents and by letting people pay taxes.” (August 22, 2007)

Elvira told a Mexican Senate Committee: “For me it is very important that our government take a strong stand to defend all of us who decide to migrate to another country.” It is as simple as that.

You decide you want to live in the United States and you deserve the cooperation and protection of both the US and Mexico. That sounds logical to me. And would you like me to peel you a grape and fetch you some Bon-Bons while I’m at it?

There must be something in the water south of the border because the politicians are talking just like Elvira. “We cannot remain quiet in view of this injustice and must ask for firm action from our authorities,” Mexican Sen. Humberto Zazue said.

"It's tragic when a mother is separated from her son," said Luis Cabrera, Mexico's general consul in San Diego. You’re absolutely right, Luis. She should have kept her son with her when she returned to Mexico. Surely you knew she had that choice.

Not to be outdone by the Mexican politicians, the mayor of LA, Tony Villaraigosa (yes, I’ve written about him before) commented: "Until we resolve the status of the estimated 12 million undocumented people living and working in the United States by giving them some meaningful pathway to citizenship, families will continue to be torn apart.” Actually Tony, if you’d get control of your bed snake, other families (like your own) would not be torn apart. Maybe you could work on that before you try to solve the illegal alien issue.

And Chicago’s Very Own Alderman Ricardo Munoz added this perspective on the subject: "It's a sad day. We need comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together. A young boy, a U.S. citizen, lost his mother to a broken system. Elvira has put a face to this struggle. There are 12 million illegal immigrants that head to work every morning, not knowing if they'll come home at the end of the day."

It seems to me that Mayor Villaraigosa and Alderman Munoz need to read their oath of office before they start making public comments like that.

By now you’ll need something to clear you head of all this nonsense. I offer you this comment from the Associated Press: Jim Hayes, director of ICE in Los Angeles, said "proper perspective" should be placed on the woman's case. Using a false identity, as in the case of Arellano, who was convicted of using someone else's Social Security number, can be a threat to national security, he said.
"We don't think she's a martyr," Hayes said. "She was a criminal fugitive who is in violation of the law."

Thank you, Mr. Hayes, for setting the record straight.